Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 397: summary

An archaeological watching brief at Colchester Castle, Colchester, Essex: October 2006
by Pooley, L

Date report completed: 01/12/2006
Location: Colchester town centre, Essex
Map reference(s):
File size: 70kb kb
Project type: Watching brief
Significance of the results: *
Keywords: post-medieval, inhumation, post-medieval pit, demolition debris, animal bone, greensand stone, septaria, opus signinum

Summary. A watching brief was carried out during groundworks in the south east corner of Colchester Castle bailey to add a small extension to the pre existing floodlight bunker located there. The extension measured 2.8m by 1.25m and the groundworks revealed a modern topsoil layer, a post-medieval soil layer, a modern cable trench (2001), and a post-medieval pit. Interestingly, a small quantity of human bone was identified both unstratified and within the post-medieval subsoil layer. A number of inhumation burials are known from within the bailey, possibly dating to the late 16th and 17th centuries when the keep was used as a gaol, and those who died in custody were buried adjacent to the keep. It is likely that the bone recorded during the groundworks was disturbed from nearby graves.