Bothamsall
Our Lady and St Peter

Archaeology

The present church, built in 1845, was, according to contemporary records built on exactly the same site and as near as possible to the original design. There a low probability of anything of importance pre-C19th, archaeologically, inside the church above ground but it should be noted that when a new altar was installed a memorial brass of the 14th Century was discovered.

The churchyard presumably has burials from at least the 14th Century until the mid 20th Century.

Nave, Chancel, and Tower: all rebuilt 1845

Timbers and roofs

	Nave	Chancel	Tower
Main	King post and ties with decorated diagonal braces, all 1845	King post and ties with decorated diagonal braces, all 1845	Quadripartite stone vaulting, painted blue: 1845
S.Aisle	n/a	n/a
N.Aisle	Ornate ties and braces: 1845	n/a
Other principal
Other timbers

Bellframe

Inside the belfry
in 1987 before the
removal of the
old frame

Modern (late C20th) steel gantry for one bell

Not scheduled for preservation Grade 5.

The previous bellframe, now destroyed, which was in a state of dilapidation by 1949, was a 3-bay timber Elphick 'V' form, Pickford type 6.B. It had additional iron strapwork. The frame may have dated originally from the installation of the Hedderly bell in 1739 but had certainly been modified at later dates.

Walls

	Nave	Chancel	Tower
Plaster covering & date	Plastered and painted all 1845	Plastered and painted all 1845	Plastered over brick all 1845
Potential for wall paintings	None likely	Traces of red colouration; wall painting or stencils possible but unlikley	None likely

Excavations and potential for survival of below-ground archaeology

There have been no known recent archaeological excavations within the church. However, the important C14th brass was discovered in modern minor excavation for a new altar and further unstratified medieval material is likely to be present elsewhere.

The 1845 rebuilding of the church has probably destroyed much of the earlier archaeology except perhaps at the lowest levels of stratification, and it would appear from the form of the churchyard that the rebuilding took place on the footprint of the earlier church; the present walls appear to be set on a brick plinth. The church has been divorced from the churchyard by the excavation of a dry drainage trench, now backfilled. The standing fabric contains some fragmentary reused material.

The surrounding churchyard is intact and raised above street level. On the far south side there are some shallow, irregular earthworks of unknown nature and which might simply represent ground slippage. There are a considerable number of grave markers apparently in situ which pre-date the 1845 rebuilding of the church.

The overall potential for the survival of below-ground archaeology in the churchyard is considered to be HIGH; below the present interior floors is considered to be LOW-MODERATE. The standing fabric of the nave is largely of 1845 with a small amount of reused material; the overall potential for surviving medieval archaeology in the standing fabric is considered to be LOW.

Exterior:High level of burial from medieval to C20th. Some shallow earthworks with unknown potential. Evidence for paths and entrances.