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The
wells, which gave the city its name, are the corner
stone of the development of this area from prehistoric
times. These natural springs can be found in the garden
of the Bishop's Palace, including the holy well of St.
Andrew, which is just to the east of the Camery Garden
on the south side of the present cathedral.
Two excavations in the nineteenth century and a much
more extensive archaeological investigation from 1978
- 1980 revealed exciting proof of religious buildings
stretching far back into the past and confirming the
existence of the great Anglo-Saxon minster church of
St. Andrew.
Near the wells were found the remains of stone age flints
and fragments of Roman pottery. Finally the remains
of a late Roman mausoleum, probably Christian, were
revealed, with the burial vault, robbed of its original
contents, still intact. It is a stone-lined burial chamber
with postholes and slots in the walls showing that it
was originally contained within a larger building. This
site became the core of the Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical
buildings.
A Middle Saxon mortuary chapel superseded the mausoleum.
There was a position for the altar and evidence of seven
burials. In due course graves were dug all round this
area. Some rare finds including a Frisian silver coin
of the mid-eighth century were discovered. This is the
furthest west in Europe that such a coin has ever been
found. |
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