We have now lifted the last of the burials that we intend to excavate in the chancel of the Anglo-Saxon church. We are now confident that burial did not start in this area until after the church was demolished, probably in the 13th Century. We are also confident that the odd 'niches' cut in the … Continue reading Day 35 -Exploring the loose ends
Category: pottery
Day 34 – Confirmation of some earlier speculation
When we began to excavate burials within the chancel of the Anglo-Saxon church, we thought it was likely they were later medieval and not contemporary with the church itself. Up to now we have found no finds to give any kind of date. However, at last we have some pottery, from what appears to be … Continue reading Day 34 – Confirmation of some earlier speculation
Day 28 – Filling a gap in our knowledge of Ethelburga’s monastery
It may not look very much but this is a very important piece of pottery. It comes from a sealed layer in a pit in the trench we have opened to the east of the War Memorial in the New Churchyard, and it appears to be Middle Saxon, dating probably to the mid 7th Century. … Continue reading Day 28 – Filling a gap in our knowledge of Ethelburga’s monastery
Day 19 – Interesting revelations
We had the highest number of volunteers so far on site today and they made short work of the 20th Century backfill within the chancel. What you see in the picture above is the Anglo-Saxon 7th Century chancel wall to the right, and to the left curving around within the chancel, is a retaining wall … Continue reading Day 19 – Interesting revelations