Report No. 2508/2012BHER No. 25018

OASIS: bristola1-104493

Centred on NGR ST 5846 7299

Bristol and Region Archaeological Services

St. Nicholas Church, St. Nicholas Street, Bristol, BS1 1UE. Tel: (0117) 903 9010

Archaeological Work

at

NO. 9 PIPE LANE & NO. 42 FROGMORE STREET,

BRISTOL,

2011 - 2012.

By Cai Mason

CONTENTS

Summary................................................................................................. 1

Introduction............................................................................................. 1

Archaeological and Historical Background............................................. 1

The Results............................................................................................. 3

The Finds................................................................................................ 8

Discussion and Conclusions................................................................... 11

Acknowledgements................................................................................. 12

Bibliography and Sources Consulted...................................................... 12

November, 2012.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:-

Bristol and Region Archaeological Services retain copyright of this report under the Copyrights,Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

Plans reproduced from the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of the Controller ofHer Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crowncopyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Bristol City Council, Licence

Number LA090551, 2012.

Abbreviations

AD Anno Domini C CenturyaOD Above Ordnance Datum DCLG Dept. for Communities & Local GovernmentBaRAS Bristol & Region Archaeological Services DCMS Dept. for Culture Media & SportBC Before Christ EH English HeritageBCC Bristol City Council EHA English Heritage ArchiveBCL Bristol Central Library IfA Institute for ArchaeologistsBCMAG Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery Km KilometreBHER Bristol Historic Environment Record m MetreBL British Library NGR National Grid ReferenceBRO Bristol Record Office OS Ordnance Surveyc Circa

SUMMARY

A programme of archaeological work was undertaken by Bristol and Region Archaeological Services(BaRAS) prior to, and during, the construction of a new student residential accommodation-building at No.9 Pipe Lane and No. 42 Frogmore Street, Bristol (NGR ST 5846 7299). The archaeological work revealedevidence of early 16th-century quarrying and the remains of a large early 17th-century building, which waslater used as an eye hospital. Several 18th and 19th-century extensions to the building, and the remainsof a second early 18th-century building, were also recorded.

INTRODUCTION

The site is situated on the corner of Pipe Lane and Frogmore Street, in central Bristol (Fig. 1; Plate 1), ona level terrace at approximately 13.9m aOD, which was cut into a south-west facing slope below StMichael’s Hill and Brandon Hill, and above the floodplain of the (now culverted) River Frome. The underlyinggeology is Carboniferous Brandon Hill Grit and Triassic Redcliffe sandstone.

Until 1937, the site was occupied by a large, three-storey gable-fronted building (No. 9 Pipe Lane).The primary aim of the archaeological work was to identify any structural remains of this building anddetermine their age, function, and relationship with the nearby medieval Hospital of St Mark. Thearchaeological work included recording the extant above-ground elements of previously demolishedbuildings, excavating an area in the centre of the site, and maintaining an archaeological watching briefduring the excavation of new service and foundation trenches associated with the new development.

The above-ground archaeological remains were cleared of vegetation, photographed and drawn atscales of 1:10 and 1:20 as appropriate. The excavation comprised a 30m2 open-area trench in the centreof the site. An archaeological watching brief was maintained during all subsequent groundworks. Allsignificant archaeological features were manually excavated, recorded and photographed. Features wereplanned at a scale of 1:20. Sections were recorded at a scale of 1:10.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Save for a relatively small Romano-British settlement approximately 0.5kmto the north-east of the site (UpperMaudlin Street), there is no evidence ofany significant activity in the immediatearea prior to the medieval period.

The late Saxon settlement ofBrigstowe (Bristol) was founded in c AD1000 on a promontory approximately250m to the east of the site, boundedon three sides by the River Avon andthe River Frome.

In the 12th century, Bristol wasrapidly growing in size and status, withnew fortifications and monastic founda-tions springing up around the city. Bythe 13th century, these formed acontinuous arc from St Augustine’sAbbey (Bristol Cathedral) in the west tothe Dominican Friary (Quakers’ Friars)in the east. In c 1230 the Hospital of StMark, also known as ‘Gaunt’s Hospital’,

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was established on a site to the north-east of College Green; the precinct of this hospital may have extendedas far as the junction between Pipe Lane and Frogmore Street. Prior to its demolition, the ground floorfaçade of No. 9 Pipe Lane incorporated a decorative niche at the corner of Pipe Lane and Frogmore Street,which may once have contained a statue of the Virgin and Child marking the extent of the hospital precinct(British Medical Journal 1912).

