Archaeology at Cressing Temple

Following Essex County Council's purchase of Cressing Temple in 1987, a carefully staged programme of improvements was carried out. The aim of this was to make the site more accessible to the public whilst preserving its very special character unchanged. Among other things, this has involved provision of services to a number of buildings, a new access road and car park in Dovehouse Field, a new Visitors' Centre and better pathways around the site.

Where these works have meant ground disturbance, archaeologists have had the opportunity to investigate in advance of building work. What follows is a summary of the main archaeological findings made during the modernisation of the site, augmented by discoveries made by the local Brain Valley Archaeological Society, who dug here during the 1970s plus the results of recent training excavations run by Essex County Council. At the end of this section are some suggestions for further reading.

Prehistoric
The earliest activity on the site has been traced to the Bronze Age, probably the later part of that period (c. 1500 - 700 BC), on the basis of small amounts of pottery and flintwork. Features are few, and include a small seething pit, a series of parallel shallow ditches and some stakeholes representing fences. Both of these latter categories are best interpreted as boundaries, indicating perhaps fields/paddocks.

A few Iron Age features (c. 700 BC to AD 43) have been found in the area around the present farm buildings. However, the recent training excavations in Dovehouse Field have identified an extensive area of late Iron Age settlement (c. 50 BC to 43 AD).

Romano-British
The Roman conquest caused no break in occupation, although the focus of settlement in Dovehouse Field clearly shifted, and the landscape was re-organised, with a different pattern of fields and trackways. In the scheduled area (around the standing farm buildings), evidence of Romano-British activity is slight, consisting of the decapitated burial in the Walled Garden and a few pits and ditches. Following the end of the Roman period (i.e. after about 400 AD), there is virtually no sign of activity until the coming of the Templars from 1137 AD.

The Templar period (1137 to 1309)
We must assume that considerable initial clearance was needed, both to put up buildings, and to bring the land into productive use and there is some archaeological evidence of tree clearance. We know from documentary evidence of a 'humble timber chapel' for which permission was given by papal dispensation, but this was replaced by a stone one found in excavation. At least 38 burials have been found associated with the chapel, though of course these span several centuries. To the south of the chapel, a second rectangular building with rammed gravel footings has been found probably representing a stone built hall. Also likely to date to this period is the impressive Reigate stone water-well which provided water for the site until the late 20th century.

Above ground, it wasn't until about 70 years after the Templars received the grant of land that the first of the two great barns, the Barley barn, was built. Its construction is dated by the technique known as tree-ring dating (or dendrochronology) to 1205 to 1235. The implication is that by this time the Templar estate was flourishing, generating the need for storage of considerable surplus farm produce. Little archaeological work has been done on this barn.

About 30 to 40 years later, the second great barn, the Wheat barn, was put up. This has been shown to sit on a raft of puddled clay, up to 1 metre thick, and was built with timber felled between 1259 and 1280.

The Hospitaller period (1312 to 1540)
During the latter part of the 13th century, the Knights Templars were in decline. Although a wealthy and privileged organisation with up to 7,000 estates across Europe, they had fallen out of favour with a number of influential European monarchs. Following several years of persecution of members of the order, Pope Clement V ordered its suppression in 1306. All Templar lands were handed over to another knightly Order, known as the Hospitallers.

There is little that can definitely be assigned to the Hospitaller period at Cressing, though there was a building which formerly stood where the Granary now is. Within this building was a tile-on-edge hearth now visible in the floor of the Granary. Also there is an impressive tile-lined grave in the centre of the chapel.

During the Hospitaller period, Cressing was the location of one of the more dramatic protests of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. Documents indicate that a mob arrived, pulled down one of the buildings and set it on fire. So far, none of the archaeological trenches has located any positive evidence of an extensive fire but it may be significant that both barns were extensively remodelled in c.1400.

After 1540
In 1540, the Hospitallers suffered the same fate as the Templars, with the suppression of the Order. Cressing Temple then passed into secular hands, and many of its owners added to the buildings. The archaeology of this period is considerable and complex. It includes a substantial domestic building with cellars (identified in documents as the 'Greate House'), the Walled Garden, a number of other farm buildings and many drains. The Hearth Tax Returns show it having 20 hearths.

In 1659 George Tuke was living at Cressing Temple and his cousin the famous diarist John Evelyn visited him there at Christmas reporting that no service could be taken in the chapel as the incumbent had died. By 1700 the site belonged to a consortium of businessmen. Archaeological evidence shows the systematic dismantling of the mansion house including its cellars and drains leaving only a small farmhouse, the barns and the working farm buildings. The Walled Garden remained and is shown on the first known plan of 1797. This plan remained remarkably unchanged until the present day.

Further reading

Popular Cressing Temple: a guide, (22 pages), published by Essex County Council. Available from Cressing Temple; phone 01376 584903.

Andrews, D D (ed.) 1993 Cressing Temple; a Templar and Hospitaller Manor in Essex, Chelmsford: ECC

Andrews, D D et al. 1994 'The Granary at Cressing Temple', Essex Archaeology and History 25, 79-106