Monument record BSE 509 - Graves at The Priory Hotel, Tollgate Lane, Bury St Edmunds

2017: Evaluation revealed residual prehistoric pottery, as well as Roman and Saxon pottery found in a possible robber trench. Evidence of human burials was also uncovered along with some disarticulated bone and residual human bone found in two pits, one of which contained post-medieval pottery. The evaluation revealed articulated human bone within grave cuts and the burials were left in situ. Low quantities of residual medieval CBM, including glazed floor tile were recovered. The alignment of the possible robber pit suggests that it may be a continuation of the robbed out wall recorded to the south-east in 1998. An undated ditch, and several undated pits were also seen (S3).

The physical assessment of the two sections of wall recorded a large stretch of the medieval precinct wall extending north-east from beyond the breakfast room. The curved section of wall is of a number of phases, the predominant visible fabric being post-medieval brick (17th-19th century) and flint, the latter likely reused, with occasional pieces of reused medieval stonework (S1).
See BSE 014 for Babwell Friary (Scheduled Monument DSF15963)

2019: Archaeological Monitoring and test pit excavation recovered prehistoric, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, medieval and post-medieval artefactual material predominantly residual with the contexts. The earliest dateable context was a small pit recorded in Test Pit B4, which contained a single sherd of Roman pottery. Following this, evidence for a medieval burial was recorded, representing part of the cemetery associated with Babwell Friary, although this was subject to some disturbance and dated by a coin of Henry III within the fill. Quantities of medieval CBM recovered during these aspects of archaeological work may relate to demolition/modification of the Friary following the dissolution. Later evidence would appear to relate to further modification and development at the site in the post-medieval to early modern periods and represented by twelve pits (S2).