In c 1256 a Carmelite Friary was established on land to thenorth-east of the site. Pipe Lane was named after St John’s Conduit,which was built in 1275 to convey water from springs on BrandonHill to the Carmelite Friary.

Historically, the site lies in the ancient city parish of StAugustine the Less. In 1373 this parish was incorporated within theboundaries of the newly created County of Bristol.

In 1539, St Mark’s Hospital was surendered to the Crown,and two years later the site and the greater part of the posessionswere sold to the Mayor and Corporation of Bristol (Page 1907).Cartographic sources from the late 16th century onwards appear toshow development along the south side of Pipe Lane, while Millerd’s1673 map (Fig. 2) depicts houses lining both sides of the street. No.9 may be individually depicted, with a gateway from ‘Frog Lane’(Frogmore Street) leading to a walled rear garden.

Later maps and plans indicate that the basic layout of the siteremained relatively unchanged until the early 18th century. TheFrogmore Street frontage was developed between 1715 and 1742.

An 1824 watercolour painting by George Delamotte depictsNo. 9 (Fig. 3) much as it appears in a 1903 photograph (Plate 2),with three gables facing the Pipe Lane frontage, which is typical of alater 17th-century house. Some unusual features are also depictedin this painting, including the niche on the corner of Pipe Lane andFrogmore Street, and what appears to be a carving of a winged lionin the gable wall facing Frogmore Street. The winged lion istraditionally associated with St Mark, which may indicate that No. 9was associated with the medieval hospital, or perhaps incorporatedsome decorative stonework acquired from a building demolishedafter the dissolution.

Plate 1View of the site fromthe north-west

Fig.2 Extract from Millerd’s map of 1673

Fig.3 A watercolour painting of No.9Pipe Lane by George Delamotte, 1824(BRSMG M2549)

2

Later maps and plans indi-cate some alterations andextensions to the rear of thebuildings fronting Pipe Lane andFrogmore Street, but otherwisethe layout appears to haveremained essentially unchangedthroughout the 19th century. Fig.4 depicts the layout of the site in1883.

In the 19th century, No. 9became home to the ‘BristolEye Dispensary’, a charitableinstitution established in 1812 byophthalmic surgeon John BishopEstlin who, amongst other things,pioneered the use of vaccination

as a preventative treatment for smallpox, then a major cause ofblindness (Marmion 2005). Estlin died in 1855, but the hospitalremained based at No. 9 until it was moved to new larger premisesin Orchard Street in 1870. In the late 19th century, No. 9 was usedas a lodging house.

In 1937, No. 9 and the three buildings facing Frogmore Streetwere demolished as part of a road-widening scheme to improve thetight and steeply sloping junction between Pipe Lane and FrogmoreStreet. The site was subsequently used as an engineering works,

which became derelict after the mid-1980s.

THE RESULTS

Introduction

The phased results of the archaeological work are presented belowand illustrated in Figs. 5 - 8. Full context descriptions are provided inMason (2012), which is available for study in the project archive heldat Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery under the Accession NumberBRSMG 2011/28.

Natural geology

Heavily truncated bedrock, context 130, was encountered between approximately 0.20m and 3m belowexisting ground level.

Phase 1: Early 16th century

The earliest feature on the site was an extensive (over 3m in depth and over 18m in width) quarry pit115/156 (Fig. 6). This feature appears to have extended across the entire site; its north-east extent wasdefined by Pipe Lane; its south-eastern edge lay immediately to the north of the boundary between Nos 8and 9 Pipe Lane. The south-west and north-west extent of the quarry are unknown. The quarry wasbackfilled with mixed deposits of angular sandstone rubble and orangey brown silty clay (116, 128, 137,153, 155, 157-8) containing medieval pottery. The pottery was predominantly late 12th, or 13th century, indate, but the presence of two joining sherds of early 16th-century pottery and a late 15th-century copperalloy strap-end suggest this feature was probably backfilled in the early 16th century.

