Sunday 1 August

Exhibition by Ripon Community Archaeology Project at The Church of Christ the Consoler at Newby Hall

Further information Click here

Saturday 14 August

Pendle Forest Schools Heritage Project Exhibition at Barley Village Hall

Further information Click here

Past Events involving Community Archaeology Limited

July 2010 June 2010      May 2010    April 2010    March 2010    February 2010    January 2010    December 2009     

November 2009      October 2009         September 2009

A week of archaeological activities has been organised by Upper Wharfedale Extended Schools Cluster as a transition event for year 6 to 7.

During the week the students will work with Kevin on a variety of archaeological heritage activities at Netherside Hall.  The group will be visiting  the Royal Armouries in  Leeds and there will be visits to site  by Craven Museum.

More information on this week’s activities will be posted under “Latest News”.

They will also be joined by an experienced metal detectorist who will help with identification.

“Looking into local history is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle where there are always some pieces missing. You might have one of these pieces!

Have you found, or do you own, something that may be of local historical interest? Do you know what it is or what it is used for? Why not bring it along to our Finds Identification Day on Saturday 24 July 2010.It is running all day from 9.30am to 4.30pm in the Friends’ Meeting House on High Green. We will try to tell you something about your object and, with your permission, photograph and record it. We don’t wish to keep anything and you are free to take items home afterwards.

We are interested in all sorts of items: things that you picked up while out walking or things you have at home. Flints, pottery (pieces or whole items), coins, pictures, photographs, books, implements, WW1 and WW2 memorabilia, old newspapers: the list is endless.

Entry is free, and there will be light refreshments available. There will also be opportunities to talk with us about any aspect of local history and to see something of what we have found out about the village.”

Ian Pearce, Great Ayton Community Archaeology Project 

Contact: Ian Peace  Click here

Further information on Great Ayton Community Archaeology Project Click here

Further information on Claro Community Archaeology Group's  Finds Day Click here

10.00am to 3.00pm at Community House, The Old Workhouse, 75 Allhallowgate, Ripon.

An opportunity to experience the excitement of a mini table-top dig involving skills and archaeological methods learned from our team of archaeologists. The Ripon Community Archaeology Project began in 2002 as part of the activities of the Ripon Local Studies Research Centre. The project comprises more than a dozen volunteers from all walks of life, overseen by professional community archaeologist Kevin Cale, meeting weekly. Over the last eight years the project has studied existing records, historic maps, aerial photographs and other documents relating to parishes in the Ripon area. This process has resulted in over 3,000 records held in the project database. This data is handed to the County Heritage Environment Record in Northallerton. Our event this summer focusses on activities for the family. During the day there will be opportunities for children to experience simple guided excavations in a number of boxes under the guidance of Kevin Cale, Community Archaeology Limited.

Further information avrilgray@tiscali.co.uk
Tel: 01765 601734

Further information on British Festival of Archaeology Click here

Community Archaeology Limited Festival of British Archaeology Events 2010 Click here

Saturday 17 July

Archaeology for the Family Day with Ripon Community Archaeology Project including archaeological activity by Kevin Cale, Community Archaeology Limited

Further information Click here

Tuesday 20 July

Walk around Prehistoric Dacre led by Iron Age (Nidderdale Project)

Further information Click here

Saturday 24 July

Great  Ayton Community Archaeology Project Finds Identification Day with Kevin Cale, Community Archaeology Limited

Further information Click here

Tuesday 27 July

Talk on Prehistoric Dacre by Iron Age (Nidderdale) Project

Further information Click here

Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August

Exhibition by Ripon Community Archaeology Project at The Church of Christ the Consoler at Newby Hall

Further information Click here

Community Archaeology Limited Festival of British Archaeology Events 2009 Click here

Further information on The Festival of British Archaeology 2010 Click here

“ High on a lovely, warm, south-facing, sheltered from the wind, slope (always a plus on our site!), there is a series of platforms that contains one of the first furnaces discovered on our site.  It's never been opened up though - mainly because it has a series of intriguing working platforms, above and below it, and we need plenty of manpower to do justice to this feature.  This feature is very different from other furnaces we've seen and excavated - it should tell us lots about how folk worked up here and it will be an important chapter in the ever-unfolding story.  

Please do come along - just bring your good selves, your lunch and plenty of liquids, and appropriate footwear/layers/waterproofs/ suncream.  We'll provide the rest - trowels, spades ... and including a sun shelter if necessary (here's hoping!).We'll be delighted to see you! “

For information including times and venue gill@iron-age.org

Further information on Iron Age (Nidderdale) Project Click here

The event is on between 10.00 and 3.00pm.  FREE ENTRY.

