medieval cloister at Grey Friars in Colchester?

Over the first two weeks in June, Trust archaeologist Don Shimmin has been undertaking an archaeological watching brief in the public car-park next to Grey Friars boutique hotel, off East Hill in Colchester. The car-park belongs to the owners of the hotel and they are currently improving it, following their extensive programme of improvements to and conversion of the post-medieval buildings known as ‘Grey Friars’. The car-park lies within the precinct of the medieval Grey Friars friary. On the 9th and 11th June, the contractors on site excavated a pipe-trench and intercepted two medieval robber-trenches: on the 11th (Thursday), Don was able to investigate and record one of the robber-trenches. Robber-trenches were dug to extract building materials and so they define the lines of removed foundations. These robber-trenches represent two parallel foundations of the friary: they are both about 1.1 metres wide, and they are 8 metres apart. Don thinks that the foundations might have formed parts of the friary cloister. If so, then this is the first time that part of the cloister has been identified here, and it is a significant discovery. (A cloister was a covered walkway around a square courtyard, with one closed wall and one open wall, like an arcade, to the courtyard.)

The Grey Friars were monks of the Franciscan order, founded by St Francis of Assisi: they wore grey robes and so were called the ‘Grey Friars’, although they were also called the ‘Friars Minores’. They came into England in 1224. The friary here existed before 1237. Grey Friars worked among their local people and depended on their charity. The friary would have included a church, a cloistered courtyard, and buildings for the friars’ accommodation, food storage, kitchen, refectory, etc within a walled precinct. Their water supply was provided by an underground conduit. Robert Fitzwalter, Lord Fitzwalter, who had a long military career and owned Lexden manor, gave land to the friary in 1309 and founded their church; he actually laid the foundation stone in that year. He was granted custody of Colchester in 1317. He joined the friary in 1325 and must have died there, in 1326. Grey Friars friary survived as a monastic foundation until it was closed and sold off in 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The friary buildings and walled precinct passed through the possession of various families but, by the 18th century, no buildings were left standing. We don’t know much about Grey Friars friary, so it is always interesting when we get a chance to investigate the site.

The Trust uncovered part of the friary church foundations in 2007, and published the results in our magazine The Colchester Archaeologist (no 20) in 2007. Don has been conducting the Trust’s long-running watching brief at Grey Friars since February 2012.

The watching brief was funded by OMCI Property Investment Ltd and they are planning to open the Grey Friars boutique hotel next month. Visit the Grey Friars community project web-site at www.greyfriarscolchester.org.uk and the Grey Friars boutique hotel web-site at www.greyfriarscolchester.co.uk/ .

Today (15th June) is also the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, on the 15th June 1215. One of the sureties of the Magna Carta was Robert Fitzwalter, who is regarded as being the leader of the barons against King John. He was the grandfather of the Robert Fitzwalter who founded the church at Grey Friars friary in Colchester. In 2012, of course, archaeologists discovered the remains of Richard III in a car-park which was the site of the church of the Grey Friars friary in Leicester. But perhaps Robert Fitzwalter of Lexden was buried in the church at Grey Friars friary in Colchester and perhaps his remains may, one day, be discovered in the car-park…

The images show two site photo.s, of the works in the car-park and of one of the robber-trenches exposed in the pipe-trench (in very bright sunshine). The robber-trench is the feature lying diagonally across the modern trench, and with the measuring rod across it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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