| Date |
Notebook
Entry |
Scanned
Notes |
| 30-9-78 |
Started
8.0 o’clock 30th Sept. 1978
Windy
dull & cool with occasional shower.
Machine driver Mr. R A Nunn (740698) using a
Massey Fergusson 50B with a 6ft ditching bucket. M Eddy is directing the
machine driver. Surface cleaning with spades. |
| 1-10-78 |
Sunny
but windy. Dark clouds in PM but did not have any showers.
Very
little to be seen because of dryness. At the end of the day it was
possible to see, after brushing, darker patches (LFDa14) and patches in SE
corner of the square. Plough lines (modern) can be seen across the area.
One metre strip exposes gravel patch & “ditch” (LFDa13). |
| 2-10-78
|
Sunny
with little wind. Ground is even harder than yesterday.
Patches
in SE corner of square have been soaked but did not show so clearly today.
Feature (LFDa13) excavated in 1 metre strip.
|
| 3-10-78 |
No
sun & very fine drizzle occasionally.
Patches
in SE corner just do not reappear even after brushing again. Some surface
cleaning done & (LFDa14) looked at with a 1 metre section. Some small
sherds that don’t look medieval were found here.
Machine
ordered for Saturday at 1.0 pm to extend N strip to “moat” and to back
fill square. |
| 4-10-78 |
Sunny
most of day.
Square
is being taken down approx. 2”. Dark damp patch has appeared in SW
corner. Brickearth now being taken off does contain small fragments of
sandy pottery. These are being plotted. They are very easy to miss in the
very hard brickearth.
(LFDa17)
sectioned. |
| 5-10-78 |
Dry,
bright day.
All
day spent stripping off layer one in 1 metre strips across the square.
Very hard going but occasionally soft patches. Survey of Earthworks
started. |
| 6-10-78 |
Very
bright & sunny day.
Surface
as hard as ever. Layer 1 continued to be taken off. North end strip was
worked on. Contractors Aggregates agree to fill in our excavation at 7.0
am on Monday. |
| 7-10-78 |
Very
warm & sunny.
Brickearth
gets harder & harder. Layer 1 on square now mostly removed. Any soft
damp patches were taken out as they appeared. No finds from any. Top
broken up with spades and then hoed and then brushed. Not much hope of
seeing any colour changes.
Machine
arrived at about 1.30 pm. North strip extended to pick up “moat”. No
ditch was visible at brickearth level (…the level we are working at for
the rest of the site). Ditch only discernable when taken down to gravel.
It would appear our strip has just clipped the butt end of the moat.
It
was the same machine as before with a different driver & slightly
narrower ditching bucket. He was able to move some of the spoil heap. |
| 8-10-78 |
Very
sunny & warm all day.
Square
& south strip are finished and only tidying & planning &
section drawing remain.
The
north strip was looked at by starting at the square. Unfortunately labour
strength was not up to hoped for numbers. All on site worked hard and by
packing up time realised that features now showing in the north strip
could not be excavated.
The
“moat” bottom was cleaned and photographed. |
| |
|
|
|
| Context |
Notes Context Index - Description |
Scanned Notes |
| LFDa1 |
Test hole |
| LFDa2 |
Possible small pit (pea grit gravel. ?) Visible after
cleaning down onto orange brick earth. |
| LFDa3 |
Test hole after 30 cm from surface. orange brick earth. |
| LFDa4 |
Bottom of very small & shallow pit (root hole?). Soft
brick earth in hard brick earth. |
| LFDa5 |
Bottom of test pit possible feature right at bottom. Very
light brick earth. |
| - |
LFDa6, LFDa7, LFDa8, LFDa9, LFDa10 context unallocated |
| LFDa11 |
Surface cleaning |
| LFDa12 |
Surface cleaning |
| LFDa13 |
Brick earth gulley appearing in patches of gravel. NW corner
of square. |
| LFDa14 |
Large feature showing as dark patch in brick earth. Ditch?. |
| LFDa14a |
Dark loamier layer at top |
| LFDa15 |
Surface cleaning |
| LFDa16 |
Surface cleaning at 2nd level |
| LFDa17 |
Dark patch just showing after sweeping. Loamy brickearth in
brickearth. South strip |
| LFDa18 |
Damp dark patch showing in SW corner. Tree roots? but quite definite |
| LFDa19 |
Second surface clean of North strip. |
| LFDa20 |
Soft patch to south of test pit. Loam in brick earth. |
| LFDa21 |
Stony layer with some tile. Only noticed as time came to
finish. |
| LFDa22 |
Small pit W of square. Loose brick earth in brick earth. |
| LFDa23 |
Small pit N of square. Loose brick earth in brick earth. |
| LFDa24 |
Machine dug top of 'moat' |
| LFDa25 |
Hand dug and cleaning up the bottom of 'moat' butt end |
| |
|
