Promoting awareness of the archaeology and history of north Devon
Promoting awareness of the archaeology and history of north Devon
The Dartmoor Archaeology and Bracken Project - Gordon Fisher (Newsletter No 6 2003)
The Dartmoor Archaeology and Bracken Project was set up by Dr Sandy Gerrard in 1999, its main aim being to ‘examine and quantify the physical and chemical impact of bracken rhizomes on sensitive archaeological deposits in a granite upland context’. The Teigncombe site (below Kes Tor near Chagford) was chosen because, firstly it is a roundhouse and as such is likely to have the depth of deposits and stratigraphy that are susceptible to bracken damage; and secondly its enclosed nature will make analysis of the phenomena much easier.
Because of the nature of the research we have had to pay strict attention to the position of finds, bracken rhizomes and their relationship to each other. This was achieved by three-dimensionally plotting all finds, and taking several contour surveys per context. The bracken itself also came under scrutiny with a pre-excavation survey, which plotted the position of every stipe in the roundhouse, measured its length and number of fronds. The rhizomes themselves were plotted by photogrammetry, cut and measured as they were removed.
This has continued with only slight variations for the past three seasons, until now.
This season at Teigncombe was slightly different from previous years, because ACE Archaeology Club had joined forces with Dr Sandy Gerrard to help with the insurance and general logistics of the dig, which meant that there was a lot more work for ACE members both before and after the event. It was as ever, however, a thoroughly enjoyable affair.
The weather was kind to us (some days too kind), so no days were lost to rain. Of the twenty or so diggers, thirteen were ACE members and three were NDAS members. This year the actual excavation was more like people expect of archaeology, with only the baulks between the four main trenches containing large numbers of the dreaded rhizomes to be cut and measured (Ah, statistics! Dont you just love em!). Several features were uncovered, one being a very nice threshold stone across the doorway, and another a possible posthole. Unfortunately not all of the baulks were cleared out from the interior as planned, although we did manage to get them down to just a few inches above the occupation surface over most of it, so it is all ready and waiting for us to finish off next year.
Sandy tells me that there are a total of 640 finds from the site. Over 400 of these were found this year and provide dating material from Middle Bronze Age pottery to a Late 20th Century yoghurt pot! Many of the finds come from a narrow band which appears (to me) to cross a paved area leading into the centre of the roundhouse from the door. So far there has not been any real indication of a hearth. There are lots of tantalising glimpses of black soil, flecks of charcoal and interestingly stained stones, but nothing that says, yes, that is a hearth. That’s not to say that we havent got our suspicions, but we shall have to wait another year to follow them up.
ACE at Teigncombe: Summer 2004 - Janet Daynes (Newsletter No 8 2004)
The Dartmoor Archaeology and Bracken Project’s excavation at Teigncombe ended this year (fifth season) on the 29th of August and at that point the sun came out! This year we got rain, in all its forms from continuous drizzle to the torrential remains of what hit Boscastle. What a contrast with the extreme heat of last year! In fact very little time was lost to the weather, though most of the diggers seem to have evolved webbed feet and gills!
Although we were excavating at deeper levels this year - over 1.5 metres in some places - we were still coming across bracken rhizomes. As the research aim of the excavation is to look into the possible damage they could cause to buried archaeology, they were plotted, then removed, measured and recorded just like everything else. We have now removed over 7 kilometres of bracken rhizomes from the roundhouse, so the potential for compromising the stratigraphy within is very worrying.
This year’s excavation has revealed a well laid flagstone floor by the doorway, with a black-faced granite “door mat” in front of the threshold stone. Several postholes and lots of potential stake-holes were excavated, the soil from these being bagged up for analysis.
A record total of 549 finds, most of them pottery, but including quite a few beautiful whet stones, flint tools and some charred hazel nut shells, will probably mostly turn out to be Bronze Age with some Iron Age and a few pieces of Romano-British. Sadly there was notone bit of late 20th century yoghurt pot (mandarin flavour)! This brings the total number of finds to date to 1149, a lot for just one roundhouse. The average number of pot-sherds found in a Dartmoor roundhouse is usually about 12, so serious questions are now being asked. Our excavation technique of trowels only and a few centimetres at a time, would probably help save some finds from the spoil heap but surely not that many.
Perhaps the long period of occupation from the Bronze Age to the first or second century AD would also go some way towards an explanation. Only after a lot of thought, analysis, the final report and probably another (control) roundhouse excavation on the Kestor settlement will we get the answer.
All the finds up to this year have been three dimensionally recorded, so that we know exactly where they came from. This year however, because so many finds were appearing edge on, it was decided to also record the angle of their deposition. Examination of the plan of the rhizome mat, the tree roots and the animal burrows within the archaeology of the roundhouse and also the way the finds are distributed in three dimensions will hopefully show if the stratigraphy has been disturbed and by what.
Over the next few months the director Dr Sandy Gerrard will be sifting through all this information and very efficiently producing an interim report and our poor pottery expert Henrietta Quinnell will be wading her way through this year’s finds.