A large stone-and-mortar foundation associated with the medieval house of the Crouched Friars was uncovered during an evaluation undertaken by Colchester Archaeological Trust in 2006 (see MCC2860). Also uncovered was an early post-medieval foundation which may have resulted from the conversion of some of the friary buildings into a private residence. Surprisingly, there was no definite evidence for medieval burials found at the site.

This foundation was aligned north-south and was 1m wide and 0.65m deep. It was constructed of layers of rubble including re-used Roman building materials and fragments of post-medieval brick, floor tile and peg-tile set into a pale brown mortar. Finds from this feature suggest that it post-dates the Dissolution, when most of the friary buildings were converted into a private residence. At the time of the 1848 Siege of Colchester, this building belonged to the town’s MP, Sir Harbottle Grimston. This foundation may belong to the 17th century rebuilding on the site.<1>