With contributions by M. Archibald, R. I. Charleston, J. Geddes, R. Halsey, J. Kerr, A. Locker, A. D. F. Streeten, R. Warmington, N. J. Armes, D. R. Atkinson, J. Bayley, J. G. Coad, V. J. Coad, B. M. A. Ellis, M. A. Girling, M. Hutchinson, B. Knight, C. A. Keepax, G. Lawson and P. J. Paradine.
Ebook (PDF) published 2012.
Battle Abbey, founded by William the Conqueror himself for his deliverance, was one of the greater abbeys of medieval England. This volume provides an account of the historical and architectural development of this great monastery, and a report on the recent excavations there. The latter saw the complete excavation of the chapter house and reredorter, and established a sequence of development from the hillside of the battle of Hastings, through the Norman abbey and its additions, to the great thirteenth-century rebuilding, continued late medieval activity and the post-dissolution periods of decay and revival. The excavations produced a wide range of finds. These included important sequences of pottery and roof tile; material that throws light on the design, glazing and flooring of the monastic buildings; and an extensive collection of objects of bone, lead, copper alloy, iron and glass. Many of these finds came from a rich Dissolution rubbish dump.
Author(s): John N. Hare
Series: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England. Archaeological Report, 2
Publisher: English Heritage
Year: 1985
Language: English
Pages: 214
City: Swindon
List of figures and of tables
List of plates
Note on references to Abbey records
Abstract
Preface
Chapter I. The abbey and its buildings: an historical introduction 11
Chapter II. The eastern range and the excavations of 1978-80 16
Before the monastery 18
Period A: The Norman abbey 18
The eastern arm of the abbey church 18
The Norman chapter house 20
The conventual buildings before the great rebuilding 23
Period B: The great rebuilding in the thirteenth century 25
The reconstruction of the chapter house 25
The rebuilding of the dormitory range 26
The porch 28
The reredorter 30
The construction and dating of the eastern range 34
The range east of the chapter house 35
Period C: The monastery in the later Middle Ages 35
The new drainage system 35
The dormitory and reredorter ranges 37
The chapter house 38
Period D: The abbey buildings after the Dissolution 39
The chapter house area 41
The reredorter 42
Period E: Decline and revivals, the eighteenth century and afterwards 45
Chapter III. The phasing and the finds: an introduction 63
Chapter IV. The building stone 66
Chapter V. The architectural material by R. Halsey and J. N. Hare 69
Chapter VI. The ceramic building materials by A. D. F. Streeten 79
Introduction 79
Manufacture 79
Tiles and floors 81
Roof tiles and roof furniture 93
Brick 100
Chapter VII. The pottery by A. D. F. Streeten 103
Chapter VIII. The window glass by J. Kerr 127
Chapter IX. The vessel glass by R. I. Charleston 139
Chapter X. The small finds by J. Geddes, with contributions by D. R. Atkinson, J. Bayley, B. M. A. Ellis, J. N. Hare, M. Hutchinson, B. Knight and G. Lawson 147
Chapter XI. The coins and jettons by M. Archibald 178
Chapter XII. Animal and plant remains by A. Locker with contributions by N. Armes, M. Girting, C. Keepax and P. J. Paradine 183
Chapter XIII. Conclusion 190
Appendix A. A group of architectural fragments in the outer court 192
Appendix B. Other recent work at Battle Abbey by J. G. and V. I. Coad, and J. N. Hare 195
Bibliography 197
