Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During an excavation undertaken by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit in 1967/68 a a possible relic pit was uncovered at St. Edmunds Chapel, Priory Road, Dover. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information).

Monument Types

• PIT (Medieval - 1253 AD? to 1253 AD?)

Full description

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Rescue excavations were carried out by Kent Archaeological rescue unit between the 29th of December 1967 and the first of January 1968 at St Edmunds Church ahead of the restoration of the church which included laying a new floor. The excavation was thought necessary due to early accounts which note that St. Richard of Chichester, who consecrated the church in 1253, collapsed in the church and died three days later. It is noted that although his body was returned to Chichester, his heart and bowels were buried in St. Edmunds Chapel.

A rectangular pit or cist 0.86m by 0.55m and about 0.6m deep was located approximately 2.5m from the eastern wall of the chapel. The sides of the pit were lined with a poor, creamy-brown mortar, but the base was bare earth. It was filled with a black loam containing fragments of roof slate, glazed floor tiles and pot sherds. It seems highly probable that it was here that the sacred relics of St. Richard were buried in 1253. The absence of the relics or any container suggests that the pit was robbed and the tile and pottery fragments in the fill of the pit would point to a date of after 1300 for this robbery. (1-2)

<1> C. Buckingham, 1968, Kent Archaeological Review: St. Edmunds Chapel, Dover Vol. 12 (Article in serial). SKE32316.

<2> Brian Philp, 1970, Kent Archaeological Review: Excavations at St. Edmunds Chapel, Dover 1968 Vol. 21 (Article in serial). SKE31838.

Sources and further reading

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