Monument record MLI84758 - Medieval Chapel and Cemetery Site, Partney

Summary

Medieval chapel and cemetery site, possibly St Mary Magdalene hospital.

Type and Period (9)

  • (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)
  • ? (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1450 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

PRN 44824 Linear features possibly related to this site are visible on geophysical survey data collected in 2002. {6}{7} Archaeological evaluation (trial trenching) produced evidence for a previously unknown inhumation cemetery site, found on land immediately west of Partney. Excavation produced a group of graves within a restricted area. No dating evidence was retrieved from the graves or associated features, yet radiocarbon dating of skeletal evidence produced a date of between AD1030 and 1280 (with a mean date of AD1200). A large boundary ditch found to the north would appear to indicate the northernmost extent of the cemetery site, and coincides with a linear cropmark identified from aerial photographs (PRN 42892). The southern extent of the cemetery was not determined. The cemetery site could be associated with the chapel of ease dedicated to St Mary, which was situated close to the rectory of the present day church of St Nicholas (PRN 42155). However, it is possible that the site may have earlier origins, since at least three phases of burials were identified, and may be associated with the pre-Conquest monastery mentioned by Bede (PRN 42154). {1}{2} The site was excavated in advance of construction of the Partney by-pass, revealing what was thought to be part of the rural hospital complex of St Mary Magdalene as described in various documentary sources. The site appears to have been occupied continuously from about 1100 until its deliberate destruction in the mid 15th century and its features include a chapel and burials. Forty-three inhumation burials were found in two distinct groups on either side of a pathway leading to the chapel. The burials to the north of the pathway were in shallow graves with no evidence of coffins or grave goods. All the skeletons were male where it was possible to tell, and a wide range of ages from adolescent to old were present. Those to the south were mostly deep planked graves with head niches, and a few contained grave goods (four contained pewter chalices, and one contained an adze or mattock and a knife). Where it was possible to tell, all skeletons were male with one possible exception and all were adults. The grave goods suggest that at least some of these burials were priests and the adze or mattock may indicate the burial of a more senior person. A small number of burials were also present within the chapel itself, possibly indicating high status. One of these was a child burial. The chapel survived only as wall foundations as the above-ground remains have been entirely robbed out. The foundations suggest a modest rectangular stone building measuring 12.6m long by 6.6m wide with external buttresses. Originally the chapel contained one room, though a north-south interior wall was added later. At least four types of stone were used in the chapel's construction, apparently for aesthetic reasons. Quarry pits, boundary ditches, a well, rubbish pits and the remains of posthole structures were also present. {3}{4}{5}

Sources/Archives (7)

  •  Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. April 2003. A158/C541 Coastal Access Route, A16 and A158 Partney Bypass Archaeological Evaluation. PTN02.
  •  Archive: Lindsey Archaeological Services. April 2003. A158/C541 Coastal Access Route, A16 and A158 Partney Bypass Archaeological Evaluation. LCNCC 2002.433.
  •  Report: Cambridgeshire Archaeological Field Unit. 2005. Partney By-Pass Post-Excavation Assessment. PTN4 03: pp.52-93.
  •  Archive: Cambridgeshire Archaeological Field Unit. 2005. Partney By-Pass Post-Excavation Assessment Archive.
  •  Leaflet: Cambridgeshire Archaeological Field Unit. 2005. Archaeological Excavations Along the A16/A158 Partney By-Pass. pp.10-14.
  •  Report: West Yorkshire Archaeological Service. 2002. A16-A158 Partney Bypass, Dalby to Partney. -.
  •  Report: West Yorkshire Archaeological Service. 2002. A16-A158 Partney Bypass. -.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 4067 6831 (54m by 51m) Centre
Civil Parish PARTNEY, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (3)

Related Events/Activities (3)

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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