With contributions from Nina Crummy, Tania M. Dickinson, Vera I. Evison, Patricia Galloway, D. E. Greenway, Margaret Guido, Sonia C. Hawkes, S. E. Rigold, D. Stephenson, D. M. Wilson, and G. Zarnecki.
Published 1981 by Council for British Archaeology, London. Reprinted 1995 by the Colchester Archaeological Trust (with a few additional footnotes).
Results from 1971-1977 excavations are brought together with related material not previously published. For the post-Roman period there are two sunken huts, one built against a derelict Roman house, and some AS cemetery material. (Some late Roman military equipment is also discussed.) Evidence of late 8th and 9th centuries is rare. Historical evidence relating to Castle and Abbey is reviewed, and a small church was found to predate St John's Abbey. A typology of 10th to 12th century pottery is outined, four periods of pre-12th century planning are identified, and seven buildings made from reused RB stone noted. The plan of the Castle Keep is discussed.
Author(s): Philip Crummy
Series: Colchester Archaeological Reports, 1. Council for British Archaeology Research Reports, 39
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Colchester Archaeological Trust
Year: 1995
Language: English
Pages: 100
Illustrations
Introduction and acknowledgments
Chapter 1. The archaeological evidence: 5th to 9th centuries
Lion Walk site (Fig 2)
Lion Walk: Hut 1, TL 99692507 (Figs 3 & 4)
Lion Walk: Hut 2, TL 99662511 (Fig 6)
Other sites and finds shown on Figure 2; sites A to P
Site A: Lorgarth, Nunn's Road, TL 99482541 (Fig 2)
Site B: 18 North Hill, TL 99422541 (Fig 2)
Site C: 4 and 5 North Hill, TL 99442530 (Fig 2)
Site D: North Hill multi-storey car park, TL 99462533 (Fig 2)
Site E: Telephone Exchange, TL 99512534 (Fig 2)
Site F: site of the Cups Hotel, TL 99562522 (Fig 2)
Site G: Queen Street, TL 99912522 (Fig 2)
Site H: Luckin-Smith's, Head Street, TL 99372502 (Fig 2)
Site I: Shippey's, Head Street, TL 99352502 (Fig 2)
Site J: Union House, TL 99142527 (Fig 2)
Site K: Guildford Road Estate, TM 00032560 (Fig 2)
Site L: site of St John's Church, TL 99892479 (Fig 2)
Site M: sand pits in Butt Road, TM 99292483 (Fig 2)
Site N: 10 Mersea Road, TL 99932473 (Fig 2)
Site O: Meanee Barracks, TL 99932453 (Fig 2)
Other finds believed to be from the Mersea Road Saxon cemetery, ie the area around sites N and O, Fig 2 (TL 99952458 approx)
Sites P, F, and Q: sherds of grass-tempered pottery which may be later than the 7th century (TL 99202516, TL 99562522, and TL 99912539 resp)
Weapons from the river Colne
Strap-end from 26 Lexden Road
Other objects for which the exact find spots are unknown
Synthesis of the archaeological evidence relating to occupation in Colchester from the 5th to the 9th centuries
The earliest Saxon inhabitation and the problem of continuity from the Roman period
The evidence for later occupation
Notes
Chapter 2. Some written evidence
The Anglo-Saxon period
Origins of personal names of burgesses in Colchester Domesday and of moneyers operating in Colchester during the period 979-1087
Eudo Dapifer and the construction of Colchester Castle
(i) The 1101 charter of Henry I to Eudo Dapifer
(ii) The 'Colchester Chronicle'
(iii) The accounts of the foundation and early history of St John's Abbey
Discussion
Notes
Chapter 3. The ceramic evidence: 10th to 12th centuries
Chapter 4. Excavations in the grounds of St John's Abbey
Early historical background of the site
The excavations
Reconciliation of the archaeological discoveries with the written evidence
Notes
Chapter 5. Topographical evidence
Colchester as a port (Fig 40)
Reuse of Roman buildings and building materials
Property boundaries
'Pinched-ends'
Evidence of town planning
The development of the parish of Holy Trinity (Fig 44)
11th century ditch at the Lion Walk site
The position of St Runwald's Church in the High Street
Notes
Chapter 6. Stone houses in Colchester
(a) Stone house at the junction of Lion Walk and Culver Street (Figs 45, 46, & 53)
(b) Stone house in Foundry Yard (Figs 47-51 & 53)
(c) Stone house at the junction of Pelham's Lane and High Street (Figs 52 & 53)
(d) Stone house at the rear of the site of the Cups Hotel (Fig 53)
(e) The Moot Hall (Figs 53 to 59)
The sculptures of the old Moot Hall, Colchester
(f) Stone houses in the castle bailey (Figs 62, 44 site f, & 42)
(g) The Gables, East Stockwell Street (Fig 44 site g)
Discussion (Fig 44)
Notes
Chapter 7. Colchester from the 5 th to the 12th century: general discussion and summary
Notes
Appendix 1. Origins of personal names of burgesses in Colchester Domesday and of moneyers operating in Colchester during the period 979-1087
Notes
Appendix 2. Bronze mount from the castle bailey
Appendix 3. Earliest known references to present streets in Colchester town centre
Appendix 4. Notes on Colchester keep
Plan of the keep
Some points of detail
Appendix 5. Notes on the Borough seals of Colchester
Notes
Appendix 6. Descriptions of illustrated pottery and other clay objects (where not given in text)
Bibliography
Abbreviations
References
Index
