Tilty Abbey, Essex: detailed survey of a Cistercian abbey and investigation of its wider landscape setting

Mr and Mrs Pedley, the owners of Tilty Abbey, commissioned, in association with English Heritage, Oxford Archaeology East to undertake an analytical earthwork survey and wider area investigation of the remains of the Cistercian Abbey at Tilty in Essex. A geophysical survey, comprising gradiometer and earth resistance, was also commissioned as part of the Section 17 Management Agreement with the landowners. The fieldwork was undertaken intermittently between June 2010 and March 2011. Notable results include the production of a detailed and complex earthwork plan of the 5ha scheduled area, with features spanning the pre-monastic to post-Dissolution and modern periods. In addition, it has been possible to identify elements that relate to the wider pre-monastic landscape, notably Tilty Grange. Map and topographical evidence indicates that this may be the site of a Late Saxon estate/manorial centre, and is an area that would significantly benefit from further investigation. An early routeway, represented by a hollow way, has been recorded, whilst a previouslyunknown ?industrial building has been located by the gradiometer survey. The earthwork survey has greatly enhanced the picture of the post-Dissolution use of the site, with extensive gardens associated with the later manor house being identified, an aspect of the site that was previously poorly-understood.