3

Fig.4 Extract from the 1883 Ordnance Survey plan

Plate 21903 photograph of No. 9 Pipe Lane(BRSMG M3671)

Phase 2: Early 17th century

The earliest structures on the site comprised walls (120, 139/141) associated with the first phase of buildingat No. 9 Pipe Lane (Fig. 7; Plate 3). Number 9 was built over backfilled quarry 115/156 and had a cellar

with at least one vaulted-chamber extending under Pipe Lane. The3m difference in height between Pipe Lane and a yard to the rear ofNo. 9 meant that the entrance to the cellar was accessible fromground level. The walls were constructed with random uncoursedstone-rubble bonded with a pinkish or orangey-brown lime mortar,and were cut through the backfill of quarry 115/156 and founded onthe underlying bedrock. Finds from the backfill (181) of the construc-tion trench 180 for wall 139/141 indicate the building was constructedafter c 1550, but probably no later than the early 17th century. Theearliest floor in the cellar 127 was a brownish lime-mortar screed.The arched opening visible in wall 139/141 appeared to form theentrance to an intact vaulted-cellar extending under Pipe Lane. Thecellar had a stone-lined drain (182) (visible in section only) set in theearliest floor 127, which drained from the vaulted cellar towards the

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rear of the building. A blockeddoorway (142) in the north-eastwall of the cellar may haveprovided access to another cellar,or a flight of steps up to PipeLane.

The north-west wall (138)of No. 8 Pipe Lane formed aparty wall with No. 9. It was notpossible to determine if the twobuildings were constructed aspart of a single development, or ifone was older than the other. Theconstruction methods andarchitectural style of the buildingswere, however, very similar,suggesting they were at leastnear-contemporary.

Soil 117 consisted of a0.3m-thick layer that covered thebackfill of quarry pit 115/156;finds suggested it was probably

deposited around the time walls 120 and 139/141 were constructed. Soil layers 132 and 183 were probablythe same as 117. These soils were probably all derived from the excavation of foundation trenches for theconstruction of No. 9. Context 117 was overlain by a cobbled external surface 129; this was also probablycontemporary or near-contemporary with the first phase of building at No. 9.

Phase 3a: Early 18th century

Cartographic evidence suggests that the Frogmore Street frontage was developed in the early 18th century.

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Plate 3 Wall 139/141, viewed from the west

Walls 104 and 109 comprised the front and rear walls of No. 42 Frogmore Street respectively. The rearwall 104 stood approximately 2m in height; wall 109 was buried beneath the modern pavement. The wallswere constructed with random uncoursed stone bonded with a greyish or pinkish-brown lime mortar. Bothwalls were abutted and overlain by modern demolition-rubble. Wall 104 was abutted by late 19th-centurybrick wall 103 and flagstone floor 108. The backfill (112) of construction cut 110 for wall 109 was overlainby 18th or 19th-century made ground 113. It was not possible to determine if any internal floor-surfacessurvived within this building.

Phase 3: 18th & 19th century

At some point in the 18th or 19th century, the rear wall of No. 9 Pipe Lane appears to have been partiallyrebuilt using stone bonded with a greyish-brown to cream coloured lime-mortar (119). Brick arch 177 wouldhave supported a vaulted roof over the cellar. The fact that the vaulted cellar under Pipe Lane wasconstructed in stone rather than brick suggests, but does not prove, that arch 177 was a later addition.Various minor repairs (173-6, 178) to wall 139/141 were also recorded; these were all probably undertakenin the 18th or 19th century.

The foundations of the north-eastern wall (149) of No. 40 Frogmore Street were exposed along thesouth-western boundary of the site. The wall was constructed using random uncoursed stone, bonded witha pale pinkish lime-mortar. The relationship between this wall and walls 104 and 109 was not ascertained,but they were considered to be near-contemporary. The backfill (152) of construction cut 151 for wall 149was in turn cut by the construction trenches 184 and 185 for structures 147 and 150.

Structures 147 and 150 comprised subterranean features constructed with random uncoursed stonebonded with a mid-grey lime mortar. It appeared that the two structures were originally part of a lineartrough-like feature, but due to later truncation it was not possible to confirm this. Structure 147 was 1.2min width internally, 1.4m in depth, had an unlined base and a drain leading into its south-eastern side. Thisstructure could not have held water and was probably a 19th-century cesspit or soakaway, possiblyassociated with the site’s use as a hospital and lodging house.

