The Contribution made by Local Volunteers to Archaeological Investigations in Lyminge (1953 - 1955 and 2008 - 2015

181 The conTribuTion made by local volunTeers To archaeological invesTigaTions in lyminge (1953-5 and 2008-2015) john and rosemary piddock lyminge has a wealth of archaeological history and in the past seventy years has experienced a very considerable amount of archaeological investigation. notable excavations were carried out in the village by alan Warhurst from 1953 to 1955 in a field off Canterbury Road. In 2007 Dr Gabor Thomas of Reading University conducted a programme of geophysics and test-pitting of several sites around the village. over the next eight years he led seven large-scale excavations around lyminge. although much has been recorded from an archaeological perspective, less has been written from a social history point of view about the role and contribution of the local volunteers who assisted in these campaigns. This paper explores the impact of the excavations on the village and records some of the memories of the volunteers involved. excavations in the field off canterbury road, 1953-1955 The first excavation was carried out in December 1953 after workmen discovered items buried in the soil when they were building a mushroom shed in the field (Fig. 1). This led to the discovery of what was then called a ‘Jutish cemetery’. Two further excavations were carried out in 1954 and 1955. sixty-four graves were excavated and many artefacts were discovered including brooches, pottery and glassware including a spectacular amber claw beaker. during these excavations local volunteers played an important part in excavating, processing and photographing the finds. One volunteer was Edney Eyres,1 who lived near the excavations in Canterbury Road at that time. Edney kept detailed records of the excavations and the contents of each grave that was excavated. his records were used as the basis for chapter six in the publication, Lyminge a history: Part 2.2 Whilst working on the ‘Jutish Cemetery’ excavation, Edney was particularly thrilled to discover a gold bracteate in grave 16 (Fig. 2).3 according to alan Warhurst this was probably worn as a centre-piece to a string of beads.4 During the 1953-55 excavations most of the photographs were taken on black and white film. Edney was responsible for taking some photographs (Fig. 3). the excavations carried out near the parish church and tayne field, 2008-2015 This series of excavations set out to study the anglo-saxon archaeology buried beneath the core of lyminge village. The excavations focused on areas near the JOHN AND ROSEMARY PIDDOCK 182 church and on Tayne Field. The excavations became a regular feature, not just in the university calendar, but also for the village and especially for the core of regular volunteers who came to help. more than thirty volunteers in total were on hand during the excavations and always in sufficient numbers for the various tasks required. The excavations provided remarkable new insights into the evolution of lyminge as an anglo-saxon royal centre, prominent in the early history of the Kentish church. The first large-scale excavation (2008) was in the grounds of the Old Rectory. The second excavation was carried out in the following year on adjoining land MAP SHOWING LOCATIONS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS Tayne Field The Old Rectory The Churchyard Rectory Lane Fig. 1 Sketch map of excavation sites in Lyminge. taken form the Archaeologia Cantiana, 69 (1955) with the twenty first-century sites added. THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS TO ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMINGE 183 Fig. 2 The gold bracteate in grave 16. Fig. 3 Photography with the help of ladders during 1953-55 excavations. JOHN AND ROSEMARY PIDDOCK 184 belonging to the parish church of st mary and st ethelburga. From 2009 volunteers were encouraged to participate both on the excavations and in processing finds. In 2010 an excavation took place on land off Rectory Lane. The final series of excavations took place on Tayne Field from 2012 to 2015. The volunteer support established over this period was, in many ways, similar to the contributions of volunteers in the fifties, the one obvious difference being that there was a much greater emphasis on on-site training for volunteers in the recent campaign. Jackie Hall, a retired science technician, was one of those keen to help an archaeologist excavating on site in 2009 in the area behind the church. commenting in 2015, Jackie expressed the views of many of those who had helped as volunteers: i enjoyed being part of a wonderful community project in the village and especially sharing the excitement of the discovery of a ‘find’. The highlight of my summer for the last six years! Many volunteers, mainly ladies, worked on the processing of the small finds and artefacts from the various excavations. during the excavations a team was established to help with washing and sorting of the finds. Andrée Sladden, a volunteer from Elham, recalled that they were affectionately known as ‘The lyminge scrubbers’. While working on site, the archaeologists placed the finds into trays which were allocated specific numbers indicating