Transcript:Associated Architectural Societies. Reports and Papers/1913/Excavations

Associated Architectural Societies'
Reports and Papers.

Mdccccxiii. VOL. XXXII., PART I.

The Architectural & Archæological Society of the County of Lincoln.

[page 21]

Excavations on the Site of Bardney Abbey.

By the Rev. C. E. Laing, Vicar of Bardney.

It has always been known that an Abbey once stood within the moat, which encloses some 25 acres of grass land, known as “ The Abbey Garth.”

Nothing visible remained above ground, with the exception of a portion of a brick wall nearly in the centre of the west boundary wall, just inside the moat. Everywhere else the boundary walls are of stone, but this portion is of what we call for want of a better name, Tattershall brick, being the same size and material as those at Tattershall Castle and the chancel of Bardney parish church. Various mounds, some large and some small, betokened fallen buildings, but were too shapeless to define or suggest a plan ; in some places walls were almost level with the surface, here and there a stone appearing, and on these in hot summers the grass soon scorched, showing distinct lines, but these in such confusion and at such irregular intervals, that nothing could be planned from them.

Some of the antiquarians of the county were anxious that an examination should be made, and overtures were made to the owner with no success. Then (if I may tell my tale in my own way) a narrow escape from a very serious accident in the church belfry led to the clearing out of the church tower, and preparations for rehanging the bells with new frame and floor. Amongst other things moved, was the large box, known as the parish chest ; this had evidently not been emptied or tidied up for very many years ; so its contents were taken to the parish room, sorted, straightened out, and examined : they proved to be very interesting ; churchwardens', constables', and overseers' accounts dating from 1728, and various indentures of apprenticeship and other documents as far back as 1664. On being tabulated and arranged, they presented sufficient information on which to write some history of the parish, and on this being begun, everything seemed to lead back to the Abbey and its history as a necessary starting point in any account of the parish.

The owner of the Abbey Garth was again approached, and after much correspondence, an agreement was drawn up, which, on payment of £50, allowed entrance to the site for purposes of excavation for two years, on condition that all was levelled and put in order at the end of the two years. [page 22]

The generosity of Mr. W. V. Fane, Mr. Coningsby Sibthorp, Mr. Montagu Sibthorp, Mr. A. S. L. Melville, the late Dean of Lincoln, Mr. A. Shuttleworth, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Mitchinson, the late Mr. F. M. Burton, Mr. A. H. Leslie Melville, Mr. A. H. Whinfield, Rev. Canon Crowfoot, Rev. Canon Cole, and others, soon raised the £50, and sufficient to purchase a hut, some tools, &c., and the first sod was cut on 17 Feb., 1909.

The spot chosen was where a squared stone, partly above the surface, suggested a corner of a wall, which eventually proved to be the corner of the building to the extreme north-east of all the buildings and a long way east of the church. Following this wall southward and westward, trenching both sides, revealed three large rectangular chambers ; the second of these was entirely dug out, and appeared to have been a workshop of some kind, iron tools, nails, some glass, lead fragments, and pottery were scattered about, a large broken fireplace with signs of enormous heat, and a good deal of stone vaulting, which had evidently come from some other part of the building. The walls were not very thick, most of this chamber was paved, but slabs much broken, amongst which was a decorated coffin slab in five pieces. In the third of these chambers a stone coffin was uncovered full of dirt with some bones, three skulls broken, and various human bones, and further on five coffins all broken, with one skeleton almost perfect. It may be added here, that no plan existed, or drawing of any kind, and there were no means of ascertaining the level of the floor, and that all human bones were carefully collected and taken down to the churchyard.

It was evident that the excavations were now too deep, and were not leading to anything important, when, fortunately, Mr. W. H. St. John Hope visited the site. Acting on his advice, another spot was chosen, and on digging a trench more in the centre, a wall 6ft. thick was found, and work proceeded on the north side of it.

As this is intended to be a correct report, it may be better from this point to continue in the form of a diary.

1909. May 15. An altar slab 6ft. 4in. by 2ft. 7in. was uncovered, marked with five crosses ; this was broken in two and pushed off its original base, part of which remains.

