Pleshey Castle Excavations 1959-1963
Archive reference: S/SEC/7/8
Transcription of papers
REPORT OF PLESHEY EXCAVATION COMMITTEE:
The second meeting of the Pleshey Excavation Committee
was held at 2.30 p.m. on Monday, 9th March, 1959, at LANGLEYS, Great Waltham,
by kind permission of J.J.TUFNELL, Esq.
Those present were:-
LT.COL. R.J.APPLEBY, MBE., F.S.A. Secretary, Essex Arch. Soc.
MAJOR J.G.S. BRINSON, F.S.A., F.A.M.S. Essex
Correspondent M.O.W.
M.R.HULL, ESQ., F.S.A., Director of the Colchester Museums.
M.W. THOMPSON, ESQ. Assistant Inspector, Inspectorate of
Anct. M.
J.J. TUFNELL, ESQ.
Owner of Pleshey Castle.
The meeting was held to discuss the objectives and to
define the programme of the Excavation Committee in the season of excavation
proposed to take place at Pleshey Castle during 1959.
On the recommendation of the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments,
the Committee had invited Mr. Philip A. Rahtz to undertake supervision of the excavations, and
he had consented to do so, provided that the works should begin not earlier
than mid-September, 1959.
The financial position was discussed and the list of
bodies to which application for funds had been made was read out. At the time
of the meeting a sum of one hundred and twenty pounds had been promised towards
the total of five hundred pounds required. This was without the contribution of
the Essex Archaeological Society, which was expected to be made known at the Council
meeting of the Society on the following day, March 10th. Confidence was
expressed in the likelihood of raising the whole sum required by September. The
objectives of the Excavation Committee had been stated in the letters of appeal
fur funds as: i) to obtain a comprehensive dated series of pottery from the
site, and ii) to examine the remains of the successive structures at the Castle
from the I2th.C to the time of demolition in the 16th.C.
It was decided to concentrate upon the area within the
bailey, and not to undertake examination of the motte or the inner or outer
moats during the forthcoming season. Examination of the moat between the matte
end the bailey, although desirable, might well absorb the whole of the moneys
available by reason of the probability of extensive shoring and pumping
necessary to keep tie trench walls standing and to keep the water out of the
sectional trench which would need to be approximately twelve feet deep to
original moat bottom. A partial plan of the shell keep was in existence, and it
was considered desirable rather to examine the sites of the Great Hall, the
Chapel and other buildings known to have existed within the bailey but hitherto
undefined in position and extent. It was agreed also that partial sections
should be put through the bailey earthworks in an attempt to discover evidence
of the date of construction.
The finds from the excavation after examination and
writing up would be kept at Langleys by Mr.J.J.Tufnell. It was his intention
eventually to house the finds in a small site museum to be erected when the
Castle should again be open to the public.
The probable cost to the owner of consolidating and
leaving exposed such wall foundations and other features which might be
uncovered was recognised as prohibitive and a policy of filling in exposed
foundations subsequent to excavation was agreed.
It was suggested and agreed that Dr. St.Joseph, Curator
in Aerial Photography at the University of Cambridge, should be consulted with
regard to aerial photography of the site.
In view of the probable difficulty in finding paid labour
in the area, Mr Tufnell undertook to consult with his Agent., Col. Judd, as to
the possibility of raising a certain amount of local agricultural labour,
assuming that harvest would be over by mid-September in a normal year.
Mr. Thompson undertook to arrange with the Inspectorate
of Ancient Monuments for the provision of a hut and lavatory accommodation for
both sexes on the site.
[Signed J Brinson]
Excavations Secretary
No comments:
Post a Comment