Find Spot record 0972200000 - 5 test pits in Glebe Field

Glebe Field occupies a central location within Church End, immediately north-east of the Church. This open space provided the opportunity to excavate a series of TPs, all set close to the northern side of the main street. These were designed to establish whether this area had formerly been occupied and to provide a date for any such occupation. Four of the five TPs revealed undisturbed maedieval deposits above the natural geology. All produced ,edieval pottery and three produced early medieval pottery. TP 15 was particularaly rich in ceramic evidence and points to occupation. This is further corroborated by the discovery in all TPs of made-up deposits which appear to be a part of a rough cobbled surface, possibly a yard. Below this cobbling which appears to date from the late thirteenth century, and not cut through this surface, TP 15 contained the complete and articulated skeleton of a dog which showed the cut marks of pre-deposition skinning. This skeleton will be the subject of a future report. The recovery of two sherds of early-middle Saxon handmade wares…point to an early pre-village nucleus centred in this area north-east of the church, from which Church End may have expanded throughout the medieval period (B1).
The skeleton, virtually complete, of a male dog was recovered from below a sealed floor deposit containing sherds of high status pottery of late 13th century date. The dog has been skinned, with groups of knife cuts visible on the metapoidals and the skull. No artefacts were found in association with the skeleton…the Leckhampstead dog was a large, young animal which was not suffering from any of the pathological conditions commonly seen in dog remains…the skeleton was sealed by an overlying floor and is considered to be of the same late 13th century date, but it is not possible to say whether this is a discrete burial or one of a groups of carcases discarded after skin removal…the dog from Leckhampstead therefore may indicate leatherworking activity in the area (B2).