May 18. Came across the base of a large pillar with remains of five columns. The floor here was about 6ft. below [page 23] the surface, and digging out the whole space took nearly a month, but proved that it was a side chapel or south transept of the church. This south transept contains a floor, piscina on the south side of the altar, and the tombstones of Goldesburgh, Tathwell, Clarke, Elkynton, Sotheray, and Lincoln.

June. Mr. G. Hardinge Tyler visited the site, and afterwards wrote to the effect that on the occasion of the visit to Lincoln by the Royal Archæological Institute, an extra day was being arranged to visit Bardney. Till this time all the work had been done by volunteers, but in view of this important visit, it seemed best to put on all the labour the funds would allow.

About 100 yards south-west of the transept (aforesaid) the largest of the mounds was entered, and a piece of very perfect Norman wall was found. This was followed westward, round a buttress, then further westward, and on going round the next buttress it was found it led eastward and then southward, and then a doorway, and on June 20 it was evident that the west front of a very large church was found.

July. West front was entirely cleared on both sides, huge masses of beautifully carved stone, so wedged together that the work was slow and difficult, but gradually the north-west door, the centre door, steps up to a chamber or clerestory, and then the south-west door all appeared, with much decorated late Norman work and much signs of fire, amongst the ashes of which were found two large studded nails, probably from the west doors. Trenched outside the north and south walls of the church, much labour in tracing same, specially round the north transept and the east end.

In a chapel at the east end of the south choir aisle, the tomb-slab of Richard Horncastle, Abbot, 1446–1508, was found, not lying east and west as those in the south transept, but almost north and south. It is an enormous stone, measuring 8ft. 1in. by 3ft. 9in., and eight inches thick, weighing some three tons. Marks of levers show that attempts had evidently been made to move it away, but it was probably found too heavy to deal with. As it was likely to be damaged by exposure, and it was not possible to discover its original site, it has now been removed, and is safely reared against the south wall of the parish church, an appropriate resting-place for his monument, as it appears that the present chancel, for which as Abbot he was responsible, was built during his abbacy. [page 24]

In the centre of the stone is a representation of Abbot Horncastel beneath an elaborate canopy. Above his head are two angels carrying in a shroud his soul to Paradise. He is clothed in Mass vestments, and holds a pastoral staff across his breast turned outwards, but has no pall or mitre, the tonsure showing distinctly.

Around the head and shoulder are scrolls inscribed : O domine jhu accipe spm̄ meū | esto | michi | reposita ē hec spe^s | in sinu meo.

In his hands is placed a shield, having in the centre a heart surmounted by a crown. On the heart is cut I h s, and on the scrolls on either side are the words : “ O bone ihu | esto michi,” translating, if the letters “ ihs ” be used twice : “ O good Jesu be to me a Saviour.”

Inscription enclosed in circles in the four corners :—

scā maia ora p'me

Round the four sides :—

hic iacet dompnus | Ricardus horncastel quondam abbas istiu^s monastii qui | obiit xº die mēsis | octob A^o dni mittio cccccº viiiº cui' aie ppet' de' amen.

This is the only slab with invocation of Saints in the inscription.

Another coffin was found here on the surface, covered with fragments of a Purbeck marble slab, and the greater part of a skeleton, mixed up with much dirt, evidently one of the abbots. Close by was also found the tomb-slab of Abbot Rogere de Barowe, 1346, and Hugh de Braunceton, 1382 ; Michael Gare, prior, 1505 ; Robert Thornton, prior, and Frater Robert Fosse. Also another small altar slab in two pieces. Having now obtained the shape and dimensions of the church, search was made for some pillars, with good success, one of the four great pillars that carried a centre tower and the third pillar in the north aisle of the nave being dug out.

On the last day of July, 1909, Sir Henry and Lady Howorth, and about 35 members of the Royal Archaeological Institute visited the Abbey, and expressed their approval of the work.

