Day 1: Starting on site and spoil heap finds...

Today we welcomed 72 level 1 undergraduate students and volunteers on site at Auckland Castle to begin excavating our two trenches. For many, this is their first time excavating and with finds and features appearing rapidly, spirits are very high. Read on to find out more about what we have found so far...

With the groups split between trenches 1 and 2, the main task of today was cleaning up the loose soil on site in order to clean and clarify features before they can be recorded, understood and excavated further. This provided an excellent opportunity for everyone to become acquainted with the site, tools and one another.

Already at this early stage some features stand out. In Trench 1 we have some substantial in-situ walls appearing. Our current interpretation is that we may have traces of the curtain wall and some connecting walls. Also in Trench 1, we have some other features including an irregular patch of stonework including a large, broken, central stone. In the south-western corner is a well-preserved culvet of unknown date. From this trench we have recovered medieval pottery, bones and some shells.

In Trench 2, initial cleaning of the site has uncovered a range of exciting deposits and features. In the northernmost part of this trench the probable remains of some walls have appeared. In addition, large swathes of dark charcoal-rich deposits have been identified. The finds from this trench include large quantities of animal bone, oyster shell and medieval pottery.

Some of the most exciting finds of the day however, were made by George the metal detectorist from the spoil heap! Today and during the stripping of the site by the digger, George made some amazing small-find discoveries. Among these are coins (medieval and 17th century), farmers tokens, a hawking whistle, musket balls, a medieval inkwell lid, a medieval dagger chape, a sword pommel and an extremely well-preserved medieval jetton together with some more recent objects. These finds are extraordinary and are extremely encouraging on the first day! Because some of them have been taken from the topsoil, they also hint at the longevity of the site and the different stages in its occupation. These finds provide an excellent link to the different people that have occupied the same space over time and provide a window into the past.

We look forward to seeing what is in store for us in the coming days and weeks. Please follow us on social media to find out about our progress during the day!