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Name: | BEDFORD MEDIEVAL TOWN |
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HER No.: | 10530 |
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Type of Record: | Monument |
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Summary
Town of 8th/9th century origins.
Full Description
1974 summary; Despite settlement in the Ouse Valley above and below the present town of Bedford from earliest times there is no evidence for urbanisation before the Middle or Later Saxon period. A river crossing may have determined the location of a settlement which was given a rectilinear plan by Edward The Elder in 915-6. The excavation of a section across the Kingsditch is reported.
Bedford Castle (demolished 1224-5) dominated the town North of the river. The town does not appear to have developed significantly beyond the limits of the rectilinear plan untill the 18th century.
Excavations since 1967 have produced some plan evidence for Saxon and Medieval Buildings, but prior to the 16th and 17th century standing examples are all ecclesiastical. Many substantial timber-framed buildings are known only from photographs and other illustrations. The main types of Post-Medieval buildings are indicated.
1983 ref; In the source above an interpretation of the layout and origin of the early topography and plan of Bedford were given. There are however, several considerations which suggest alternative hypothesis.
P31/ … The Analysis so far has suggested that apart from the church of St. Paul's and the Norman Castle. There are five main elements in the growth and development of the Northern Burh, these are;
1) Defences, of sub-rectangular form
2) Four main streets set at right angles, the West, North and East Streets passing through presumed gates in the centres of the defences, with the South Street leading to the bridge.
3) The Bridge, placed approximately centrally in relation to the defences and the street system.
4) Two Market areas immediately outside the North and East gates, each associated with a church.
5) Main and extra-mural roads.
P32/ … South Burh constructed c.915. The conclusion that the Northern Burh of bedford pre-dates the Southern Burh is confirmed by the topography of the town …
p33/ … Bedford is one of a series of at least 12 Burhs, all with a rectangular or sub-rectangular plan, placed along the frontiers of Mercia by King Offa (died 796)
Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal, Bedford, Aspects Of Town origins And Development (Bibliographic reference). SBD10569.
Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal, The Origin and Plan of Bedford (Bibliographic reference). SBD10569.
HER Slide Archive, 5087 (Slide). SBD10508.
Albion Archaeology, 2012, 20-22 Silver Street, Bedford; Archaeological Observation, Investigation, Recording, Analysis and Publication (Unpublished document). SBB11940.
Within the standing buildings, evidence of cellars was found.
To the rear of the properties an undated probable pit and posthole were located. A dark grey brown sandy silt was encountered, interpreted as being a cultivation soil. Its location and depth suggest it was a hand-dug soil, rather than traces of an arable loughed field. Ceramic Building Material was observed, indicating the soil was still cultivated in the post-medieval period.
A series of perpendicular, deep, linear features were identified towards the southern margin of the site, continuing to both the west and the south, beyond recent property boundaries. These were interpreted as robber trenches.
In the western margin of the area, beneath the propert boundary wall, a cluster of three pits were identified, cermaic building material fragments inicate a post-medieval date.
Albion Archaeology, 2013, 15 Silver Street, Bedford; Archaeological Observation, Investigation, Recording, Analysis and Publication, 2013/20 (Unpublished document). SBB11939.
The dark cultivation soil is likely to have been formed as a result of the hand diggingof garden plots at the rear of the properties on Silver Street. The soil is too thick for aploughsoil, whilst its colour suggests enrichment through the addition of organic matter into a regularly mixed deposit. Continuous monitoring duringhand excavation of the footings and scanning of the upcast soil produced four sherds of medieval pottery and a single sherd of modern transfer-printed pottery. This could suggest relatively low levels of domestic activity during the medieval period and the absence of modern debris suggests that cultivation of the soil had ceased by this time. It is possible that the sherd of transfer-printed pottery was intrusive as it was not always easy to identify later intrusions into the cultivation soil.
Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd, 2015, THE SITE OF THE FORMER CLARENCE HOTEL, ST JOHN’S STREET, BEDFORD: Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SBB11976.