In August, the excavation of the chancel was finished ; here everything had been ruthlessly destroyed ; no remains whatever. A piece of sheet lead and a knife with handle was [page 25] found by one of the pillars. The north transept was then begun. A doorway was found in the south-west corner, and four steps of a broken staircase, and an enormous quantity of fallen building stone ; lying at the foot of the steps the headless figure of a deacon was found, clothed in alb, amice, dalmatic, and maniple ; the amice nicely carved, and the alb apparelled, it had been richly painted, but the colour faded away in a day or two ; traces of gold on some broken attachments showed the figure to have been one of S. Laurence with a gridiron. There are also the remains of a carved book under his right arm. The stairs probably led up to the rood screen and the clerestory. Here was also found on the west wall a small space enclosed at a later date than the main building, and some have suggested that this was a reliquary.

The rest of the year was spent in filling up the three chambers first found, and a prolonged search all along the south wall of the moat for a gateway or entrance. The wall was traced the whole length, and some remains of pillars or buttresses of a building or gateway were found, but not in a sufficiently good condition to identify.

The many visitors all expressed the opinion that the place should not be filled in and levelled, and it was decided to purchase three acres, if possible. Mrs. Weigall started the fund with £50, Lord Londesborough, Earl Brownlow, Colonel Ruston and Mr. A. L. Jessop all sending liberal donations. About 45,000 appeals to the County and Antiquarian Societies were sent out, and gifts chiefly for excavating were received to about £250.

1910. After much unsatisfactory searching, the main gateway was found at what is known as Pudding Pan corner ; north-west from this point a road runs to Short Ferry, where the Barlings river could be crossed (there is now a bridge), and then on to Fiskerton and Lincoln. The foundation walls of the gateway were all found, showing a wide entrance and a narrow one on either side, and the walls of a porter's lodge ; remains of a cobble stone roadway were found in three places between the gateway and the west door of the church, and on the south side of this road a wall the whole length. As permission for searching anywhere inside the moat only lasted till March, 1911, as much work as possible was done outside the limits of the portion it was proposed to purchase. Therefore, all the walls west and south-west of the church were followed, and many chambers traced, which [page 26] probably formed part of one of the guest houses. Three curiously shaped garderobes were found, also an ashpit (?) 7ft. deep, with a small arch on the north side, enabling it to be emptied near the roadway ; much carved stone, and pieces of a double canopy. Running almost parallel to the church, some distance to the north, the corners and cross walls of 280 feet of stabling 30ft. wide were all dug out ; further north, the site of the windmill, inside diameter 21ft., and walls 4ft. thick was excavated, and enough work done to all these to obtain accurate measurements for the plan.

The infirmary proved very interesting in the digging, but as there was no reason to suppose that it would be inside the purchased part, it was filled in again ; here were found remains of the hall, and bases of eight pillars, chapel, misericorde, three fine fireplaces, two of which had backs of tiles herring-boned, and some tile paving. Another set of guest chambers forming a wing to the main set of buildings, were examined, and remains of pillars and many post Suppression walls ; but here there have doubtless been many alterations and additions, and it may have been the site of a later manor house.

Amongst other discoveries during this year were a paved chamber, some of the tiles glazed (without any pattern), a fireplace and two doorways, and outside it five steps of a staircase, showing there was a room above.

The Kitchen. But little work was done here. Also a curious hole in the nave, it has been termed a “ Tidy Betty,” as it perhaps had a grating over it to bear a brazier : it is built of brick (14th century work), and may have been used for melting lead, of which records tell us there was 1,000 marks worth.

In clearing part of the refectory, and trenching its walls on both sides, one glazed tile on the cloister side was found in situ, three steps (much broken) of the pulpit, and seven stumps or legs of tables, these had small Norman bases into which the stumps were firmly leaded. Five pieces of stone, triangular shaped, with heads carved on one corner, were found, these are evidently broken from the stumps and formerly carried the slabs or boards of the tables ; the head of one shows a 13th century mitre, and is in very good condition.

There are some remains of the pulpit steps, one stump of the abbot's high table, arrangement for a pantry at the west end, and a drain. The step in the doorway from the cloister [page 27] into the refectory is much more worn on the east side, and the slot for the bolt of the door is not in the middle of the doorway.

Mr. H. Brakspear spent a week at the Abbey taking measurements and making plans, during which many connexions were discovered, three bases of pillars in a large guest hall, the doorway and remains of five pillars in the infirmary, and the west wall of the dormitory.