Pit 164 was observed in section only so its configuration and dimensions remain unknown. No findswere recovered from the fill (163), but the dark greyish-brown colour of the latter suggested it was an 18thor 19th-century refuse pit.

Structure 102/169 comprised a subterranean feature with an upstanding wall facing the yard to therear of Nos 9 and 42. The structure was constructed using random uncoursed stone bonded with a cream-coloured lime mortar. The structure measured approximately 2m by 2m internally. Although the feature mayhave been a cesspit, the fact that it lay within one of the buildings facing Frogmore Street, suggested it

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was more likely to comprise a small cellar. Structure 102/169 abutted wall 101 and was abutted by late19th-century wall 103.

Wall 101 (Fig. 8) was constructed using random uncoursed stone bonded with creamy colouredlime-mortar. This wall defined a yard area with a later 19th-century flagstone floor (118) to the rear of No.9. There were two doorways in the wall, one of which had later been blocked-up. Wall 123 was constructedwith the same materials as wall 101, and formed part of a small open-sided extension over part of the yard.Wall 123 was probably later than wall 101.

Wall 154 was constructed using random uncoursed stone bonded with a small amount of creamy-coloured lime-mortar. This feature was situated near the south-western edge of the site and may haveformed one side of a stone-lined drain, or was possibly a retaining wall. Construction cut 159 for wall 154cut through the backfill of quarry 115/156.

Brick-lined drain 122 was exposed between walls 120 and 123. The drain was filled with silt 124,and was probably contemporary with wall 123.

Structure 140 consisted of a small area of masonry inserted into wall 139. This area of the wall wasconstructed with random coursed stone bonded with a creamy lime-mortar. The stone was sooty andappeared to form the base of a small fireplace.

Brick-lined drain 145 ran along the south-eastern edge of the site just below ground level. Thefeature was constructed usingsecond-hand sandstone roof-tilesfor the base and handmadebricks for the sides.

Phase 4: Late 19th – early 20th

century

Rectangular pit 161 was exposedin the corner of walls 119 and138. The pit was 1.2m by 1.4m inwidth and 2.2m in depth and wasbackfilled with a large quantity oflate 19th-century domesticrefuse. Finds from the fill (162)suggested it was backfilled in c1890. The backfilled pit wascovered by flagstone floor 118.The most plausible interpretationof this feature is that it served asa latrine pit. Another possibility isthat it was dug to investigate thecondition of No. 8 or 9’s rearfoundations.

Wall 103 was constructedusing bricks bonded with a hard black Portland-cement mortar. Wall 103 abutted walls 104 and 102/169,and was abutted by flagstone floor 108.

Flagstone floors 108, 118 and 121 were probably all laid towards the end of the 19th century. Floor121 was situated in the earliest portion of No. 9, and replaced the original mortar-floor. Floor 118 (Plate 4)extended across an area defined by walls 119, 120, 123 and 101. Floor 108 covered a small yard to therear of No. 42 and was bounded by walls 103 and 104.

One of the doorways in wall 101 was progressively narrowed and finally blocked-up with brickwork105-7. The archway in wall 139/141 leading to the cellar under Pipe Lane was partially blocked with brick-work 172. Contexts 105-7 and 172 were all bonded with a hard black Portland-cement mortar. Two slots inbrickwork 172 probably indicated the positions of hinge-brackets for a door. The cellar under Pipe Lanewas eventually backfilled with brick rubble and crudely blocked-off using un-mortared re-used bricks. Thedoorway in wall 139/141 was also blocked with un-mortared bricks 142. Both openings were probablysealed when No. 9 was demolished in 1937.

Structure 147 was backfilled using a mixture of domestic refuse and brick/stone rubble (148). Thefinds suggest this probably took place towards the end of the 19th century, but it may have taken place

7

Plate 4 Flagstone floor 118, wall 101 to the left, viewed from the south-east

when the site was cleared in 1937.

Phase 5: Modern

Modern features and deposits exposed included a concrete yard-surface 186, and demolition rubble andrefuse 100, 143-4, 146 and 170, which abutted and/or overlaid the remains of the buildings demolished in1937.

