Daniel Secker

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Researcher in Anglo Saxon England and church archaeology, with a specialism in Essex. Fieldwork includes identifying early structural fabric in superficially later medieval buildings. Completed an MA in Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, in 2018

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Wally Sewell

Sarah Leonard

Jana Javornik

University of East London

Gwen Robbins Schug

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Gabriel Gutierrez-Alonso

University of Salamanca

John Sutton

Macquarie University

Kevin Arbuckle

Swansea University

Lev Manovich

Graduate Center of the City University of New York

Richard Cloutier

Université du Québec à Rimouski

Irina Kolesnik

Moscow State University

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Papers by Daniel Secker

St Andrew, Boreham, Essex: the early church and the Anglo-Saxon period

A recent luminescence sample obtained from a brick at the church of St Andrew, Boreham, Essex, re... more A recent luminescence sample obtained from a brick at the church of St Andrew, Boreham, Essex, returned a date of AD 896 +/- 68 at 2-sigma or 95% confidence. Given that the brick was reused, the date was subsequently revised to AD 913 +/- 73. The sample nevertheless suggests the church at Boreham retains the earliest medieval brickwork in England and the only example to date from the Anglo-Saxon period. The sampled brick was probably contemporary with entire medieval bricks in the eastern nave quoins of the church which appear to be primary features. Structural survey suggests the east end of the nave pre-dates the early Romanesque axial tower and that the former is stratigraphically Anglo-Saxon. The use of brick at such an early date in England may be explained by Boreham's situation near the Essex coast, on the periphery of north-western Continental Europe where use of early medieval brick in churches was sporadic but widespread.

St Mary, The Hythe, Maldon, Essex: The Anglo-Saxon Minster and Romanesque Cruciform Church

A survey of the north nave wall of St Mary's church in the Hythe area of Maldon suggests that... more A survey of the north nave wall of St Mary's church in the Hythe area of Maldon suggests that the lower part of the wall is not only of Anglo-Saxon date, but earlier within that period. The construction technique of the primary wall is somewhat comparable to nearby St Peter's, Bradwell on Sea, while the implied dimensions of the primary church are very close to those of Reculver in Kent. The latter two churches are of late 7th century date. The early church at Maldon is associated with an adjacent 8th-9th century settlement site. The presence of loomweights at the settlement indicates a female component, and by extension, it is suggested that the site was that of an undocumented double minster of monks and nuns headed by an abbess. The church was first documented in 1068, when a large land endowment is evidence of its minster status. At about this time or shortly afterwards, the church was rebuilt as a substantial cruciform structure. The transepts and chancel of the latter ...

Southminster: A Secondary Minster in Essex

Journal of the British Archaeological Association

The Early Romanesque ‘Great West’ Towers of St Peter, Stambourne, Essex and St Nicholas, Leeds, Kent: ‘Clerical’ Towers for a Lay Lord?

Medieval Archaeology, 2014

Abstract A small group of early Romanesque west towers in southern and eastern England are of unu... more Abstract A small group of early Romanesque west towers in southern and eastern England are of unusually large size and are here termed ‘great west’ towers. The majority were commissioned by senior clergy, but there is evidence that those at Stambourne (Essex) and Leeds (Kent) were the work of Haimo II Dapifer, Sheriff of Kent. Haimo’s adoption of what is usually seen as a clerical form of monument is reflected by his position and associations in royal charters. The towers of St Peter, Stambourne and St Nicholas, Leeds have similarities with St Leonard’s Tower, West Malling (Kent) and the west gate of Lincoln castle respectively. Both illustrate the fluidity of forms that high-status buildings of the late 11th and early 12th centuries could take. Abstract Les “grandes tours occidentales” du début de la période romane à St Peter, Stambourne (Essex) et St Nicholas, Leeds (Kent): des tours “cléricales” pour un seigneur laïc? par Daniel Secker Un petit groupe de tours occidentales du sud et de l’est de l’Angleterre, remontant au début de la période romane, sont de dimensions exceptionnelles, d’où le terme de “grandes tours occidentales” qui les désigne ici. Si la majorité d’entre elles ont été commandées par des hauts-membres du clergé, des éléments laissent penser que celles de Stambourne (Essex) et de Leeds (Kent) sont attribuables à Haimo II Dapifer, shérif du Kent. L’adoption par Haimo de ce type de monument, généralement considéré comme une forme cléricale, témoigne de sa position et de ses associations avec les chartes royales. Les tours de St Peter, Stambourne et de St Nicholas, Leeds présentent des similitudes avec la tour de St Leonard, West Malling (Kent) et la porte ouest du château de Lincoln respectivement. Elles attestent toutes deux des formes fluides que pouvaient prendre les bâtiments de statut supérieur à la fin du 11ème et au début du 12ème siècle. Abstract Die frühromanischen “Großen Westtürme” von St Peter in Stambourne, Essex, und St Nicholas in Leeds, Kent: “kirchliche” Türme für einen weltlichen Herren? von Daniel Secker Eine kleine Gruppe frühromanischer Westtürme in Süd- und Ostengland sind ungewöhnlich groß und werden hier als “große Westtürme” bezeichnet. Die Mehrzahl wurde von gehobenen Klerikern in Auftrag gegeben, aber es gibt Belege, dass diejenigen in Stambourne (Essex) und Leeds (Kent) auf Haimo II Dapifer, den Sheriff von Kent, zurückgehen. Dass Haimo eine Gebäudeform übernahm, von der man gewöhnlich annahm, sie sei der Geistlichkeit vorbehalten, spiegelt seine Position und seine Verbindungen in den königlichen Satzungen wider. Die Türme von St Peter in Stambourne und St Nicholas in Leeds ähneln dem St Leonard’s Tower in West Malling (Kent) beziehungsweise dem Westtor von Lincoln Castle. Beide zeigen fließende Formen, wie sie die hochherrschaftlichen Gebäude im späten 11 und frühen 12 Jahrhundert an den Tag legen konnten. Abstract Le torri protoromaniche di St Peter a Stambourne nell’ Essex e di St Nicholas a Leeds nel Kent: torri ‘ecclesiastiche’ per un lord laico? di Daniel Secker Nell’Inghilterra orientale e meridionale esiste un piccolo gruppo di torri protoromaniche orientate a ovest, di proporzioni insolitamente grandi, che prendono il nome di great west towers. Quasi tutte furono commissionate da importanti ecclesiastici, ma esistono prove che quelle di Stambourne nell’Essex e di Leeds nel Kent, furono opera di Haimo II Dapifer, rappresentante della Corona nel Kent. La scelta da parte di Haimo di un tipo di monumento che di solito viene visto come ecclesiastico rispecchia la sua posizione e le sue associazioni nelle lettere patenti dei decreti reali. Le torri di St Peter a Stambourne e di St Nicholas a Leeds presentano rispettivamente somiglianze con la torre di St Leonard a West Malling nel Kent e con la porta ovest del castello di Lincoln. Entrambe illustrano la fluidità di forme che gli edifici di alto rango potevano assumere nel tardo XI secolo e agli inizi del XII.