Further information Click here

Hopefully, it will not be hard to find!... the Dovecote is near the Millennium Hall in the middle of the village where refreshments will be served throughout the day.

The group has produced and will be selling 6 colourful booklets in a series entitled A glimpse of your past each packed with information and focussing on the local parishes of:

Asenby

Dishforth

Marton le Moor

Norton le Clay

Rainton with Newby

Wath, Melmerby and Middleton Quernhow

Further information Click here

Over the course of 6 half days the children were given an introduction to archaeology and learned about the geology and history of the Lime Industry in their local area. They got out of the classroom for a guided heritage walk to a local field kiln and were delighted to find a picnic of fairy cakes and drinks left nearby... a mystery still to be solved!. From the letters received, the highlight of the project appears to have been the visit to the much larger Hoffman Kiln at Langcliffe, near Settle.

I was surprised when the Hoffman Kiln was so big”

“I have seen the best thing I have seen in my entire life”

“I enjoyed the walk because we got to walk inside the kiln and because we saw lots of stones and you told us what they were”.

Hoffman Lime Kiln, Langcliffe. Click here

The children will be furthering their knowledge of local heritage on a visit to the County Record Office in Preston in September.

KS2 children at nearby Thorneyholme Primary School in Dunsop Bridge also worked on a similar project and even found they had the remains of their very own historic kiln – just opposite the school!

Further information on Forest of Bowland Landscape Stories Project Click here

Community Archaeology Limited’s Brochure for Schools Click here

Sunday 4 July 2010

Helperby Hidden Gardens  Exhibiton in the Dovecote by Ripon Community Archaeology Project.

Further information Click here

Saturday 10 July

Medieval Fayre at Ripon Cathedral including archaeological activity by Kevin Cale, Community Archaeology Limited

Further information Click here

Sunday 11 July

Local History Exhibition by Mulgrave Community Reserach Project Further information

Monday 12 July and Tuesday 13 July

Iron Age (Nidderdale) Project: Feature Dig

Further information Click here

Saturday 17 July

Archaeology for the Family Day with Ripon Community Archaeology Project including archaeological activity by Kevin Cale, Community Archaeology Limited

Further information Click here

Tuesday 20 July

Walk around Prehistoric Dacre led by Iron Age (Nidderdale Project)

Further information Click here

Saturday 24 July

Great  Ayton Community Archaeology Project Finds Identification Day with Kevin Cale, Community Archaeology Limited

Further information Click here

Tuesday 27 July

Talk on Prehistoric Dacre by Iron Age (Nidderdale) Project

Further information Click here

Saturday 31 July

Exhibition by Ripon Community Archaeology Project at The Church of Christ the Consoler at Newby Hall

Further information Click here

Past Events involving Community Archaeology Limited

July 2010

 June 2010      May 2010    April 2010    March 2010    February 2010    January 2010    December 2009     

November 2009      October 2009         September 2009

The school project commenced with Oakridge school and focussed on The Victorians culminating in a visit to Cleveland  Ironstone  Mining Museum just before Christmas.

During June and July 2010, Kevin and the group will work with classes from  Seton and Lythe schools. Both will be introduced to Geophysics in the school playing fields and at what the group speculate to be the site of a lost church. To further their appreciation of history and archaeology, visits are planned to York (Jorvik Viking Centre and Hungate excavations) and to Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle. The projects will run until 2012 revisiting each school each year.

10 February 2008                New Group Look for Old Church

17 November 2009             Funding success

Mulgrave Community Research Project

North York Moors. Coast and Hills LEADER Programme

 of their work to date on "The Heritage of Scriven and its Park".

Further information on Scriven and its Park.

Further information on Medieval Day

Claro Community Archaeology Group

York Archaeological Trust  Archaeologist and Out Reach co-ordinator, Pam White, arranged for Kevin and  the group to have a privileged evening tour of the site and engage with archaeologists retrieving environmental samples from sieved material and washing of bone and pot finds.

The children had the behind the scenes experience of an archaeological dig, eating their “pack up” in a warehouse surrounded by archaeological finds and chatting to the archaeologists. A memorable feature being a huge map on the wall displaying all the places across the world that the work force at Hungate have come from over the years. The children realised they were a small part of a very big picture and how historic and significant a settlement  York  is – and really not far away from home.