THE FINDS

Introduction

A total of 335 finds were recovered, all of which date to the medieval or post-medieval periods. The findswere quantified and assessed, and are discussed separately by type below. Full details of the finds areprovided in Mason (2012), which is available for study in the project archive.

Pottery/Ceramics

A total of 210 ceramic sherds were recovered, approximately half of which are medieval, the remainderpost-medieval.

The English medieval pottery includes locally produced coarsewares, Ham Green glazed andunglazed ware, Bristol Redcliffe ware and Minety ware. Identifiable forms include jugs and cook pots.Although there are a few sherds of locally produced late 11th/early 12th-century coarsewares, the majorityof the medieval pottery dates from the late 12th to 15th century, which is perhaps unsurprising given thatthis period coincides with the establishment of St Mark’s Hospital and the Carmelite Friary in the early 13thcentury. The most common wares in the assemblage are Ham Green and Bristol Redcliffe.

All of the imported medieval pottery is French and comprises a single sherd of Normandy grittyware, several sherds of Saintonge ware and two joining sherds of early 16th-century Beauvais ware from

a highly decorated, yellow-glazed chafing dish recovered from context 128. The dish is decorated with anapplied rosette and a rectangular plaque with a crude embossed (female?) figure holding a staff or possiblya flag (Fig. 9.1). A large assemblage of medieval pottery containing numerous chafing dishes wasuncovered at Narrow Quay, Bristol, in 1978-9 (Good 1987) and included several late 16th-century chafingdishes. Although the assemblage contained several highly decorated examples with applied anthropomor-phic and zoomorphic figures, there are no direct parallels for the Pipe Lane sherd. A second chafing-dishfragment was recovered from context 117; this is a sherd of late 13th to 15th-century green-glazedSaintonge ware decorated with an embossed face (Fig. 9.2).

Late medieval/early post-medieval transitional wares include Cistercian ware, Malvern Chaseredware, Portuguese Merida-type and German Raeren stonewares. Although Malvern Chase ware has a

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broad production range spanning the late 13th to 17th centuries, it is most commonly found in Bristol in16th-century contexts.

The post-medieval wares include German Cologne/Frechen and Bristol stonewares, SouthSomerset, Staffordshire, Cranham and North Devon earthenwares. Post-medieval pottery forms includethree red-earthenware bowl rims from deposits 113 and 133.

The modern mass-produced ceramics include transfer-printed and plain whitewares. Transfer-printed ware from deposit 125 includes teacup and bowl forms. The plain whiteware from the same depositincludes a jar base and chamber-pot rim.

Cellar backfill 148 contained a mixture of plain, hand-painted, and transfer-printed whitewares. Theforms include plates, bowls, a chamber pot, an egg cup, a marmalade jar, a vase, and a tube of unknownfunction. The other pottery from deposit 148 comprises Bristol glazed stoneware and post-medieval redearthenware. The Bristol stoneware includes joining sherds from a large flagon produced by Powell’s ofBristol. Powell’s between 1836 and 1907.

Pit-fill 162 contained a similar range of 19th-century whitewares. The presence of a vase decoratedwith a ‘flow blue’ decoration indicates they were deposited after c 1830.

Animal bone

A total of 65 animal bones were recovered, the majority from post-medieval deposits. The animal bone isquantified by period in Table 1 and by species in Table 2.

Table 1: Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) quantified by period (Note: unidentified animal bones arenot quantified in this table)

Period NISP

Late medieval 9Post-medieval/Early 17th century 27Modern 4

Total 40

Table 2: NISP per species quantified by period

Species Late medieval Post-medieval Modern Total

Cattle (bos) 4 10 3 17Sheep/goat (ovis) 5 14 1 20Pig (sus) 3 3Unidentified mammal bones 5 17 22Unidentified bird bones 3 3

Total 14 47 4 65

The majority of the animal bones are in good condition, 62% of which are identifiable to species.The most numerous fragments are sheep/goat and cattle, which are present in near-equal quantities. Birdand pig bones are only present in post-medieval contexts. Most, if not all, of the bones are likely to bederived from food waste discarded in the medieval and post-medieval periods. As a whole, the assemblageis typical for an urban setting in the medieval and post-medieval periods.

