Chester Farm 2019

We are back again for three weeks at Chester Farm as mentioned here, thanks to a collaboration and financial assistance from the University of Leicester.  

I had a personal email from our archaeologist asking if I was free for these three weeks, so as is usual with me, flattery can get you anywhere!  So I said 'Yes' with the proviso that I could no longer dig (I can't get up off the ground very easily) but would be happy to pot wash, which I love.

So last Monday I was there at 8.45am along with some old friends and many students from the University. and after a briefing and a tour of the site we started work.  The weather was good to us on the first day

Just one of the areas being uncovered

and I had plenty of washing to do of items that are called 'unstratified' as they come from a badger sett.

Then the first 'find' of the week came in - a Roman coin, the best that the archaeologist had seen from this site with the head of Magnentius who ruled from 350-353AD and the coin is dated 351.  We could see all this with the naked eye and very little damage.

In the meantime I had been washing this piece of Roman Samian ware and became quite excited by it - I know I am very sad!

During my work with the Portable Antiquities Scheme (see previous post) I have been looking at 'pot mends' and I suddenly realised what this was - a Roman pot mend and it was confirmed by the archaeologist.  Yippee and so exciting. Samian ware was made in Gaul and therefore would have been an expensive item for Mrs Roman at Chester Farm to own, so when she got a hole in it, it would need repairing and so a lead plug would have been put in.

So the week proceeded with the weather being mainly good, though windy.  However Friday was awful and we all left site early looking like drowned and muddy rats.  There was one bright light

This trench full of Roman pots and these were going to be lifted on Monday (today as I write), because the person who found them was not going to be on site until then.  Goody thinks I, as I will get to wash them!!

I was there yesterday, on a glorious sunny Sunday and had a great deal to wash including medieval pottery finds, that I can now recognise and I took this photo to show how the original

trench was coming on.  The two ladies are working on a Roman road and the nearest working is a dwelling.  The gap between the road and the house is a ditch so that the road didn't get waterlogged.  Clever thinking.

What I am not allowed to show you are the skeletons that are now being unearthed to the left of this photo as this is a Roman cemetery.  They will be left in situ until the end of the dig, so that the groups of school children and others, who are going to visit can see them.  Then they will be lifted, washed (a job for me) and marked (also a job for me and others) before going for examination and research by the experts.  This will determine their gender, age, race etc.

But today the weather has changed and there has been constant rain and I decided not to go in as I am sure that there will be no digging as the wet conditions cause damage to the site and I doubt that the pots will be lifted.  Oh bother!!!!

Still I have been able to write a quick post and sort out my photos and show you these.

They are my patchwork socks using three different sock wools and from a pattern by Winwick Mum.  We had to complete them for the June meeting of sock club and I learnt a number of new techniques in sock knitting so well worth making them. 

In my element

Last Monday was another first for me thanks to my volunteering with PAS, so off to London I went by train early in the morning and all expenses paid!  I was going here -

The British Museum (BM)

for a training session and introduction to PAS.  The items that we were to see are all found by individuals either out walking (possibly field walking) or metal detectorists and some are considered to be 'Treasure' reportable to the Coroner before they go back to the finder who can sell them to museums or individuals.  The British Museum do NOT value items but send them to an independent valuer

Our first speaker was the Curator of the Horological Collection who showed us examples of small clock finds in the ground.  They cannot clean them up because they would disintegrate but they do use X-rays, which tell them a lot.  Watches were first made in the 1500s, which I did not realise .

'Treasure' can be different things - precious metals like gold and silver, or large quantities of coins.

About 2" across with gold rings on the points

This is a 5,000 year old Bronze Age 'bulla' made of gold!  Double click on the photo to see the intricate construction made without the tools we use nowadays.  Mind blowing.

Axe heads

These were found in South Wales, date 875-800BC.  They could have been buried by a metal worker.

These two photos are a copper alloy strap end, with two silver rivets (hence they are treasure) and are from the 9th century.  I love this face and makes me smile.

This beautiful item is gold with garnets set into it and is part of a sword pyramid.

This item is a silver barbel for hawks made by Will Englefield in the 17th century.  It is tiny.

We were also shown a gold Roman finger ring that I photographed but cannot show because it hasn't been to the Coroner yet!!

Next stop was the museum's Coins and Medals Collection, but no photography here at all.  It was a numismatist's dream with racks of coin boxes and we were shown different Roman coins.  The UK has the best database in the world for coins as we record the best.  We were shown Roman gold coins found by a river bank in Kent that could have been buried by a soldier on his way to the North and never coming back for it, as well as coins from the Hoxne Hoard 

After this we had a gallery tour of the BM and actually saw how the Hoxne Hoard was found.

So ended a brilliant day out, but before I left I had to visit this collection -

The original helmet from the Sutton Hoo collection

A reconstruction of the helmet

I have been to Sutton Hoo but never seen the helmet before.

So ended an informative training day, but not before I had booked myself onto a conference for PAS volunteers later in June, also at the BM!!

For anyone wanting to see crafty things, my apologies but during summer months these get pushed onto the back burner and also because this week I am looking after my younger son's dog so plenty of walks and exercise both for him and me.  Our local countryside at its best.

Another tick on the 'Bucket List'!!

Last Sunday saw me on my way to Leicester with the 50+ Adventure Club for another outing on a lovely sunny day.  We were going to have a guided tour of the old parts of the city and though Leicester is close to me in mileage I know very little about it historically AND I always get lost when I have to drive through it and usually go a long way round to get out!

I knew that there had been a Roman settlement there and that was our first stop, to see the Roman walls

and remains of the baths

Then onto the castle area and the church of St Mary de Castro (St Mary of the Castle) whose origins show that it was built within the enclosure of the castle.

