NHER 12649 (Monument record) - Medieval and post medieval finds and features

16 June 1977. Discovery during rebuilding on site of shoe factory and school between Pilot Street and North Street.
Workmen found human skeletons and informed the police and King's Lynn Museum.
E. Rose (NAU), June 1977.

June 1977. Brief rescue excavation and site investigation.
Approximately 21m north-east of wall of St Nicholas' Chapel graveyard and 22m north-west of the northern corner of the front of 32 Pilot Street a mechanically excavated trench revealed part of a human skeleton approximately 0.7m below the ground surface. Other human bone could be seen in the sections of the trench.
Three features were visible. The first was a rubbish pit containing late 18th century pottery sherds, clay pipes, bricks, oyster shells and fish bones. The second was the foundations of a brick wall, identified as being a section of wall from St Nicholas' School, later used as a shoe factory (NHER 63523). The third was an area of disturbed soil which contained skeletal remains and pottery sherds dating from the 16th to 18th centuries. The lowest and most complete skeleton was still resting on a wooden coffin base. This partly rested on a substantial stone and mortar wall on the south face of the trench. Another skeleton rested on another stone and mortar wall on the north face of the trench.
Massive concrete footings incorporated medieval carved stone and brick arch found upside-down. Much medieval and post medieval sherds.
Detailed report (S1) from R. Trett (KLM), together with correspondence (S2) and finds illustration (S3) in file.
Site visited by R. Trett (KLM) and E. Rose (NAU), June 1977.

August 1978. Stray finds (unstratified).
Grimston ware, Yorkshire spout and post medieval sherds.
Other sherds of green glazed Grimston ware, Yorkshire ware, yellow glazed (Stamford?) ware and cooking pot rim found unstratified by [1].
Donated to KLM.
This is the approximate site of the Lynn glassworks as shown on (S4).
E. Rose (NAU), 28 May 1981.

1977-9. Analysis of timber from coffin.
Wood found to be pine.
Coffin radiocarbon dated to 1660 AD +/- 35.
E. Rose (NAU).