The assemblage is too small to allow a meaningful comparison between the late medieval and post-medieval material. It is, however, possible to state that the two chronological groups are broadly similar.

Clay tobacco-pipe

A total of 16 clay tobacco-pipe fragments were recovered. These comprised five stem-fragments and fivepipe-bowls.

The majority of the pipe-bowls are 17th or early 18th-century types collected as residual finds fromlater deposits. Three of the pipes have maker’s marks, but only one was identifiable to a known Bristolpipe-maker. Where possible, the pipes have been identified with parallels in Jackson & Price (1974). All ofthe marked bowls were recovered as unstratified finds.

One of the pipe-bowls is embossed on the side with the name I Wilson and is similar to that

9

illustrated by Jackson & Price (1974, no. 298). This can be identified as John Wilson, who was apprenticedin 1700, and became free (a burgess) in 1707 and is last recorded in 1723 (Jackson & Price 1974; Oswald1975; Price & Jackson 1979).

The second marked pipe-bowl is stamped on the heel with the initials IT and is similar to thatillustrated by Jackson & Price (1974, no. 251). The pipe can be dated typologically to the period 1660-1700. There are four Bristol pipe-makers with these initials who operated during this period: John Tucker I(free 1662), John Tucker II (apprenticed 1676), and Joan Tippett (operated 1687-1715) (Jackson & Price1974; Oswald 1975; Price & Jackson 1979).

The third marked pipe has a stamped rose on the heel. This pipe can be dated typologically to theperiod 1660 - 1700.

Glass

A number of complete or near-complete glass bottles were recovered from the cesspit backfill 148 and pit-fill 162. The assemblage comprises a typical mixture of late 19th/early 20th-century medicine, toiletry, ink,alcohol and soft-drink bottles, most of which date to the period 1870-1930. A further two shards of bottleglass were recovered from drain-fill 124; one dates from the late 18th or early 19th-century, the other wasproduced between 1830 and 1930. Four runs of glass-making waste recovered from the core of wall 101.

Copper alloy

A copper alloy strap-end was recovered from quarry-fill 128. The strap-end comprises two plain, rivetedrectangular shield-shaped plates, one of which has a keyhole in the centre. The strap-end is similar to adecorated, probably late 15th century, example found in Michaelston, near Cardiff (Portable AntiquitiesScheme 2011).

A copper alloy pendulum from a clock was recovered from pit-fill 162. The pendulum has a verticalrod with an adjustable disc-shaped weight. The weight comprises a circular copper-alloy ring, whichencircles a glass-covered gold-plated decorative wooden centre. Pendulum clocks were invented in themid 16th century, and remained very costly hand-crafted commodities until mass-production of clock partsin the 19th century eventually made them more available to the burgeoning middle classes. Pit-fill 162 wasprobably deposited at the end of the 19th century when such objects would have been available to themiddle classes.

Ceramic building-material

A total of 4 pieces of ceramic building material (CBM) were recovered. These consist 3 medieval roof-tilesand 1 wall-tile. The wall-tile from deposit 148 is embossed with decoration and probably from a fire-surroundof late 19th/early 20th-century date. The roof-tiles were identified by comparison with the Bristol Roof TileFabric series (BRF); fabric descriptions are provided in Jackson (2006). The roof-tiles comprise 1 piece of14th-century tile (BRF4) from construction-cut fill 181, 1 piece of 14th/15th-century tile (BRF8) from deposit132, and 1 piece of 15th/16th-century tile (BRF6) from deposit183. Medieval roof-tiles are a common findin Bristol and their presence on the site is unsurprising given its urban context.

Stone building-material

A total of 5 pieces of stone building material were recovered, consisting of 2 sandstone roof-tiles reusedas a lining for drain 145, 1 piece of architectural stone from wall 101, and 1 sandstone tile and 1 slate fromdeposit 183. All of the stone roof-tiles/slates are small, with rounded upper ends and with a single nail-holein the centre. The tiles/slates are probably all medieval, or early post-medieval, in date. A large piece ofarchitectural stone was recovered from wall 101. This object is likely to be derived from one of the manynearby religious houses that were demolished soon after the dissolution.

Other finds

The remaining finds consist of 7 unidentifiable lumps of iron recovered from soil deposits 117, 133, and132, 3 oyster shells from fills 128, 132 and layer 137, and a sandstone whetstone from quarry-fill 153.

