Prehistoric ditch and post-medieval finds assemblage on land at St Osyth Priory Park, St Osyth (EHER 49818)

The most significant discovery was a ditch from Trenches 5, 8 and 9 of The Slip and further investigated during archaeological monitoring and recording. The ditch produced one small fragment of prehistoric pottery, but could well be of later date and possibly associated with the Priory. Post-medieval brick and floor tile from demolition layer L5 in Trench 2 was most probably from Shell Grotto

February 2023. Trial trenching. Archaeological evaluation at St Osyth Priory revealed largely negative results - there were no archaeological features in the areas of North Lodge, Pigeon House or Shell Grotto, although post-medieval brick and floor tile from demolition layer L5 in Trench 2 was most probably from Shell Grotto itself. The most significant discovery was a ditch from Trenches 5, 8 and 9 of The Slip. The ditch produced one small fragment of prehistoric pottery, but could well be of later date and possibly associated with the Priory. <1> November 2023. Watching brief. Archaeological monitoring at The Slip, St Osyth Priory Park, revealed a further part of the ditch previously investigated during the evaluation phase. Unfortunately though, unstable trench edges meant the ditch could not be further excavated, so no other dating evidence was recovered beyond the single sherd of prehistoric pottery from the evaluation. <2>