August 20, 2024 • 12 mins
Join us as we delve into the captivating world of archaeology across the UK in this episode of the Tales from the Trowel Podcast. Our journey begins at the picturesque village, where Stephen and Darren explore the first test pit, uncovering layers of history buried beneath the soil. From the idyllic surroundings of Lady Well to the ancient tracks and medieval routes, each dig reveals fascinating insights into the past.
We meet dedicated archaeologists, including young Emily with her metal detector, and enthusiastic homeowners eager to uncover relics from bygone eras. Discover how modern finds like pottery, glass, and coal pave the way for more significant, ancient discoveries as we dig deeper. From Victorian treasures to potential medieval roads, this episode is a treasure trove of historical intrigue.
Tune in to hear stories of hand-made nails, prehistoric, hand axes. Whether you're an archaeology enthusiast or a history buff, this episode offers a glimpse into the meticulous and exciting world of uncovering the UK’s hidden histories.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Digging up the best in archaeology from around the uk this is the tales from the travel podcast,
so the first test pit we've come to is the furthest point from the the hall
where we are convening and the first test pit is with steven hello steven hello
(00:23):
darren how you doing so this is number?
This is number 90. This is number 19. So what, it's actually an idyllic place
you've got here Stephen, it's very nice.
I'm going to paint a scene here but is this, so what do we think this mound
is running through? It's a lovely little spot.
It's running from the village itself to the Lady Well and the church up further
to the east of the village. So the Lady Wells were like the Holy Wells weren't they?
(00:47):
Well I don't know. I think they're interchangeable names. You never know it
might have been there before the church. Right interesting.
That's just a guess. So you've You've got five wagtails, you've got a hare,
you've got a... I've got a hare?
There was a hare run across. I've got a greenfinch behind me.
There's a greenfinch, right.
So, okay, so what have we got? So you've gone down your first spit here,
(01:07):
haven't you? Your first... Yeah, we've gone down 10 centimetres through the topsoil.
I've de-turfed it, taken off the topsoil.
And luckily, at the spit depth of 10 centimetres, which we have to go down,
I've come to a second layer of... It looks as though it's been dumped from fires. in the nearby farm.
So like a midden sort of thing, right, okay.
(01:28):
Whether they've done it to deliberately flatten it or not or whether they've
just chucked the stuff out.
If that was to be a road that runs across the tight, you're slightly down from that.
Yeah, that's why we dug here. We didn't want to dig in the road because it would be too hard.
Yeah, yeah. But also on the road, there's obviously a chance of finding objects.
True. Well, if I get this one finished, you never know, I might do another one.
(01:49):
Digging up the best in archaeology from around the UK. Okay this is the Tales
from the Travel Podcast.
So right Stephen we're now approaching what I think's been deemed as lunchtime
and you're down your first depth so what's what's the process from here?
Well I'm just cleaning it up so that's taken two hours almost exactly from the
moment I came here. Right.
(02:11):
So we've deturfed it we've set it out we've deturfed it we've gone down the first bit of
10 centimeters and miraculously at
10 centimeters we've come to a second layer different context with
different material in it's full of coal and
slate and all sorts of rubbish that people have thrown from their fires right
we've also hit two stones which might be significant but now i've gone through
(02:35):
the top bit it's all cleaned the sides are cleaned the bottom's cleaned now
i'll record it so i'll record all the finds that i've made which are modern
and finds of pottery and glass and coal.
Which is what you'd expect in the top layer, wouldn't you? Yes,
you would find that everywhere in England.
Right. So really the goodies of any age are going to be further down.
(02:55):
The further down we go, the deeper we get, the older we get.
Well, in amongst the next context, in amongst the next 10 centimetres,
we might find something, let's say, from Victorian times or hopefully.
And then below that, that's where the good stuff might come.
And you're stealing the side. Right, this trench is the furthest in the village.
(03:17):
It's probably the most picturesque in the village on the edge of the farm.
And we have five ladies working away.
So what trench number do we have, Lynn? 20. It's number 20.
So why here? Why is the pit being put in this spot? Why here? Yes.
Because we have stone in the edge of the escarpment here.
(03:41):
And where the tree is, there's some very large stones. So we positioned this
far enough away from that tree, close enough to this stone here.
What does that suggest that it could be?
We don't know yet. So no. There seems to be a track.
There is. and this could turn up in this disc. Right, so this could be the surface of... It could.
(04:04):
It could. The truck was known as South Road. Okay.
And its purpose? It was from the church, which is halfway between here and Whitney Way. Yeah.
