Tenement 2, at the rear of 66 Low Petergate

Phases 2.1 and 2.2, Building 2.2 (figure 4)

The earliest activity in Tenement 2 (Phase 2.1), as in Tenement 1 (Phase 1.1), was pit digging and dumping. At this time the division between the two tenements is unclear and the two may have been jointly occupied.

Plan of pile clusters belonging to Building 2.2

Pile clusters belonging to Building 2.2

Phases 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 post-holes, piles and pit fills

Building 2.2 went out of use and the remains were covered by a series of dump deposits and pits (Phase 2.3). Two deep cess-pits were found on the north-west side of Trench 4, one of which was more than 2.6m. wide. Within these pits there had been several episodes of use interspersed with occasional re-cutting. The fills contained well-preserved organic material and both domestic and industrial waste including metalworking slag, bone off-cuts and leather off-cuts. These pits indicate continuing occupation activity on the plot, albeit with the centre of activity and any structures beyond the limits of the excavation.

Phase 2.4 consisted of a collection of structural elements that may have formed part of a building foundation. The remains consisted of four stake-holes, with no discernable alignment, and a pile c. 0.15m. long, as well as two post holes, both sub-rectangular in plan, c. 0.17m. wide and 0.15m. deep, each containing a decayed post. These were clearly part of a structural phase but the nature of that structure remains unknown.

A period of pit digging followed (Phase 2.5), during which this part of Tenement 2 was used for the disposal of domestic waste; evidence for this was found in Trenches 4 and 8. At the north-west side of Trench 4 there was a well-built cess-pit, lined with re-used roof tile, and semi-circular in plan. There were several cessy fills within the pit.

Cess-pit in Tenement 2

In Trench 8 a small patch of cobble floor was uncovered, overlain by occupation deposits consisting of very dark grey and brown silty clays that contained fired clay mould fragments and charcoal, derived from metalworking. These, in turn, were cut through by large late medieval pits on the north-west and south-east sides, and overlain by late medieval overburden and dump deposits. At the north-east end of the trench the south-western edge of Wenham's Trench 3a (Wenham 1972, 66) was found.

In Trench 4 (Phase 2.6) there were six backfilled post-holes, some of which contained packing material, forming an irregular north-west / south-east alignment. They were 0.14 - 0.2m. in diameter, and up to 0.39m. in depth. These post-holes probably relate to a building aligned with Low Petergate, but otherwise the size and nature of the building are unknown. Pottery from the fills and overlying deposits indicate the structure went out of use in the mid to late 15th century.

Phase 2.7, cobble-lined cess pit

Finally, in Phase 2.7 a large and impressive cess-pit was dug and lined with cobbles. It was rectangular in plan, measuring 1.4m. north-west / south-east x 1.7m. north-east / south-west. It had a brick-built arched inlet built into the south-west lining wall. Cessy deposits were found tipping into the lined pit from the arched inlet. It would be reasonable to assume that 'deposits' entered the pit through a chute leading to the arched inlet from a garderobe within a building on the Low Petergate side of the pit.

Cobble-lined cess-pit

Paul Major excavates cobble-lined cess pit with arched inlet.

The pit contained very organic cessy (and foul smelling) use deposits. The pottery assemblage from the backfills dated from the 14th and early 15th century, although the upper backfills contained 16th century pot, suggesting the pit went out of use at that time.

This cess pit was probably used by the occupants of the 15th century building fronting onto Low Petergate (now part of Number 68 Low Petergate and formerly the Fox Inn). Whether the building was an outbuilding or was part of the main building is unknown.