Rufford Abbey Excavations 2014 - Interim Report

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    Interim Report on Excavations at RuffordAbbey in 2014

    Emily GillottDec 2014

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    Interim report on two phases of excavation carried out at Rufford Abbey,Nottinghamshire, in July and October 2014. Image on front cover is a generalshot of work being carried out on Trench 1 during the Archaeological FieldSchool in July 2014. NCA Report Number 044

    Nottinghamshire Community ArchaeologyNottinghamshire County CouncilCounty HallLoughborough RoadWest BridgfordNottinghamshireNG2 7QP

    Tel: 0115 993 2590Email: [email protected]

    NGR: 464563, 364781

    Written By Read by Signed off Report dateEG UMS UMS 2014

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    Contents

    Page no.

    Illustrations 1

    1.0 Introduction 2

    2.0 Aims and objectives 3

    3.0 Site Location, Background and Geology 5

    4.0 Archaeological and Historical Background4.1 Previous Archaeological Work

    77

    5.0 Methodology5.1 Trench 15.2 Trench 25.3 Excavation processes

    11111111

    6.0 Results 13

    7.0 Conclusions 16

    References 17

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    Illustrations

    Maps, tables and figures:

    Page no.Fig 1 The location of Rufford Abbey 6Fig 2 Trench location plan 6Fig 3 Table showing main chronological building phases 7Fig 4 Table showing the chronology of known archaeological

    works carried out within the Scheduled Area10

    Fig 5 Significant wall foundation from east part of Trench 1 13Fig 6 Largest wall foundation uncovered in Trench 1 13Fig 7 Area of blackened material and plaster in Trench 1 14Fig 8 Former driveway revealed in Trench 2 14

    Fig 9 Ploughsoil beneath construction layers of the driveway 14Fig 10 Wall foundation uncovered in Trench 2 15Fig 11 Fragments of woven copper alloy wire found in Trench 2 15

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    1.0 Introduction

    Nottinghamshire County Council has carried out two phases of archaeological workat Rufford Abbey this year, aimed at finding out more about the monastic buildingson the site.

    The development of the abbey and its estate, from its foundation in 11 ! until it wasdissolved in 1"#!, is poorly understood. $n addition little is known about any of theancillary buildings beyond the main abbey cloister.

    %ne main e&cavation took place on the site between 1'"! and 1'"( and focussed onrevealing the foundations of the main abbey buildings. )any of the details of thise&cavation, however, were unclear. )ore recently geophysical work has beencarried out across the scheduled area but the results had not been tested by ground*

    truthing.

    Two areas were investigated in + 1 with the aim of beginning to answer some ofthe -uestions about the site, and with the additional aims of assessing the conditionof the sub*surface remains and contributing to a new Conservation )anagement

    lan for the site.

    The work comprised two Archaeological /ield 0chools and involved students andvolunteers from across the county and beyond generating interest internationally.

    The material from the e&cavation is currently being processed and analysed, but it ispossible to suggest some preliminary interpretations.

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    2.0 Aims and Objectives

    The general aims of the archaeological work were

    • A better understanding of the e&tent and layout of the Rufford Abbeymonastic comple&.

    • To find archaeological evidence for the ancillary buildings that once formedpart of the monastic comple&.

    • To clarify details of the 1'"! e&cavation

    • To understand how well the geophysical survey results reflect the buriedarchaeology, and to aid in our further interpretation of the geophysicalresults

    • To provide opportunities for local people to engage directly with their historicenvironment

    • To promote awareness of different aspects of the heritage asset and itssignificance

    • To contribute to improvements in on*site interpretation and also to theConservation )anagement lan for the site

    • To assess the condition of sub*surface archaeological features

    The specific ob2ectives of the pro2ect were

    • To e&amine the e&tent and condition of sub*surface architectural remainssuggested by previous geophysical survey through targeted trial trenching.

    • To relate the e&cavated features to the geophysical results to enable a moreaccurate interpretation of buried features recorded by the surveys.

    • To provide an opportunity for volunteers to take part in e&amining andresearching a community asset, namely the archaeological remains of theN.C.C. owned Country ark.

    • To provide + free /ield 0chool weeks designed to educate participants aboutarchaeological techni-ues and best practice.

    • To provide volunteer opportunities for local people to take part in thee&cavation during + 3eneral 4&cavation weeks.

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    • To fully disseminate the results through written report, popular publication,guided site tours, displays and presentations.

