Buttercross excavation
Work near the Buttercross exposed medieval structures, pits and later urban deposits.
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What this record tells us
Rescue excavation, including environmental sampling. SMR no: HW 7044 Work undertaken on behalf of the Harper Group in advance of development of the site by Leominster District Council. Woolhope Club summary, J. D. Hurst, E. A. Pearson and S. Rátkai, Excavation at the Buttercross, Leominster, Herefordshire, pp. 215-261: Excavation revealed activity from the 12th century onwards within plots fronting High Street and possibly Burgess Street. Early use included domestic ovens, rubbish pits and 13th- to 14th-century ironworking waste; by the late 15th century there were stone structures, two cellars and a stone-lined latrine, followed by decline and clearance for the 19th-century market hall.
Additional research and clarification, 26 September 2026 Work near the Buttercross exposed medieval structures, pits and later urban deposits. The pottery total in the final report was 1,335 sherds, divided into 848 medieval and 487 post-medieval pieces. Metalworking debris, animal bone and environmental samples broadened the picture beyond the surviving buildings.
Charred grain and weed seeds, together with material from cess and rubbish deposits, give access to everyday work and diet. The finds are valuable as dated groups from successive contexts, not simply as attractive individual objects. Records that describe reporting between 1990 and 1993 should not be read as proof that the main excavation took place in every one of those years.
How this record is evidenced
Existing map record checked against the research catalogue and cited source.
The investigation details are drawn from Historic England via the 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.
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Buttercross excavation
Fieldwork · 1990 evaluation and 1991 excavation; later publication
Work near the Buttercross exposed medieval structures, pits and later urban deposits.
Source and further reading
Victoria Buteux, Archaeological assessment of Leominster, Hereford and Worcester, Central Marches Historic Towns Survey, report issued in the 1996 series; text based on the 1994 assessment and revised March 1995. Supplied PDF. Specialist contributions by Derek Hurst, Richard Morriss, Elizabeth Pearson and Paul Stamper.
J. D. Hurst, E. A. Pearson and S. Ratkai, “Excavation at the Buttercross, Leominster”, Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club 49, part 2 (1998), pp. 215–261.
Entry-specific references: S11 §§1.7, 3.1, 6; S24; HWCM 7044
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