We recently explored the archaeological secrets of the Order of St John’s past here in Clerkenwell during ‘Time Detectives’, one of our free drop-in family activities. Our younger visitors and their families were given the opportunity to dig deeper into the history of the Order’s Priory and discover more about its architecture at a hands-on mini dig and an object handling session followed by the decoration of ceramic tiles. This blog post is dedicated to the thematic link between the activity, archaeology and history of the Order’s historic buildings.

Doing archaeology at Clerkenwell  

Our young visitors’ initiation into the basics of archaeological practice was inspired by the excavations that took place here in Clerkenwell several decades ago uncovering the hidden architectural treasures of the Priory Church. During the activity we learned about unearthing the past and talked about the issues involved in extracting artifacts out of the ground and the notion of context. The use of a grid proved vital in the discovery and recording of artefacts, especially considering that once an object is removed from its original place, archaeologists cannot recreate the initial context. The use of artefact Record Sheets suggested how recording detailed descriptions about the finds can help preserve information for future generations and also help identify objects and group them in meaningful ways.

Archaeological interest in this site first began at the beginning of the 19^th century, but the most recent and extensive excavations were carried out by the Museum of London Archaeology Service in the 1980s and 1990s. These latest excavations and surveys around the area of St John’s Square, where the Priory of St John originally stood, revealed wall footings, yards, basement structures, and even a late medieval undercroft, as well as several human burials.

Stones and tiles

The artefacts used during the object handling session were the actual archaeological finds from the original building structure of the Priory in Clerkewell, which dates back almost 900 years. In addition to the surviving architecture of the Church that is now partially visible at St John’s Square, excavations in this area unearthed several fragments of worked stone that belonged to this original building dating from the 12^th and the 16^th century. Most of these fragments formed part of the decoration of the building structure and close observation even reveals traces of the original paint used on them as well as other decorative details for example cats and dates.

In addition to the stone, a wide range of tiles mainly used in floor assemblages are also included in the Museum’s archaeological collection. These floor tiles, known as the ‘Westminster’ type, were locally produced in the Farrington Road Kiln in the 13^th century, and are the earliest types ever recovered within the Priory connecting its history to London’s greater history of ceramic trade routes and craftsmanship.

Further Sources

If you are interested in learning more about these artefacts you can read all about them on our collection blog pages. Additionally, detailed historical information on the ‘Westminster’ tiles will soon be published by the Bearers of the Cross AHRC funded project team on both our website as well as the project’s independent website http://www.bearersofthecross.org.uk/. A detailed guide on the archaeology of the Priory of the Order of St John in Clerkenwell can be found in the MoLAS Monograph “Excavations at the Priory of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, Clerkenwell, London” by Barney Sloane and Gordon Malcolm, copies of which can be purchased from our Museum shop.