In search of Syon Abbey

ANOTHER SEASON AT THE LOST ABBEY AT SYON HOUSE

Syon Park was the venue again for the Birkbeck College training excavation this summer.

The excavation followed the same format as last year, two areas opened up. One covered the northern wall line of the abbey and other was slightly south of the abbey’s southern wall line.

The intention was to locate the cemetery area and to explore the parch marks that are clearly visible to the south of Syon house. The cemetery was not located, much to the disappointment to all those involved in excavation. Several important discoveries were made, a badly damaged skeleton in the northern section and my trip to the foreshore, through the water meadow.

The skeleton was located close to the famous brick drain that cuts through the northern sector. The skeleton was in line with the back door of Syon House, surrounded by a cluster of pier base structures, a prime location for a person of high social standing.

The lower part of the body had survived in good condition; the top had been completely removed due to later activity, possibly due to robbing or to the laying out of later garden features.

Even with the skeleton being badly damaged, the bone experts were able to establish certain facts about the individual. A male that was around 6’ in stature, from the muscle attachments to the leg bones, he had been someone that had ridden a lot. He had suffered with his ankles as they were arthritic. Buried in a prominent location in the abbey, the evidence from his bones showed that he was a person of high status, but who was he?

Given the name of ‘Percy’, by the students (after all, Syon is Percy land), the speculation about who he was and how he had lived spread amongst the students. Richard Palethorpe, the Estate Manager of Syon, gave me a list of the ‘Dignitaries Buried at Syon Abbey’ compiled by Dr Bainbridge. Top of the list was Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby, ‘Percy’ we all thought. No. Richard later told us that he had died aged 36; the bones of ‘Percy’ were of a man aged in his 60’s at death. The on going research through the archives will one day reveal ‘Percy’s’ identity.

One Sunday, when RAS were acting as guides, Mr. Ian Smith, a former gardener who had worked at Syon for many years, mentioned the ‘northern undercroft’. Yes he did have some photo’s that had been taken of its interior. As promised Mr. Smith turned up on the Monday, and gave me copies of the photos. Those that know Syon will know the northern lawn, for those that do not, it’s the one where Time Team had the finds tent pitched. Local knowledge is amazing, all the gardeners knew its location, and most had been down into it, none with a torch sadly. Next year this will be explored, once a Health and Safety report has been carried out.

Jill Hooper a member of the environment team, carried out a recce of the Syon foreshore last year. Her discoveries were very interesting to say the least, worked stone and wooden piles still in the foreshore. With Jill as team leader, and accompanied by several members of the Birkbeck Environmental team, the foreshore was visited again this summer.

Our route took us across the water meadow, trying to find the high ground and avoiding the natural hazards, and the water channels. The water channels you don’t see until you fall down them! Taking equipment across the water meadow is impossible. If RAS could obtain a boat, one with a flat bottom, the boat could be moored up to the bank, which needs recording. As the tide goes out, the boat would lower, eventually reaching the foreshore. Thus more time on the foreshore, more time to record all those features that are on this stretch of the foreshore.

Jill Hooper is very keen for RAS to help in the research on the foreshore at Syon; there is a lot of recording to be done. We are not just talking about archaeology related to Syon Abbey, but the environmental features which are just as valuable as the Abbey remains.

RAS has a golden opportunity to partake in a research project that will have a major impact on the knowledge of this stretch of the foreshore, as well as being very interesting and dirty to those that take part.

Thanks to everyone that helped in showing the public around, when the ‘dig area’ was opened to the public.

John Costello