Site of middle to late Anglo-Saxon monastery, Bradwell-on-sea (EHER 81393)

Now destroyed. The Roman Saxon shore fort 'Othona' (EHER 31) is said to have been reused as the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery. In Bede's history the fort is identified as the location of the Saxon monastery founded by Bishop Cedd in 653 AD. It is believed that the conventual buildings lay within the fort enclosure. The monastic site is thought to have survived and developed through the eighth and ninth centuries until it was destroyed by the Danes; only the Chapel of St Peter (EHER 32) survives, though there is debate on if this is the chapel built by Cedd himself. Excavations in 1864-1865 were unable to identify any of the conventual buildings but did record human burials which may be associated with the site's monastic use. Small finds recovered from this excavation certainly attest to early medieval activity at the site, and a trial trenching excavation some 160m to the North also found evidence of early medieval activity. A Saxon fishing weir off the coast at Sales Point (EHER2055), approximately 1km to the North, is thought to be associated. Geophysical survey in 1999-2000 identified several areas of potential archaeological activity beyond the limits of the fort, including a discrete group of features characteristic of settlement, though this remains uninvestigated and therefore undated. The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The following is a brief description of the work which has been undertaken at the site. 1864-1865. Archaeological excavation. Some evidence for a Saxon monastery at the site comes from excavations of the area surrounding the chapel. Two sherds of Saxon pottery were recovered from the Oxley Parker excavations of 'Othona' Roman fort (EHER 31), and a complete pot was found on the foreshore. One sherd of Ipswich-type ware with horizontal rilling testifies to a middle Saxon presence on the site. Small finds from the Oxley Parker collection, and probably recovered from the excavation, included a mid 6th century cruciform brooch; a possible reliquary mount; styli; an iron bowl, possibly from a lamp; a key; knives; and strap ends (one 9th century in date with Trewhiddle style plant ornament). Despite this material, though, the excavations did not identify any Saxon structural remains. <1> <2> It is probable that some of the human remains discovered during the 1864-1865 excavations belong to the Saxon and medieval cemetery, Lewin wrote in 1867: "In the course of the excavations which have been made, numerous bodies have been disinterred about the chapel and, as I am informed, all of them lying East and West, and so betokening a Christian burial". <3> <4> The inhumations were described by one observer as being ‘close to the wall, buried only about 2 ft deep’ and ‘in every case a Roman coin lies close to the ribs, as if it had been placed at the burial within the hands, or under the tongue of the deceased’. These burials were thought to be Roman. Distinct from these were more bodies: ‘five perfect skeletons, all laid out at full length, but somewhat in confusion, and with the faces downwards’ which were interpreted as the bodies of persons killed in fighting, ‘most likely Saxon, or Danish aggressors’, but in fact none is likely to belong to the Roman period. Their location within the fort makes a Roman date improbable, and it is much more likely that they relate to the Saxon phase of the site and are associated with the use of the chapel (see EHER 81396). <5> June 1924, revised January 1996. Scheduled Ancient Monument. On the line of the West wall of 'Othona' Roman fort (EHER 31), on the probable site of the West gate, is St Peter's Chapel (EHER 32), believed to have been built in 654 AD by Bishop Cedd. It incorporates much reused Roman masonry in its structure. In Bede's history the Roman fort 'Othona' is identified as the location of the Saxon monastery founded by Cedd. It is believed that the conventual buildings lay within the fort enclosure. The monastic site is thought to have survived and developed through the 8th and 9th centuries, until it was destroyed by the Danes. <6> Saxon Shore fort and Anglo-Saxon monastery at Bradwell-on-Sea. <7> August-September 1947. Archaeological excavation. A ditch forming part of the West defences of the Roman fort (EHER 31), and excavated roughly 70ft North of the chapel by the Roman Essex Society, also contained some Saxon pottery. Four sherds could be ascribed an Anglo-Saxon date, and a further