Church of All Hallows, Gedling, Nottinghamshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

The watching brief was carried out by a professional archaeologist. All deposits were inspected in order to identify any archaeological remains of interest, in particular those of medieval or earlier date. These were cleaned by hand, examined and recorded. Recording of the groundworks included the position and depths of the deposits exposed by drawing (both in section and plan where applicable) and photograph. Prior to backfilling spoil heaps were inspected for any datable or significant archaeological artefacts. All identifiable deposits were given unique individual four digit context numbers e.g. 0001, 0002 etc. Context numbers started at 0001. All saved artefacts were given individual three letter finds codes e.g. AAA, AAB. Disarticulated human remains found in the confines of the work were recorded appropriately and left on site for reburial. Advice from the Archaeological Advisor to the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham would be sought if articulated skeletons which required moving were present. Multi-period stratigraphy extending from the present to the medieval period survived within the north aisle. Of particular note a mortar deposit was encountered that may have been the base for a medieval tile pavement, possibly related to the find of a plain green-glazed medieval floor tile fragment found during archaeological work in 1993 (John Samuels Archaeological Consultants 1994). The complete absence of in-situ burials or other significant archaeological remains encountered during the trenching through the northern section of the churchyard is likely to be due to the limited scope of the work carried out which ensured that the destructive impact on the archaeology was minimal. In addition, the low number of grave markers, the earliest dating to 1831, suggests that it was little used for burial and developed at a later date compared to the south side of the churchyard.