Protected Status:
- Listed Building (II) 1480129 _1: Bedford Corn Exchange
Monument Type(s):
- BEAM SLOT? (Unknown date)
- BREWERY (Unknown date)
- DITCH (Unknown date)
- DITCH (Unknown date)
- FLOOR (Unknown date)
- PIT? (Unknown date)
- POST HOLE (Unknown date)
- WALL (Unknown date)
- WATER TANK? (Unknown date)
- BOUNDARY DITCH (9th Century - 801 AD to 900 AD)
- BURH (9th Century - 801 AD to 900 AD)
- TOWN (9th Century to Modern - 801 AD to 2050 AD)
- GULLY (10th Century to 12th Century - 901 AD to 1200 AD)
- PIT (10th Century to 11th Century - 901 AD to 1100 AD)
- BURH (10th Century to Unknown - 975 AD)
- CASTLE (11th Century to 13th Century - 1001 AD to 1300 AD)
- CELLAR (Post Medieval - 1540 AD? to 1901 AD?)
- ROBBER TRENCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1901 AD)
- WALL (18th Century to 19th Century - 1701 AD to 1900 AD)
- WELL (18th Century to Modern - 1701 AD to 2050 AD)
Associated Finds
- FBB8526 - ANIMAL REMAINS (Undated)
- FBB8538 - ANIMAL REMAINS (Undated)
- FBB8536 - DISC (Unknown date)
- FBB8534 - OYSTER SHELL (Undated)
- FBB8529 - SLAG (Undated)
- FBB8524 - SLAG (Unknown date)
- FBB11795 - BODY SHERD (8th Century to 11th Century - 800 AD to 1099 AD)
- FBB11689 - JAR (10th Century to 11th Century - 901 AD to 1100 AD)
- FBB11688 - SHERD (10th Century to 12th Century - 901 AD to 1200 AD)
- FBB8530 - SHERD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- FBB11794 - SHERD (12th Century to 13th Century - 1101 AD to 1300 AD)
- FBB8537 - SHERD (12th Century to 13th Century - 1101 AD to 1300 AD)
- FBB8525 - SHERD (13th Century to 14th Century - 1201 AD to 1400 AD)
- FBB8531 - ROOF TILE (16th Century to 19th Century - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- FBB11799 - ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1901 AD)
- FBB8523 - SHERD (17th Century to 18th Century - 1601 AD to 1800 AD)
- FBB8522 - CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (17th Century to 18th Century - 1680 AD to 1720 AD)
- FBB8528 - CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (18th Century - 1701 AD to 1800 AD)
- FBB8535 - SHERD (18th Century - 1701 AD to 1800 AD)
- FBB8527 - SHERD (18th Century - 1710 AD to 1750 AD)
- FBB8532 - CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (19th Century - 1801 AD to 1900 AD)
- FBB8533 - SHERD (20th Century - 1901 AD to 2000 AD)
Associated Events
- EBB556 - RIVERSIDE SQUARE, BEDFORD Archaeological Evaluation (Ref: CP/6010 & JN 3232)
- EBD486 - CHURCH SQUARE, BEDFORD; Programme of Archaeological Observation, Investigation, Recording, Analysis and Publication (Ref: 2008/117)
- EBB605 - 29-41 HIGH STREET, Bedford: Archaeological Watching Brief
- EBB837 - LAND AT GREYFRIARS BEDFORD: Archaeological Trial Trench Evaluation (Ref: 2013/02)
- EBB840 - LAND AT 29-31 ST JOHN'S STREET, BEDFORD: Archaeological Monitoring (Ref: 2013/05)
- EBB845 - 15 SILVER STREET, BEDFORD: Archaeological Observation, Investigation, Recording, and Analysis (Ref: 2013/20)
- EBB852 - ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS SOUTH OF THE RIVER, BEDFORD: Late 1960's and early 1970's
- EBB847 - CHARTER HOUSE BEDFORD: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Ref: LP1450L-AER-v1.1)
