Budbury Excavation
Budbury Excavation
In July 2009, members of the Museum Society carried out a small archaeological dig in the garden of 4 Budbury Place, believed to be the Medieval Budbury Manor House. This followed the discovery by the owners, Jane and Peter Mann, of a cobbled surface, possibly dating from the later middle Ages. The site has the added interest that it lies adjacent to the Budbury Iron Age hillfort discovered by archaeological excavation in 1969. In fact, it appeared likely that the outer ditch of the hillfort is located within the Mann’s garden but, as with the rest of the hillfort, there is no physical sign on the surface.
The photo shows the dig well underway, with the extent of the cobbled surface exposed. The work revealed that the cobbles, partly replaced by a roughly built repair, ended in a straight line (near the two diggers with buckets) and overlay a cluster of large limestone blocks. These blocks sat at an angle on a sloping surface, which we believe must be the edge of the Iron Age ditch. The digger in white is excavating a slot down through the upper filling of the ditch.
Budbury Finds
It is apparent from pottery found in this slot that the ditch was still a problem in the Middle Ages. It was infilled with coarse rubble and clay (probably the waste from a local quarry) and finally capped with the cobbled surface. Work on the finds will carried out at our premises in Silver Street courtyard during 2010, with the intention of producing a report for publication, and a temporary exhibition in the library.