Abstract
Signatures of animal bone fragmentation have huge potential for understanding deposition and archaeological site formation processes, yet they are scarcely studied, especially in medieval urban contexts. Archaeological investigations at 1–5 Benjamin Street, Farringdon uncovered a number of medieval cess pits and other contexts associated with the Hospitaller Priory of St John of Jerusalem. The well-preserved zooarchaeological assemblage from these contexts was deemed an excellent case study for in-depth bone fragmentation analysis to both test and display the utility of the method at this type of site. The analysis revealed that material from the lowest fills of the cess pits differed from the upper fills in that fragmentation was more intensive. Based on the size and weight of fragments, and surface modifications related to burning and taphonomy, we postulate that floor and hearth sweepings were occasionally deposited in the cess pits whilst they were in use. This material was likely further fragmented when cess pits were periodically emptied. Faunal specimens in the upper fills have different fragmentation and taphonomic signatures and more likely relate to opportunistic refuse deposition or capping after the use of the cess pits. This analysis shows the archaeological potential of this approach when aligned with specific research questions concerning deposition.
Highlights
Between 2015 and 2017 Archaeology South-East (UCL Institute of Archaeology) conducted a series of archaeological investigations at 1–5 Benjamin Street, Farringdon
The analysis revealed that material from the lowest fills of the cess pits differed from the upper fills in that fragmentation was more intensive
Larger bones and other archaeological material including CBM and pottery in upper fills may represent refuse opportunistically dumped once cess pits fell out of use, or intentional capping
Summary
Between 2015 and 2017 Archaeology South-East (UCL Institute of Archaeology) conducted a series of archaeological investigations at 1–5 Benjamin Street, Farringdon. The site was located in the south-western corner of the outer precinct of the Hospitaller Priory of St John of Jerusalem. The work found evidence of medieval cess pits associated with the priory; these large, deep and generally rectangular pits were laid out in a systematic manner, on the same alignment and frequently very close to one another. The 12 pits generally contained organic, cess-rich lower fills, leading to their determination as cess pits, with upper capping fills of clay and tile. The main phase of pitting was dated to the 13th–14th centuries, with a secondary phase of cess pit activity in the late medieval period before the break-up of the Priory during the dissolution.
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