EDO5061 - West end of Sherborne Abbey; excavations in the north chapel of All Hallows

The Archaeological Society of Sherborne School excavated in an open area, which had previously been the site of the north chapel of All Hallows church. Green and yellow floor tiles associated with this chapel were uncovered along with two courses of the stone altar base. Following the demolition of All Hallows a cottage had been built on the site, the north end south wall of which was also uncovered. The mortar floor of the Saxon transept lay 3ft 3 in below the All Hallows tiled floor, at the same level as the Abbey church floor. It had been destroyed to the west by later graves and by part of the All Hallows foundations. A much corroded iron key, three pins, part of a whetstone and a fragment of course pottery were found in the mortar floor. Broken pieces of plaster were found on the surface of the floor and may have formed part of a broken plaster box, possibly a reliquary. The Saxon north wall of the transept sat directly on top of gravel. This gravel lay above hard packed and pitched stones in clay seen below the library to the north. This rubble foundation layer contained a sherd of 13th century green glazed pottery, although it is possible that this sherd is intrusive. The stone rubble foundation layer could not be bottomed for safety reasons.