SDO10316 - The Anglo-Saxon Cathedral at Sherborne; Archaeological Journal

The archaeological Society of Sherborne School carried out archaeological excavations at the former abbey church of St. Mary, Sherborne between 1964 and 1973 under the direction of J.D.Leach and J.H.P. Gibb. P.76 R.H. Carpenter had undertaken earlier excavations in the 1870’s. the top course of the plinth he uncovered at this time was still visible at the time of publication (1975). This is thought to be part of a large pre-conquest tower porch, 29 feet wide. Furthermore, during 1849 in lowering the perpendicular west window, Carpenter’s father, R.C.C. Carpenter, discovered a double row of small pillars and (P.77) arches of early date opening from an upper floor of the tower to the nave, an arrangement peculiar to Saxon churches. ‘In 1949 the late Sir Alfred Clapham excavated the SW corner of the tower for the Royal Commission. It projected c. 25 ft west of the church and sat on a massive foundation with a 2foot 6 inch offset. As no inner face to the foundation could be found, he concluded that it formed a solid raft under the tower. significantly he also uncovered the foundation of another wall running south from the SW corner of the tower and butted against it; both this wall and the tower foundation were bound with similar mortar. Unfortunately no notes or photographs of this excavation survive. The 1964-73 excavations comprised the digging of four small trenches; the NW corner of the Saxon West tower in the graveyard outside the west front of the church; the west wall of the NW transept or porticus (exploratory dig during 1964); the north wall of the NW transept and the interior of the NW transept. P.79 During 1964 The Archaeological Society of Sherborne School undertook a small exploratory excavation at the west end of the enclosed area which once formed the north lateral chapel of All Hallows. Here the excavators found ‘10ft of a two course plinth of well cut Ham stone running north-south…The plinth sat on a single course of large flat stones and had no further foundations.’ This was interpreted as the west wall of the NW transept or portacus of the Saxon church. At some time between 1964 and 1973 the Archaeological Society of Sherborne School conducted a small excavation on the area formerly occupied by All Hallows church, Sherborne in order to try and expose part of the earlier Saxon church known to have existed on the site. Initially an area of c. 9ft x 6ft of the NW corner of the Saxon west tower was exposed. Unfortunately little stratification had survived the 300 years use of the site as a graveyard. Further walls were exposed one of which was interpreted as forming part of a narrow porch or narthex built against, and contemporary with the tower’s west face. Unfortunately the excavated area was too restricted to be sure of stratigraphical relationships. P. 80-82 The Archaeological Society of Sherborne School undertook an excavation during the winter of 1967-8 in the interior south ground floor room of the School library. The discovery of dry rot had led to the floor being removed. This building had originally been the monastic outer parlour. At a depth of 2 ft below the floor, almost the whole length of a two-coursed plinth was uncovered, along the north internal face of the south wall. This plinth returned towards the south beneath the library wall and along the interior edge of the west wall of the church. This was interpreted as the north wall of the NW transept of the Saxon church. Furthermore, 3 ft north of the south wall of the library, a mass of large stones pitched into wet clay were interpreted as part of the massive foundations of the west tower and narthex of the Saxon church. A fine 15th century Ham stone fireplace was also revealed on removal of the 19th century dado on the west wall. Also the area of the library appears to have been used as a pottery in the 17th century with a cobbled stone floor, fire blackened in places, and post-holes for potters’ furniture. Many sherds of pottery, some possibly wasters were also found. Evidence for the east wall of an earlier west cloister range was also found running N-S at the east side of the library. P. 83-7 The Archaeological Society of Sherborne School also 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.