two Ipswich ware sherds were datable to the Middle Saxon period. This pottery was found in a context interpreted to be a 7th century demolition layer, for the demolition of the West wall of the fort, suggesting that it must have been demolished by 654 to allow for the construction of the chapel by Cedd. <8> See also <2> <9>. Date unknown, prior to 1979. Fieldwalking. Fieldwalking of the fort site (EHER 31) by the late H. Young of Chelmsford produced a single Saxon pottery sherd. <10> 1985. Aerial photograph survey. The site of the Roman Saxon shore fort of Othona (EHER 31) and the surviving Saxon nave of St Peter's chapel were photographed. There were no cropmarks indicative of Saxon monastery buildings in the vicinity. <11> The aerial photographs <12> and <13> were probably taken as part of this project. Trial trenching in 1991, roughly 160m to the North of the chapel recorded four early medieval features, see EHER 14429. <14> The subsequent excavation did not recover anything of early medieval date, though. <15> 1999-2000. 'Othona' environs project. A survey of the fort (EHER 31) and its environs was conducted to assess past and continuing damage, and the archaeological potential for future research. <16> Desk-based assessment. The evidence suggests that the fort (EHER 31) was abandoned in the fifth century, and there appears to have been a hiatus in occupation until 654 AD when St Cedd built a church (see EHER 32) within the ruins of the fort. St Cedd was an Anglian educated in the Irish tradition of Christianity at Lindisfarne. In 653 Cedd was sent from Northumberland to evangelise Essex, which had returned to paganism after an initial conversion to Christianity. Cedd was subsequently made Bishop in 654. The standing building on the site, St Peter's Chapel, is of seventh century date, and is traditionally attributed to St Cedd, although it probably actually dates from later in that century. The corner of a rubble wall (approximately 4ft high), referred to by Barford as 'The Chancellor Wall', is considered by him to be potentially part of the Saxon monastery or settlement. The building stood in the centre of the walled area, and was aligned on the cardinal compass points, Barford has suggested that it may represent an earlier Saxon church, possibly that originally erected by St Cedd. <2> <3> Geophysical survey results. The magnetic susceptibility survey identified several areas of potential archaeological activity beyond the limits of the fort including a discrete group of features characteristic of settlement and a large enclosure or boundary system. <17> General description: Bede records that St. Cedd established a Christian mission, in the 650s AD, at 'Ythancester', generally accepted to be a small town or 'civitas', which had evolved in, or around, Othona (EHER 31). The Chapel of St. Peter-on-the-Wall (EHER 32), built on the West gate of the fort, may have replaced the original church situated somewhere inside the fort. <18> <19> The Celtic monastery of St Cedd's is a good example of an early monastery establishing itself within pre-existing defences of a Roman fort. <20> See aerial photographs <21> - <30> and photographs <31> <32>. See also <33> <34> <35>. Site Assessment = Of extreme interest as one of the earliest surviving churches in England is cited here. <36> A note on this record: The Anglo-Saxon monastery at Bradwell-on-Sea is known only from documentary evidence, and whilst investigations have taken place, early excavation was not well-documented and did not claim to identify any monastical buildings which could be associated to the Anglo-Saxon use of the site. St Peter's Chapel (EHER 32) is said to be the only remaining building from the monastery, but it remains a topic of debate whether the present structure contains the remains of a possible earlier monastical building. This record ought to be considered alongside EHER 32 for further discussion of this debate. <2> <37> <38> <39> Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. NRHE summary description, 1087174: The Roman Saxon Shore fort of Othona (EHER 31) was reused as the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery. In Bede's history the fort is identified as the location of the Saxon monastery founded by Bishop Cedd. It is believed that the conventual buildings lay within the fort enclosure. The monastic site is thought to have survived and developed through the eighth and ninth centuries until it was destroyed by the Danes; only the Chapel of St Peter (EHER 32) survives. Scheduled.