And the track, according to Aby's discoveries, went all the way up here,
(04:26):
where we think it went, past these trees, across the road,
and right to the other end of the village, and then down into a very ancient
lane known as Ravensford. forward.
So this could have been the truck that predated the current roads?
Yeah, well, yes. This could have been the original. According to a medieval
(04:46):
map, the main road through the village now was known as North Road,
and this was South Road. The South Road? Fantastic.
Was this involved with the burials coming into the village?
The burial road? Well, it linked up somewhere here, we think. Right.
Because the burial road came from that direction, didn't it?
(05:09):
From overlands and softly, places like that.
Yes, that's come from the south, which couldn't directly across it.
This was the only big church in existence in medieval times.
So the coffin routes all came, we think, to this area, these fields here,
and then down to the church.
(05:31):
Right because there maybe would have been a point where they they would
less the coffins yeah there are there are
coffin stones coffin stones yes and they
still can they still be seen there's one over there in the field is that yeah
there's one on daniel bank going up that bank into towards cockfields there's
any plans of putting a trench there i take it this is your property this is
(05:54):
that that field that field is all right brilliant so so what have we found so So far,
we've got, I'm going to say stones, there's roots.
We have an iron artefact. An iron artefact.
That came from this. Came about there, round about there, within the stone, right?
So it was in this cluster of stone. It's a piece of glass. Some quartz. It's quartz.
(06:18):
Some quartz. What about that one?
Fantastic. That's an unusual jake. Emily's our youngest archaeologist.
She's only five. She's five.
She's five. She probably knows more than the rest of us. She's actually very
good. She loves doing that sort of thing. Oh, fantastic.
That's a good thing. She's actually got a metal detector. Oh, fantastic.
(06:41):
She searches for jewels at home. Oh, bless her. We all do that.
She's more successful than I am.
Anyway, well, brilliant. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Right, so we're down at the east end of the village And we're in trench number,
Sixteen Number sixteen And we're with the property owners Who are doing all
(07:02):
the work themselves So have you found anything as yet?
Well we've found a Homemade Was it?
Homemade nail Right Lots of bits of coal Pottery Nothing much exciting I don't
think I think that's pretty much what you'd expect to find So far like So this
is something that interests you is it?
(07:23):
Oh, yeah, definitely, yeah. I've always been interested in ancient history and things. Yeah.
You know, anything big or small would ever may turn up, so I was quite excited.
Is this something you pursued? Have you done it in the past,
or...? Well, I've got a metal detector.
I was just going round the backfield for things like that, but nothing big,
you know, just... And have you found anything in the backfield? No.
(07:46):
There you are. Just tractor sprockets and barbed wire and things like that.
Well, that's pretty much what you do find, really.
So, no, it's excellent. Have you never thought about volunteering or to do any?
I have done, but I've never really had much time. You haven't said.
I mean, I never thought I'd be able to do it. But with the Auckland Project,
there is opportunities there. And you can just dip in and dip out. Right.
It's pretty good. Sounds good. And everyone's pretty friendly.
(08:08):
And altogether archaeology.
And altogether archaeology. And altogether archaeology, of course,
which is the Paramount group. No, this is brilliant.
So what would you expect to find? What would you like to find?
I'd like to find old coins, you know, like really old coins.
Things like that. Old tools. I mean, next door, they just showed us a prehistoric...
(08:34):
Perry said it was prehistoric. Was it a... Hand axe. Hand axe.
But he found this at Wynyard, not in Hampstead. Right. Which is pretty good.
But when you see something like that, you think, oh, it'd be exciting just to
pull something up like that.
Do you know the history of the property? Have you?
Well, not really. Not enough. Like, it's ancient history. There was a house.
(08:54):
The house originally was at the front garden. Right.
Because when you talk to this, this used to be the pub, this used to be the smithy,
this used to be the coal house this house is quite new actually the older house
was literally where the garden is that's all gone now so it is beautiful though
it's a beautiful house the interest is fine so in terms of hamstley terms this
(09:16):
is quite a new house whereas the room next door is obviously a much older farmhouse
but yeah it's all interesting
there might have been old farm buildings here once over so we're also joined
by some of the neighbours are you lads interested yes they are aren't they yeah
two young children do you want to have Have a little, just have a little squirt.
Teddy will, definitely.
Have a go. It was seven and five. They know what Simon's doing.
(09:38):
And they've been reading up about what's happening in the village, haven't you?
So we've come to, Dad's going to cut the grass and they're going to explore
further through the village and see what... Have you not give up any land to Thunderdale?