The Late-Saxon and Early Romanesque Churches at St Mary, Prittlewell, Essex

Medieval Archaeology, 2016

THE CHURCH OF ST MARY, Prittlewell is now superficially a late medieval building, but it has long... more THE CHURCH OF ST MARY, Prittlewell is now superficially a late medieval building, but it has long been recognised that the N wall of the chancel contains fragments of Anglo-Saxon work, while the nave retains early Romanesque fabric. It is demonstrated here that these early structures represent two discrete axially aligned churches. The Anglo-Saxon church at Prittlewell has been assumed to date from the 7th century, but comparison with similar church buildings points instead to a 10th-century date, suggestive of an absence of continuity between the 7th-century ‘princely’ burial discovered nearby and the foundation of the church. There is no documentation of the church before the Domesday survey, but it is tentatively suggested that a church at Prittlewell was founded in the 10th century as a successor to the nearby minster at Wakering, whose fortunes were then in decline.

The Church of SS Peter and Paul, West Mersea, Essex: An Anglo-Saxon Minster on a Major Roman Villa Site

Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 2019

The church at West Mersea, on Mersea Island, was an Anglo-Saxon minster first documented in the l... more The church at West Mersea, on Mersea Island, was an Anglo-Saxon minster first documented in the later 10th century, but there are signs of earlier origins. The island was accessed by a causeway dated by dendrochronology to the end of the 7th century, while investigation of the fabric of the church indicates that the constructional technique of the lower nave north wall is similar to that of the neighbouring late-7th-century church of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea. Though the evidence is circumstantial, the church at West Mersea may have been built at the same date. The church occupies the site of a very extensive Roman villa complex. This was largely revealed by 18th-century antiquarian activity, which resulted in inevitable destruction of deposits and only vague accounts of features. Nevertheless, an approximate idea of the extent of the villa can be realised. East of the villa was a Roman wheel-tomb supported by twelve buttresses. The latter could have been (re)interpreted in a Christian context, the buttresses symbolising the Apostles.

Origins of the Royal Hall at Havering and St Andrew's Church, Hornchurch, Essex Daniel Secker

Self published, 2020

Havering in Essex is now on outer suburb of London, but was once an important Anglo-Saxon royal e... more Havering in Essex is now on outer suburb of London, but was once an important Anglo-Saxon royal estate. Havering-atte-Bower on a hilltop site in the northern extremity of that estate was the site of a medieval royal house, but was 8km distant from the mother-church at Hornchurch. It is postulated here that the Anglo-Saxon royal hall was originally adjacent to the church, which has indicators of minster status, but that the hall was moved to a more secure location during the troubled reign of Æthelred II (978-1016). Structural analysis of St Andrew's, Hornchurch, suggests that the 13th century and later building may preserve vestiges of an earlier structure. On the other hand, lack of archaeological investigations means that any hypotheses concerning the location of the Anglo-Saxon royal hall remain to be tested

Daniel Secker

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