Archaeological evaluation and monitoring at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, The Street, Salcott-cum-Virley, Essex, CM9 8HW

An archaeological evaluation (two test-pits) and monitoring of a geotechnical survey was carried out at the Church of St Mary The Virgin, The Street, Salcott-cum-Virley, Essex in advance of the construction of a new annex to the existing parish church. The development site is located within the churchyard, adjacent to the north wall of the building, in an area that has potential for inhumations and earlier structures relating to the church. Although subject to significant truncation by modern services, one inhumation burial and three possible inhumation burials were encountered during the evaluation. The upper fill of these deposits were encountered at between 0.34m and 0.63m below current ground level. In addition, a small assemblage of disarticulated human bone was recovered, which was photographed and reburied in the churchyard.