Unfortunately, most of our land is, it's stone patio all the way front and back.
Is this? Oh, shit. And there's very little soft digging area.
(09:58):
Now, there was a garden that I re-turfed last year, but I dug down to put a
new stone wall in. And I found an awful lot of coal.
Right. It was like a coal seam. Really?
Which I was really surprised. And that was probably within three or four feet.
From this point, it was probably 18 or 20 quid deeper than here.
Because I've been in one of the old 1800 houses down the road. A coal in the village?
(10:23):
It was a seam. It was certainly a seam. There was any coal mining in the village,
historically? Historically. Oh.
Do you want some corn? Graham said that the driftman died.
Sorry, Perry. Graham said the guy next door.
Mine about three fields that that direction right okay
that might actually explain yeah as a
crow for 20 foot deeper than here far gone down three or four feet yeah maybe
(10:47):
about 20 foot but yeah most of the coal mine on that side of the year 68 obviously
you know yeah yeah this is not known for it it sort of skirts around us pockfield
even would have loved it that would have been probably an occasional opportunist
one you know but they came and went so quickly yeah Yeah, yeah.
You know, like see, in Witten Park, you'd have 20 pits. Yes.
You know, just came and went and then move along about 100 yards.
(11:09):
Yeah, off the roof. Then another one.
So, you know, like the Stopland Darling, you know, they came and went.
Put another shaft down. Right.
Yeah. So what about the history of the village? I mean, going back,
there isn't a lot of documentary about your sister, really.
I don't believe there is. I mean, this is what Aidy, you know,
the organiser of this, is really determined to try and find out more about starting
with the church and then moving into the village.
And so it's... Why the village... He's inspirational, yeah. why the village came about.
(11:33):
Because you can put it down to other villages, why things happened.
So, you know, like you say, the coal mines, the collieries obviously came in
the late 1800s, early 1900s.
I tried to find out as much as I could because I thought if I'm doing this it's
going to be good to have some information.
The two main things I could find out was in County Durham, Hampstead was the
(11:53):
first place to grow potatoes. Right.
And Michael Caine shot two scenes of Gekka down at Drydale Hall.
And just at the junction there as well. So the earliest licence coal mines were about 1340. Nice, wow.
There you go, what a surprise. Over on Cockfield Fowl. Oh, Cockfield, yes, absolutely.
(12:15):
Cockfield, yeah, for sure. So
you can bet your bottom line it was going on elsewhere. Of course, yeah.
Oh, that's brilliant. Well, thanks, folks. I hope you find something nice.
Yes, I hope so. You'll soon get the work done with each of them,
folks. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks.
Digging up the best in archaeology from around the UK. This is the Tales from the Travel Podcast.
Digging up the best in archaeology from around the uk this is the tales from the travel podcast,
so the first test pit we've come to is the furthest point from the the hall
where we are convening and the first test pit is with steven hello steven hello
(00:23):
darren how you doing so this is number?
This is number 90. This is number 19. So what, it's actually an idyllic place
you've got here Stephen, it's very nice.
I'm going to paint a scene here but is this, so what do we think this mound
is running through? It's a lovely little spot.
It's running from the village itself to the Lady Well and the church up further
to the east of the village. So the Lady Wells were like the Holy Wells weren't they?
(00:47):
Well I don't know. I think they're interchangeable names. You never know it
might have been there before the church. Right interesting.
That's just a guess. So you've You've got five wagtails, you've got a hare,
you've got a... I've got a hare?
There was a hare run across. I've got a greenfinch behind me.
There's a greenfinch, right.
So, okay, so what have we got? So you've gone down your first spit here,
(01:07):
haven't you? Your first... Yeah, we've gone down 10 centimetres through the topsoil.
I've de-turfed it, taken off the topsoil.
And luckily, at the spit depth of 10 centimetres, which we have to go down,
I've come to a second layer of... It looks as though it's been dumped from fires. in the nearby farm.
So like a midden sort of thing, right, okay.
(01:28):
Whether they've done it to deliberately flatten it or not or whether they've
just chucked the stuff out.
If that was to be a road that runs across the tight, you're slightly down from that.
Yeah, that's why we dug here. We didn't want to dig in the road because it would be too hard.
Yeah, yeah. But also on the road, there's obviously a chance of finding objects.
True. Well, if I get this one finished, you never know, I might do another one.
(01:49):
Digging up the best in archaeology from around the UK. Okay this is the Tales
from the Travel Podcast.
