Table Of Content

BAT ILE ABBEY The Eastern Range and the Excavations of 1978-80 Plate 1 Air view from the south-east. HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Archaeological Report no. 2 Battle Abbey The Eastern Range and the Excavations of 1978-80 by J.N. Hare with contributions by M. Archibald, R.I. Charleston, J. Geddes, R. Halsey, J. Kerr, A. Locker, A.D.F. Streeten, R. Warmington, N.J. Armes, D.R. Atkinson, J. Bayley, J.G. Coad, V.J. Coad, B.M.A. Ellis, M.A. Girling, M. Hutchinson, B. Knight, C.A. Keepax, G. Lawson, P.J. Paradine EnglishOHeritage LONDON : HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Contents Page List of figures and of tables List of plates Note on references to Abbey records Abstract Preface Chapter I The abbey and its buildings: an historical introduction. 11 Chapter II The eastern range and the excavations of 1978-80. 16 Before the monastery 18 Period A: The Norman abbey 18 The eastern arm of the abbey church 18 The Norman chapter house 20 The conventual buildings before the great rebuilding 23 Period B: The great rebuilding in the thirteenth century 25 The reconstruction of the chapter house 25 · The rebuilding of the dormitory range 26 The porch 28 The reredorter 30 The construction and dating of the eastern range 34 The range east of the chapter house 35 Period C: The monastery in the later Middle Ages 35 The new drainage system 35 The dormitory and reredorter ranges 37 The chapter house 38 Period D: The abbey buildings after the Dissolution 39 The chapter house area 41 The reredorter 42 Period E: Decline and revivals, the eighteenth century and afterwards 45 Chapter III The phasing and the finds: an introduction 63 Chapter IV The building stone 66 Chapter V The architectural material by R. Halsey and J.N. Hare 69 Chapter VI The ceramic building materials by A.D.F. Streeten 79 Introduction 79 Manufacture 79 Tiles and floors 81 Roof tiles and roof furniture 93 Brick 100 Chapter VII The pottery by A.D.F. Streeten 103 Chapter VIII The window glass by J. Kerr 127 Chapter IX The vessel glass by R.I. Charleston 139 Chapter X The small finds by J. Geddes, with contributions by D.R. Atkinson, J. Bayley, B.M.A. Ellis, J.N. Hare, M. Hutchinson, B. Knight and G. Lawson 147 Chapter XI The coins and jettons by M. Archibald 178 Chapter XII Animal and plant remains by A. Locker with contributions by N. Armes, M. Girting, C. Keepax and P.J. Paradine 183 Chapter XIII Conclusion 190 Appendix A A group of architectural fragments in the outer court 192 Appendix B Other recent work at Battle Abbey by J. G. and V.I. Coad, and J.N. Hare 195 Bibliography 197 List of Figures 1 Battle Abbey: location map. 10 2 Plan of the abbey buildings at the Dissolution, 1538. 12 3 Plan of the eastern range and the excavations. 17 4 Elevation of the eastern face of the dormitory range together with the changing profile of the hillside. 18 5 Plan of the eastern arm of the church. 19 6 Plan of the chapter house. 21 7 Plan of the area east of the chapter house and the parlour. 29 8 Plan of the reredorter range. 31 9 Sections from the area within the chapter house. 38 10 Sections from the area to the east of the chapter house. 40 11 Sections from the reredorter area. 39 12-16 Excavated architectural fragments and details of the dormitory range. 71-77 17 Map showing sites mentioned in Chapter VI (ceramic building materials). 80 18 Textural analysis of medieval floor tiles. 83 19-20 Medieval floor tiles. 85-88 21 Graphs illustrating the classification of medieval floor tiles. 91 22 Histograms showing the surface treatment of medieval floor tiles. 92 23-24 Medieval roof tiles and roof furniture. 96--98 25 Histograms showing types and dimensions of excavated roof tiles. 99 26 Map showing sites mentioned in Chapter VII (pottery). 104 27 Textural analysis of medieval pottery. 106 28 Textural analysis of late medieval and post-medieval pottery. 108 29-35 Medieval and later pottery. 110--119 36 Distribution of pottery by period of deposition and by fabric. 121 37 Histograms showing relative proportion of pottery fabrics represented in each phase. 123 38 Histograms showing the proportion of each pottery fabric represented among the Dissolution debris outside the reredorter. 124 39 Chart showing the occurrence of identifiable ceramic vessel types in each phase. 125 40--41 Window glass. 129-134 42-43 Vessel glass. 140--143 44 Gem stone, jet, silver and gold decorative fragments. 148 45-47 Bone objects. 150--153 48 Lead objects. 155 49-54 Copper alloy objects. 157-165 55-61 Iron objects. 167-175 List of Tables 1 The mammal bones 187 2 The bird bones 187 3 The fish bones 187 4 The molluscs 188 List of plates 1 Air view from the south-east. Frontispiece 2 The surviving fragment of the west end of the Norman abbey church. 48 3 The later house, showing the rear panelling of the west cloister walk and the remains of the refectory. 49 4 The main gatehouse from inside the outer court. 49 5 The south transept: the Norman apse with its later replacement in the foreground. 50 7 6 The chapter house from the east. 50 7 The wall of the infirmary (building Z) looking south, also showing post-medieval structures and the late medieval drains. 51 8 The dormitory range from the south-east. 52 9 The interior of the dormitory from the north. 52 10 The dormitory: window moulding, and evidence for glazing and shuttering. 53 11 The novices' quarters from the south-west. 54 12 The novices' quarters: the torn off shaft. 54 13 The reredorter: excavations from the east. 55 14 The reredorter: the hearth and doorway from the south-east. 56 15 The reredorter: the footings of its walls overlying those of the dormitory. 56 16 The reredorter: the footings, wall and make-up at the north end of RI. 57 17 The porch and the adjacent area from the south, with the dark band of the robbed-out drain. · 57 18 Trenches M and F from the east: the two sets of overlying drains. 