The Excavation of the Church of the Franciscans, Hartlepool, Cleveland

Abstract

Excavation of the Franciscan friary church at Hartlepool revealed an apparent two phase stone construction, preceded by an aisled timber building. An initial long narrow church of c.1240 was extended by the addition of a nave and north aisle. An extensive series of burials from beneath the church floor and from the friary burial ground provides useful pathological information, whilst a range of worked stone and other building materials, together with evidence for window manufacture, provides information on the fabric of the building. After the Dissolution the friary site was occupied by a mansion.