26 February 2010 Archaeology Out of Hours  click here

26 March 2010      Wars of the Roses Experience for Archaeology Club  click here

Community Archaeology Limited’s Brochure for Schools click here

The four primary schools that took part were Wheatley Lane in Fence, St Thomas Barrowford, St Marys Newchurch in Pendle and Roughlee. All the schools were given an introduction to archaeology and heritage studies through “ meeting “ the professionals involved by way of a dressing up activity. Each school looked at aerial photographs and historic maps of their area and went on a guided walk identifying the heritage features in the landscape en route. There were visits to the County Record Office at Preston and the Department of Archaeological Sciences at Bradford University as well as mock excavation activities. Members of the Pendle Forest History Group joined Kevin and the children on the guided walks and for some of the class activities to share their knowledge.

It was good to hear from one of the group members that contact with the schools is set to continue

“We will endeavour to maintain the contacts made through this project and update the schools on any new 'discoveries' we might make in this area.

When appropriate we would like to invite and or include them in any exhibitions we organize as a result of our own landscape history project work”.  Wendy Stansfield, Pendle Forest History Group.

More information on the Forest of Bowland Landscape Stories Project Click here

St Mary’s have populated their website with memories of their involvement  Noggarth Walk  Archaeology Hunt

Community Archaeology Limited’s Brochure for Schools Click  here

and/or one of the Community Archaeology Limited groups at the following events in June

Sunday 20 June

Medieval Living History Day with involvement from Claro Community Archaeology Group

 Further information

Sunday 27 June

Garden Party in aid of Wath Chapel with involvement from Nidderdale Chase Heritage Group

Further information

Past Events involving Community Archaeology Limited

 May 2010    April 2010    March 2010    February 2010    January 2010    December 2009     

November 2009      October 2009         September 2009

As in previous years, the talks had proved so popular that several people asked if they could be repeated.  Great Ayton Community Archaeology Project (GACAP) is holding a Saturday Omnibus Edition on 22 May in the Friends’ Meeting House, Great Ayton.

The presentations are as follows:

9:30am.  Waynman Dixon - Egypt to Easby Lane.  Waynman Dixon spent his retirement in the village after a fascinating working life.  All too often, others are credited with his achievements, the most notable being the transportation of Cleopatra's Needle to London.

10:30am.  Cook Cottage - Easby Lane to Melbourne.  Most villagers will be familiar with the obelisk on the site of James Cook's parents' cottage, and here is the chance to find out how we came to exchange an important part of our heritage for a pile of stones from Australia.

11:30am.  Tanning - turning cows into coats.  Great Ayton, like many other Cleveland villages, had several tanyards.  This presentation takes us through the traditional tanning process, explaining what local resources were needed and why the process was so obnoxious.

1:30pm.  Richardson tanyards - Ayton to Newcastle.  William Richardson started making leather at Langbaurgh Farm towards the end of the seventeenth century, and by the mid-twentieth century his descendents had one of the largest tanneries in England, at Newcastle upon Tyne.

2:30pm.  Outram Cottages and the adjacent houses.  Outram Cottages, near the petrol station on the Guisborough Road, are a familiar landmark.  Find out why they were built and so-named, and why one of them had to surrender its back rooms to Tower House.

3:00pm.  What the papers said.  Newspapers are a wonderful source of information, and modern information technology enables us to pick out articles on Great Ayton.  If it's in the paper it must be true.

4:00pm.  Public Health in Ayton.  Life wasn't so easy in the "good old days".  Many diseases were fatal, drinking water was far from pure, and food was adulterated.  And there was no National Health Service.  Find out how Aytonians coped through these difficult times.  

 There will be coffee and tea available between each presentation and entry is free, with the usual comment that small contributions for refreshments would be welcomed

There should be opportunities for questions and discussion after each presentation.  Some of the presentations will be incorporating new material as a result of previous audience contributions and further research since they were first delivered.  If you would like to know a bit more about the Omnibus Day or individual presentations, please contact Ian Pearce on 01642 722964.

Further information

BBC1 (North) will be showing  A History of the World: Towton 1461, a film presented by Horrible Histories author Terry Deary on Monday 17 May at 7.30pm. Click here for BBC page. The programme will probably be broadcast nationally on BBC4 later in the year.

Helen and her husband Mick were present in costume during filming and feature in the programme. They are familiar to children from South Milford Primary School, nr Towton and members of the Boroughbridge after school Archaeology Club. Helen has recently launched a website and has had a book published - The Battle of Wakefield Revisited.

Helen Cox, Herstory Writing and Interperation.

Related links:

Wars of the Roses Experience for Archaeology Club Click here

NY Times article on  Towton Battlefield project with South Milford Click here