58 19 Rain-water hopper, RIV F227. 58 20 The area east of the parlour from the north-east, showing drains and later structures. 59 21 Coping stones, lead and other building debris from the Dissolution (Rill). 60 22 Blocking of reredorter doorway overlying Dissolution debris. 60 23 Battle Abbey in the early eighteenth century. 61 24 The dormitory range from the east (1783) by Grimm. 61 25 The blocking of the easternmost arch of the reredorter arcade, viewed from inside, 62 26 Fragment of a Romanesque capital (C.S.710: appendix A) 193 27 Marble base (C.S. 706 & 707: appendix A) 193 Photographs by R. Sheppard and J .N. Hare. Plate 1 is illustrated by permission of Aerofilms Ltd., plate 23 by permission of the Battle Abbey Trustees and plate 24 by permission of the British Library. Note on references to the abbey records The obedientary accounts have been referred to in the text by the office concerned and by the closing year of the account. The precise reference to the manuscript may then be found by referring to the list of unpublished sources. Other manuscripts have been given their full reference in the text. Abbreviations: B.L. British Library P.R.O. Public Record Office E.S.R.O. East Sussex Record Office Cellarers' Accounts Accounts of the Cellarers of Battle Abbey, eds. E. Searle & B. Ross. Chronicle The Chronicle of Battle Abbey ed. E. Searle. Abstract Excavations took place in 1978-80 at both ends of that were produced by the excavations. These in the standing eastern or dormitory range at Battle clude important sequences of pottery and roof tile; Abbey. The chapter house, which had later under material that throws light on the design, glazing and gone a complete rebuilding, and the reredorter were flooring of the monastic buildings; and an extensive fully excavated. Here and outside these buildings, a collection of bone, lead, copper alloy, iron and glass sequence of development was established for this objects from a Dissolution rubbish dump. part of the site: from the hillside of the battle of An attempt has been made to collate the result of Hastings, through the Norman monastery and its the excavations with the documentary evidence for additions to the great thirteenth century rebuilding, the abbey and with the surviving monastic buildings. the continued late-medieval building activity and the Two appendices deal with an important group of post-Dissolution periods of decay, re-use and re architectural fragments from earlier excavations and newed decay. clearance, and with the results of work at the abbey Later chapters deal with the wide range of finds since 1980. Preface On the site of his decisive victory at the battle of provide both a summation of what has been done Hastings, William the Conqueror founded what was and a basis for further work when eventually to be one of the greater monasteries of medieval finances and priorities permit. England. Although very little may still be seen of the To the author, it has been a privilege to have had buildings of his own time, much survives of the the opportunity of studying this great abbey at such extensive and grandiose rebuilding of the thirteenth close quarters. I am thus very grateful to the Depart century, and this provides a fitting reflection of the ment of the Environment whose project this was, abbey's wealth and importance. Despite the wealth and which in recent years has done so much for the and· architectural significance of the site, relatively site. Many individuals within the Department have little archaeological excavation has hitherto been given vital support to the project, but I should carried out, but a new phase in the history of the site particularly like to thank Jonathan Coad, the Inspec began in 1976 when the battlefield and abbey were tor with responsibility for the monument, whose acquired for the nation by the Department of the continued help has been such an essential element in Environment. As part of its programme of work, its completion in difficult times. In the later stages of excavations were carried out in 1978-80. They were the revision of the text, responsibility for the monu concentrated on the areas at either end of the ment was transferred from the Department to the surviving dormitory range and saw the full excava Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, to tion of the monastic chapter house and reredorter which successor organisation go our thanks and good range. They have now established a picture of the wishes. development of this corner of the site that has The success of the excavation is a tribute to the significantly modified our understanding of the work of the site staff, many of whom were also evolution of the area from the time of the battle involved in producing specialist reports. Particular onwards. At the same time they have produced a thanks are due to Anthony Streeten, who was assist valuable range of finds that will be important for the ant director on site, who directed the post study of the local ceramics of the area, for the study excavation sessions on the finds and who has been a of the buildings of the abbey and for comparison constant source of help both during the excavations with other Dissolution groups. The opportunity has and afterwards. The supervision on site was also the also been taken to look again at the buildings work of Susan Davies, Jane Geddes, Martin Oake themselves, some of the abbey's extensive surviving and Mark Taylor, while Vivienne Coad and Amanda documentation and at the material from the earlier Booth supervised the finds shed. The site and pub excavations. It is hoped that our work should thus lication drawings are the work of Richard Warming-