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| Monument Name |
Rayleigh - Turret House Farm, 77 High Road |
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| SMR Number |
13489 |
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| Summary |
Medieval bank and ditch. |
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| Media |
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| Associated Media |
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| Description |
Medieval bank and ditch. Found in association with domestic occupation and medieval kilns. Kiln wasters also found. Rescue excavations carried out prior to redevelopment. The earliest evidence noted dated to the early C13. The construction of the earthwork had been followed by a period of erosion of the broad earth rampart with a timber palisade. Domestic occupation began in the late C13. Three acres of land associated with timber framed buildings in use until the mid C14. Part of the kiln still survives. <1> - <3> Approx. 20kg of pottery dating to the second half of C14 - C15 excavated in 1958 and 1974. Mainly fineware jugs, linked stylistically to the Mill Green industry. <4>
The built-up area (TQ 8067 9075)
The morphology of the medieval built-up area is not entirely clear, however it appears to have been concentrated along the High Street, in the area to the east of the outer bailey. The parish church was sited at the north-eastern end of the town, its location perhaps marking the site of the original Domesday settlement. At this point the east-west route of London Hill meets the north-west route of the High Street. To the south of the church is a triangular built-up area, delimited by London Hill, Bellingham Lane and High Street. It is possible that this area originally formed part of the market-place (see below), however a watching-brief at 3-5 London Hill (ESMR 13374) established that the area was already partly built-up by the 14th and 15th centuries. Traces of several successive clay floors and a hearths were noted on the site. Some of the property boundaries on either side of the High Street may well reflect the original layout of the medieval tenements.
Excavation by MacLeod at 77, High Road (ESMR 13489) to the south of the historic town in 1974 is said to have uncovered occupation dating to the 13th century, including a number of barn-like structures. A dump of pottery wasters and a possible kiln was also found on this site.<5>
The built-up area (TQ 8067 9075)
Rayleigh appears to have grown little in size in the post-medieval period, and the main morphological features were already in place by the end of the medieval period, that is the street-pattern and infilled market-place. However there was considerable re-building or updating of the medieval buildings, with the Listed Buildings largely dating to the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. There is some evidence however that some of these actually have medieval timber-frames concealed behind post-medieval brick facings. It wasn’t until the early years of the 20th century that the town began its steady growth, stimulated by the building of the London and North Eastern Railway in the 1890’s, which made commuting to London possible. <5> |
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| Monument Type(s) |
SETTLEMENT (Dated 1066AD to 1539AD)
POTTERY KILN (Dated 1066AD to 1539AD)
DITCH (Dated 1066AD to 1539AD)
BANK (EARTHWORK) (Dated 1066AD to 1539AD)
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| Monument Class(es) |
SUB SURFACE DEPOSIT
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Period
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1066AD to 1539AD Medieval
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| Status |
Not Known |
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| Administration Area |
RAYLEIGH, ROCHFORD, ESSEX |
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National Grid Reference
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Square: TQ89SW
Ref: 802901 |
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| Finds |
POTTERY VESSEL (Dated 1066AD To 1539AD)
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| Events |
FULL EXCAV by Southend Mus, 1974
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Sources
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Mention : SMR (unknown)
CORRESPONDENCE : CORRESPONDENCE ECC (Todman and Sons) 6965, file A601-1 Dated : 1974
Mention : Essex Archaeol News (Essex Archaeology Society) p13 Dated : 1975
Desc Text : Pottery from a late medieval kiln dump at 77 High Rd, Rayleigh (Walker, Helen) vol 21 p 92-102 Dated : 1990
Desc Text : Rayleigh Historic Town Assessment Report (Medlycott, Maria) Dated : 1999
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