VV_December 2020

ASHWELLS
ARCHAEOLOGY
Village Voice December 2020/January 2021
I expect many of you will have seen the
nineteen long trenches being dug on the
Ashwells site over 10 days, as marked on the
plan, to check on areas where houses are to be
built. It was a very international team, with an
Englishman, a Spaniard, and a young trainee
from Connecticut in search of the medieval and
much earlier finds that he cannot expect to find
in the USA. The digger driver was an Albanian
vet, unable to practice in England.
www.pennandtylersgreen.org.uk
Most of the trenches did not
need to go down more than a foot
or so to get below the top soil and
on to undisturbed ground. Chalk
was the predominant base to the
north and west, with clay to the
east and south. There were two
intersecting ditches in No.2, and
No.7 (photo) had a 2m plus depth
of earth backfill, perhaps
connected with the adjacent large
(probably) chalkpit. There were
one or two places they needed to
check in the north-east, but by far
the most interesting area was
close to the southern hedge-line
where there were tile and pottery
finds of a date yet to be
determined, as well as a
pronounced ditch. If the final
report Is sufficiently encouraging,
the County archaeological team
could recommend this area to be
opened up for further
investigation. Miles Green
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