So right Stephen we're now approaching what I think's been deemed as lunchtime
and you're down your first depth so what's what's the process from here?
Well I'm just cleaning it up so that's taken two hours almost exactly from the
moment I came here. Right.
(02:11):
So we've deturfed it we've set it out we've deturfed it we've gone down the first bit of
10 centimeters and miraculously at
10 centimeters we've come to a second layer different context with
different material in it's full of coal and
slate and all sorts of rubbish that people have thrown from their fires right
we've also hit two stones which might be significant but now i've gone through
(02:35):
the top bit it's all cleaned the sides are cleaned the bottom's cleaned now
i'll record it so i'll record all the finds that i've made which are modern
and finds of pottery and glass and coal.
Which is what you'd expect in the top layer, wouldn't you? Yes,
you would find that everywhere in England.
Right. So really the goodies of any age are going to be further down.
(02:55):
The further down we go, the deeper we get, the older we get.
Well, in amongst the next context, in amongst the next 10 centimetres,
we might find something, let's say, from Victorian times or hopefully.
And then below that, that's where the good stuff might come.
And you're stealing the side. Right, this trench is the furthest in the village.
(03:17):
It's probably the most picturesque in the village on the edge of the farm.
And we have five ladies working away.
So what trench number do we have, Lynn? 20. It's number 20.
So why here? Why is the pit being put in this spot? Why here? Yes.
Because we have stone in the edge of the escarpment here.
(03:41):
And where the tree is, there's some very large stones. So we positioned this
far enough away from that tree, close enough to this stone here.
What does that suggest that it could be?
We don't know yet. So no. There seems to be a track.
There is. and this could turn up in this disc. Right, so this could be the surface of... It could.
(04:04):
It could. The truck was known as South Road. Okay.
And its purpose? It was from the church, which is halfway between here and Whitney Way. Yeah.
And the track, according to Aby's discoveries, went all the way up here,
(04:26):
where we think it went, past these trees, across the road,
and right to the other end of the village, and then down into a very ancient
lane known as Ravensford. forward.
So this could have been the truck that predated the current roads?
Yeah, well, yes. This could have been the original. According to a medieval
(04:46):
map, the main road through the village now was known as North Road,
and this was South Road. The South Road? Fantastic.
Was this involved with the burials coming into the village?
The burial road? Well, it linked up somewhere here, we think. Right.
Because the burial road came from that direction, didn't it?
(05:09):
From overlands and softly, places like that.
Yes, that's come from the south, which couldn't directly across it.
This was the only big church in existence in medieval times.
So the coffin routes all came, we think, to this area, these fields here,
and then down to the church.
(05:31):
Right because there maybe would have been a point where they they would
less the coffins yeah there are there are
coffin stones coffin stones yes and they
still can they still be seen there's one over there in the field is that yeah
there's one on daniel bank going up that bank into towards cockfields there's
any plans of putting a trench there i take it this is your property this is
(05:54):
that that field that field is all right brilliant so so what have we found so So far,
we've got, I'm going to say stones, there's roots.
We have an iron artefact. An iron artefact.
That came from this. Came about there, round about there, within the stone, right?
So it was in this cluster of stone. It's a piece of glass. Some quartz. It's quartz.
(06:18):
Some quartz. What about that one?
Fantastic. That's an unusual jake. Emily's our youngest archaeologist.
She's only five. She's five.
She's five. She probably knows more than the rest of us. She's actually very
good. She loves doing that sort of thing. Oh, fantastic.
That's a good thing. She's actually got a metal detector. Oh, fantastic.
(06:41):
She searches for jewels at home. Oh, bless her. We all do that.
She's more successful than I am.
Anyway, well, brilliant. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Right, so we're down at the east end of the village And we're in trench number,
Sixteen Number sixteen And we're with the property owners Who are doing all
(07:02):
the work themselves So have you found anything as yet?
Well we've found a Homemade Was it?
Homemade nail Right Lots of bits of coal Pottery Nothing much exciting I don't
think I think that's pretty much what you'd expect to find So far like So this
is something that interests you is it?
(07:23):
Oh, yeah, definitely, yeah. I've always been interested in ancient history and things. Yeah.
You know, anything big or small would ever may turn up, so I was quite excited.
Is this something you pursued? Have you done it in the past,
or...? Well, I've got a metal detector.
I was just going round the backfield for things like that, but nothing big,
you know, just... And have you found anything in the backfield? No.
(07:46):
There you are. Just tractor sprockets and barbed wire and things like that.
Well, that's pretty much what you do find, really.
