Archaeologists to dig the dirt on medieval history
Project delayed due to covid gets lottery grant to continue
A COMMUNITY archaeology project is to go ahead after securing a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.
The Tudor Farming Interpretation Group has received the funding for an exciting heritage project, Digging Deeper – The Origins of Whitle, a community archaeology project based at Under Whitle Farm in Sheen.
The project focuses on excavating a potential medieval house platform previously investigated as part of Peeling Back the Layers archaeology project in 2016.
It is hoped to finally ascertain the origins of Whitle by matching historical research to the archaeology revealed in these new excavations.
Because of the coronavirus, the project has been extended to two years and the dig will now take place in June 2021, while the history research will carry on throughout.
Archaeobotanical sampling will tell of the historic flora and possibly of earlier farming practices.
An open day during the ‘dig’ will enable the general public to see what has been found so far and a further open day in the Autumn of 2021 will offer guided walks to the public and school children on the newly updated archaeology trail bringing the story of Whitle to life.
The trail will continue to be open to the public in the future. We will share our findings through talks, reports and a new website.
A spokesperson said: “Digging Deeper provides a unique opportunity for local people, the wider community including Mosaic groups (people from black and minority ethnic groups) to get involved, working together to find out how this landscape was lived in earlier times.
“We will offer training in archaeological techniques with the chance to ‘ dig the dirt’, alongside professional archaeologists and also learn of new techniques in archaeobotanical sampling.
“Experiencing the thrill of uncovering the past and joining in the history research to discover more about the people of Whitle and how they lived will bring the past to life.
“Volunteers will have the opportunity to develop their skills as well as contributing towards the nationally recognised Archaeology Skills Passport.
“Digging Deeper, focuses on the archaeological heritage relating to a suspected medieval house platform at Under Whitle.
“An earlier excavation on this site found evidence of a possible dwelling in the form of an ephemeral piece of daub pottery dating to the 16th and possibly 15th century, and charcoal radiocarbon dating to 1350 and we hope that this dig will reveal one of the earliest farmsteads in Whitle. Commenting on the award, Hilary Butler, a member of the Tudor Farming Interpretation Group said: “We are delighted to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players for the chance to reveal the origins of Whitle and to record this special heritage for future generations.
“We are also grateful for funding from the Peak District National Park Communities Small Grant Scheme.”
The Tudor Farming Interpretation Group was founded in 2010. Based at Under Whitle Farm, Sheen, they research the history of this fascinating area bringing it to life and sharing enthusiasm with people and school children through historical animations, demonstrations, talks and publications.
The original interest was in the Tudor period, but more recently has extended beyond this and now
includes archaeology.