Monument record LMD 263 - Artefact scatter at Ely House, Church Walk

A short trench was excavated behind the new build area. While no archaeological features were revealed in the trench 43 pottery sherds of late medieval to late Post medieval were recovered as stray finds as was a copper alloy belt plate of later medieval date all indicative of a house having occupied this site since the 15th century at least. In addition a number of oyster shells and a few animal bone fragments were recovered from the spoil.

The pottery finds ranges from the 15th/16th century to the 19th/20th century. The 15th/16th century pottery types include local East Anglian red ware and late Essex type wares plus 2 sherds of imported stoneware from the Rhineland. Other non-local wares of 16th/18th century date represented include Surrey-Hampshire Border ware and a sherd of Staffordshire slipware.

The copper alloy buckle plate is made from folded sheet metal with a central slot for the now missing pin and bar and two small rivet holes. The upper face of the plate has a twisted rope-like decorative border and it is also divided into two panels by a pair of raised lateral plain mouldings. Each panel is rectangular and contains an M type motif in an Old English type font. The reverse is plain. The buckle plate is likely to be 14th/15th century.
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