Discussion of the finds

The finds recovered at Pipe Lane are indicative of human activity on or near the site from the 12th centuryonwards. The quantities of early pottery are, however, small, which suggests there was little significantdevelopment on the site until St Mark’s Hospital and the Carmelite Friary were established there in the

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early 13th century.Pottery recovered from the fill of quarry 115/156 is predominantly late 12th or 13th century in date.

The presence of early 16th-century Beauvais ware and a late 15th-century copper-alloy strap-end suggests,however, that the quarry was probably backfilled in the early 16th century. Soil layer 117 contained 16th orearly 17th-century finds, which suggests that the final infilling of quarry 115/156 took place in the post-medieval period.

The majority of the pottery from the backfill of the construction trench for the foundations of No.9 islate medieval or very early post-medieval. The presence of a single sherd of South Somerset earthenware,however, indicates that the walls cannot have been built before the mid 16th century. South Somerset warewas produced up until the 19th century, but the absence of clay tobacco-pipe fragments or later 17th-century pottery types suggests that wall 139/141 was probably built in the late 16th or early 17th century.

Wall 101 contained 2 sherds of late 16th or 17th-century pottery. A single sherd of late 17th or 18th-century pottery was also recovered from wall 104, which serves to confirm a broadly post-medieval datefor both structures. Finds recovered from soil layers 113, 132 and 133 indicates that these deposits are allpost-medieval.

The presence of a sherd of refined whiteware in the doorway blocking 107 and bedding layer 125suggests they were both constructed in the 19th century. The finds recovered from pit-fill 162 are indicativeof late 19th-century household waste, probably discarded c 1890. Finds from context 148 suggest it wasdeposited in the late 19th or early 20th century.

In general, the finds are typical of urban domestic refuse. The presence of higher status importedmedieval pottery and items such as a post-medieval clock pendulum provide, however, some evidencethat the site was probably of reasonably high status in the medieval and post-medieval periods.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The earliest feature exposed was a large quarry-pit that extended across the entire site. It is not possibleto determine if there were any earlier structures on the site, as these would have been completely destroyedby quarrying operations. The quarry was backfilled with silty clay and stone rubble that contained medievalfinds ranging in date from the 11th to early 16th century, which suggests that it was backfilled about thetime of the dissolution. Although the finds suggest the quarry was backfilled in the early 16th century, thepossibility that it was excavated earlier in the medieval period, but was left open for a time, or that it wasexcavated some time after the dissolution but backfilled with material containing residual medieval pottery,cannot be discounted. Excavations at Colston Hall in 2006 (Heaton 2008) uncovered another large quarrythat post-dated and truncated the remains of the Carmelite Friary there. This demonstrates that substantialquarrying operations were being undertaken in the area soon after the dissolution, and that the stone wasvaluable enough to warrant demolishing any standing medieval buildings that happened to be in the way.

A primary aim of the fieldwork was to establish the construction date of No. 9 Pipe Lane. Findsrecovered from the backfill of the construction trenches indicate that the building was erected after the mid-16th century, but probably no later than the mid-17th century. This fits well with the characteristics of thebuilding and an early 17th-century construction date would seem probable.

When No. 9 was demolished in 1937, a medieval decorative stone niche was recovered from theground-floor façade on the corner of Pipe Lane and Frogmore Street. The niche probably originally houseda religious statue, purported to be the Virgin and Child, and it has been speculated that its position on thecorner of Pipe Lane and Frogmore Street is significant in that it marked the northern corner of the precinctof St Mark’s Hospital. The dating of the earliest excavated portion of No. 9 to the early 17th century wouldappear to preclude the possibility that the niche was in situ. Its placement on the corner of the building is,however, unusual and although any discussion regarding the reasons for its presence must remainspeculative, a number of possibilities do present themselves. One possibility is that the niche was in situand the element of the building from which it was recovered (which lay outside the excavation area) wasolder than the excavated portion of the building. Another is that it did originally mark the corner of theHospital precinct, but was removed when No. 9 was built, later to be re-erected on the corner of the newbuilding. Alternately, it is also entirely possible that the niche was simply acquired from one of the manynearby religious buildings that were demolished after the dissolution.

