CANS Member Groups Roundup
There are a number of community archaeology groups in the Northern Somerset network and more joining all the time. Whilst many do have their own websites we have started a roundup page here with some of the latest news for those who want a quick look at what is happening around and about. Remember you can add an update for your group by
contacting us.
Lympsham Archaeological Group (last updated 23/11/2010)
Unfortunately we do not have a website, or anyone within our team who is able to set one up, so just these few lines to let you know what we have been doing recently.
A member of our team was contracted to dig a trench against the side wall of St.Christophers Church, Lympsham to try and trace a damp problem within the church. LAGs members thought this a good opportunity to see if there was any evidence of a previous, hopefully Saxon, building. However, after trawling through the rubble which came from the trench, nothing of great interest was found apart from the usual pottery sherds, many bones and general grit which had been used previously to fill in the trench. However, we did find one piece of a medieval? tile which could prove interesting.
We were also called by a local farmer to come and investigate his field, as whilst digging a pit for a pond, he kept bringing up sherds of pottery. We went over the spoil with a toothcomb! and found many Romano British sherds together with a small amount of Samian. It was decided to geophys the land next to the pond which has revealed some walls buried well below the surface. The report on this has not yet been completed, but will obviously have a story to tell.
We have also been walking across many fields (with consent of local farmers who are showing a keen interest) to progress our enquiries into the old River Axe, and this has revealed wharfs, and a very wide part of the river of which we had no idea existed - this is helping towards our story of the River Axe. A lot of work to do!
We also have some booklets which have been produced locally sometime ago which all add to the history of Lympsham.
A Diary Discovered 1844 - 1901 by Thomas Cox
Henry Fear's diary 1881-2 describing his life in the Navy
Farm Houses of Lympsham - published by Lympsham W.I. in 1980
Limplesham 1983 by Peter Hopkins (local historian)
Lympsham a scrap book of Victorian Times by Peter Hopkins (local historian)
Community Archaeology on the Mendip Plateau (last updated 20/11/2010 - click here for website)
CAMP is currently undertaking 'taster' activities to let new members experience the various facets of archaeology. There have been taking landscape archaeology walks, have taken a critical look at the buildings of Chewton Mendip church, and done a geophysical survey in a field believed to be part of the precinct of a Saxon minster Church. The winter the group will be doing earthwork surveys and in the new year CAMP plan to do some trial trencing and test-pitting.
Lympsham Archaeological Group (last updated 01/08/2010)
LAGs is a group of people researching the archaeology and history of Lympsham and the surrounding area. Some of our work has been based on evidence compiled by the late local historian, Peter Hopkins, from whom we were lucky enough to inherit his research documents.
Our first venture into archaeology was measuring and drawing up a local field full of lumps and bumps and a possible site of a water mill. This was followed by geophysing a local sports field in Lympsham with our 'fellow lag' Bob Smisson (and his equipment!), which revealed what looked like a Long House.
A local paddock was geophysed, and this seemed to point to several buildings from time gone by and on the strength of that 'evidence' we undertook our first dig. To date we have carried out 4 digs in this area with interesting results and providing many trays of finds.
Currently we are attempting to trace the water course from Uphill i.e. the River Axe into Lympsham as Lympsham was owned by the Abbots of Glastonbury and documents mention goods from Lympsham being trans-shipped onwards to Glastonbury. The Bishop reputedly traversed these waterways viewing his land on his way to reach the local grange and vineyard at Panborough. To date we have located some of the Wharfs and one marking Stone.
We have also been invited to local properties to fieldwalk and to investigate strange anomalies, incluidng a possible WW2 bomb site (which proved to be negative! Luckily!)
Recently we have purchased our own Geophysics machine so this should widen our horizons.
CHERT (last updated 22/04/2010 - click here for website) On Tuesday 13 April a group of members of CHERT went on a walk led by Ron Penn to see the recently discovered pennanular on the northern slope of Dolebury Warren. The sun shone, the enclosure was spectacular and it was an excellent way to spend a morning in the Spring.
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