Today we finished taking back all that scrumptious topsoil from Trench One. We had some more good luck with the weather today, it wasn't too hot and the rain held off. On the downside, this uncharacteristically dry weather meant that the soil continued to be very dry and rather difficult to trowel and so (despite showery promises from the weather man) Hugh whacked on the sprinkler during our morning tea break and made everyone's life a little bit easier.
Rob, Will and Paul were kept busy opening up Trench Two, this was a 4x4 metre area where the lads found another wall. Although at the moment we aren’t quite sure what it belongs to. Check back soon for more exciting developments in Trench Two!
Paul and Will doing some de-turfing at Trench Two. Rob seems to have scarpered.
Some more de-turfing in Trench Two. Rob is back but appears to be having a little rest. What a slacker.
Veronica, Sandy, Jordan and Emma were working on an extended area of Trench One where they found a wall running North-South; this was probably outside of the building in the main section of Trench One. As it turned out, we were all in for a little treat when this area yielded a lovely drain spotted by boss Pete. Notably, the drain was covered but missing the stone capping. This little gem was rewarded find of the day. Other than that, we found lots of bits and bobs from this area, including some animal bones, pottery, glass and a small part of a clay smoking pipe.
Pete steals Emma's mini-mattock. Everyone wants a piece of the action. More pictures of the drain to follow!
Clare and Morgan scampered off away from the rest of the team to indulge in a little bit of drawing. They undertook an elevation survey of the walls of the priory. With these drawings, it makes it a bit easier to spot which areas have been modified. Such areas can be spotted through the refashioning or blocking of windows or doors. Clare and Morgan sketched up a particularly important area of the priory as these medieval buildings are known to have been re-used and adapted in the Post-Medieval period. Annoyingly, most of these Post-Medieval features were stripped away when the Priory was "tidied up" by the Ministry of Works in the 1930's. Gutted.
After the soil from Trench One dried up a bit Dom, Alex and Matt did some drawing as well. Using a grid, they drew up a plan of half of Trench One. This is a useful way to accurately record features and artefacts found in a layer.
Alex and Matt doing some mighty fine planning.
That is all for today gentle reader. Check back tomorrow to gently read about the exciting goings on of Day Four.
Find of the Day - Drain!
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