Monument record MCC398 - St Martin's Churchyard, West Stockwell Street, Colchester

Summary

Anglo-Saxon? or later churchyard.

Location

Grid reference Centred TL 99619 25338 (57m by 43m)
Map sheet TL92NE
1848 Parish ST MARTIN
Non Parish Area COLCHESTER, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

Churchyard of St Martin's (MCC396). Possibly Anglo-Saxon in origin. There have been 19th century encroachments on the east side of the churchyard.<1>

A watching brief was held at St Martin's Churchyard on 9/9/1985, during the digging of a new pipe trench for a toilet block. The trench was not deep enough to show much but a post-medieval pit and a small group of unarticulated human bones were noted. These were seen in the extreme north-east corner of the grave yard.<2>

A small grey pottery vessel of form 282 is recorded by Hull (1958, p.105) in the churchyard of St Martin's. The material is very fine, hard polished grey ware and the pot is (described by Hull) 'possibly fifth century'. COLEM 1918.3755.<3> Hull also records a number of other Roman finds found in the graveyard during grave digging, between 1943 and 1955.

The gravestone of a Dutch weaver stands in St Martin's Churchyard, recorded by Colchester Archaeological Group, no specific location given. It has a carved skull and cross bones at the top and reads, 'Here lyes intered the body of Jacab Ringer Bays Maker who departed this life January the 20 in the yeare 1680'.<4>

S. of the porch, big, heavy Neo-Greek sarcophagus to William Sparling, d. 1816.<5>

Sources/Archives (5)

  • <1> Monograph: Rodwell, Warwick J with Rodwell, KA. 1977. Historic Churches: a wasting asset. p29.
  • <2> Serial: Colchester Museums. 1914-1924. Colchester Museum Reports 1914-1924. COLEM 1918.3755.
  • <3> Monograph: Crummy, Philip. 1992. CAR 6: Excavations at Culver Street, the Gilberd School, and other sites in Colchester 1971-85. 6. 9/86 p.1075.
  • <4> Serial: Colchester Archaeological Group. 1993. Vol. 36 - Colchester Archaeological Group Bulletin. Vol. 36. pp.37-38.
  • <5> Monograph: Bettley, James and Pevsner, Nikolaus. 2007. The buildings of England: Essex. p.268.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (3)

Record last edited

Oct 19 2016 8:20AM

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