Wiveton, Thank You

The 'Wiveton Dig' was a success, so a big thank you to all who agreed to allow pits to be dug on their land and the tolerance shown by everybody to parked vehicles and people blocking roads.

For those who missed the excitement of the 'Dig': it was a project organised under the auspices of the University of Cambridge by Corenza Lewis. It provided an opportunity for pupils from secondary schools in Aylsham, Stalham, Fakenham and Wells to have 'hands-on' experience of archaeology and at the same time provide information on the early history of the area. At a local level the 'History Centre' in Blakeney played a crucial role and this enabled two other groups to participate - one from the Historical Society and the other from the Blakeney Primary School. The participation of the latter was a major triumph; to see the excitement and joy on the faces of every one of the pupils (and the teachers) was infectious.

What was found? Identifications of finds made on the spot show there was an interesting array of pottery and tiles from Roman to Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Modern Periods, very few metal objects, but some pieces of early medieval glass. In some pits layers of brick and flint rubble plus mortar suggest buildings once existed nearby and at one site there appeared to be a medieval mortar floor. All the material will be examined in greater detail and eventually returned to the owners of the land. Then a complete list of the finds and identifications will be available and it is hoped that in 2007 Carenza will return to give a lecture on the results of the survey and another series of pits will be dug.

Thank you from the History Centre