Perhaps the most interesting discovery is that No. 9 has at least one, but probably more, vaultedcellars that extend under Pipe Lane, one of which incorporates an intact ceiling.

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The results of the archaeological work broadly confirm the accepted developmental sequence forthis part of Bristol. Documentary evidence suggests that between c 1230 and 1539 the site lay within theprecinct of St Mark’s Hospital. Early post-medieval quarrying had, however, removed any evidence ofactivity on the site during this period. After the dissolution the City Corporation acquired the site and by thelate 16th century much of Pipe Lane had probably been developed. Number 9 was probably not built untilthe early 17th century, and may well have been the first building on the site. The south-east side ofFrogmore Street remained undeveloped until the early 18th century. Number 9 and the houses alongFrogmore Street remained relatively unaltered until their demolition as part of a road-widening schemeundertaken in 1937.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank: Pipe Lane Student Property LLP for commissioning the archaeologicalwork; Jonathan Brecknell (Urban Creation) for his assistance throughout the project.; Bob Jones, BristolCity Council Archaeological Officer, for monitoring the excavation and for his advice; Reg Jackson forreviewing the text of this report; John Bryant of BaRAS for managing the project; Ann Linge of BaRAS forproducing the plans, photographs and other figures for publication; Roy Krakowicz and Andy King of BaRASfor undertaking the fieldwork.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES CONSULTED

British Geological Survey. (2012). Geology of Britain Viewer. URL: http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/geologyOfBritain/viewer.html. Accessed 06 March 2012.

British Medical Journal (1912). ‘Bristol Eye Dispensary’. British Medical Journal May 25th 1912, p.1211.

Good, G. L. (1987). ‘The excavation of two docks at Narrow Quay, Bristol, 1978-9’. Post-medievalArchaeology. Vol. 21, pp. 25-126.

Heaton, R. (2008). Archaeological Excavation at No. 2 Trenchard Street/Colston House, Colston Street, Bristol. BaRAS Unpublished assessment report.

Jackson, R. G. (2006). Excavations at St James’s Priory, Bristol. Oxford: Oxbow Books.

Jackson, R. G. & Price, R. H. (1974). Bristol Clay Pipes, a Study of Makers and Their Marks. Bristol:Bristol City Museum Research Monograph No 1.

Marmion, V. J. (2005). ‘The origin of eye hospitals’. British Journal of Ophthalmology, Vol. 89, Issue 11, pp. 1396-1397.

Mason, C. (2012). Building Recording, Archaeological Excavation & Watching Brief at No. 9 Pipe Lane & No. 42 Trenchard Street, Bristol. BaRAS Report No. 2508/2012. Unpublished client report.

Oswald, A. (1975). Clay Pipes for the Archaeologist. Oxford: BAR Reports 14.

Page, W. (Ed.) (1907). 'Hospitals: St Mark, Billeswick, called Gaunt's Hospital', A History of the County ofGloucester: Volume 2, pp. 114-118.

Portable Antiquities Scheme (2011). Strap end. Portable Antiquities Scheme Database. URL: http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/48605 Accessed 25th July 2011.

Price, R.H. & Jackson, R. G. (1979). Bristol Clay Pipe Makers. A Revised and Enlarged Edition. Privatelypublishd by the authors.

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Watkins, K. (2007). An Archaeological Assessment of a Proposed Development site at 9 Pipe Lane & 42 Frogmore Street, Bristol. Bath: Kim Watkins Archaeological Consultant. Unpublished client report.

Maps and Plans

1568 Smith’s map1581 Hoefnagle’s map1610 Speede’s map1673 Millerd’s map1707 The Ground Plott of ye Hospitalls, Orchard, and gardens in the Colledge Green (BRO Plan

Book D fol. 36/1)c 1715 Millerd’s map1742 Rocque’s map1828 Plumley and Ashmead’s mapc 1836-52 Plans of No. 9 Pipe Lane & No. 42 Frogmore Street (BRO Plan Book C fol.816)1854 & 1874 Ashmead’s maps1884 Ordnance Survey 1:500 plan (Surv. 1883)1903-55 Ordnance Survey 1:2500 plans1920-65 Ordnance Survey 1:10560 maps1973-88 Ordnance Survey 1:10000 maps

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