The Lincoln District of the Diocesan Guilds' Union proposed to hold their annual festival in the ruins ; in preparation for this, more of the nave of the church was dug out, and the whole row of pillars on the north side uncovered, so that it was possible to walk down the whole length of the church.

The Warden (Rev. Canon Hodgkinson) said the Guild Office, standing in the place where the Abbot sat in the choir.

Much work was done between the west front of the church and the gateway, disclosing many walls in every direction, showing that the gateway was connected with the main buildings : that there was an inner wall and an inner gate.

During the rest of the year, the rere dorter was found and dug out, paved with stone, 4ft. wide and 80ft. long ; the well, with considerable difficulty, was cleaned out, being full up to the surface of large stones, a piece of a tree, and much stony soil ; it was necessary to keep a pump going all the time as there is a very strong spring, it is 18 feet deep, and very well made : a pewter plate and half of another one, a large S hook, the bottom of a wooden bucket, some pieces of leather, pieces of a large pitcher (since put together), some beads of a rosary, and a quantity of animal bones were brought out. Work was also proceeding in the nave of the church, more tomb-slabs being found and uncovered. Search was made for the staircase from the dormitory to the cloister without avail.

The Horncastle slab was moved with great care, cased in sleepers and weighing about four tons, and was safely placed against the inside of the south wall of the parish church. A great quantity of large building stone, squared and carved, was found just outside the north transept, where the figure of S. Laurence was discovered, this was more carefully searched, but no head of S. Laurence was amongst it, but a great deal of stone for building the boundary wall was obtained. [page 28]

1911. There were ten large heaps of soil, stones and turf lying outside our north boundary wall, and as our agreement for working any part of the field terminated in March, and the owner was unwilling to let us the piece of ground thus occupied, it was necessary to move these heaps. This was done at considerable expense, but it employed some men out of work, and led to the finding of the obverse of the abbey seal. A great deal of the soil and stony rubbish was taken in barrows and deposited in the roadway into the field (this road is now a few yards north of the original road), filling up ruts, &c. ; Mr. T. Crowder, levelling this and putting it tidy, found at the side of a cart-rut this seal. At present the question remains unsolved, whether we took the seal down in a barrowful of soil, or whether the seal had been in this cart-rut for 300 years and more, this last supposition is most unlikely ; on the other hand we know from which part of the Abbey the heap came from which these cartruts were filled in. This spot is outside the south-west door of the church, where there was a most enormous fire, for cartloads of cinders, ashes, molten lead and glass were found here, a piece of bell metal, a brass cross, several large-headed pins, and some Nuremburg tokens, were afterwards found on the edge of the space where the fire burned ; so our idea is that all sorts of things were thrown on to this fire, the seal amongst them, and that some rolled down the side of the heaped-up fire and so escaped. All the neighbourhood of this fire has been most carefully dug over to a depth of about eight feet, but alas, the reverse of the seal has not turned up.

Seeing that the seals of the destroyed monasteries were almost the first things to be made away with, the finding of this half of the Bardney seal is a most remarkable circumstance.

The following note is from Dugdale's “ Monasticon ” :

“ Attached to an instrument of the 21st year of Edward III. (marked 44A.8) is another, and one of the most beautiful of all our Monastic Seals. On the obverse, King Oswald is represented …. On the reverse, beneath a canopy of the same rich work, the figures of St. Paul and St. Peter, with their respective emblems, and below, the half figure of an Abbot with his Crozier.”

The half found, called here by Dugdale the reverse, is considered by competent authorities to be the obverse. [page 29]

I dwell upon the importance of this, to account for a good deal of time and labour which has shown no result, but we never know what may turn up next.

On March the 21st, all the rest of the field was tidy, heaps cleared away, mill and gateways filled up, our three acres fenced in, and a good deal of the boundary wall built.

Being now confined to our purchased portion, the church was next continued, and steady digging cleared the whole of the interior by the end of August. This revealed remains, more or less, of every original pillar in the church, and many more important tomb-slabs. One of these is very large, a solid slab of Purbeck marble, on which had been inserted a full length brass figure, four shields, handsome canopy, and an inscription all round, of which three fragments remained, one small piece in situ, and many of the leaden rivets. This was so broken that a hole beneath could be seen, so enough of the slab was removed to admit of inspection ; it contained half a cartload of soil, and most of the bones of a human body, so the whole vault was cleaned out, the bones found and those already found strewn everywhere in the church (which had been brought down to the parish churchyard) were placed in two large coffins, and all were very reverently reinterred on 17 October, 1911, by the Very Rev. Dr. Fry, the Dean of Lincoln. It is satisfactory to know that all these human remains are again deposited in the exact centre of the abbey church, and where they are not likely to be ever disturbed again.