    These themes fit in with the research plan identified in the 4ast )idlands 5eritage ,the Research Agenda for the region 67night, 8yner and Allen, + 1+9, specifically:

    * 7.2.4 Can we clarify further the processes of settlement desertion andshrinkage, especially within zones of dispersed settlement? A number ofvillages in the area became deserted following the foundation of themonastery. ;y understanding the development and spread of the monasticcomple& it might be possible to elucidate further on the decline anddesertion of the nearby villages.

    * 7.5.2 Can we discern significant differences in the planning, economy andlandscape impact of the different monastic orders? At present not enough isknown about Rufford Abbey to allow it to be compared with other monasticsites.

    * 7.5.3 Can we elucidate further the de elopment of hospitals and colleges? $tis not known where the $nfirmary building was at Rufford. $f the locationcould be identified then further research could provide information about itsdevelopment.

    * !.".# $hat was the impact of the %eformation upon ecclesiastical &uildingsand monastic estates? $t is assumed that the monastery was dismantledrather than aggressively destroyed, but archaeological evidence has not beenscrutinised with a view to e&panding on this idea. $s there evidence ofcontrolled demolition on the site, and are later features influenced by theearlier buildings

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    3.0 Site Location, Background and Geology

    Rufford Abbey Country ark is located appro&imately 1.! miles to the south of%llerton village 6see /ig 19 in the parish of Rufford, and formerly in the =iberty ofRufford. The private estate of Rufford Abbey and ark was bought byNottinghamshire County Council in 1'"+, and the Abbey ruins transferred to the careof the )inistry of >orks in 1'"!. The site is now 2ointly managed byNottinghamshire County Council and 4nglish 5eritage, with the abbey remains in4nglish 5eritage guardianship. The 0cheduled Ancient )onument covers 1 .#hectares of the Country ark, and encompasses the areas known as the Abbey)eadow, Abbey =awn and =ong )eadow.

    The underlying geology is the Nottingham Castle 0andstone /ormation. To the eastis a valley formed by the Rainworth >ater where superficial alluvial deposits make

    the soil more fertile. )ost of the 0cheduled Ancient )onument area is covered byeither grassed lawn or wildflower meadow, including an area of rare acid grassland.

    The site occupies a gentle slope downwards from east to west, to the valley of theRainworth >ater. Trench 1 was located on the level lawn area where the formerNorth >ing of the house had been located, and at the western end of the monasticchurch. Trench + was located on meadow to the north of the current car park. Thisarea is undulating and contains several earthwork features. 0ome of these features,particularly those closest to the car*park, may relate to a temporary army camp from>>$$. The meadow contains a stone*lined well thought to be of medieval origin,

    and it is this which provided the focus for Trench +.

    /igure + shows the location of the two trenches in relation to the abbey turningcircle, standing ruins and ?ueen )others >alk. /or reasons of practicality the shapeof the trenches was altered slightly following approval from 4nglish 5eritage, butkept well within the ma&imum proposed area to be e&cavated 6#" metres s-uarewith a contingency of ! metres s-uare for each trench9.

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    Fig 1: The location of Rufford Country park within the wider landscape.(Image from www.openstreetmap.org )

    Fig 2: Showing the location of the trenches in relation to the abbey buildings

    and turning circle.

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    • %n the Abbey )eadow an area of magnetic disturbance indicates the likelye&tent of temporary huts constructed when the area was used by the armyin >>$$. Two ditch features, possibly representing drains or gullies, wererecorded. To the north of the well a number of features were revealed thatare worthy of investigation, including a rectilinear anomaly, an area ofmagnetic disturbance 6burning9, and a curvilinear anomaly that runs parallelto a visible earthwork. The geophysical work on the Abbey )eadowshowed no trace of the ;owling 3reen shown on the 1(+" estate map.

    • %n the =ong )eadow the only feature of archaeological potential identifiedby the geophysical work was a ditch feature in the N> corner.

    • The resistivity survey carried out on the Abbey =awn showed that some wallsof the abbey survived in situ, and gave suggestions of robber trenches. Tothe east of the abbey traces of what may be a formal garden were revealed.@iscrete areas of high resistance across the site could indicate compactedsub*surface rubble or intact features from the abbey or later gardens. Tothe north*east of the surviving buildings a number of later garden featureswere revealed including a horseshoe*shaped pathway or drive that may bethe one shown on 0andersonBs map of 1 #". At least one service pipe wasdetected in the area, which demonstrates the potential for later disturbanceon the site. The trenches from the 1'" Bs e&cavation were not obviouslyvisible.

