NHER 61948 (Find Spot record) - Probable remains of former vestry and multi-period pottery sherds and disarticulated human remains within churchyard of St Nicholas' Church

August 1996. Stray Find.
Finds recovered in churchyard during visit by A. Rogerson (NLA).
Found about 10m south-west of south-west corner of nave:
1 Middle Saxon pottery sherd (pimply Ipswich).
1 Late Saxon/medieval pottery sherd (unglazed - possibly a non-standard Thetford-type ware).
From bare soil near edge of churchyard, but possibly dumped from elsewhere in churchyard (now at [1]):
1 Early Saxon pottery sherd (sandy, decorated).
1 ?Early Saxon pottery sherd (sandy).
1 medieval pottery sherd (unglazed).
Information from file notes.
Previously recorded under NHER 3770.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 19 August 1996. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 9 November 2016.

June 2011. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with installation of new kitchen and toilet facilities.
The services trenches excavated through the churchyard exposed a silty sand subsoil beneath the topsoil but were not sufficiently deep to expose natural deposits. No archaeologically significant features or deposits were identified. Finds were limited to disarticulated human bones and bone fragments that were recovered from both topsoil and subsoil deposits.
A deeper trench excavated for a septic tank exposed natural deposits at a depth of approximately 0.8m. No features or deposits were observed, although disarticulated bone was again recovered.
See report (S1) for further information and NHER 3770 for details of observations made during monitoring of associated groundworks in the church itself.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 November 2016.

January 2015. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of surface water drainage improvement works.
Drainage trenches excavated immediately to the north of the chancel revealed flint and mortar foundations likely to represent the north-west corner of a former vestry. It is though unclear whether this structure was contemporary with the 15th-century chancel or a later addition.
Excavations for soakaways and inspection chambers revealed deep soils but no graves or other features were discernible. More than 450 fragments of disarticulated human bone were collected during these works.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 28 September 2025.