where they had been excavated. The finds were then washed (with the exception of some items including daub and shell that would disintegrate or be damaged by washing). Toothbrushes and wooden skewers were used to remove the centuries of accumulated mud and dirt. Paddy Fraser remembered washing finds during the excavations on Tayne Field. it was for only the last – Tayne Field – years of the excavation that i became involved, and I’m so very glad I did: new friends, new interests, and new discoveries. Those will all endure, I hope. The strongest memory, however, will stay only as a memory: muddy bones. Washed finds were left to dry in a tray and once completely dry they were sorted into storage bags and labelled with their unique reference numbers. although most of the special artefacts were found by the archaeologists as they were excavating, sometimes when the finds were being washed a special discovery was made. Vanessa Carr, a volunteer and a retired archivist, commented that: During the 2015 excavation I picked up a tray of mud-encrusted items to clean. Sticking out of a lump of mud I found a section of a bone comb that actually fitted with another section found the day before. getting it out and cleaning it was insanely exciting! (Fig. 4) during the early stages of the 2015 excavations, rosemary selman, a volunteer from Lyminge, was washing some of the unwashed finds from the previous year that had been bagged at the end of excavation. as she washed the items she discovered a very well preserved brooch (Fig. 5). She recorded that: Working on an excavation that was on my door-step was brilliant! It was better than THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS TO ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMINGE 185 washing tesserae in Tuscany. The excavations became great social events for the volunteers and, for me, the best part was finding the bird [raptor] brooch in 2015. Maureen Cox, a Lyminge resident, recalled that: i felt privileged to handle artefacts which had been buried for so long. The revelation of the long halls was fascinating but the greatest pleasure was seeing the excitement on site when anyone unearthed a special find. Fig. 4 The bone comb found in 2015. Fig. 5 The raptor brooch found in 2015. JOHN AND ROSEMARY PIDDOCK 186 Sometimes, volunteers thought they had discovered a very special item only to find out it was not at all important and would be thrown on to the spoil heap. eileen Jennings, a Lyminge resident remembered: on one occasion, i found a perfect round ball, about the size of a small cannonball. i felt sure it was man-made – but my hopes were dashed – it was iron pyrites! at the end of each of the excavations the volunteers organised an annual afternoon tea that became a welcome tradition for the archaeologists. Although all of the small finds in the more recent excavations were photographed, the opportunity to draw some of the finds was also taken when a volunteer such as Ken Tanner with the appropriate skills was present (Figs 6 and 7). Photographic recording Special finds such as jewellery, beads, iron, glass, worked pottery, bone combs and worked flint were recorded immediately after they were found. They were given a unique number and, after washing and cleaning, were photographed. This aspect of archaeological recording has obviously seen enormous advances since the 1950s. For the excavations carried out by dr Thomas digital photography Fig. 6 Photograph showing Ken Tanner from Folkestone preparing detailed drawings. THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS TO ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMINGE 187 and other techniques have revolutionised the methods and ease of taking, editing, viewing and sharing the images on computers and other media. John Piddock was involved in taking photographs of the excavations and in particular developing a process for photographing the special small finds. During the four excavations carried out on Tayne Field, he photographed all the small finds to provide a database established by the University of Reading. During the period 2009 to 2015 he took several thousand photographs. This would have been extremely time-consuming and prohibitively costly in the days of film photography as in the 1950s excavations. For the first excavation on Tayne Field the photographs were taken on site in a portakabin (Fig. 8). This did not lend itself to the highest quality of image. Indeed, there were many difficulties to overcome including the lack of space to set up the equipment, the ever-varying light conditions, the dusty environment, the availability of a power supply for lights and the vibration caused when people moved about within the portakabin. As the project developed a temporary studio was set up in the authors’ home to overcome these problems. Open Days and Artefacts during the Tayne Field archaeological excavations 2012-2015, volunteers helped to facilitate a number of open days designed to give the feel of anglo-saxon life Fig. 7 An example of Ken Tanner’s detailed drawings of loom weights. JOHN AND ROSEMARY PIDDOCK 188 in lyminge. These were arranged by dr gabor Thomas and his team. hundreds of people visited the open days and were able to experience