    • The 3 R survey of the courtyard area showed that there has been e&tensiveground disturbance and revealed a comprehensive three*dimensional planof the sub*surface services to a depth of more than 1."m. $t is likely thatmost of these represent modern services and a water tank of probably 1' th C date, but it is possible that some of the responses are representative ofarchaeological features.

    4&cavation work was carried out in 1'"! and the 1' s, with the earlier e&cavationbeing the most e&tensive. $n addition there have been a number of smaller>atching ;riefs, across the Country ark. The e&cavation work has largely been

    DkeyholeB work, or in strips following walls or pipeline routes. No open areae&cavation has been carried out.

    • An e&cavation was carried out but the )inistry of ublic ;uilding and >orksin 1'"! after the north wing was demolished. The main concern of the)inistry at the time was to protect the standing medieval remains, and thee&cavation was designed to trace the outline of the monastic buildings.Narrow trenches revealed in*situ walls, but there are no conte&t descriptionsor section drawings, and few photographs.

    A watching brief was carried out by NCC archaeologists in 1' + on thee&cavation of an area for a soakaway. The area e&cavated was +&1." metres,

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    and to a depth of +.1m metres. The trench revealed 1' th century brickfoundations from a previous building, and pottery of comparable date.

    • A watching brief was carried out in 1' ( on a narrow service trench to thenorth*west of the Turning Circle, and across part of the Abbey )eadow. Thework was overseen by the County Archaeologist, )ike ;ishop, and wasrecorded on the countyBs 5istoric 4nvironment Record. The work revealedwhat appeared to be rubble core of walls, or rubble spread, encountered at adepth of + cm below the turf. The date of the features was not determinedbut the area was subse-uently added to the scheduled monumentdesignation.

    8arious other watching briefs have been carried out in the Country ark, few ofwhich are relevant to the work described here.

    No certain trace of the ancillary buildings that would normally be associated with anabbey comple& have been detected so far by either the geophysical surveys ore&cavation work on the 0cheduled area, so the presence of an infirmary, gatehouse,and riorBs lodgings remains speculative. 0everal later garden features have beenshown to remain below ground. revious e&cavation has not focussed on thesefeatures, so currently the only way there e&ists of dating the features is throughrelative dating e&tracted from mapping evidence.

    The only trace of an associated medieval building comes from outside the 0cheduled

    area, from e&cavation work carried out in 1' ( to remedy subsidence 6=""1( Notts54R9. The e&cavation was on a dyke that carried diverted water from the Rainworth>ater. The work revealed evidence of a nearby tile kiln in the form of wasters offloor and roof tiles, and also produced evidence of a mill of probable )edieval date,in the form of faced sandstone blocks associated with large timbers. %ne in*situ wallwas revealed, held together with pinkish mortar and green*grey clay, interpreted asrevetment for the dyke. A mill is shown at this location on the 1(+" estate map.

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    Archaeological Work Date4&cavation F to east of present building 1'"!6=isted as 0cheduled )onument 1'!19>atching ;rief 6e-uivalent9 F to east of present building 1' +>atching ;rief 6e-uivalent9 F N> of turning circle 1' (60cheduled )onument listing amended 1''+9>atching ;rief F to east of present buildings 1''">atching ;rief F to east of present buildings +3eophysics F 3 R in Courtyard + "3eophysics F Resistivity 0urvey on Abbey =awn + !3eophysics F 3radiometry 0urvey on Abbey and =ong)eadows

    + !

    4&cavation* in Rose 3arden to west of present buildings +>atching ;rief F east of Coach 5ouse + '

    >atching ;rief F in car park and ad2acent play area + '>atching ;rief F on the Abbey =awn + 1>atching ;rief F in visitor car park + 11'ig 4( )howing chronology of known and datea&le archaeological works carried outwithin the )cheduled *rea.

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    5.0 Methodology

    The + 1 season of e&cavation involved two trial trenches dug over two phases ofwork. ;oth trenches were located within the 0cheduled Area.

    The trench locations were agreed prior to commencement with Tim Allen 6$nspectorof Ancient )onuments9 of 4nglish 5eritage, Grsilla 0pence 6N.C.C. 0eniorArchaeologist9, N.C.C. Countryside 0ervices )anager, and Rufford Abbey Country

    ark 0ite )anager, and were sub2ect to 0cheduled )onument Consent 60)C9

    The trenches were accurately located through the use of 3 0 e-uipment and Total0tation survey, taking into account topographical and practical constraints.

