Today was sunny and relatively warm – perfect weather for the first of a series of visits by local schools (not including a visit yesterday, by ‘A level’ archaeology students from Peterborough College), to the gardens and excavations. Helen is responsible for our contribution to the visits – explaining the discoveries made so far, as well as providing the children with experience of working on an archaeological dig. Helen felt that today’s visits were very successful, with the children showing a lot of enthusiasm.

Work has continued in Trench 2, where Dennis, who has recently started work as a volunteer, is excavating a slot through deposits north of the adjacent east–west wall, and south of the boiler (the boiler comprises a sunken, brick lined pit, with a ‘hearth’ and flue on its southern side). Within the slot, Dennis has removed a burnt deposit (possibly related to use of the boiler) to reveal an apparently external surface consisting of small stones and mortar.

In Trench 3 we have located undisturbed alluvium (yellowy-brown sandy silt) at 1.1m below existing ground level. This is cut by a series of linear features dated by pottery to the medieval period, and is sealed by thick silty loam deposits – perhaps (in part at least) derived from garden activity. The base of the east-west wall was found at approximately 0.80m below existing ground level.

In an attempt to establish the limits of the thick deposit of deliberately placed sand found in Trench 8 (located against the western boundary of the grounds, in the area of a building shown on the 1732 map by John Grundy), Helen has carried out some auguring in a line extending northwards from the trench. It appears that the northern limit of the sand may coincide with the northern limit of a comparatively late rebuild of the wall. It seems likely that the rebuild was made necessary by the demolition of the building shown on the Grundy map (the map shows the boundary wall to abut the building).

Since Friday morning excavations have progressed rapidly in Trench 3 (situated on the western side of the lawn area), exposing a very substantial limestone wall, aligned east–west. The wall, which correlates with an anomaly produced by the ground probing radar survey, does not appear on the John Grundy map of 1732, and is clearly earlier than the formal garden laid out by Maurice Johnson II. Since there is no evidence of associated internal flooring, the feature might best be regarded as a boundary wall. Accordingly, it might be speculated that the Ayscoughfee grounds were originally split into separate properties. A reappraisal of the documentary records might resolve this question. (For more information about this, see the Desk-Based Assessment that can be downloaded from the main project page.)

In Trench 2 (adjacent to the eastern side of the house) further work has revealed the full extent of a comparatively late boiler.

Today Ian Tyers from Birmingham University visited the gardens to collect core samples of six yew trees in order to use dendrochronology (tree rings) and date the origins if the yew trees. Six trees were selected from around the garden in order that a broad range of trees included in the formal layout could be examined. Individual trees were selected by observing certain characteristics that may suggest the yew is quite old. As yew trees naturally reproduce via suckers that run up the side of the original yew trunk, the width of the trees may not necessarily be an accurate estimation of age.

The process of dendrochronology involves coring a sample about 5mm in diameter into the centre of the trees, then retrieving the intact core which will then be dried and the growth rings examined under microscope back at his laboratory. This should hopefully take about four weeks to process to have an accurate date for all the yew trees sampled. Ian seemed quite confident that the trees ages would fall between the 200 to 300 years we are expecting.

This morning we collected our finds from Ayscoughfee Hall after they have been washed and processed. These finds included material from Trench 4, where a culvert runs through, and also from Trench 6, over the later Victorian building and possible cistern. All of the finds consisted of pottery, brick and marine shells. The pottery and brick that have been identified are post-medieval and are of types that were common during that period. The exception is a piece of Surrey White Ware Colander.

The quantity of finds that we have retrieved has not been vast, but as the site has always been a garden we would not expect to find large quantities of material. The marine shells we have recovered have mainly been oyster shells, these would have been a common and easily available food source, especially during the Victorian period, as they were easily transported into Spalding along the river.

We had the machine back to start the new trenches. One was located on the lawn, near to Trench 4. This trench was located using our geophysics results, which showed a linear feature running east–west across the lawn. We are interested in this feature because it does not tie in with the known layout formal garden layout.

Two additional trenches were placed over a bank seen during one of our earlier site visits in order to establish its construction date and something of its function. One trench was placed at the back of the house to examine a section of early wall.

We were conscious of it being half term and potentially busy with public, but it seems that the cold may have kept some people away. The afternoon was spent erecting fences to cordon off the newly excavated trenches.
Throughout the day Russell and a volunteer, Richard, started excavating Trench 5, cleaning the trench with trowels and hoes so that any archaeological features could be seen.

Russell continued to work in Trench 6. With recording of the existing archaeology completed, the excavation area was extended to see if the circular brick structure continued. Evidence was revealed of a small drain or culvert built into the building wall which seems to drain into the well. The interpretation of the circular structure as an earlier well now seems improbable, a more likely explanation being that the circular structure may be some form of tank or cistern contemporary with the building.

In Trench 8, Matt has exposed a thick layer of clean sand, which the garden wall is built into. This sand is not something that we would expect to occur naturally in this area. We do see clean sand used to make up the ground level for buildings, although it is not usually this thick. Next week, in order to establish the extent of these deposits we plan to auger surrounding area to see how localised these deposits are.

