Archaeological Watching Brief Report, St John the Baptist Church, Halesowen, B63 4AF

The archaeological watching brief involved monitoring the excavation for a service trench running from the north-west corner of the church north-north-west to the High Street. Where necessary, surfaces were hand cleaned for examination and recording and deposits observed were recorded on standard pro-forma recording sheets. A digital photography record was maintained throughout the project, which is partially reproduced in the report. All work was carried out according to the agreed Written Scheme of Investigation (Roberts 2024) and in accordance with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) standards, specifically Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Watching Briefs, 2020. A large number of disarticulated human bones were recovered during the excavation, mostly from the burial soil but also occasionally from the path bedding layer. Only two part-articulated remains were uncovered ,as these were both missing limbs and ribs it was decided to lift them where exposed and continue the excavation. No further archaeological features or finds were observed during the monitoring process. The project objectives were met in full with a high confidence rating for the results. The recovered human bone was re-interred together in a single charnel pit adjacent to the excavated area on the 6th March 2025. This was overseen by a small congregation led by Revd Hazel Charlton.