So, no, it's excellent. Have you never thought about volunteering or to do any?
I have done, but I've never really had much time. You haven't said.
I mean, I never thought I'd be able to do it. But with the Auckland Project,
there is opportunities there. And you can just dip in and dip out. Right.
It's pretty good. Sounds good. And everyone's pretty friendly.
(08:08):
And altogether archaeology.
And altogether archaeology. And altogether archaeology, of course,
which is the Paramount group. No, this is brilliant.
So what would you expect to find? What would you like to find?
I'd like to find old coins, you know, like really old coins.
Things like that. Old tools. I mean, next door, they just showed us a prehistoric...
(08:34):
Perry said it was prehistoric. Was it a... Hand axe. Hand axe.
But he found this at Wynyard, not in Hampstead. Right. Which is pretty good.
But when you see something like that, you think, oh, it'd be exciting just to
pull something up like that.
Do you know the history of the property? Have you?
Well, not really. Not enough. Like, it's ancient history. There was a house.
(08:54):
The house originally was at the front garden. Right.
Because when you talk to this, this used to be the pub, this used to be the smithy,
this used to be the coal house this house is quite new actually the older house
was literally where the garden is that's all gone now so it is beautiful though
it's a beautiful house the interest is fine so in terms of hamstley terms this
(09:16):
is quite a new house whereas the room next door is obviously a much older farmhouse
but yeah it's all interesting
there might have been old farm buildings here once over so we're also joined
by some of the neighbours are you lads interested yes they are aren't they yeah
two young children do you want to have Have a little, just have a little squirt.
Teddy will, definitely.
Have a go. It was seven and five. They know what Simon's doing.
(09:38):
And they've been reading up about what's happening in the village, haven't you?
So we've come to, Dad's going to cut the grass and they're going to explore
further through the village and see what... Have you not give up any land to Thunderdale?
Unfortunately, most of our land is, it's stone patio all the way front and back.
Is this? Oh, shit. And there's very little soft digging area.
(09:58):
Now, there was a garden that I re-turfed last year, but I dug down to put a
new stone wall in. And I found an awful lot of coal.
Right. It was like a coal seam. Really?
Which I was really surprised. And that was probably within three or four feet.
From this point, it was probably 18 or 20 quid deeper than here.
Because I've been in one of the old 1800 houses down the road. A coal in the village?
(10:23):
It was a seam. It was certainly a seam. There was any coal mining in the village,
historically? Historically. Oh.
Do you want some corn? Graham said that the driftman died.
Sorry, Perry. Graham said the guy next door.
Mine about three fields that that direction right okay
that might actually explain yeah as a
crow for 20 foot deeper than here far gone down three or four feet yeah maybe
(10:47):
about 20 foot but yeah most of the coal mine on that side of the year 68 obviously
you know yeah yeah this is not known for it it sort of skirts around us pockfield
even would have loved it that would have been probably an occasional opportunist
one you know but they came and went so quickly yeah Yeah, yeah.
You know, like see, in Witten Park, you'd have 20 pits. Yes.
You know, just came and went and then move along about 100 yards.
(11:09):
Yeah, off the roof. Then another one.
So, you know, like the Stopland Darling, you know, they came and went.
Put another shaft down. Right.
Yeah. So what about the history of the village? I mean, going back,
there isn't a lot of documentary about your sister, really.
I don't believe there is. I mean, this is what Aidy, you know,
the organiser of this, is really determined to try and find out more about starting
with the church and then moving into the village.
And so it's... Why the village... He's inspirational, yeah. why the village came about.
(11:33):
Because you can put it down to other villages, why things happened.
So, you know, like you say, the coal mines, the collieries obviously came in
the late 1800s, early 1900s.
I tried to find out as much as I could because I thought if I'm doing this it's
going to be good to have some information.
The two main things I could find out was in County Durham, Hampstead was the
(11:53):
first place to grow potatoes. Right.
And Michael Caine shot two scenes of Gekka down at Drydale Hall.
And just at the junction there as well. So the earliest licence coal mines were about 1340. Nice, wow.
There you go, what a surprise. Over on Cockfield Fowl. Oh, Cockfield, yes, absolutely.
(12:15):
Cockfield, yeah, for sure. So
you can bet your bottom line it was going on elsewhere. Of course, yeah.
Oh, that's brilliant. Well, thanks, folks. I hope you find something nice.
Yes, I hope so. You'll soon get the work done with each of them,
folks. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks.
Digging up the best in archaeology from around the UK. This is the Tales from the Travel Podcast.
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