Work then proceeded in the kitchen, without very much result, but with much evidence of post suppression alterations. The back of the original fireplace, tiles placed herring-bone fashion remains, but the foundation of a copper, a small cesspool or well, and a drain through the wall are all of later date. Here was found a millstone, a mortar and several knives, and much fallen brickwork.

Weather became bad in October, so all tombstones and pillars were covered up, and only work on the boundary wall was done during the winter.

1912. Early in the year the kitchen was completed, and the refectory without any result, except some more carved stone, and then the whole of the space between the west end of the church and our boundary wall. [page 30]

Mr. H. Brakspear spent a week measuring and planning the work completed, and clearing up corners and connections of walls, and amongst other things, two of the three stone foundations of the beams that supported the roof of the large chamber west of the cellarium were found in situ.

Shocking bad weather and the digging out the King's hill, hindered work at the Abbey, but a good deal of the north end of the undercroft of the dormitory was dug out, but instead of finding the staircase leading to the cloisters, a kiln for getting the lime out of the stone was found, in the space between the dorter and the east wall of the frater, and also a beautiful Norman capital upside down, and re-used at the bottom of a pillar.

The very large quantity of carved stone placed in the museum, broke the floor, so the walls 6ft. high of the slype were levelled, and a corrugated iron roof fixed, and all the heavy stone placed on shelves and thus made safe for a long time.

About 50 yards more of the stone wall was built, and a great effort (15,000 begging letters) was made for the purchase fund, but the result was not satisfactory.

1913. Made five attempts in different places to find the inner arcade of the cloister, and found nothing whatever.

Searched for the abbot's house, between the rere dorter and the infirmary, found a wall connecting these, with some intersecting small walls, and three doorways, but it all fell to nothing on the south side, and it is clear that there was no building of importance there.

In digging out the west doorway of the infirmary, a layer of many thousands of small oyster shells were found. The lower part of the doorway and threshold remain, and a fireplace 12ft. long, of which the curbing or fender is almost complete. The entry outside the south-west corner of the church was cleared out, but no more of the Purbeck marble slabs of which part had appeared, was found.

The north-east corner of the church was then cleared, showing up the massiveness of the Norman foundation and proving that there was no wall joining to the church at that spot. Here were found two more tomb-slabs without any inscriptions, one all broken to pieces, the [page 31] other intact, and from its position appearing to have never been tampered with. The chamber (vestry ?) running the whole length of the north aisle of the choir, was excavated. The doorway leading from the church opened into a passage, running the whole length of the choir wall and then into this vestry. As the west wall of this is the east wall of the north transept, there was just a chance of finding the head of the S. Laurence statue, but it was not there ; here were found two brass letters, a small bell (probably belonging to horse harness), many pieces of lead used for connecting the tiles, and a quantity of very broken Roman and Early British pottery, and deep down and therefore left undisturbed, many bones. At the west end of this chamber there remains the stone foundation of a gantry or a large table.

As it is to be hoped that eventually the whole site will be levelled and left tidy, and as we had an accumulation of stones and soil outside the west end of the church, it was considered best to begin to level, so a good deal of the guest chambers at this spot already excavated was filled up, thus providing a large space for the stone rubbish that is gradually sold. This led to exploring all the chambers and intersecting walls lying west of the cellarium, so this is all now planned, and at present would appear to be the site of the abbot's house. In an entry or porch there is lying a large tomb-slab with inscription on all four sides, but it is all broken to pieces, and the only words decipherable are “ ano. dni.” Here was also found a coffin-shaped slab with incised cross but no inscription.