- EBD527 - Bedford Bus Station, Bedford; Archaeological Assessment (Ref: H2750_01)
- EBD9 - 2 St Cuthbert's Street, Bedford (Ref: 1998/02)
- EBB596 - 2a CASTLE LANE, Bedford: Desk Based Assessment and Field Evaluation (Ref: 2009/117)
- EBB597 - CASTLEGATE, 23-27 HIGH STREET, Bedford: Assessment and Project Design (Ref: 2006/86)
- EBB835 - 20-22 SILVER STREET, BEDFORD: Archaeological Monitoring (Ref: 2012/117)
- EBD517 - Bedford College, Bedford; Archaeological Desk-based Assessment (Ref: 2007/75)
- EBB907 - BEDFORD BUS STATION, ALLHALLOWS, BEDFORD, BEDFORDSHIRE. AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION. (Ref: 4563)
- EBB916 - ST LUKES THEATRE PROJECT, ST PETERS STREET, BEDFORD. Building Recording and Archaeological Investigation (Ref: 2013/81 v.1.1)
- EBB934 - THE SITE OF THE FORMER CLARENCE HOTEL, ST JOHN’S STREET, BEDFORD: Archaeological Evaluation (Ref: CHJT/01)
- EBB1261 - HARPUR STREET/MIDLAND ROAD; Evaluation
- EBB1266 - HOWARD STREET, BEDFORD; Excavation
- EBB1267 - ROSE YARD, BEDFORD; Excavation
- EBB1279 - ST. PETER-DE-DUNSTABLE; Excavation
- EBB1287 - LAND AT ST. PAUL'S SQUARE; Watching Brief (Ref: 2017/195)
- EBB1346 - THE CLARENCE HOTEL, 13 ST JOHN'S STREET, BEDFORD; Excavation (Ref: 2015/167)
- EBB1347 - BEDFORD COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY BUILDING, BEDFORD; Watching Brief (Ref: 2017/185)
- EBB1348 - THE SHIP INN, ST. CUTHBERT'S STREET, BEDFORD; Watching Brief (Ref: AS1806)
- EBB1353 - THE RESIDENCE, LURKE STREET, BEDFORD; Post-Excavation Assessment and Update Project Design (Ref: LUR17)
- EBB1357 - 77-79 HIGH STREET, BEDFORD; Watching Brief (Ref: 235/BHS)
- EBB1381 - RESURFACING WORKS, ST. PAUL'S SQUARE, BEDFORD; Desk-Based Assessment (Ref: 2017/1)
- EBB1419 - THE SWAN HOTEL, BEDFORD; Archaeological Evaluation (Ref: BSH19)
- EBB1433 - 8-10 HOWARD STREET, BEDFORD; Evaluation (Ref: 2020/76)
- EBB1448 - ANIMAL BONES IN SERVICE TRENCH; Harpur Street, Bedford
- EBB1451 - BLOCK B, ROGERS COURT, 2 KINGSWAY, BEDFORD; Watching Brief (Ref: 2021/74)
- EBB1476 - THE BEDFORD SWAN HOTEL, THE EMBANKMENT, BEDFORD, MK40 1RW; Evaluation (Ref: BSH19)
- EBB1496 - HARPUR STREET, BEDFORD; Watching Brief (Ref: 22007252)
- EBB1506 - 3 DUKE STREET, BEDFORD, BEDFORDSHIRE; Evaluation (Ref: Report no. 1244)
Sources and Further Reading
--- | SBB11939 - Unpublished document: Albion Archaeology. 2013. 15 Silver Street, Bedford; Archaeological Observation, Investigation, Recording, Analysis and Publication. 2013/20. 2013/20. |
--- | SBB11940 - Unpublished document: Albion Archaeology. 2012. 20-22 Silver Street, Bedford; Archaeological Observation, Investigation, Recording, Analysis and Publication. 2012/117. |
--- | SBB11976 - Unpublished document: Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd. 2015. THE SITE OF THE FORMER CLARENCE HOTEL, ST JOHN’S STREET, BEDFORD: Archaeological Evaluation. |
--- | SBD10508 - Slide: HER Slide Archive. 5087. |
--- | SBD10569 - Bibliographic reference: Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal. Bedford, Aspects Of Town origins And Development. |
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