The new season started this month and we are looking at the northwest corner of the house.
As can be seen on this photo we found a foundation with several courses of stone with a width of 600mm, just like the other main foundations from previous seasons.
We have been extending the trench to find the corner, but nothing so far. We will continue to extend, within reason, until we find it, as this is the final corner needed to ascertain the size of the main structure.
As can be seen here, above and below, we are finding that several courses survive and as we excavate the surrounding layer more come to light. This surrounding material is a very mixed dump of sandy clay and rubble butting up to the foundation.
Two very nice finds are the silver gilt and decorated button and a silver spoon. The spoon bowl has been folded in on itself before being thrown away, but why such a valuable item was destroyed rather than just lost intact will never be known.
We have had new members volunteering on site this season, one volunteer having had extensive experience working on sites in another county, but now living here. For other members this is their first excavation, but they have been cracking on and picking up the skills needed to become archaeologists.
Keep looking in to find out how we are doing.
