There will be a very full report of the dig in due course but here is the story of the week in pictures, made possible by the cheerful work of a great team of volunteer diggers, caterers, drivers…
Start in torrential rain. We were only permitted to open up the three trenches from the 1950s dig to confirm their findings before moving on to other areas in coming years.
10 or 12 cheerful diggers each day led by Clare Ellis and Mark Thacker
Getting down to the grafting work
The north wall of the tower exposed, with the west wall of the nave behind
Clare recording the west wall of the nave – up to a metre surviving, showing the sandstone drip stones at original ground level
Mark collecting mortar samples for dating
One of the detailed wall drawings made in the field by Clare, Mary Anne, Andy and Hylda.
Even though we did not open any new ground, we found that the earlier archaeologists had left a jumble of mixed bones: human, cattle, sheep, dog, roe deer, possibly red deer and other species. These were respectfully cleaned, will be identified, and ultimately will be re-interred once identifications have been made.
Surviving sandstone features from the nave were recorded, and other stones were found in neighbouring walls.
A large pile of stones was sifted for building stones
There were ninety-five visitors to the Open Day on Thursday. Combined with visitors on other days, around 150 people viewed the dig.
Finishing up and clearing the site, again in torrential rain.
Site left nearly as we found it (but the excavated areas lined with membrane so that they can be reopened quickly).
This is only the start of the project. There are important things to do in the coming months and years:
In the laboratory/indoors
Dating the building work from mortar samples
Sorting and assessing the finds
Measuring the age of the bones by radiocarbon dating
In the field
Exposure, interpretation and conservation of the remaining nave and tower walls
(offering the possibility of more mortar sampling)
Completion of sorting the major stone pile (we may have found a Neolithic hammerstone there)
Further survey of local walls and buildings for Nave sandstone
We hope to be on site again, next August, finance permitting.
See you there …….