Richard 111 would probably have worshipped here before the Battle of Bosworth as he could have stayed in the castle and it is believed that Geoffrey Chaucer married his second wife here.

Castle Yard

The 'Motte' of the castle is still there but overgrown with vegetation so not easy to photograph and our guide said that the Victorians had chopped the top off to make a bowling green - what vandals they were!!

We exited the Castle Yard through one of the old town gates.

We were now into the slightly more modern part of the city and passed -

The Chantry House

built by William Wigston in 1511, a wealthy wool merchant, to house two priests to say prayers and masses for the souls of the Royal family and his own family.  In about 1600 it became a grand domestic residence.

The Magazine Gateway -

was originally one of the entrances to the religious precinct of Leicester but as I always find when I take a photo was under maintenance!!

Something a little more modern, a mural which seems to promote Leicester City football club, who were actually going to be playing against Chelsea FC when we were there.

We were shown 

Wygston's House

which is a beautiful example of a late 15th century timber framed wool merchant's house.  It is now a restaurant with music blasting out of it!!

Next stop was the Guildhall

and we spent sometime looking round here

The Hall is still used for public meetings and concerts.

However the most exciting part was to come when we went into the Cathedral.  On the tour we had passed this car park

once again having work done to it - just my luck, because this is where the skeleton of King Richard 111 was found.  It is behind the stone wall that you can see in the corner.

Though one of the newest and smallest cathedrals in the country Leicester is now famous for this tomb

 I have been wanting to visit this ever since it was discovered and I found it a very moving experience.

'Loyalty binds me'

The tomb is made of fossilised Swaledale stone quarried in North Yorkshire (he was the last member of the House of York).  His coat of arms and the boar are incised on the tomb.

At the other end of the cathedral is the pall of Richard 111

Quite magnificent and the embroiders amongst the group spent a long time trying to work out how it was made!!

Finally here is 'the King under the car park' found within the first 2 hours of digging

and if the digger had gone in a foot further either way he would never have been found!

Procrastination!

I was reading this blog the other day and there was word that I decided suited me to a tee.  I am a procrastinator but not in a negative way: I have been busy lately but there is nothing that would be worth a blog post on its own.

Since becoming a volunteer with Nenescape I have had the chance to do a variety of different projects and at the end of March I went to a conference organised by the Nene Valley Archaeological Trust  at Castor near Peterborough.  It was an excellent conference and so interesting and afterwards I had a look round their parish church dedicated to St Kyneburgha.

What I found interesting was that the graveyard had been fenced and there was a small flock of sheep and lambs in there keeping the grass down - what a good idea, but no good if you wanted to put flowers on a grave!

Inside I tried to take a photo of the ceiling and this is the best as I was almost lying on my back!

What wonderful angels!

If you read my blog (and I know some do as they ask me when it is going to be written!) you will remember that I recently did a 'litter pick' down the Greenway and we also planted new shrubs and there were some bigger trees planted.  Well the vandals did uproot some of the bigger trees and they were replanted, but cycling down there yesterday I was amazed to see these -

three different seats, that we were told were going to be installed but quite unusual in design.  There is carving on the back -

Click to get a better photo

and the third one -

Backless!

 but the trees round it are in blossom, so the vandals have been vanquished for the moment.

This cycle ride yesterday was part of my participation in a scheme called 'Beat the Street' that I got into by chance.  If you use Facebook, does something flash up and then you can't find it again.  Well that happened to me and annoyingly, I couldn't find it again but I did remember something about a cycle ride so I went on the off-chance and it was part of Beat the Street and I was hooked.  It is a Lottery funded scheme supported by the local council, to get people out and about, whether walking, running, cycling or scooting, but exercising.  A clever scheme because schools are participating and the more points they get, so they get prizes and if the children are out so will be the parents, grandparents etc.  I have a credit card and a map showing the 'Beat boxes'

fixed to lamp posts and if you can't find it ask any child you see nearby!  The first time I went out I met a 'lycra clad' young man (well he was about 30!) in a local village and we teamed up to find the other boxes.  As he had only lived in the area for three years I showed him a quick way home and in the course of conversation discovered he had a son at a local school so they are getting all my points - all 660 of them.  Over Easter I have covered 30 miles looking for boxes and still have my local ones to tap.  I am feeling very 'exercised' at the moment and decided to rest today AND write the blog!!!

Apart from  exercising I have been gardening both at home and at my 'Cambridge' allotment.

When my late husband and I first moved into this house I brought with me a Bay Tree that I had in my last house.  It was about 12" (30cms) tall and, like Topsy, it grew and foolishly I did nothing about it

It was too tall and too dense and was making my garden dark, with too much shade and so I had it cut down 

and what a difference it has made. I am still deciding what to do with the space and have just sprinkled a wildflower seed mix for the time being.

However, in Cambridge my son and I have been busy finishing 'Muntjac proofing' our raised beds

Wire netting around each bed, with a very smart gate to get in AND it appears to be working.  The only problem is pigeons and black netting is all that is required for them and so we have a much more productive vegetable garden from 2 of the beds and third is going to be soft fruit.

This little fellow was helping us

Mr 'Bailey'!

who will be coming to stay with me soon when the family go on holiday. I am currently growing seeds in my greenhouse

for planting out in the raised beds.  Yes, those are lavatory roll holders and have runner and French bean seeds in them!

I have a pair of socks on the go and another sewing project but I will save them for another day, as the sun is out and I must cut the grass!  Oh and I am so excited as I have a place on a workshop at the British Museum with my train fare paid!!  Watch this space.