    5.1 Trench 1

    This was located on the Abbey =awn ad2acent to the base of the night stairs. Thepurpose of this trench was to try and locate the north and west walls of the abbeychurch, neither of which had been positively identified in the 1'"! e&cavation. $twas also hoped that this trench would clarify some of the details of the 1'"!e&cavation, as no stratigraphic or conte&tual information survives from the work.The trench was D=B shaped and placed to intercept the geophysical responses thoughtto indicate the northern and western e&tent of the church. )odern kerbstonesplaced in the lawn to define the outline of the abbey church meant that the trenchhad to be dug in several sections.

    5.2 Trench 2This was located on the Abbey )eadow, ad2acent to the well and set across theearthwork bank that runs east*west to the north of the well. This trench wasdesigned to investigate the nature of the earthwork bank, and to establish if the wellis associated with any structural remains. Trench + was split into two parts. Thenorthern*most part was placed to intercept the earthwork bank to investigate itsnature. The southern part was D=B shaped and placed ad2acent to the well.

    5.3 Excavation rocessTurf was removed with a turf cutter and stored in cool damp conditions in order to

    protect it from scorching. 4&cavation was carried out using hand tools includingmattock and trowel. ;oth areas were dug in spits of 1 cm until archaeologicalfeatures were uncovered. /eatures were e&cavated in reverse chronological orderwherever possible, and sondages were used to e&amine foundation trenches andother similar features. )a&imum e&tent for each trench was #" s-uare metres witha contingency for each of ! s-uare metres.

    0ingle conte&t recording was used, and conte&t sheets included written descriptions,stratigraphic relations and preliminary interpretations. The NCC site supervisors alsomaintained site notebooks into which sketch plans and sections along with notes on

    conte&ts, finds, e&cavation conditions, etc were entered as appropriate.

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    The trenches were accurately located using 3 0 e-uipment and by Total 0tationsurvey. 0mall finds were accurately plotted in #@ using the Total 0tation, which wasalso used for taking spot heights across the e&cavated areas.

    All artefacts were collected and are in the process of being washed, marked,recorded and conserved. 0ome will have to be sent to specialist for analysis. Nofinds relating to the Treasure Act, 1''(, were recovered.

    A few small disarticulated and redeposited fragments of human remains wererecovered, and these were carefully bagged and retained for later reburial.

    A colour digital photographic record was maintained throughout the e&cavationshowing general location shots of each test pit, along with general views of each pitas e&cavation progressed, in addition to the archaeological photographs of sectionsand in plan.

    4ach trench was e&cavated by volunteers and students with a range of e&periencelevels, under the close supervision of the Community Archaeologists fromNottinghamshire County Council.

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    6.0 Results

    )uch of the material from the two phases of e&cavation is still being processed andanalysed, but it is possible to comment on some initial results and preliminaryinterpretations.

    >all foundations in both trenches were encountered at a surprisingly shallow depthparticularly in Trench 1 where some foundations were encountered less than + cmbelow the turf. $n Trench 1 the foundations revealed were around 1. m wide andseveral courses deep in most places. The construction was of faced stone and rubbleinfill. $t was apparent that the walls had been demolished to the same level acrossthe e&cavated area, though when this happened is not yet clear. There was someevidence for reuse of not only the materials making up the foundation, but also ofthe foundations themselves. The wall in the east part of the trench appeared to

    have a gravel surface ad2acent to it.

    /ig ": 0ignificant wallfoundation revealed in theeast part of Trench 1,showing the possiblegravel surface ad2acent.

    /ig !: The largest wallfoundation uncovered inTrench 1. The wall runseast*west and shows

    some evidence for reuse.Note the shallow depth atwhich remains wereencountered.

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    8ery little medieval material was recovered from Trench 1. /inds of modernmaterial, probably deposited during the final demolition phase of the country house,were recovered from this trench, particularly from the north side of the wall on thewestern part of the trench. These included plastic bags, cans and fencing materials.)uch of the remaining material recovered appears to be earlier post*medieval,though specialist analysis is re-uired to provide tighter dating.

    An area of blackened material and plaster was recorded in the central part of thetrench. @ue to the restricted area for e&cavation it was not clear what thisrepresented, but it is hoped that further analysis of the samples and otherinformation will help with interpretation.

    /ig (: An area of blackened material andplaster in Trench 1, at the intersection oftwo wall foundations.