re-enactments and displays of anglo-saxon life and learn about the results of the excavations. displays of food, clothes and weaponry provided direct evidence of the social history of lyminge at the period. The open days provided further opportunities for volunteers to assist with displays and demonstrations of working on the site. Katharine Barber, a retired school-teacher and Lyminge volunteer, recalled: For me, the most exciting aspect of the excavation was discovering how the anglosaxons lived in lyminge. Through the artefacts such as pottery, tools, beads, jewellery and food remains, we could get closer to their lives. They became real people with needs and feelings and not fictitious inventions. some examples of iron spears and axes were on display at the open days (Fig. 9); a demonstration of flint knapping was also given. Visitors to the Open Days were able to view the working tools and implements used for weaving and producing clothing and other items. This enabled volunteers to relate the small finds, such as loom weights and bone needles and pins, to the various crafts leading to finished articles. Other displays at the Open Days featured food and eating and drinking vessels. These demonstrated the culinary skills that the Anglo-Saxons possessed and also Fig. 8 The temporary photographic apparatus in portakabin. THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS TO ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMINGE 189 the varied diet they enjoyed (Fig. 10). also on show were reproductions of glass vessels similar to the claw beaker and glass bottle discovered in the Jutish Cemetery in lyminge in 1954 (Fig. 11). According to Alan Warhurst: The amber-coloured glass claw beaker was found lying on its side … Although fractured it was recovered completely. The vessel stands 7¼ inches high and the diameter of the mouth, which is strongly flared, is 4 inches. The glass is extremely thin and has many air bubbles trapped in it. Warhurst considered that the bottle would have originated from the Frankish Rhineland. He also suggested that both vessels were manufactured around the middle of the fifth century.5 although the Tayne Field excavations did not reveal any complete glass vessels, they did uncover large quantities of glass fragments for the volunteers to clean and record (Fig. 12). Fig. 9 an example of an actual spearhead found in Tayne Field in 2015 together with an iron spear found during the canterbury road excavations. JOHN AND ROSEMARY PIDDOCK 190 Fig. 10 The photograph shows a table laden with food and includes modern reproductions of anglo-saxon pottery and glass vessels. Fig. 11 Claw beaker and glass bottle discovered in the Jutish Cemetery in Lyminge, 1954. THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS TO ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMINGE 191 Fig. 12 examples of the variety and different colours of glass that were used by the anglo-saxons. JOHN AND ROSEMARY PIDDOCK 192 examples of pottery were prominently featured at the open days. although complete anglo-saxon pottery was not found in the more recent excavations, many sherds were cleaned by volunteers; a complete pot was, however, found in the ‘Jutish cemetery’ in 1954 (Fig. 13). of particular interest to the visitors at the open days and the team of volunteers were the brooches and beads. some of the items found off canterbury road can be compared to those found in the more recent excavations and some of these examples are given below. during the excavations in 1954 and in 2015 various button brooches were discovered. The two brooches shown in Fig. 14 look very similar. Fig. 13 The complete pot found in 1954. Fig. 14 Two button brooches, one found during the 1954 excavation (left) and one in 2015 (right). THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS TO ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMINGE 193 edney eyres catalogued several brooches found during alan Warhurst’s excavations. These included a circular brooch and a square-headed brooch (Fig. 15). a gilded copper-alloy disc brooch inlaid with a central garnet, assessed as early 6th-century was discovered in Tayne Field in 2015 (Fig. 16). garnet-decorated jewellery developed into highly sophisticated forms in Kent during the late 6th and early 7th centuries, but this brooch represents an earlier, more restrained, horizon of this technique.6 it nonetheless represents a high-status piece of jewellery which would have been highly valued by its female owner. a copper-alloy ‘small-long’ brooch with punched ring-and-dot decoration from the 6th century (Fig. 17) was also unearthed. simpler forms of brooch such as this are very common finds in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. One of the most notable finds was the bird brooch discovered in Tayne Field in Fig. 15 a circular brooch and a squareheaded brooch found in 1954. JOHN AND ROSEMARY PIDDOCK 194 2014. it is approximately 2.5cm wide (Fig. 18). it is copper-alloy plate depicting a stylised bird, possibly a dove. This unusual piece has few parallels in the corpus of Anglo-Saxon metalwork and its original function is ambiguous since it is decorated Fig. 16 The brooch discovered in Tayne Field in 2015, after conservation. Fig. 