National Trust Archaeology

Today is #EssexDay, and we’re hearing from Angus, @nationaltrust.org.uk East of England archaeologist, with a post he’s titled “Looking for Vikings, finding Girl Guides”. He says “Nestling quietly in a muddy Essex estuary lies Northey Island." 🧵

"We didn’t find the Vikings but instead found evidence that someone else had camped here more recently. The finds include old style ring pulls from lemonade cans and many low denomination coins, and critically a little clover-leaf badge bearing two Gs for Girl Guides!”

You can find out more about the probable site of the Battle of Maldon in 991 here: heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRec...

"This was the last time Saxon warriors confronted the Vikings, first they attempted to buy off the raiders but then the raiders turned settlers and took over most of England."

"In 2013, with the help of local metal detecting club, we decided to look for the battle site and for the Viking camp. At the time the battle site was unavailable so we focused on the island where the Vikings would have camped."

"Just a few dry fields poking out of the mud, connected to the mainland by a causeway that disappears at high tide. But go back a thousand years and this was the site of a battle which changed English history – but unlike 1066, 991 has been forgotten by the writers of popular history books."

"Back then a raiding Viking army confronted the pride of Essex in the form of Earl Brihtnoth and the best Saxon fighters from the county. Unfortunately the battle turned out badly for the Earl and his army, as he was slain and his army ran away."

It’s #NorthamptonshireDay so we’re off to its rural heart, and Lyveden, a rare survivor of the Elizabethan era, and the unfinished vision of Sir Thomas Tresham. 🧵

With support from a public appeal, the National Trust acquired the garden and lodge in 1922. The manor house and an additional 27 acres of grounds came into Trust ownership in 2013.

The National Trust has uncovered the Elizabethan garden, restoring the moated channels, clearing scrub and reinstating the lower orchard using many of the original fruit varieties. You can read more about Lyveden here: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/leices...

It’s #NorthamptonshireDay so we’re off to its rural heart, and Lyveden, a rare survivor of the Elizabethan era, and the unfinished vision of Sir Thomas Tresham. 🧵

Today, as in the 16th century, visitors can enjoy views across the garden and to the landscape beyond by climbing the spiral mounds. Raised terraces reveal and screen views, whilst offering an elevated walkway akin to an Elizabethan long gallery.

Three sides of a moated garden were completed, creating an area surrounded by canals and with viewing mounds at each corner. Either incomplete or since lost, the centre was intended as an orchard planted with circular borders of roses and raspberries.

It’s #NorthamptonshireDay so we’re off to its rural heart, and Lyveden, a rare survivor of the Elizabethan era, and the unfinished vision of Sir Thomas Tresham. 🧵

The garden, with canals, raised terraces, viewing mounts and orchards, remarkably survives largely intact: heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRec...

It is one of the oldest surviving gardens in the country. From the manor house, the garden gradually unfolds, the route ascending through the orchard and moated garden to the lodge, designed as a place of retreat and for entertaining.

It’s #NorthamptonshireDay so we’re off to its rural heart, and Lyveden, a rare survivor of the Elizabethan era, and the unfinished vision of Sir Thomas Tresham. 🧵

The grounds include the remains of a Medieval moated house, demolished when Tresham’s formal gardens were created: heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRec...

Books are always a great way to find out more about the archaeology and heritage of places in the care of the National Trust, and we’re lucky to have such a brilliant variety on offer! Here are just a few highlights.

From the vast spaces of the Cellarium to the soaring heights of the ruins above you can read all about the incredible archaeology at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal in a book by NT's very own Mark Newman.

Explore Britain's Folklore Year with this book that journeys through the seasons, exploring the customs, rituals and forgotten stories rooted in our landscape, and captures traditions that have shaped communities for centuries. All books available from National Trust shops or other retailers.

Legends and Landmarks, by Jo Woolf, looks at natural wonders including Cheddar Gorge, Sherwood Forest and the white cliffs of Dover, and those made by people in the past such as Avebury, Uffington White Horse and the burial mounds of Sutton Hoo.

Explore the comprehensive record of archaeological research at Chedworth Roman Villa from its discovery in the 1860s to the present day - Chedworth Roman Villa: Excavations and Re-imaginings from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-first Centuries by Simon Esmonde Cleary, Jason Wood and Emma Durham

In 2017, a message in a bottle, left by SG Doggett in 1906, was found under the floorboards at Knole. His family donated his toolbox & these are currently on display in the Venetian Dressing Room - you can also listen to 10 interviews from the Knole Stories Oral History archive. #FindOutMore #Kent

Archaeologists continued their work at Greys Court’s during the #FestivalOfArchaeology in July & #HeritageOpenDays in September. One of the key aims of the project is to improve our understanding of the medieval & post-medieval development of the manor & its courtyard #OxfordshireDay #FindOutMore 🧵

September’s investigation on the Upper Lawn revealed evidence of structures which again had been thoroughly demolished. Any reusable stonework had been taken away & recycled during the 17th century, but the surviving evidence suggested that buildings with pebble & flint-faced walls once stood here.

