Cattle horncores at New Street
Three trenches at Abbey Funeral Services, 2–4 New Street, revealed post-medieval occupation and substantial later dumping or imported ground.
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What this record tells us
Border Archaeology was instructed by Mr G Seaborne to undertake an archaeological field evaluation of the site at Abbey Funeral Services, Nos 2-4 New Street, Leominster, Herefordshire, (NGR SO 49513 59204) prior to the proposed erection of eight dwellings (Ref. DCNC2007/3807/F). Julian Cotton, Archaeological Advisor, Herefordshire Archaeology, advised on 11th January 2008 that an archaeological evaluation should be carried out to provide further information regarding the archaeological potential of the site, which lies within the historic urban core of Leominster, as defined by the Central Marches Historic Towns Survey (Buteux 1996). Woolhope Club summary, Archaeology, 2009, pp. 147: Three trenches found post-medieval occupation, demolition rubble and extensive imported or redeposited ground over late occupation or garden soils. Earlier 17th- to 18th-century features included a stone-lined pit and a large deposit of cattle horn cores, probably linked to horn working or tanning.
Additional research and clarification, 26 September 2026 Three trenches at Abbey Funeral Services, 2–4 New Street, revealed post-medieval occupation and substantial later dumping or imported ground. Earlier features included a stone-lined pit and a large quantity of cattle horncores, associated in the summary with seventeenth- to eighteenth-century activity.
Horncores are the bony supports inside horns. Concentrations can signal the processing of hides or horn, giving a different view of the town from the formal façades above. The deposit does not identify a named craft worker, and the later ground movement complicates the sequence. The discovery nevertheless adds an important industrial find group within the historic core.
How this record is evidenced
Existing map record checked against the research catalogue and cited source.
The investigation details are drawn from Archaeology Data Service; the original publication or report remains the authoritative source.
The clean title and short public summary have been prepared by Leominster Heritage and remain separate from the wording of the source record.
The open questions below identify the details that have not yet been securely established.
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Cattle horncores at New Street
Fieldwork report · Evaluation initiated 2008; reported 2009
Three trenches at Abbey Funeral Services, 2–4 New Street, revealed post-medieval occupation and substantial later dumping or imported ground.
Source and further reading
Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club, annual Archaeology reports and the Leominster Heritage ADS-layer export of 26 September 2026. Individual years, pages, ADS identifiers and LARC identifiers are given in the catalogue; the export retains links to the full reports.
Entry-specific references: S17, Woolhope Transactions 2009 p. 147; ADS 1149106
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