Archaeological recovery excavation at 2-3 Priory Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2PY – March 2017

An archaeological recovery excavation was carried out at 2-3 Priory Street, Colchester, Essex after groundworks for extensions and alterations to the existing buildings. The development site is located in an area of significant archaeological remains within the
medieval churchyard of St Botolph’s priory and immediately to the south of the Roman walled town. Groundworks were carried out without an archaeological mitigation strategy in place and were not archaeologically monitored. The subsequent archaeological recovery excavation revealed the disturbed remains of a minimum of
eleven, possibly twelve, human skeletons probably from a cemetery most likely associated with St Botolph’s priory cemetery. Animal bone, including a piece of worked bone, were also recovered.