St Margaret of Scotland, Whaddon, Gloucestershire: Archaeological evaluation (OASIS ID: urbanarc1-348490)

On June 19th and 20th 2019 Urban Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation on the porch at the church of St Margaret, Whaddon, Gloucestershire, GL4 0UE, SO 83326 13677. The porch is displaying ongoing signs of serious structural failings and investigation into the foundations and the soil conditions was required to inform any further action. Three test pits were excavated. Natural Lias Clay was located at a depth of 0.98m bpgl in a hand-auger hole in one test pit, this is appreciably deeper than natural clay seen in 2005 east of the church at 0.4m bpgl. Human bone immediately above the truncated surface of the Lias Clay suggests there is a burial at this location, with further human remains recovered from another hand auger hole. It is probable that burials predating the porch lie beneath its footprint. The construction of the porch foundations is different on the east and west walls of the porch. Only a short length of the west foundation was exposed, but it had a small offset (0.04m) projecting from the superstructure face and the visible foundation was a roughly dressed block of limestone. By comparison the eastern wall foundation has an offset projecting up to 0.32m from the face of the superstructure, whilst the northern wall had a foundation projecting up to 0.6m. The northern and eastern foundations are formed of large blocks of limestone rubble, with no visible mortar. The cracks visible in the superstructure do not appear to continue into the foundation, with no obvious cracks or movement of the foundations. Concrete was poured into small pits which had been dug at each buttress, presumably to support the existing foundation which were left in situ but which were not underpinned

Holy Trinity Church, Watermoor, Cirencester, Gloucestershire. An Archaeological Watching Brief Report (OASIS ID: urbanarc1-289653)

Watching brief on the excavation of a new water pipe connection pit within the churchyard, west of the church. A homogenous 'Dark Earth' type deposit was recorded to a depth of 0.9m bpgl within the pit. Most of the pit had been previously disturbed by trenches for two water pipes and the impact of the excavation on undisturbed archaeological remains was minimal. The presence of Dark Earth adds to similar observations from many nearby archaeological interventions

The Spitalfields suburb 1539-c 1880: Excavations at Spitalfields Market, London E1, 1991-2007

This volume of the Spitalfields series covers the period from the closure of the medieval priory of St Mary Spital in the 1530s to the 19th century and reconnects the archaeological assemblages with documentary evidence in order to describe the early modern suburb, its people and their possessions. From the private mansions and artillery ground of the 16th century to London’s first terraced houses in the 1680s, and on to Spitalfields Market and the silk industry of the 18th and 19th centuries, the household economies and leisure activities of the residents are revealed, notably by the items discarded in their cesspits

The upper Walbrook valley cemetery of Roman London: Excavations at Finsbury Circus, City of London, 1987-2007

The unusual quantity of skulls found in the sediments of the Roman Walbrook stream in London has been attributed to a range of causes, from the disposal of massacre victims to the continuity of a largely imagined pre-Roman ‘cult of the head’. Excavations in Finsbury Circus offer a more prosaic explanation. Here, a cemetery occupied marginal land where human remains, particularly skulls, were frequently exposed and washed out, to be transported by floods, migrating Walbrook tributaries and drainage channels. This disturbance would have been plain to see yet formal burials continued to be made, suggesting the watershed area held particular significance for those using the cemetery or that their choice of burial location was restricted

An early Roman fort and urban development on Londinium's eastern hill: Excavations at Plantation Place, City of London, 1997-2003

This publication details the discovery and excavation in 1997–2003 at Plantation Place of a previously unknown Roman fort, on the edge of the early town. Built c AD 63 as a direct response to the sacking of Londinium by queen of the Iceni, Boudica, in AD 60/61, the formidable earthwork and timber fort secured the area against further attack and created a base for reconstruction of the devastated town. A large collection of military artefacts included plate armour, fittings and part of a cavalry helmet. The fort was cleared c AD 85, making way for civilian domestic and commercial buildings. A hoard of 43 gold coins from AD 173–4 was found in a masonry townhouse, part of the redevelopment of the area after the Hadrianic fire of c AD 125. The history of the fort and its surrounding area, before and after the fort, are detailed here