Still no field walking availability |
11/4/2024 |
After another lost Sunday due to weather and then the non-availability due to the field being drilled we have missed another two weekends . Now the coming weekend (14th April) is still out as the field is not yet germinated and so we need to keep off until it does. We are expecting to perhaps be back on the 28th April (earlier if things progress faster). |
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Field walking at last - Ickleton again |
24/3/2024 |
At last the weather remained good while we walked at Ickleton this weekend. As the photo showed the finds were mostly post-medieval with the odd piece of medieval date. The overwhelming impression of the field was the quantities of flint lying about. We did pick up some, as the photo shows, but they are mostly primary flakes with no tools. There was a single piece of burnt flint. When confronted with masses of flint like this, identifying worked flint is a major task and possibly we did leave some on the field. | | |
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Looking at an old find |
23/3/2024 |
Recently while searching old finds, this wig curler came to light. The dumb-bell shaped object in a kaolin clay has a stamp on each end as the photo shows. The letters are W and B which are surmounted by a coronet. This curler dates to the latter half of the 18th C and the initials stand for William Burstow who worked out of Blackheath Hill, Greenwich in the 1740's. The large number of his products, both in Great Britain and the American colonies suggests he had somewhat cornered the market at this time. Wig wearing was all the rage in the late 17th C but had fallen out of fashion by the turn of the 19th C,. These wigs required frequent cleaning and reforming of the curls which were formed around hot wig curlers. Other curlers were made from wood, typically of cane, boxwood and some other woods. The wigs themselves often used human hair but also used horsehair, cow, goat and sheep hair depending on the price of the wig. | | |
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Two more Sundays, two more rained off days |
18/3/2024 |
Meterologists tell us that East Anglia has had as much rain in the first two weeks of March this year as we had in the whole of March last year. Don't we know it!!! Winter 2023/24 has been one of the worst periods for field walking in perhaps the last two or three decades. However, we will try again this coming Sunday (24th) and see whether we can get some field walking in before we break for Easter - keep your fingers crossed. |
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More leg exercise in the muddy conditions |
3/3/2024 |
Back in the Eltisley mud this weekend, conditions had not really improved for walking but the ground visibility was still OK. There were few finds, as the photograph shows, and they were mostly post-medieval in date. They did include a small fragment of a blue Westerwald vessel and more stoneware. The usual glazed red earthen ware predominated, but there was a flowerpot looking unglazed rim. Also a small battered piece of a Staffordshire slipware wall - only a couple of pieces of unglazed sandy ware may be medieval in date. As we move away from the village centre the finds are getting less, suggesting the village never extended very far to the east of the manor house. | | |
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Spot the wellington boots!! |
28/2/2024 |
One of our field walking members sent in this photo to illustrate the muddy conditions at Eltisley. We are going to try again this Sunday so if you plan to come then Wellington boots are the order of the day. Recent statistical information indicates just how wet it has been this winter - don't we know!! | | |
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A sticky (and foggy) day at Eltisley |
27/2/2024 |
What a day!! Started off in the fog, then brightened up - all the while trudging through the glutinous muddy surface. Although there was some grass growth, quite thick in places, the surface visibility was OK. Not many finds of note, as the photograph shows. Mostly post med but with the odd piece of medieval-looking pot and some shell tempered ware. The ceramic rod shown could be a handle but was an unusual find. | | |
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Conditions do not favour field walking at present |
19/2/2024 |
Two weeks ago at Ickleton the combination of a low sun and increased crop growth meant we had reached the limit of the ground visibility on this field. We therefore finished work here until at least the autumn. Last week the continuing rain meant we could not return to Eltisley on a new field as the ground conditions were awful. We will attempt to go this coming Sunday but please continue to monitor your emails for the latest information. |
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Still walking at Ickleton |
4/2/2024 |
Back at Ickleton on the fields south of Grange Road, the finds are very similar to those from last week. A small number of worked flint, lots of glazed redwares and other post-med pottery (like the salt glazed handle and the stoneware spot-decorated piece). Clay pipe still keeps appearing plus small pieces of medieval ware, as the photograph shows. However, there were two pieces of what looks like a Samian copy, possibly from the local kilns at Harston. Our closeness to Great Chesterford probably explains their presence. What is becoming more noticeable is how battered these pieces of pottery are, obviously they have been churned around in the top soil for a considerable time. | | |
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The work at Ickleton continues in good conditions |
28/1/2024 |
Another pleasant day at Ickleton with a large group of people. Field walking moved on to another field but the finds are basically the same, as shown in the photograph. Some nice flint scrapers and one very small point and the oyster shells keep coming. There were plenty of post med pots, mostly rims and very small pieces. It is noticeable how small the pottery finds have become compared to 10 or more years ago. Repeated ploughing has broken up much of the pottery we see today. Finally there were a few clay pipe stems but nothing identifiable to a maker. | | |
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More work at Ickleton on the chalk |
21/1/2024 |
Returning to the drier fields of Ickleton came as a relief from the clays of Eltisley. On a windy but pleasant day the group managed to partly walk a large field south of Grange Road. The photograph shows a few of the finds which include some oyster shell and worked flint. The pottery included a number of sandy redware handles together with a rim with thumbed decoration. Some pottery looks very medieval but there was the inevitable collection of post med wares including part of a stoneware pot that had a partial stamp which read "Warren...." We are returning this Sunday to try and complete the field. | | |
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4/1/2024 |
Brand new year - but the same old weather conditions. Due to the persistent rain and gales of the last few weeks the ground conditions are not suitable for walking at the present time. We hope for a change in the weather and will look to find a site which drains better!! |
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In the Footsteps of Fox |
This year marks the centenary of the publication of Cyril Fox’s seminal book: ‘The Archaeology of the Cambridge Region’. In November 2023, the McDonald Institute and Madgalene College hosted an international conference to celebrate Fox’s contribution to archaeology. CAFG was invited to provide two posters based on our work, which were displayed in Magdalene College, along with around 12 others from the UK and abroad, until the middle of December. The posters investigate how our fieldwalking results from two areas on chalklands (Fulbourn and Ickleton) and two on mainly claylands (Wimpole and Childerley) compare with Fox’s expectations relating to the effects of local geology on
human activity.
In the Footsteps of Fox - Part 1
In the Footsteps of Fox - Part 2
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