Human bones find lead to discovery of Saxon warlord's grave

Forum Monk · Post by **Forum Monk** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:32 pm

Priceless Brass Bowel

Har har

Didn't you guys ever have a typo?

Sheesh!

autumnlady · Post by **autumnlady** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:56 pm

Forum Monk wrote:
Manystones wrote:So is our new friend Autumn Lady Ms McGlashon herself??

Hmmmm - I missed the Peterborough location for AutumnLady

Sadly not I am someone whose house where i live backs on to these allotments, can you believe it all that wonderful stuff just yards away from where i am living

So its all unfurling in front of our eyes so to speak.

Anyway hi from me, real name Chris, lover of history, archaeology and well anything old.

Good to be here

Post by **Minimalist** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:11 pm

Don't be shy.

Most of us don't bite.

Much.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:58 pm

Sadly not I am someone whose house where i live backs on to these allotments, can you believe it all that wonderful stuff just yards away from where i am living

So its all unfurling in front of our eyes so to speak.

Anyway hi from me, real name Chris, lover of history, archaeology and well anything old.

Welcome Autumnlady, If you like old this is the place, I think Digit has bragging rights! I've been on min to get his shovel and try his backyard but he always has some excuse.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:29 am

Morning Chris. As Min says most of us don't bite.
Some more info if pos please.
How did this discovery come about? Most allotments are of considerable age, some in excess of 150yrs, with almost continous cultivation how did this remain hidden for so long?
Is the site being developed perhaps?
How large is the area of potential interest?
Is the area of interest all within the allotments or has building development taken place over some of it?
Any plans or pictures available?
Bet you wish you hadn't joined us now!

autumnlady · Post by **autumnlady** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:53 am

Digit wrote: How did this discovery come about? Most allotments are of considerable age, some in excess of 150yrs, with almost continous cultivation how did this remain hidden for so long?

This area is the old part of town and as you rightly say the allotments are very old, Peterborough had brick works here dating i believe from the the 18th century and this grew until around the 1880's then it went big scale with workers houses (terraced, little or no garden)being built and of course the allotments may have been allocated then. I am not surprised it has remained hidden for so long because of the area, certainly at one time it may well have been used regularly but of late no, this area attracts students and folks less likely to use the allotments, most of the houses are private short term lettings. I believe this young lady had taken over the allotment and was digging it over to start planting her veg and lo, she found a skull. The first we knew was when the police were all over it.

Is the site being developed perhaps?

Not to my knowledge it is merely an allotment site, we have a lot here in Peterborough dotted around the older parts of the city.

How large is the area of potential interest?

I would say its a couple of acres but i dont have any specifics to hand

Is the area of interest all within the allotments or has building development taken place over some of it?

Its all in the allotment area

Any plans or pictures available?

Only what you can see on the links I have given you, its all gone very quiet now and there wont be any folk on there planting spuds anytime soon, the diggers i believe will be coming back to look at the whole area and there is talk of a time team dig.

Bet you wish you hadn't joined us now!

Actually i am enjoying talking to you very much, thanks for being such a nice bunch

As an aside-we have had lots of interesing finds in this area, Sutton Hoo is not far from here as is Flag Fen and the A1 runs along side the city and they are always digging there, in some of the fields the Roman Pottery is easy to spot, i got alovely bit of Samian Wear last year.

Oh i have just found a map of all the allotments in the city click here http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/PDF/lei- ... nt-map.pdf you are looking for the PALMERSTON ROAD site

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:14 am

Thanks Lady. It does make a change from far away fields no matter how interesting they might be.
I noted from your plans that the site appears to border the river, as it flows today at least. Any idea if this is important yet?
A Time Team dig would certainly help with the finances of running a dig, and if they were to uncover more significant finds DEFRA or English Heritage might be persuaded to cough up some of our tax money for a useful cause for a change.
For our State side friends. I doubt that you get Time Team over there but they are televised, usually 3 day exploratory digs. There are, as Lady stated, a lot of sites in her area and many are only investigated as salvage work when development is underway.
Time Team sometimes helps and also deals with sites that have been pushed aside by professionals to concentrate on what may be more fruitful.
Having said that, Time Team have on occasion done some valuable work with the site being taken over by national or local archaeological groups.

stan · Post by **stan** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:23 am

Welcome, Autumn Lady.
Jolly good, pip pip, and all that!

Has anyone seen a photo of the brass bowl?

Ta!

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:29 am

Another fine mess you gotten us into Stanley.

stan · Post by **stan** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:32 am

Another fine mess you gotten us into Stanley.

Now what have I done??

(I love the fact that Stan Laurel was British and Oliver Hardy was from Georgia, USA.)

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:35 am

Not many people talk like that over here now Stan. Not even the Mi Lords that I've known.

stan · Post by **stan** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:44 am

To my British Friends:

Flying back to the US from a trip to Italy, I once sat on a transatlantic plane with an Irishman. After I told him I had been to Italy, he said I shouldn't have bothered going there, when I could have just as easily
gone to Ireland to see art, architecture, and archaeology.
I never made it to Ireland, but I did spend a month in England in 1973. As a neophyte traveler, I was bowled over by all the castles, cathedrals, and roman remains, as well as Stonehenge. I especially enjoyed Dover and Canterbury.
The UK is so replete with archaeological riches, it's hard to understand why everyone over there isn't down on their knees scratching the ground. Or at least digging in a test hole in their "allotment."
One, two, three, dig!

Forum Monk · Post by **Forum Monk** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:54 am

stan wrote:Has anyone seen a photo of the brass bowl?

No but in keeping with your previous theme, I have an X-ray of my colon.

autumnlady · Post by **autumnlady** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:03 am

stan wrote: Jolly good, pip pip, and all that!

Has anyone seen a photo of the brass bowl?

Ta!

Said Brass Bowl has been secreted away ( destination unknown) for conservation. There was a picture in the paper of a similar bowl to the one that was found but how similar is anyone's guess. The picture in the paper depicted a shallow bowl, the bowl part is on a type of stand (attached) and at each side there is an ornate handle.

pip pip what what

autumnlady · Post by **autumnlady** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:06 am

Digit wrote:I noted from your plans that the site appears to border the river...

Indeed! As to its importance in this we shall have to see...