    /ig : The north part of Trench +showing traces of the earthwork featureafter deturfing.

    Trench + revealed the composition of the earthwork bank to be compacted layers ofpebbles and sand, which may have contributed to the rare acid grassland that growsin the area. No dating material was recovered from the conte&ts representing theroad or driveway. A layer of buried ploughsoil was uncovered in the north of thetrench and ran part way under the sand layers. @ating material from the ploughsoilis pending specialist analysis but will also provide a relative date for the later feature.

    The part of the trench immediately ad2acent to the well contained comple&

    archaeological layers and features that will re-uire a good deal of further analysis toallow more comprehensive interpretation. $n areas a gravel surface was revealed,

    /ig ': The north part of Trench +showing the dark ploughsoil layerbeneath compacted sand.

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    which gave way to a demolition layer composed of large amounts of ceramic rooftiles. This in turn came down onto a rough wall foundation made of re*usedmedieval stone packed together with clay. Ad2acent to this was a fragment of a clayfloor, containing sherds of medieval pottery, coal, and fragments of woven copperalloy wire. Trench + also contained reused dressed sandstone of possible medievaldate, but it is not clear at this stage whether these were part of a structure.

    /ig 1 : The wallfoundation uncovered inTrench + ad2acent to thewell.

    /ig 11: /ragments ofwoven copper alloy wire.

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    7.0 Conclusions

    The e&cavations from + 1 have shown that the archaeological remains survive ingood condition within at least some parts of the 0cheduled Area, and that in somecases they are comple& and can yield a lot of hitherto unknown information aboutthe site.

    Trench 1 produced substantial wall foundations, possibly of differing dates, which inplaces contained reused stonework of 1+H1# th C date 6Coppack,3., and 5arrison, 0.pers comm9. $t is thought that some of these were medieval foundations that havebeen reused at a later date. $nvestigation of the relationship of these foundations tothe standing ruins at present suggests they are not in the correct place to be part ofthe church structure, provided that current understanding and interpretation of thestanding remains is correct.

    $t is possible that some of the foundations are remains of a previously*unknownearly post*dissolution house, but further e&cavation would be re-uired to investigatethis idea. 0ome of the foundations may make use of earlier features, but it was clearthat the e&cavation did not provide answers about the layout or phasing of theabbey church. The consensus is that a larger area would have to be e&cavated toprovide satisfactory answers to these -uestions.

    The earthwork bank revealed in Trench + is likely to be a driveway depicted on amap of 1 #", although it is not possible at present to suggest a construction date for

    it given that no dating material was recovered from it or associated conte&ts.5owever further analysis may provide relative dating against other conte&ts withinthe trench.

    The archaeological remains ad2acent to the well are comple& and interpretation willdepend upon the dating of the artefacts and upon analysis of the subtle changes ofthe conte&ts. $t is clear that the well is not an isolated structure, and that therecertainly were medieval buildings in its immediate vicinity, as evidenced by the rooftiles, floor surfaces, and wall foundation. The makeup of the floor levels suggeststhat the associated structure or structures may have been fairly flimsy outbuildings

    or workshops.

    The fragments of copper alloy weaving may all represent pieces of the same singleitem perhaps a piece of 2ewellery or clothing fi&ing.

    /urther processing and analysis will refine the initial interpretations offered here.

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    References

    http:HHlist.english*heritage.org.uk

    Arrow 3eophysics, + ", 3round enetrating Radar 0urvey at Rufford Abbey inNottinghamshire.

    3ilyard*;eer, R., 1'!", Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire, $n Eournal of )edievalArchaeology 8olume $I, 1'!", pp 1!1*1!#

    3over, E.4.;., )awer, A. 0tenton, /.)., 1'(', The lace Names ofNottinghamshire, 4nglish lace*Name 0ociety 8olume I8$$.

    7night, @, 8yner, ;., Allen, C., + 1+, 4ast )idlands 5eritage An Gpdated Research

    Agenda and 0trategy for the 5istoric 4nvironment of the 4ast )idlands.

    )asters, ., + !, 3radiometer 0urvey Abbey and =ong )eadows, Rufford Abbey

    )asters, . ;unn, @., + !, Resistivity 0urvey Abbey =awn, Rufford Abbey, Notts.

    )c3ee, C. erkins, E., Rufford Abbey, undated document

    Nottinghamshire County Council Archaeology 0ite ;ook ! 6p+"9 held byNottinghamshire 5istoric 4nvironment Record.