Adrian said “We would like to thank everyone who visited during the dig, for their interest & enthusiasm. It was good to see so many visitors, some of whom had never seen archaeology up-close before. We hope there’ll be opportunities to further investigate the fascinating history of Greys Court.”

This year’s digs were led by NT Archaeologist Adrian with the South Oxfordshire Archaeology Group. In July, the team revealed a complex series of wall foundations & drains which shed light on the nature & date of the inter-court buildings, which had been demolished, probably during the 17th century

One of the key discoveries was a beautiful brick-lined cellar, complete with a niche for a candle or lantern, which had been backfilled with rubble when the building was demolished.

Heritage and Archaeology Ranger Team (HART) volunteers provide invaluable support to our archaeologists and properties, through their main role in undertaking condition surveys of approximately 60,000 sites of archaeological interest on the land cared for by @nationaltrust.org.uk.

heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.ukVolunteer | National Trust Heritage Records - National Trust Heritage Records Online

If you are interested in becoming a HART volunteer, please visit heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/volunteer to find out more. You’ll find a list of existing HART groups & a link to contact a property directly via email. You’ll need to make contact with the property who will organise training.

nationaltrust.org.ukVolunteer with usFind out how you can volunteer and get involved in a variety of roles including gardening, visitor welcome and conservation work.

** Correction ** We kindly ask that you do not contact a property in the first instance, but rather check for opportunities on the National Trust's volunteering pages www.nationaltrust.org.uk/support-us/v...

It’s #FindsFriday! We have thousands of archaeological finds in our care, from those made during research excavations or through operational activities like installing new services at our places. We even make discoveries under floorboards and behind walls during conservation work!

Some of the National Trust archaeologists’ favourite finds are so significant that they’re cared for in national or local museums, but some can be viewed in displays at our properties, or during events such as the Festival of Archaeology.

Find out more about some of our favourite finds here: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/our-cause/hi... We’d love to hear what finds you might have seen on display at National Trust properties, and which are your favourites! Let us know in the comments.

We need to understand the condition of these sites to manage them effectively, through directing and prioritising conservation activity, monitoring the impacts of climate and environmental change, and helping to inform land use change.

HART volunteers are also involved in a wide range of other activities including geophysical and earthwork surveys, research, excavation and leading engagement with visitors through displays, open days and guided walks, to name a few.

Last week we shared a post on archaeological archives, but did you know there’s a whole online catalogue you can explore? National Trust Collections provides opportunities to search the over 1.1 million artefacts in our care, whether by property, category, or date. Perfect for #FindsFriday!

The collections showcase all aspects of past daily life: A dress fastener from Chedworth Roman Villa A Bronze Age barbed and tanged flint arrowhead from Calke Abbey A 6th century CE Byzantine bronze bucket found at Sutton Hoo A Midlands Yellow Ware moulded head from a cup from Tattershall Castle

You can explore the collection by visiting: www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk Or read more about the archaeological collections here: www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/article/arch...

Did you know that Ground Penetrating Radar can be used to detect more than archaeology? Working with @nationaltrust.org.uk Tree Advisors, Woolsthorpe Manor volunteers & Viviana (NT Archaeologist) have been using GPR to study the root system of the tree that inspired Isaac Newton. #LincolnshireDay 🍎

By determining extent & depth, we can plan management & conservation actions both for nature and heritage! There could not be a more inspiring location to do science while taking us on a journey of discovery guided by Newton’s teaching "What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean." 🍎

We certainly enjoy our time #outinthefield, whether that’s undertaking geophysical surveys, building recording, walkover surveys, or excavation (among many other things!), but that’s not the end of the story. What happens to all the 'stuff' we find?

Yesterday, SW archaeologists Steve and Cat spent the day with volunteers Jackie and Meg to review, re-box and unlock some of the potential of these finds. They discovered everything from prehistoric flint tools to modern glass bottles from a range of properties across the South West.

Have you noticed any displays of archaeological finds at National Trust properties? We’d love to see any photos you might have!

Our archaeologists then take the time to process the results of the surveys, draw up plans and write reports, and there’s often a considerable amount of finds to process. They'll wash, count, weigh, record and place into appropriate containers for storage, usually with the help of volunteers.