Fieldwalking and finds

After a wet and windy week, the weather on Saturday was almost perfect for the Snape Fieldwalking Training Day. This was run by Access Cambridge Archaeology with funding from the Touching the Tide HLF project. I went along as the finds specialist for the day, and helped to train members of the Aldeburgh and District Local History Society and other volunteers in the identification of wet and muddy finds.

Many of the finds were pieces of post-medieval brick and tile – the usual detritis which ends up scattered across a field during ploughing. A few pieces of medieval pottery were picked up, and seemed to be concentrated towards the northern part of the field. A number of struck flint flakes were also recovered, along with burnt flint and sandstone 'potboilers', but unfortunately no prehistoric pottery to go with them.

The finds were washed by enthusiastic volunteers back at the church hall, and then we were able to get a better look at the haul.

 

Recording the finds after washing.

Finds viewing at coffee break

Sue and Carenza discussing the finds

Highlights included a body sherd of girth-grooved Ipswich Thetford-type ware (9th–11th c.), some rim and body sherds of local medieval shelly and sandy wares (12th–14th c.), and a piece of Siegburg stoneware which may be as early as the 14th century. Post-medieval pottery included sherds of local glazed red earthenwares and a rim of yellow glazed whiteware from the Surrey-Hampshire border (so-called 'Border Ware'). A few of the more recent sherds included some early modern types, such as Staffordshire white salt glazed stoneware and scratch-blue ware (both 18th c.). Star find of the day was a small copper alloy coin which, on further investigation, turns out to be a mid to late 18th-century Dutch coin, a Duit, with the arms of Zeeland on the obverse.

The 18th-century Zeeland duit showing a lion rampant above waves (the arms of Zeeland)