Recent AGM news |
6/5/2024 |
At our recent AGM several events took place in addition to our normal business. One was the presentation of the Val Whittaker Prize to Thomas Prince for his work entitled "Two Acheulean handaxes from Kariandusi, Kenya". The prize was presented by our President Paul Spoerry, as shown in the photograph. The second was a lecture by Paul and was the last act as he retires as our president after a number of years service. He was presented with a cheque to put towards something archaeological and made a life member of CAFG. Best wishes Paul as you move into a new phase of your life. Luckily we have a very suitable replacement in Stephen Macaulay who has taken over from Paul as leader at Oxford Archaeology. Stephen is well known to us and has had a continuing role engaged with other local communities. Welcome Stephen and we hope to carry on with our long-standing relationship with OA. | | |
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Still no field walking availability |
26/4/2024 |
This coming Sunday (28th April) is not possible due to probable bad weather and the non-availability due to the crop not progressing fast enough. We are hoping to perhaps be back in early May (earlier if things progress faster). |
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Field walking at last - Ickleton again |
24/3/2024 |
At last the weather remained good while we walked at Ickleton this weekend. As the photo showed the finds were mostly post-medieval with the odd piece of medieval date. The overwhelming impression of the field was the quantities of flint lying about. We did pick up some, as the photo shows, but they are mostly primary flakes with no tools. There was a single piece of burnt flint. When confronted with masses of flint like this, identifying worked flint is a major task and possibly we did leave some on the field. | | |
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Looking at an old find |
23/3/2024 |
Recently while searching old finds, this wig curler came to light. The dumb-bell shaped object in a kaolin clay has a stamp on each end as the photo shows. The letters are W and B which are surmounted by a coronet. This curler dates to the latter half of the 18th C and the initials stand for William Burstow who worked out of Blackheath Hill, Greenwich in the 1740's. The large number of his products, both in Great Britain and the American colonies suggests he had somewhat cornered the market at this time. Wig wearing was all the rage in the late 17th C but had fallen out of fashion by the turn of the 19th C,. These wigs required frequent cleaning and reforming of the curls which were formed around hot wig curlers. Other curlers were made from wood, typically of cane, boxwood and some other woods. The wigs themselves often used human hair but also used horsehair, cow, goat and sheep hair depending on the price of the wig. | | |
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Two more Sundays, two more rained off days |
18/3/2024 |
Meterologists tell us that East Anglia has had as much rain in the first two weeks of March this year as we had in the whole of March last year. Don't we know it!!! Winter 2023/24 has been one of the worst periods for field walking in perhaps the last two or three decades. However, we will try again this coming Sunday (24th) and see whether we can get some field walking in before we break for Easter - keep your fingers crossed. |
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More leg exercise in the muddy conditions |
3/3/2024 |
Back in the Eltisley mud this weekend, conditions had not really improved for walking but the ground visibility was still OK. There were few finds, as the photograph shows, and they were mostly post-medieval in date. They did include a small fragment of a blue Westerwald vessel and more stoneware. The usual glazed red earthen ware predominated, but there was a flowerpot looking unglazed rim. Also a small battered piece of a Staffordshire slipware wall - only a couple of pieces of unglazed sandy ware may be medieval in date. As we move away from the village centre the finds are getting less, suggesting the village never extended very far to the east of the manor house. | | |
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Spot the wellington boots!! |
28/2/2024 |
One of our field walking members sent in this photo to illustrate the muddy conditions at Eltisley. We are going to try again this Sunday so if you plan to come then Wellington boots are the order of the day. Recent statistical information indicates just how wet it has been this winter - don't we know!! | | |
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A sticky (and foggy) day at Eltisley |
27/2/2024 |
What a day!! Started off in the fog, then brightened up - all the while trudging through the glutinous muddy surface. Although there was some grass growth, quite thick in places, the surface visibility was OK. Not many finds of note, as the photograph shows. Mostly post med but with the odd piece of medieval-looking pot and some shell tempered ware. The ceramic rod shown could be a handle but was an unusual find. | | |
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In the Footsteps of Fox |
This year marks the centenary of the publication of Cyril Fox’s seminal book: ‘The Archaeology of the Cambridge Region’. In November 2023, the McDonald Institute and Madgalene College hosted an international conference to celebrate Fox’s contribution to archaeology. CAFG was invited to provide two posters based on our work, which were displayed in Magdalene College, along with around 12 others from the UK and abroad, until the middle of December. The posters investigate how our fieldwalking results from two areas on chalklands (Fulbourn and Ickleton) and two on mainly claylands (Wimpole and Childerley) compare with Fox’s expectations relating to the effects of local geology on
human activity.
In the Footsteps of Fox - Part 1
In the Footsteps of Fox - Part 2
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