'Truly remarkable' remains of what could be an Anglo-Saxon church are uncovered UNDERNEATH a 943-year-old Norman church in Stoke Mandeville
Researchers were excavating the St Mary's Old Church in Stoke MandevilleThey had previously moved 3,000 bodies from the churchyard to a new location
It sits in the path of the HS2 route and is being excavated before building starts
The team found evidence the Saxon church reused Roman tiles in foundations
By RYAN MORRISON FOR MAILONLINE
8 September 2021
The remarkable remains of what could be an Anglo-Saxon church have been uncovered beneath the foundations of a long demolished Norman church.
Archeologists working for the controversial new high-speed railway network, HS2, uncovered the ruins during excavation work on the remains of the St Mary's Old Church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire.
Under the foundation layer of the Norman church, built in 1080 shortly after the Norman conquest, the archeologists discovered evidence of another building.
The experts suspect this is the remains of a much older, and previously unknown, Anglo-Saxon church that would have been similar to the still-standing Saxon-era St Peter's Church in Barton-upon-Humber, north Lincolnshire.
They also found evidence the foundations of the newly discovered Saxon church in Stoke Mandeville was built using Roman-era roof tiles.
Archeologists working for the controversial new high-speed railway network, HS2, uncovered the medieval ruins during excavation work on the remains of the St Mary's Old Church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire. Pictured is CGI reconstruction of the Norman church
The HS2 team are making the findings from the site, including evidence of the earlier church, available to the public to view as part of a 'field museum'
WHO WERE THE ANGLO SAXONS?
Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group that inhabited England from the 5th Century, dominating society through the Early Middle Ages.They traced their origins to migrants from the North Sea coastlands of mainland Europe.
However, the identity of Anglo-Saxon evolved in England, through different groups interacting - including a number of Germanic tribes.
They developed the concept of England itself, and while only 26% of the modern English language uses words from this group, they are the words we use most often.
Their period dates from 450 AD to 1066, with the Norman conquest.
Regional government, shires and other aspects of 'England' as we know it today, date from this period.
The Norman church was demolished in the 1960s by Royal Engineers, after being largely unused since the 1880s, and the ruins are in the path of HS2.
Before any work can be done on the train line, over 40 archeologists have been digging up the grounds, including relocating over 3,000 bodies to a new graveyard.
Following the Norman conquest in 1066, there was a huge church building programme across England from parish churches to larger city cathedrals.
It wasn't uncommon for some of these to be built on top of conquered Saxon ruins - but it is rare to have the opportunity to excavate and examine them in this way as many did not survive the vast Norman architecture, the archaeologists said.
The church originally being excavated had been renovated in the 13th, 14th and 17th centuries, and played a central role in the community.
It had been furnished with a variety of extensions and the construction of a brick bell tower over its long history.
A new church closer to the centre of the nearby village was built in the 1880s, and at that point the Norman church fell into disrepair, according to local historians.
The Normans weren't the first to build on what came before though, as the foundations of the Anglo-Saxon building reused Roman roof tiles, the team found.
There is evidence of a nearby Roman settlement so it is possible that the materials were reused from a previous structure away from this location, although archaeologists are hoping that evidence of an even earlier structure could be found.
Before any work can be done on the train line, over 40 archeologists have been digging up the grounds, including relocating over 3,000 bodies to a new graveyard
A field museum will be opened on the site of the old churches to allow the public to view the finds, before work begins on the new train line
The church originally being excavated had been renovated in the 13th, 14th and 17th centuries, and played a central role in the community
They also found evidence the foundations of the newly discovered Saxon church in Stoke Mandeville was built using Roman-era roof tiles
The experts suspect this is the remains of a much older, and previously unknown, Anglo-Saxon church that would have been similar to the still-standing Saxon-era St Peter's Church in Barton-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire
