A POTENTIALLY priceless find has been uncovered under the floorboards of a historic pub during a £1million refurbishment project.

Businessman and future landlord, Robert Morgan, has employed a team of workmen to take on his ambitious project to see the Stockwell Arms, in Colchester’s Dutch Quarter, restored to its former glory.

While workers were carrying out the project, they discovered several manuscripts, which looked like they were written with a quill pen, under the floorboards of the 14th-century pub.

Mr Morgan is sending the fragmented manuscripts off to a museum to be assessed by experts, because he believes they may have been written by Robinson Crusoe author, Daniel Defoe, who is rumoured to have lived there in the 1700s.

Some also believe he wrote Moll Flanders while living in the property.

Mr Morgan said: “This really is a very unexpected and fantastic discovery.

“We are in the process of taking them to experts and talking to museums. We don’t know for sure the manuscripts belong to Daniel Defoe, but we are hoping it’s the case.

“The project has been much more work than I anticipated, largely owing to one of the major beams in the pub having rotted away because of water damage.

“We are having to remove the roof, too, so we can replace it with a new 25ft beam, and this will also involve using a crane and probably closing the road for a day.

“I have had a lot of help from Colchester Council and, although I have gone over budget, I have been careful to make sure things don’t go too overboard.”

Mr Morgan was hoping to open in August, but admits it is more likely to be September or October, when the newly-refurbished pub will open its doors.

He and his wife, Lynn, from Little Cornard, Suffolk, plan on serving traditional English meals prepared using locally-sourced ingredients.

He also wants to revamp the beer garden and make alterations to give the venue a “Georgian” feel.