Remains of 10th century timber buildings, 62-64 High Street (EHER 7725)

An archaeological excavation in 1971 recorded a continuous succession of structures fronting the present High Street line, and which originated in the 10th century with a late Anglo-Saxon hall. There was also evidence of a possible pre-916 building on a different alignment. The buildings possibly belong to the burh settlement (EHER 7766).

1971. Trial trenching. Although an undisturbed sequence of floors and walls seemed to survive on the front part of the site, late medieval layers were not removed. Therefore, the start of occupation was unknown. <1> September 1971-February 1972. Archaeological excavation. Further excavation took place in advance of redevelopment from September 1971 to February 1972, on the front part of the site. A continuous succession of structures was found (see EHER 7726), fronting the present High Street line, from the 10th century at the latest. A timber slot produced hand-made flint-gritted sherds and could belong to a pre-916 building aligned to a different (but unproved) street pattern - most of any building would be under 66 High Street (not found there?). The first definite building was a late Anglo-Saxon hall, entirely within the site, almost 10m long on the frontage by roughly 6m deep. No major structural elements were found as its external plan presumably coincided with the robbed successor. Two parallel internal slots were found on the long axis, their construction trenches sealed by a gravel floor. A charcoally occupation deposit from the floor produced oyster shell, much St Neots ware and at least two sherds of Stamford ware. Ghost post holes cut the floor, from timbers supported in the slots. Gullies and hollows drained from the building's western end to a sump over 1.5m deep. Most of the feature was beyond the western edge of the excavations but it may have been a reused earlier well shaft. No other structural features were found, nor any hearth. <2> Pottery drawings in the EHER. <3> See also <4>. NRHE data transfer: Excavations in 1972 at Nos 62-64 the High Street, Maldon revealed a continuous succession of timber structures from the 10th century. Evidence of a possible pre-916 building on a different alignment and a late Saxon hall were also found. <5> <6> <7> September 1976. Field visit. The site is again covered by modern development. (OS 1:2500 plan with TL 80 NE 9). It lies half a kilometre to the east of the supposed Saxon burgh site (EHER 7766) but which so far has produced nothing of that period. It could well be that the burgh was located in the modern centre of Maldon and the excavated features were part of it. <8>