NHER 5530 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval remains, 76 Chapel Street/Austin Street

1964. Stray Find.
Found at Raynham House (Context 1; TF 61825 20395):
Medieval pottery, including large 15th-century jug and 14th- to 15th-century sherds.
Information from (S1). These discoveries are also noted in (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 February 2014.

June to July 1998. Trial Trenching.
The earliest feature encountered on this site was a possible pit dating to the 13th century, found in Trench A to the north of the site. The presence of a natural channel, as identified in Trench C to the south-east of the site, may have restricted development within the excavated area until the late 13th century. During the mid-13th to 14th centuries the early pit identified in Trench A was partially truncated by an east-west gully containing pottery, tile, bone and a textile fragment. To the north of this gully was a layer of tile and limestone fragments, perhaps the remains of a surface or trackway or an attempt to consolidate the underlying silts. Above this were a series of dumped layers containing refuse and metalworking debris in the form of slag and hammerscale. The infilling of this gully may have been deliberate, and could be associated with the foundation of the Austin Friary which had been established a short distance to the north by 1294. Dumped deposits were also encountered in Trench C to the south-east of the site.
Later medieval deposits were much more widespread and numerous. Most deposits are of a mixed nature and indicative of widespread dumping of material including household waste. Sporadic activity on the site in the 14th and 15th centuries was recognised in all three trenches. In Trench A this took the form of a temporary structure linked to an earthwork bank, and features and deposits linked to this structure are suggestive of metalworking including lead, copper and iron. In Trench B were features possible associated with shellfish processing. By the end of the 15th century a brick building had been constructed in Trench C, fronting Pilot Street, the foundations of which remained in use until the 1960s. The full layout of this building could not be discerned but the discovery of mortar floors and two brick hearths suggests it was used for habitation.
Few deposits or features could be assigned to the post-medieval period, but in Trench B, associated with the existing buildings fronting Chapel Street, was a late 18th century brick building serving a light industrial function.
A large quantity of medieval pottery was recovered from this evaluation. It included local wares produced at Grimston and Blackborough End, as well as imported material from elsewhere in Britain and from France, Germany and Holland. The vast quantity of medieval pottery recovered from this site supports an interpretation of it Other finds indicate trade links with Scandinavia at this time.
Overall this site is important for the range of material recovered from waterlogged deposits, both artefactual and environmental. Waterlogging was apparent at depths of 1.2m below the current ground surface (approximately 4.4m OD), the highest level recorded in King's Lynn at the time of this work. Environmental remains were also well preserved. Animal remains suggest beef, followed by sheep and then pig played an important role in local diet. Fish was also obviously of considerable importance and there is evidence for shellfish processing on this site.
See report (S3) (two volumes) and newspaper article (S4). The results of this work are also summarised in (S5).
D. Gurney (NLA), 21 August 2000, amended A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 3 July 2019.