After this the cellarium was entirely dug out. At not quite regular distances six large square or rectangular stones were uncovered. These, with one exception, had square or rectangular holes carved out of the top side, and evidently carried the beams that supported the roof. Four of them are very bulky and heavy ; it took four men to move them at all ; two of them have some rude edging or carving, and one, the largest, is very interesting. It was found upside down, that is, the hole carved out in which at some time a beam had been placed, was underneath, and the flat surface uppermost. In the centre of the hole is some lead, showing that something has been socketed in. On two sides some of the stone is chipped away, and it appears to have been fixed or inserted some nine inches into a wall. It would appear that it was for some important use, so much so as to cause the monks to turn it upside down for preservation, or the despoilers to wilfully [page 32] desecrate it. Some visitors have considered that it bears distinct signs of Saxon tools and use. This is, of course, being carefully preserved. Here was found an Elizabethan shilling, a bulla of Pope Boniface viiii. (1389), a bench end with carved head and a pedestal, which suggests a sun dial.

On June 4, the members of the Royal Archæological Institute held their meeting in the rooms of the Society of Antiquaries, at Burlington House. Mr. H. Brakspear produced his plan, so arranged in colours as to show the dates of the various buildings, and delivered a lecture on the “ Architectural Features of the Abbey.” The Rev. Charles E. Laing, who had been asked to attend, was requested by the President, Sir Henry Howorth, to address the meeting, which he did, dwelling chiefly on the evidence produced as to the Norman Abbey being built on the original Saxon site ; and on the curious inscription on the tomb-slab of Walter de Langton, and the “ placia minutorum apud Southray.” Mr. W. H. St. John Hope also spoke as to the site being the Saxon site, and stating that no authorities so far have disproved his theories held some time, that these ancient sites with “ moats ” were Saxon in their origin. Mr. W. H. Hamilton Thompson also spoke on the history of the Abbey in the time of Bishop Alnwick. Much interest was expressed in the lantern slides, the seal, the palimpsest brass, and some other small curios that were produced.

On June 26, about 50 members and friends of the Lincoln Archæological Society on their annual outing visited the Abbey site, of which, no doubt, an account will appear elsewhere.

On August 3rd (Bank Holiday) some miscreant stole the small piece of brass left fixed “ in situ ” on the large marble slab in the centre of the church. This piece was the top of the canopy, and was firmly riveted and socketed in lead into the marble, and must have required an instrument and considerable force to wrench it away.

The courtyard in the neighbourhood of the well was cleared, revealing nothing but some paving stones, but a little chamber formed by cutting off the north-west corner of the kitchen by a post suppression wall, revealed some paving. On carefully exploring this, there gradually appeared a wide shoot, sloping slightly to the west, and leading into a particularly well made drain. This drain was choked up with sand, [page 33] and proceeded due west for 20 feet, then turned north-west, and in another 25 feet has reached our boundary, beyond which at present the owner will not let us proceed. Two top stones removed are both bevelled, and fit exactly over the drain, which is puddled at sides and on top with clay. The drain is perfectly made, and is about 12 inches square.

In making ready for an iron tank for the soft water from the slype roof, a very large lime kiln was found, almost circular, sides all crumbled with heat. There must have been much stone burnt here, and tremendous heat. Some stones removed for building the boundary wall, and the rest filled in. This, with the necessary covering up for the winter, closes our work for the present, the men having, fortunately, obtained elsewhere work for the winter.

It is to be feared that this account has been very sketchy, but it must be understood that the flying about from one part to another has been caused by first, the necessity of trenching all discovered walls and connexions to obtain the plan ; then, second, by digging out details as they seemed important, and according to the number of the men whom our funds allowed to be employed. There is yet a great deal to be done ; only about one quarter of the dorter is finished, a great deal has to be done in the guest hall in the south wing, and a further search between the rere dorter and the guest house, and over 100 yards of wall to complete our boundary.

There is very much to interest visitors, as has often been remarked. A good many ruins, the result of excavating, may be seen, but it is not often possible to see ruins being actually uncovered by the pick and spade.

An illustrated guide (price 6d.) can be obtained, which will explain many of the above descriptions.

See Also

• Tombstone Inscriptions from Bardney Abbey. Revised by J. T. Fowler, D.C.L., F.S.A., Hon. Canon of Durham. Reports and Papers, v. xxxii, part 2 (1914).