Archaeological Watching Brief at St Peter's Church, Bushley, Worcestershire

The watching brief was carried out in two stages. Initially a narrow pit to assess percolation in location of the proposed soakaway was excavated in March 2023 under archaeological supervision. Human bone was encountered at a depth of 0.8m and the pit was moved slightly to the north. Following positive testing of percolation, the drain and soakaway were excavated in July 2023. The excavation, comprising a square pit 1.7m x 1.7m and 1.8m deep, was undertaken by hand and under archaeological supervision. A trench 0.3m wide and 0.4m deep was also excavated between the soakaway and the church for the installation of a storm drain. The watching brief demonstrated that, although the position of the soakaway had initially been selected as a pathway through the churchyard in which no gravestones or other markers were present, there are burials in this area. Although osteological analysis of the remains was not within the scope of the project, it is clear that two of the individuals were children and two were adults or sub adults. The graves are orientated east-west with the head to the west. Although at different depths, it appears that two rows of burials were partially uncovered. Such an arrangement implies a well-ordered graveyard in which graves were, in this location, well-marked and new graves placed so as not to disturb earlier burials. Although many of the bones had been fragmented by the weight of overlying material, preservation was generally good and there was no sign that the graves had been disturbed by later burials. Only a small number of disarticulated human bones were recovered from the surrounding material. Following the 1857 Burial Act, it became illegal to disturb graves without a licence, which might imply that the burials here postdate this act, but the pattern may equally reflect well a well organised system of churchyard management. A single sherd of pottery representing part of the rim of a medieval jar produced in the Malvern area was recovered from one of the grave fills. This was dated to the 13th or 14th centuries which provides a terminus post quem date for the grave, although it is possible that the sherd was residual in this context. The coffined burial with ornate handle and some form of metal plating on the outside of the coffin implies a Victorian or later date. Other than this, there is no direct evidence for dating the burials. Although the current church was built in 1843, the burials may well have been laid down when the previous church was standing. Three of the burials were at a depth of 0.7 - 0.8m depth, while the coffined burial was 1.55m depth (5'1"). The depth of the burial, however, does not provide direct dating evidence, as no act of Parliament specified depths of burial. It is further recorded that the graveyard was walled and levelled in 1843 when the present church was built so that the current ground surface may not reflect the level from which the graves were dug. It is probable that the uncoffined burials were laid in shrouds, if at an early date of woollen cloth, following the burying in Woollen Acts of 1666-80, although these were largely ignored by 1760 and repealed by 1814. This is further evidenced by the narrow grave cuts, where visible, which imply a shrouded burial. The distinction between the coffined and uncoffined burials may reflect their date or differing social status.