First stage of excavations (Site A) on the site of Colchester's medieval leper hospital (Site B was carried out in 1995; ECC1005).<1><2> Site A, in St. Mary Magdalen's churchyard, was examined in 1989 with the kind co-operation and financial support of the Diocese of Chelmsford. The condition of early structural features was generally poor, due to the destructive effects of centuries of later grave cuts. CAT Buildings 183 (Phase 1 infirmary hall) and 185 (Phase 2 church) were defined in Site A. Phase 1: early 12th to mid 13th centuries Phase 2: mid 13th century to 1610 The medieval church (Building 185) was demolished after the 1854 consecration of a new church built on the former open land at the junction of Brook Street and Magdalen Street. The churchyard was extended south beyond the earlier brick boundary wall and burials continued in both the old and new grounds until the early 20th century. Demolition almost entirely removed the church's medieval walls down to the tops of their foundations, leaving parts of the north, south and west walls standing to heights of only a few centimetres. In total, 234 graves were examined individually in the course of the excavations (197 from Site A, 37 from Site B). Those recorded (probably) represent only a small proportion of the total population of a graveyard. The majority of the graves could not be closely dated. Of those that could be assessed with reasonable certainty, five graves belonged to Phase 1; seven graves to Phase 2; 48 graves to Phase 3; and 46 graves to Phase 4. Others could only be bracketed within paired phases with 34 graves in the broad range of combined Phases 2-3 and 94 graves in Phases 3-4. By 1989, a total of 76 memorial stones remained in the churchyard, of which 59 including one family tomb stood in situ. The locations of all standing stones were plotted and details from all except four completely illegible memorials were recorded individually and incorporated into the coded site record. In all, 82 individuals were noted, including six church officials and fourteen members of their families; also four militia men and one wife associated with the town's 19th-century garrison. Inscriptions ranged in date from 1725 to 1919. The majority were 19th century except for six 18th- and four 20th-century memorials.