Introduction
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken at St Peter's Church, Ipsley (NGR SO 0653 6654; Fig 1) in advance of the proposed construction of an extension for the church. The work was undertaken on behalf the Church Council in order to satisfy an archaeological brief provided by Hereford and Worcester County Council's Archaeology Section.
The site is on Quaternary alluvium with underlying geology of Mercian Mudstone (Keuper marl) of Jurassic date (British Geological Survey, 1:50,000, sheet 183, Redditch). The site covers an area of less than one hectare and, currently, the area of the proposed extension is divided into two by a wall. To the south of the wall is the graveyard of St Peter's Church and to its north are the grounds of Ipsley Court.
The site is registered on the County Sites and Monuments Record (reference HWCM 49; Fig 2) as a site of archaeological interest. St Peter's Church, although much affected by Victorian restoration, has masonry elements dating to the 13th century surviving in the south aisle. The north aisle and probably the chancel are of 14th century date, while the west tower was added in the 15th century (Pevsner 1968). To the north, bordering the churchyard is Ipsley Court (HWCM 53; Fig 2). Ipsley Court has been much rebuilt over the years with the current building being a heavily restored version of the 18th century house. The manor of Ipsley dates from before the Norman conquest when 3 hides of land were held at Ipsley by Earl Algar, or Aelfgar, son of Leofric (VCH III 1945). By the time of Doomsday (1086) the Hubaud's held the manor. The building of Ipsley Court probably occupies the site of the "Great House" built by Sir John Hubaud in the 16th century during the reign of Elizabeth I. Earlier manor houses of the Hubaud's may have occupied the site. The position of the proposed church extension is of particular interest since it straddles the boundary between Ipsley Court and St Peter's Church. To the west and south-west of the church are the earthwork remains of a deserted medieval settlement (HWCM 52; Fig 2). Finds of a medieval date have also been recorded in the area (HWCM 7082, HWCM 9751 and HWCM 10262; Fig 2).
Roman activity is also known from the area. To the east a major Roman road, Riknield Street (HWCM 886; Fig 2) runs in a north to south line past the area of the evaluation. A site beside this (HWCM 47; Fig 2) has been excavated and produced evidence of a post- built, sub-rectangular structure of uncertain date. Roman finds are recorded to the south of this (HWCM 7081; Fig 2), and also to the north and south of the evaluation area. To the north, in the grounds of Ipsley Court, Roman pottery was recovered during building work (HWCM 1096; Fig 2), and, to the south of the church, a coin of Antonius Pius dating to the 2nd century AD was recovered through metal detection (HWCM 9752; Fig 2). This scatter of artefacts to the west of the Roman road has recently been assessed as part of the Monument Protection Programme being undertaken by the Archaeology Section for English Heritage. It is suggested that the artefacts may represent the location of a Romano-British farmstead (Duncan Brown pers comm).
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