Site of Medieval House at Rother Street

1 Excavations were carried out with the intention of obtaining the site of a Medieval house and burgage plot of the planned town built circa 1195 and also to see if pre-existing occupation had taken place. It was found that rebuilding in the late 16th century, after the town fires, had removed any previous evidence except the bases of a number of storage pits from which was obtained pottery of the 13th to 14th centuries.
2 Demolition of a Victorian house before development allowed examination of an additional area. Removal of modern and 19th century levels revealed a palimpsest of features cut into natural gravel, with the footings of walls of a Tudor building. This again indicated the complete clearance of the site in 16th century. The Tudor building was on the same alignment as an earlier timber structure, represented by post holes and slots of a linear building with a gable end to the street and partitioned into rooms. Evidence of replacement and additional supporting posts suggested a prolonged life; pottery of 13th to 16th centuries supported this conclusion. There were also cess-pits to the rear.
3 Ford gives grid references SP2028 and SP1954. These are both incorrect. The correct reference is as above.