We’re pleased to say that Nigel, Neil, Doug and some other SSARG members have just started to extend our geophysical survey. This is a piece of work we’ve been meaning to do since 2012 and will give us a much greater coverage of the landscape to the south west of the villa.
Updates to follow – so keep an eye on the blog!
The work is partially funded by the Aston Fund of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society.
We’ve only just returned from Somerset but James is already beginning to think about next Summer.
A few hundred meters south west of where we were digging this year lies a large arable field that until the 1970s contained the earthworks of a deserted medieval settlement that may have been called ‘Barrow’. Unfortunately the earthworks were bulldozed and nothing of this little settlement is now visible,
When the earthworks were destroyed local archaeologists collected a small quantity of medieval pottery. This include some 10-11 century AD sherds. We hope to investigate this field with geophysics over the winter and perhaps carry out some excavation there next year.
Investigating ‘Barrow’ would tell us a lot about how well the archaeological remains of the settlement survive. It might also give us the opportunity to explore the earlier, pre-Norman, phases of activity. The origins of medieval settlements and their relationship with the preceding Roman landscape are important issues and Barrow may offer us an opportunity to address these questions.
We have come to the end of our three weeks here in Somerset and will be sad to wave goodbye to it tomorrow morning…But first, we’d like to thank everyone who made this dig possible:
James and Liz Tabor for allowing us to camp in their field, SSARG for their amazing volunteers and lending us their HQ and some equipment, GeoFlo for their surveys of the fields, Nigel Harvey for his hospitality, Mr and Mrs Unwin and their son Robert for allowing us to dig up their land, Colin and Maggie Baker for their tractor and time, Liz Glaisher and Brympton Parish Council for their support and donations, Liz Caldwell, James Hooper for his ‘big yellow trowel’, The Rt Hon David Laws MP for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit the site, Mike Charles (Ski) for his metal-detecting expertise, Mary Loxton, James and Carol Pullen, the good people of Yeovil, Brympton and Sutton Montis, the Western Gazette, The Camelot, Mudford Stores, Caffè Nero, Bartington Instruments, all of our readers – especially Marie Robinson – and the team’s friends and families.
Without all of you Lufton 2013 wouldn’t have been possible – THANK YOU!
And keep checking the blog for updates on the analysis of this year’s finds.
Team Lufton 2013 L-R from back row: Graham, Cubby, middle row: Dave, Georgia, Danni, James, El, Johanna, Lucy, Pete, front: Andy. © The Lufton Project.
Today was our last day on site and it’s fair to say that it was a bit emotional for some.
The tractor backfilling trench B © The Lufton Project
As the tractor started pushing in the tonnes of earth that we have spent three weeks painstakingly digging the sense of finality really hit home – it’s difficult to believe that most of us won’t be digging again for at least a year!
After packing up our site tent and equipment and reseeding the soil, we headed off to Ham Hill to visit the research excavation there and take in the view of Somerset – our home for nearly a month.
Some of the team relaxing in Mr Unwin's field with trench B in the background © The Lufton Project
Off to the Camelot now to relax before our barbecue tonight!