The Corpus: Repton 27

Volume 13: Derbyshire and Staffordshire

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Current Display: Repton 27, Derbyshire

Overview

Object type: Four pilaster fragments

Measurements:

i. RF 5684: three-sided pilaster strip. L. 12 cm (4.7 in); W. 9.6 cm (3.8 in); H. (of projection) 4.5 cm (1.8 in)
ii. RF 5686: three-sided pilaster strip. L. 13.8 cm (5.4 in); W. 8.7 cm (3.4 in); H. (of projection) 4 cm (1.6 in)
iii. RF 4498: three-sided pilaster strip. L. 17.5 cm (6.9 in); W. 8.5 cm (3.3 in); H. (of projection) 5.5 cm (2.2 in)
iv. RF 1837: adzed-dressed stone worked roughly to a curve. L. 31 cm (12.2 in); W. 11 cm (4.3 in); H. 25 cm (9.8 in)

Stone type: Greyish orange pink (5YR 7/2), moderately to well sorted, clast-supported, quartz sandstone. The sub-angular to sub-rounded clasts vary from 0.3 to 0.5 mm, but are dominantly 0.4 mm across. The clasts are dominantly quartz, but a few pinkish feldspars and a few flakes of white mica are present. Helsby Sandstone Formation, Sherwood Sandstone Group, Triassic (C.R.B.)

Plate numbers in printed volume: Fig. 45a–f

Corpus volume reference: Vol 13 p. 227-228

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Present Location

Derby Museum and Art Gallery

Evidence for Discovery

Four fragments were found in the course of archaeological excavations in the vicarage garden in 1985, in Trench 8. Three (RF 5684, RF 5686 and RF 4498) were recovered from Feature 924, a stone-packed feature, probably an offering pit, outside the north-west corner of the sunken building re-used for the Viking mass-burial, and sealed by the stone kerb Feature 902 marking the burial. The fourth (RF 1837) was found in Feature 913, a stone packing over the infilling of a burial, Grave 367, cut into the south slope of the Viking burial mound. The body was later dug up and the grave pit refilled with the stones of F 913. For the original context of these fragments, see Chap. V, p. 57.

Church Dedication

St Wystan

Present Condition

All four pieces are fragmentary and broken, but otherwise in good condition

Description

Pieces i–iii retain elements of raised pilaster strips of rectangular section; iv preserves one, possibly more layers, of ‘whitewash’

Discussion

The discovery of these broken fragments in features datable to 873–4 shows that pilaster strips were features of the Anglo-Saxon stone buildings at Repton prior to that date.

Date

Before 873–4

References

Unpublished

M.B.

Endnotes