SNN110944 - Holy Cross Church, Pattishall, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Watching Brief, 2015

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks associated with the development of the new servery, comfort facilities and associated drainage works at Holy Cross Church, Pattishall, Northamptonshire. In addition, the PCC requested a radiocarbon date for a disused oak door inside the church, to determine if the door was medieval or later in date. The watching brief encountered eight graves within the service trench in the churchyard, with skeletal remains being exposed in five of the graves. The alignment of the graves and the presence of fragments of coffin furniture and other artefactual material indicates that they all date to the late 18th to 19th centuries. No evidence was encountered for earlier burials or archaeological remains. Radiocarbon dating of the disused oak door confirmed that it is not medieval but dates from no earlier than the mid-16th century.