Norman W tower incorporating Roman brick. <1> <3> Walls are of flint-rubble with much Roman and later brick. Dressings are limestone and Roman brick. The SE external angle of the nave has quoins of Roman brick. The original NW angle shows in the W wall of the N aisle (widened in the C14). The W tower pilaster buttresses have quoins of Roman brick. Also in the N and S walls there is construction work of Roman brick. <2> An open drain was built against the S side of the church in C19. This revealed a foundation offset, capped by two courses of Roman brick - a feature characteristic of Anglo-Saxon building construction. This has been tampered with during past restoration. There is extensive use of Roman brick in the building. Roman pottery was found during C19 grave digging. Four complete vessels have been noted, including one Romano-Saxon. These pots may have been accessory vessels in inhumations. As burial was not allowed within towns by Roman law it is unlikely that these inhumations could have been placed inside Colchester before the C5 at the earliest, possibly close to a church. Without further evidence it is not possible to press this suggestion further with regard to St Martin's. <4> William Wire noted finds from the churchyard including pottery, coins of the Lower Empire, Samian, charcoal and an iron instrument 8" long with teeth on the face of it and leg bone of an animal for a handle (Wire sketched them). A small grey ware vessel of f.282 is in Colchester Museum, possibly C5, from the churchyard. <5> <6> <7> Other ref. <8>

Site Assessment = Roman pottery found in C19 grave digging. Presumably with burials - possibly a sub-Roman church here. <4>