Foreword by Ptolemy Dean.
In 1999 and 2000, a series of small-scale excavations took place within the Inner Temple on Victoria Embankment in London. Excavations at Church Court took place ahead of the erection of a monument to celebrate the start of the third millennium of the Christian era whereas refurbishment of the adjacent Hare Court permitted further archaeological investigations to take place. This volume reports on the findings of these excavations which, though limited in extent and scope, revealed a wealth of material from the Middle Saxon to Post-medieval period. A range of artefactual finds and faunal remains are also described. A Saxon weapon burial dating perhaps to the 6th century, important although limited evidence for the use of the site by the Knights Templar, and evidence for Post-medieval occupation of the Temple by the Inns of Court and the lawyers, are among the notable finds.
Author(s): Jonathan Butler
Series: Pre-Construct Archaeology Monographs, 4
Publisher: Pre-Construct Archaeology
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 140
City: London
Contributors vii
Foreword viii
Figures ix
Tables xii
Summary xiii
Acknowledgements xiv
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Geology and Topography 2
Archaeological and Historical Background 4
Archaeological Investigations in the Temple 11
Gazetteer of Archaeological Investigations within the Temple Area 13
Chapter 2: The Archaeological Sequence 15
Prehistoric 15
Roman 15
Possible Saxon Cemetery 16
Middle Saxon Occupation 18
11th-12th Century Activity 22
The Knights Templar (1161-1308) 23
The Lawyers in the Temple: the 16th and 17th Centuries 27
Late Post-Medieval Activity
Chapter 3: Reconstructing the Temple: the Purbeck Marble and Other Stone from Church Court 37
Caen Stone 38
Reigate Stone 38
Purbeck Limestone 39
Glauconitic Fine-Grained Sandy Limestone 40
Purbeck Marble 40
Conclusions 47
Glossary of Architectural Terms 51
Chapter 4: Middle Saxon Artefactual and Faunal Remains 53
The Pottery 53
The Small Finds 56
The Glass 6o
The Crucible Residues 61
The Loomweights 61
Crafts, Industries and Fashions 63
The Animal Bone 64
The Fish Bone 66
Chapter 5: Medieval and Post-Medieval Artefactual and Faunal Remains 69
A Assemblage from Hare Court 69
The Ceramic and Other Building Materials 79
The Glass 84
The Small Finds 87
The Pipeclay Hair Curlers 100
The Human Bone 102
Selected Animal Bone Assemblages 103
Chapter 6: Discussion and Conclusions 107
French and German Summaries 113
Bibliography 115
Index 123
