Undated graves and structural remains in Chelmsford Cathedral Church Yard (EHER 80764)

Geophysical survey in 2019 identified several graves which were previously unrecorded. To the West of the Cathedral, the survey also identified a possible vault or other below ground structure and a geophysical anomaly to the North of the Cathedral may be a second underground structure, or an area of compacted ground associated with the construction of the Cathedral.

July 2019. Geophysical survey. The surveys have identified graves, mostly concentrated in the NE and SE of the site. Many of these are noted as ledgers on the surface in the topographic survey of the area. However, unrecorded graves have also been identified where areas of low resistance and complex radar anomalies indicate disturbed ground. There is also evidence for several grave vaults across the site. These have been identified in the GPR data as buried ledgers, or other caps, above a void. To the West of the Cathedral, a possible vault or other below ground structure has been identified. A broad hyperbolic anomaly in the GPR data indicates a vaulted roof above a void. Possible walls have also been identified, indicating this is most likely a structure associated with the Cathedral. It is possible this structure continues further West than is presented in the GPR data. Further possible structural remains have been identified to the North of the Cathedral. However, it is considered that this most likely represents an area of compacted ground associated with the construction of the Cathedral or later landscaping. It is likely that the extremely dry ground conditions resulted in lower resistivity and has prevented the identification of individual graves, although broader regions of increased variability are identifiable and are consistent with groups of graves. Overall, the geophysical surveys have added to the understanding of the layout of burials within the cemetery and identified a potential vault associated with the cathedral. The surveys have been able to identify the location of graves within areas that the previous topographic survey identified no or very few graves. Further features have been identified in the survey results for both the resistivity and GPR survey including services or drains, drain covers, pathways, and tree roots. <1>