archaeological excavations.
With the completion of the roof, a new French drain needed to be inserted around the chancel. As the area was potentially highly sensitive, it was important that the work was carried out to archaeological standards. The trench was therefore exavated by by Herefordshire Archaeology, the county archaeological service.
These excavations took place between the 18th and 26th August 2020. Some of the findings in the report, by Tim Hoverd of Herefordshire Archaeology, are presented here. The Report itself is available at in the Herefordshire Historic Environment Record.
Drainage runs were excavated around the north, south and eastern walls of the chancel and north vestry. These were 0.45m deep and where practicable, 0.65m wide. (There were localised sections of drainage run where the width was restricted by the location of headstones and chest tombs.) Where they were present, existing brick-lined drainage gullies were removed together with a 5cm thick bedding layer of concrete. Beneath this was a thin layer of mixed earth with small fragments of stone, disarticulated human bone and occasional nails and other fragments of coffin furniture. At a depth of 0.4m below the present ground surface, the soil became a redder, sandy clay. In the trenches immediately to the north, south and east of the chancel At the interface between these two layers were 17 sherds of glazed roof tile, suggesting that these represent debris from a phase of re-roofing or re-tiling.
Two articulated burials were observed, but as they were deep enough not to be disturbed by the drainage works, they were left in situ.
The foundations of the chancel buttresses appeared to predate the present buttresses: the foundations were larger and the present buttresses are not constructed in the centre of the foundations. The foundations were bonded with a white, lime mortar which is different from the mortar used in the upstanding masonry. This suggests that there were earlier buttresses than the present ones, although neither phase is securely dated. Seddon's decorative scheme in the 19th century, did not entail major structural work, so the existing buttresses must predate his work, and so presumably be medieval.
trench plan ©Herefordshire Archaeology
The sherds of roof tile recovered were identified as Hereford pottery type fabric A7b. (All pottery vessels and tiles in the county are clasified according to the Herefordshire type fabric series, devised in the 1970s). This A7b fabric is common in Herefordshire from the 13th century to the 15th, and was used to make jugs as well as roof furniture. It was fairly locally made: there was an A7b kiln at Weobley, in North Herefordshire, and there were other kilns in the suburbs of medieval Hereford city. These glazed ridge tiles were placed at the ridge of high status buildings. Most of the tiling of such buildings would be flat stone tile of the type which can now be seen on the renovated roof of the St Dubricius chancel. Without such tiles sealing the ridges of course, the roofs would not be weatherproof.
The tiles found here might have been broken in the original construction, or dislodged at some later date, such as during the rebuilding which was carried out by Richard of Rotherham. Richard of Rotherham was Vicar of Lugwardine (and as such the priest responsible for Hentland, which was a chapel of Lugwardine) in the earlier 15th century.
The tiles may have been made specifically for Richard's rebuilding, but tiles like these were often carefully removed and replaced on the ridges of re-tiled roofs. The large buttress foundations therefore, may belong to those of an original stone church structure.