Land at Pinsley Mead

What this record tells us

Border Archaeology was instructed by Tim Thompson Esq. Area Rights of Way Officer and Warden Manager Herefordshire Council to undertake a programme of archaeological observation of groundworks relating to the excavation and relaying of the slab and grass footpath immediately north of the Old Priory building, lying within the Leominster Priory scheduled Monument Area (Scheduled Monument No.HE145). During the grooundworks, evidence of an infilled water channel was identified, approximately 30m east-northeast of the 'Old Priory' building (which incorporates substantial remains of the former monastic reredorter [communal latrine] and infirmary). This channel, oriented on a west-southwest-east-northeast alignment, appeared to have been backfilled with building rubble, possibly during the late 19th century. This alignment corresponds with the remnant of the channel still visible as an earthwork immediately adjacent to the north-fascing elevation of the 'Old Priory' and appears to represent evidence of the Pinsley Brook which ran beneath the 'Old Priory' as shown on W. Gallier's map of 1832. The brook had been canalised during the medieval period to function as a water supply for the priory reredorter and infirmary and remained open until the mid-230th century when it was finally covered over. No other feastures, deposits or finds of archaeological significance were made during this programme of observation. Information from OASIS Online Form.

How this record is evidenced

Map location

Source and further reading