Medieval track, kilns and occupation features at St Osyths Priory Park, St Osyth (EHER 80393)

A complex of four intercutting medieval kilns are significant in that they follow an unusual design devoid of internal structures and yielded no evidence of pottery production. Whether the kilns had been thoroughly cleared out before their final abandonment or if they had an alternative function is unknown. Elsewhere on the site, the early medieval period is represented by a track with metalled surface and flanked by two parallel ditches. The precise date of this feature is brought under speculation by the presence of peg tile which is characteristic of the 14th to 16th centuries. The late medieval period comprised only two ditches and two pits which produced 14th to 16th century pottery.

September 2008. Trial trenching. Medieval occupation is present at the site in the form of backyard refuse/rubbish in Trench 30; pits in Trenches 3, 8, 14; ditches in Trenches 2 and 16; and a post hole in Trench 2. Medieval pottery was also discovered in a field drain in Trench 6. <1> June 2021. Archaeological excavation. The medieval remains have been split into three phases. The earliest dateable material was of 11th to 12th century date. The majority of dateable features from the excavation have been assigned to the late 12th/early 13th to 15th century. This is followed by a phase of later medieval activity assigned to the 14th to 16th century. Although some overlap is present with the preceding phase, a distinction is made on the basis of the pottery recovered from the later features providing a spot date of distinctly 14th to 16th century date. Early medieval: 11th to 12th century. A single deposit of firm, mid grey-brown clayey sand with frequent small to medium sub-angular flint was interpreted as a surface-packing deposit for a metalled track. This interpretation was strengthened by the presence of two broadly parallel ditches which flanked the deposit on either side. No dateable pottery was recovered from the metalled surface or either of the ditches that flanked it. The most closely dateable artefactual material was peg tile, of a type that was manufactured from the mid/late 12th century. However, the lack of coarseness and lead glaze, and the overall regularity of the tiles may suggest they may be more likely of late medieval to Tudor (14th-16th century) date. This causes a tentative early medieval interpretation, but certain medieval date for the features. Medieval: Late 12th to 15th century. Eleven features and, notably, the remains of a complex of intercutting kilns, were assigned a secure medieval date. The majority of these were ditches, mainly located in the central part of the site (Areas 1 and 3). A handful of small discreet pits of this date were also recorded. Medieval features were present in all of the excavated areas with the exception of Area 2. The intercutting complex of four medieval kilns in the Western part of the site constitute the most significant element of the medieval archaeology. It appears that Kiln S3114 was the earliest of these features and this may have functioned at approximately the same time as Kiln S3103 was constructed; the relationship between the two was obscured by Kiln S3070. What is certain is that S3114 was no longer in use by the time that S3070 was constructed. It is possible that S3070, S3075 and S3103 were all in use at broadly the same time as, despite being cut in to the backfill of the construction cut within which Kiln S3103 was constructed, Kiln S3070 did not truncate functioning elements of firing chamber, flue, or stokehole of this slightly earlier structure. The complete lack of pottery in association with these kilns, other than in the post-medieval backfill, might indicate that they were not used for the production of pottery. Medieval pottery kilns had internal structures to support the floor or to allow the pots to be raised above the entry of the fire <3>, and such structures appear to be absent from the St Osyth kilns. This characterises them as Type 1a of Musty’s typology of medieval pottery kilns which typically consisted of an oven pit on the same level as the stoking pit, joined by the stokepit arch or flue <4>. This type of kiln is considered to have originated in Eastern England during the late Anglo-Saxon period. At the current site, the form of the kilns does not appear to be suited to metalworking and environmental sampling has returned very little evidence for an agricultural function. The small quantity of cereal remains that was recovered from the 32 samples collected from the kiln features is considered to be the result of accidental incorporation with backfill material rather than representative of their function. Sampling was, however, able to identify that the main fuel used was probably oak and that coal may have played a role to some extent. Alternatively the kilns may have been for food production, particularly baking bread, which would leave little archaeological trace, but the location of these features away from obvious evidence for domestic occupation may prove this to be unlikely. It cannot be completely ruled out that the kilns were thoroughly cleared out before their final abandonment, removing any trace of activities such as pottery production or cereal drying. Without any clear supportive artefactual or environmental evidence, it is possible to suggest that any of the functions discussed above may be applicable to the kilns. Late Medieval: 14th to 16th century. Four features were assigned to the 14th to 16th centuries on the basis of the pottery in their fills. These features consisted of two, broadly N-S aligned ditches and two discreet pits. Pit F3061 was a sub-circular feature with moderately sloping sides and flat base and which contained a brittle, dry, mottled mid brown-red silty heat affected clay fill. On this basis it may have been a fire pit, however, the single sherd (4g) of pottery that was recovered from this fill appears not to have been burnt. <2>