feature Archaeology Jason Baker and George Joyce, both of Melbourn, are very keen metal detectorists and archaeologists, and although it is a hobby, it seems to take up a great deal of their time. Jason, as a small boy, used to follow George around when he was field walking and collecting, and became totally fascinated by the history to be found in the ground, and by local history in particular. At around this time Cambridgeshire County Council organised a dig on Castle Mound at Shire Hall, which Jason joined, and he was hooked for life! They have found artefacts from every era, Mesolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, Celtic, Roman, Romano-British, Saxon and every period to the present. Apart from flint tools there are coins, (including quite a few Roman coins), pottery, weapons, stirrup and bridle fittings, jewellery, spindle whorls, weights, and recently a bronze-age axe. They also have a spectacular pair of 14 C keys which they found on the site of an earlier Melbourn water mill, a little downstream from Sheene Mill. The most beautiful piece of jewellery, though unfortunately not from Melbourn, is a square-headed brooch (similar to the one found in Melbourn, see p. 20 of ‘A Glimpse into Melbourn’s History’, but much bigger.) It is unusual in that it has been repaired in antiquity, thus casting
doubt on the theory that these elaborate brooches were only made to be used as grave goods. Before embarking on a metal-detecting session a suitable piece of land has to be found. Field walking will reveal likely sites of occupation, by the number of shards (pieces of pottery) found. Aerial photography will also show ground disturbances and crop marks, and these days the Internet and Google Earth are good sources of likely sites. Once a site has been located permission must be sought from the owner, whether a farmer, Parish Council or whoever. Any finds must be reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, run by the Museum Libraries Archive, which records the item and details of where it was found, thus enabling a picture of the archaeology of that particular area to be built up.
George on a Time Team dig In recent years the quality of finds has been deteriorating, due to the various substances used in modern farming, and Jason and George fear that in 20 or so years time there will be few finds of any quality remaining in agricultural areas. Both Jason and George have worked with ‘The Time Team’ on a couple of occasions, and a programme made at Warboys earlier this year will be shown in the autumn. They thoroughly enjoyed this experience, and said how well they were looked after, in terms of tea, coffee and good meals! When asked how they came to be on the dig they explained that there is a ‘network’ of local archaeologists, and that they were contacted and asked to help. Unfortunately they were in the background, but we may be able to catch a glimpse of them! They were responsible for finding part of a medieval ecclesiastical seal, an exciting find, as until then it was not known whether the site had any monastic connections. They are not only interested in ancient history, but Jason has recently been helping research material for the Cambridgeshire edition of the ‘War in the Skies’ series by Julian Evan-Hart. They were able to supply information, and remains of planes, including Battle of Britain cartridge cases, found in the Melbourn area. continued on page 38 top left
Jason with Tony Robinson melbournmagazine
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