THE KNOLL, ALTRINCHAM

HOME

This small excavation took place on the site of a demolished house called The Knoll. It was situated on Stamford Street c.50m away from the excavation on Victoria Street.

Investigation of the site commenced in 1980 in conjunction with the project on Victoria Street, Altrincham, but excavation was not undertaken until 1983. Two trenches were cut but because of the large number of modern rubbish pits encountered, only one was excavated.

In this trench a piece of medieval pottery was found embedded in a jumbled clay mass, the removal of which revealed a circular clay feature 2m in diameter and 1m deep with a central bowl approximately 1m in diameter. The whole was cut into natural sand. The feature was excavated in quarter sections, the second quarter revealing a compacted burnt clay base underlying a mixture of charcoal and soil. Beneath the clay was another layer of charcoal also on a burnt clay base. Sealed between these bases was a piece of medieval pottery of 14th century date. The charcoal was then removed and a flotation test carried out. Several seeds were recovered, mainly wheat and barley, which suggested that the feature was a corn or malt drying kiln.

The stoke-hole and rake-out area were located and several more pieces of medieval pottery were recovered, one of which corresponded to the piece found in the sealed layer.

Seed Analysis    by Keith Maude/Dominic Wall

The seeds are in a carbonised state, which has resulted in most of the surface markings being obscured. It has been possible, however, to separate them into different species and to offer a tentative identification.

10 seeds are identified as Rye
13 seeds are identified as Barley
1 seed is identified as Oats

Several smaller seeds were evident in the sample and these are identified as:

4 poppy seeds
2 Common Persicaria
1 Montia Persoliata

All are weeds of cultivated ground.

The sample appears to be indicative of the type of material that would be associated with a drying kiln or malting floor. Since the material is heavily carbonised, it could be either material that fell into the hearth or flues, or residue from straw and chaff that was deliberately burnt in the hearth.

The discovery of a malt or corn-drying kiln provided evidence, through the pottery recovered from a sealed layer, of medieval occupation. Although only a general date for the pottery can be given (l3th/l4th century) it is, barring the Charter of 1290, the earliest evidence of settlement in Altrincham.