Monument record CLA 158 - Late Medieval Cess pit and post medieval disturbance at 21 Nethergate Street, Clare

2024: A programme of archaeological monitoring and recording during all groundworks associated with the replacement of an existing extension. The limited works revealed extensive post-medieval/modern disturbance and late medieval cess like deposit which was recorded in multiple monitored interventions. Finds were limited to a small assemblage of late medieval pottery, oyster shell, post-medieval glass, worked timber and a single fragment of animal bone. The majority of the deposits recorded are likely to represent evidence for activity associated with alterations and additions to the 17th century building, although the earliest pit-like features seen at the bottom of the stratigraphic sequence may relate to an earlier, presumably medieval building. While the function of these pits is unclear, they did appear to contain cess-like deposits which suggests that at least their secondary use involved the disposal of this material (S1).