17 A copper-alloy ‘small-long’ brooch with punched ring-and-dot decoration (6th-century). Fig. 18 The bird brooch found in Tayne Field in 2014. THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS TO ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMINGE 195 on both sides and lacks a clear means of attachment. One possibility is that it forms the head of an elaborate pin, the shaft of which has broken away. during the excavations in the Jutish cemetery several beads were discovered in some of the graves. They were carefully removed and some were restrung in the same order in which they were found. it is interesting to compare some of these beads with those found in the Tayne Field excavations (Fig. 19). Fig. 19 a selection of restrung beads from the Jutish cemetery and a selection from the Tayne Field excavations. JOHN AND ROSEMARY PIDDOCK 196 The Commemorative Tapestry When the final excavation by Dr Thomas was finished in the summer of 2015, Katharine Barber and eleven other volunteers decided that they would undertake a project to commemorate the excavations that had been carried out on Tayne Field. The team of ladies set about designing and producing a tapestry. margaret Keeble, a retired school-teacher and one of the team, described the project: When the excavation was completed, it was suggested that we swopped toothbrushes for needles and threads to create a tapestry of life as it might have been in anglo-saxon lyminge. now completed, this project is much more than a piece of embroidery. it is a memory of many happy hours spent on the Tayne Field site from 2012 to 2015. Nikki Barratt, a local artist, drew the picture for the tapestry and this was transferred on to a canvas. The first stitch was made by Pam Sidders on 15 September 2015, and on 16 April 2016, the finished tapestry (Fig. 20), was unveiled in The Tayne centre, lyminge where it is now on permanent display. The tapestry depicts scenes and events associated with anglo-saxon lyminge in the 7th Century including the hall and sunken-featured buildings, the arrival of the Anglo-Saxon King, ploughing, fishing, eating, tending livestock and cooking. everything depicted on the tapestry is based on the artefacts and evidence found during the excavations. Fig. 20 The commemorative tapestry. THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS TO ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMINGE 197 For all the volunteers who have worked on the archaeological excavations in lyminge during the 1950s and in the 21st century, it was not only an exciting opportunity to discover and learn about the history of lyminge in the anglo-saxon period, a time of great historic interest, but also an opportunity to learn and develop new skills and to take part in a most rewarding social history project, leaving a legacy for the future. acknowledgements The authors wish to thank all the volunteers who provided their memories. Thanks also go to Paddy Fraser who spent time proofreading the original draft. special thanks go to Dr Gabor Thomas for his support in providing descriptions of the small finds and artefacts. The photographs of the excavations off canterbury road have been reproduced with permission of the relatives of Edney Eyres. The photographs of the finds from the Jutish Cemetery were taken by John Piddock and reproduced with the kind permission of the Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery which retains the copyright for them. The other photographs used in this publication are copyright of John Piddock. bibliography eyres, e., ‘Journal of the archaeological excavations in lyminge 1953 to 1955’ (unpubl.). Piddock, R., 2011, The Discovery of a Jutish Cemetery 1953, Lyminge a history Part 2. Thomas, g., 2009, Uncovering an Anglo-Saxon Monastery in Kent – Interim Report on University of Reading Excavations at Lyminge, 2008. Thomas, g., 2010, ‘Daily Life in a Double Minster’: Interim Report on University of Reading Excavations at Lyminge, 2009. Thomas, g., 2011, ‘Life before the Anglo-Saxon minster’: Interim Report on University of Reading Excavations at Lyminge, 2010. Warhurst, a., 1955, ‘The Jutish cemetery at lyminge’, Archaeologia Cantiana, 69. university of reading Website – www.lymingearchaeology.org. endnotes 1 sadly, edney eyres died on 26 april 2016, aged 94 years. during the second World War he served as a navigator in the RAF taking part in many missions in Lancaster Bombers. He had played a very important part in the archaeological excavations off canterbury road (when he was a schoolteacher) and for many years had supported the lyminge historical society and, although unable to participate, had been very interested in the recent excavations. edney was extremely happy to know that his work as a volunteer on the excavations off Canterbury Road was being recorded. He was a member of Kas from 1955 until his death. 2 Published by the lyminge historical society. 3 The finds from the excavations in 1953 to 1955 are kept at Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art gallery. 4 Warhurst, a., 1955, ‘The Jutish cemetery at lyminge’. 5 Ibid. 6 ‘horizon’ refers to a distinctive type of sediment, artefact, style or other cultural trait that is found across a large geographical area.