Matt has also exposed the wall foundations, which are of a different construction from those present further along the wall. The foundations are built of brick and are deeper. This may be because they belong to a later building phase. They may also have been dug deeper for more stability because of the underlying sand.

Helen continued recording in Trench 4, drawing the exposed section, in order to have a written record of how deposits have built up.

Today was generally overcast and cold, following another frosty start. We were joined by Matt who has started to excavate a second trench against the western boundary wall (Trench 8, located to the south of Trench 7). Already, he has revealed stone masonry beneath the existing brick wall. Some of the stone (including an architectural fragment reused from a demolished building) appears very loose in construction and may be interpreted as collapse from the wall. A layer of sand extends throughout much of the trench, beneath 18th-century or later soils. The origin of this deposit is difficult to explain since there is no sign of the laminations which might be expected in a waterlain sediment.

We are hopeful that further excavation will provide some answers to these questions.
Elsewhere, we are still in the process of completing the necessary recording of our other trenches.

After a very cold start, with frost on the lawns and frozen ground in Trench 4, we had another fine, sunny day, perfect weather for archaeology. It is half-term for local schools and there has been a considerable increase in the number of people visiting the gardens, and a corresponding rise in interest in our work.

Helen has moved on from Trench 4 to begin work in Trench 7 (situated on the western side of the gardens, against the boundary wall). Already she has uncovered the foundation of a buttress (this section of wall appears to have been rebuilt and the buttress probably belongs to an earlier phase of brick wall) and a stone wall or footings directly beneath the existing wall. There is a strong possibility that the stone wall represents a much earlier (medieval?) phase of the boundary.

We have more or less completed excavations in Trenches 4 and 6 and are now in the process of catching up with recording in these areas.

Today, we continued work in Trenches 4 and 6. Helen has uncovered a culvert running north/south (towards the house) in Trench 4. It is highly likely that the feature links with larger culvert (located by geophysical survey) running eastñwest across the southern edge of the lawn. The larger culvert is aligned with the canal and almost certainly connects this with the river.

Further excavation in Trench 6 has confirmed the presence of a well. The upper part of the well appears to have been deliberately backfilled with sandy/silty material. Finds from the deposit indicate a comparatively late date for backfilling.

In Trench 4 we have now located a stony deposit which is contained within a broad hollow. Further excavation might show the stony deposit to be a fill within a deeper cut, possibly a ditch. Alternatively, the deposit, which corresponds approximately with the northñsouth geophysical anomaly mentioned in previous blogs, could represent a form of surface. Finds retrieved from the material indicate a pre-eighteenth-century date (earlier than the gardens shown on the John Grundy's map of 1732). It might, therefore, be speculated that the eighteenth-century avenue, as defined by yew trees leading east from the lawn area to a gate in the south wall, represents a formalisation of an earlier (possibly medieval?) path. Further excavation should resolve this question.

In Trench 6, a slot excavated against the south face of the adjacent wall has revealed stepped out foundations of pitched brick. Very limited excavation within the interior of the outhouse (see previous blogs) has revealed part of a stone feature lined with at least two courses of brick on its curving inner face (reminiscent of a well). A silty sand deposit seals the feature and extends into its upper levels. The feature is clearly earlier than the brick outhouse since the sandy silt material is cut by the construction cut for the latterís east wall. We intend to expose more of the feature tomorrow and might then be in a position to provide a more informed interpretation.

Work continued in Trench 4 (situated on the lawn area south of the building), where Helen has partially excavated three shallow features, all cutting a thick layer of silt interpreted as alluvium. Two of these features appear to be linear in form (one apparently coinciding with an anomaly located by the geophysical survey) and might provisionally be interpreted as gullies or the settings for hedges. The third feature, which was only partially revealed at the eastern end of the trench, might correspond to one of a series of irregular patches present on the geophysical survey plots.

Despite extensive work in Trench 4 there is still no sign of the north/south path depicted on John Grundy's map of 1732 (see yesterday's blog), and the likelihood of locating this feature (typically made up with gravel during this period) would now appear to be remote. A thick layer of soil and the existing topsoil occupy the upper levels of the trench.

Trench 6 (located against the south face of the east/west wall dividing the gardens from the forecourt area west of the house) was cut straight and emptied of residual topsoil to reveal the base or foundation of the east wall of a small outhouse depicted on the Ordnance Survey map of 1887. A westward return of the wall was partially exposed, aligning precisely with a column of truncated brickwork incorporated into the western perimeter wall. This column rests upon and clearly postdates the lower extent (about 0.75m high?) of the wall but is apparently abutted by brickwork on either side. The building is not present on the 1732 map by Grundy so it is reasonable to surmise that the majority of the perimeter wall at this point is of more recent construction. Very limited excavation within the interior of the outbuilding revealed part of a stone floor, while a hard surface (tarmac?) to the east of may be interpreted as an external surface of probable 20th-century date (the building is still visible on the 1903 Ordnance Survey map).

Weather conditions were ideal for most of today (warm and sunny), but torrential rain arrived as we were leaving the site and waterlogged trenches can be expected in the morning.