Latest activity
4 September 2024
We have been back on site today exploring the sunken room and taking measurements to guide our plan drafting.
From "Time Team" and "Digging For Britain" archaeology often seems to be so clear cut, but a project like this shows how far from the truth that is. It often seems that as soon as we piece together two jigsaw pieces we find another four under the sofa - and worse still they are of a colour scheme like no other pieces we already have.
Today we have made more sense of the old window in the sunken room, but have discovered the walls and alignment do not match that of the present house (which we believed to be on the rough footprint of the Jacobean Mansion, the last of the three manor houses we are trying to find. But for every step back we do still feel we are slowly making sense of the site ready for the next phase - a Geophysical survey at the end of the month, where we can attempt to locate the footprint of the previous buildings by identifying buried wall lines.
A view to the eastern end of the sunken room.
As yet we have no indication from on the ground evidence what this below ground level room might have been used for but clues from our archive work suggest there were cellar kitchens and storage, including an oyster cellar)
With a little elbow grease and sharp secateurs we have been able to remove some of the ivy to expose the window in the sunken room nicely.
1 August 2024
When we decided to research the old manors there were perhaps some members of the Society who thought we would be off with shovels and trowels straight away.
The reality of archaeological projects is rather different and the amount of desk research required to support a dig has been a surprise to many.
The start of August saw us ramp up this desk research with an initial visit to the Lincolnshire Archives to interrogate old documents which might offer clues about the old manorial site such as wills, deeds and property documents.
Whilst it was fascinating going through documents reaching as far back as the reign of Henry VIII and we did find some useful information about the manors and the village, we also learnt some valuable lessons.
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None of us can read Latin.
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Old ink falls off velum
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Lawyers use ten words when one would do
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There are many, many, place names in Harlaxton that have disappeared - especially field names
We also realised how much material there is to go through and are planning further visits to the archive over coming weeks.
Keith and Nick examine one of the deeds documents dating back to the 17th century.
Written on velum and complete with a wax seal, we were fortunate that some were written in English, though the calligraphy still threw up readability issues.
The ornate introduction to the 1619 agreement transferring the Lordship of Harlaxton and estate from John Bluett to Daniel de Ligne.
11/12 July 2024
Over the past couple of days we have made significant headway with the project.
On 12 July members of the Harlaxton History Society spent an afternoon with Professor Abi Hunt PhD PFHEA AMA, learning how to organise and record an archaeological project. Abi is Professor of Practice and Director of MSc Programmes at Nottingham University Business School/Faculty of Social Sciences.
We now have a system in place to record information and have been pointed towards some key archives that might reveal more about the history of the site. We were able to brave the weather to take Abi around the garden to show her the features we have identified so far and discuss the questions we want to answer. It was a hugely useful chat and we are delighted that Abi intends supporting us with her expertise as we progress.
The following day we had more experts on site in the form of Dr David Carrington ACR FSA FIIC from the Skillington Workshop Ltd and Richard Tyndall visit us on site. David is an expert in architectural archaeology and Richard is a geologist with a passion for archaeology who runs a significant roman excavation in Ancaster. For us amateurs of the Harlaxton History society it is fascinating to have professionals casting their eyes across the site. With David's expert eye we have already identified a piece of architectural stonework which may well be medieval and from Richard a host of advice and promises of practical support.
We are finding out what a supportive and friendly community of archaeological experts we have living and working close by.
As well as liaising with these experts we have been continuing to measure and map the features of the site and are close to having a full base plan. But there is plenty more work to do and members and non members are welcome to take part.
3 July 2024
One interesting thing our early research found has been a scale model of the manors during the last phase of their history.
Owned by Cherry Barber Moskalik it offers some tantalising clues as to the shape and size of the former manors.
Assuming it is accurate, we have been able to take the recorded length of the building, 72m, and by then incorporating direct measurements of the remaining element, the oriel, or bay, window/doorway, make an assessment of the approximate size of the rest of the structure.
All this, of course has to be proven with more research on the ground.
1 July 2024
Over the Summer months we have been making a detailed plan of the site and identifying any obvious features that might help shed light on the previous manor houses.
The current cottage, built in 1937, offers a useful reference point and is, in itself, full of clues as it used material recycled from the "spoil heap" of stone left after the demolition of the manor in the 1860's by John Sherwin Gregory.
A photograph from the late Victorian or early Edwardian period showing the remains of the manor house and piles of material from the demolition behind. Number 26 Church Street, known as Jasmin Cottage can be seen in the background on the left of the photograph.
As well as the survey work we have explored the site and are finding tantalising remnants of the old manors.
Tucked away in a sunken area of the garden, in what might be the old kitchens, is a very old window which we hope to have examined in more detail by an architectural expert to determine whether it is Jacobean, Tudor or even Medieval.
Our expert on old architectural styles took a quick familiarisation walk around the site and identified this stone as medieval.
This is a great encouragement as it shows we do have evidence of the original manor on site. Now we just need to find the rest of it.