Archaeology – Jo Hutchings – Aldbourne Archive

Here We Went Gathering Books in May

With thanks to Swindon Local Studies and Wiltshire Libraries

It’s the last day of #LocalHistoryMonth for 2023, a thoroughly enjoyable wander through the history societies and resources in Wiltshire and beyond. During the past few weeks, I have linked up with the Society for One Place Studies, and explored the Wiltshire Library Catalogue and Swindon Local Studies.

The sharing of information and resources is such an important part of local and family history, I’ve been reminded that Shrivenham Heritage Society have a beautiful map drawn by Abraham Dymock of Aldbourne ( 1767 – 1845).

I’ve borrowed library books ranging from a collection of poems and stories by Joan Mitchell (nee Liddiard) to WW1 in Swindon; and waded through the biography of Gerald Brenan. It’s fascinating to read these recollections of lives spent in and around Aldbourne, and it all counts towards the #OnePlaceStudy. All thanks to Wiltshire Libraries and Swindon Local Studies!

Who knew that Gerald Brenan worked with Desmond Hawkins (who also lived in Aldbourne for a time) on a BBC feature programme about Stonehenge broadcast on the Home Service in 1948?

Source: BBC Archive – link to listing here

There’s been folk-lore and WW2 history, and along the way a quick study of Wiltshire Reading Rooms to help chart the beginnings of a public lending library in Aldbourne (Ivor Slocombe – HobNob Press). The most recent volume borrowed was From Blackout to Bungalows by Julie Davis, Wiltshire’s County Local Studies Librarian at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre. This is a comprehensive and fascinating insight into WWII Home Front Wiltshire and the Austerity Years 1939 – 1945. My parents were a young married couple in Wiltshire during that time and it has really put their early days starting a family into perspective. I still have my Mum’s handwritten recipes: she made a note of what worked (but more usually jotted down what didn’t!). Julie’s chapter Pulling Together really chimed with Mum’s recollections. Back in the 1980s I acquired a recipe book produced by the Potato Marketing Board, Mum couldn’t understand why anyone would voluntarily bake with spuds, other than to smother them in off ration butter and cheese!

To be honest, I don’t think we’ll be trying sponge pud with potato any time soon, although Potato and Apple Scones came out surprisingly well

Everyone deserves a treat, so after returning the Wiltshire Library copy I have purchased a copy of Julie’s book for my Aldbourne Archive shelves. Totally recommend it – HobNob Press.

Ralph Whitlock’s Folklore of Wiltshire (borrowed via Aldbourne library) is a great little book from 1975, and there’s a very amusing description of the Dabchick legend, linking to the engravings of a small, long-necked bird on some of the earliest bells cast in Aldbourne. This snippet is followed by a reference to how the inhabitants of Stratton St Margaret came to be known as ‘crocodiles’.

Another booky treat on the horizon is Richard Osgood’s Broken Pots Mending Lives – The Archaeology of Operation Nightingale (release date 15 July 2023 Oxbow Books). Can’t wait! By the way, photos by the very talented Harvey Mills ARPS recording the Operation Nightingale 2023 visit to Aldbourne can be viewed at Digging Band of Brothers 2023

For those that survive, the traumas of military conflict can be long lasting. It might seem astonishing that archaeology, with its uncovering of the traces of the long-dead, of battlefields, of skeletal remains, could provide solace, and yet there is something magical about the subject. In archaeology there is a job for everyone; from surveying and drawing, to examining the finds, to digging itself. Often this is in some of the most beautiful and restful of landscapes and with talks around a campfire at the end of the day.

Operation Nightingale is a programme which was set up in 2011 within the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom to help facilitate the recovery of armed forces personnel recently engaged in armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, using the archaeology of the British Training Areas. Over the following decade, the project has expanded to include veterans of older conflicts and of other nations – from the United States, from Poland, from Australia and elsewhere.

This book is the story of those veterans, of their incredible discoveries, of their own journeys of recovery – sometimes one which can lead to a lifetime of studying archaeology. It has taken them to the crash sites of Spitfires and trenches of the Western Front in the First World War, through to burial grounds of Convicts, camp sites of Hessian mercenaries, and Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. Lavishly illustrated, this work shows the reader how the discovery of our shared past – of long-forgotten houses, of glinting gold jewellery, of broken pots, can be restorative and help people mend otherwise damaged lives.

The book features a foreword and illustrations by Professor Alice Roberts, presenter on BBC’s The Big Dig, Digging for Britain and Coast, alongside superb photography by Harvey Mills.
Broken Pots MENDING LIVES – Oxbow Books

Digging Band of Brothers 2023

Tuesday 9 May 2023 – serving and retired American personnel with Kerry from Time Team also in uniform (Photo: with thanks to David Ulke)

Over the years many tributes and reminiscences have been given and shared concerning the ‘friendly invasion’ at Aldbourne and the surrounding villages during 1943/44.

The most recent of these took place on the evening of Tuesday 9th May 2023.

Not daunted by the torrential rain, retired and serving American servicemen and servicewomen paid their respects to their predecessors in Aldbourne. The group has been taking part in an Operation Nightingale Dig in the village. More details can be found on the BBC News website. Kerry Ely from Time Team, that well-known archaeology programme re-born on Patreon, also paid his respects in uniform.

Operation Nightingale is an initiative to assist the recovery of wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans by getting them involved in archaeological investigations. This has been the third Digging Band of Brothers visit to Aldbourne. All the discoveries and finds will in due course be on display in the village Heritage Centre. Many of the finds from 2019 and 2022 are already on display. Please visit the Aldbourne Heritage Centre website for more information/opening times.

Following the ceremony the wreath was conveyed to the Aldbourne War Memorial Hall. Plaques within the Hall remember the 101st Airborne and the 436th Troop Carrier Group; the latter based at Membury.

Looking back through the archives, this was by no means the first occasion our American friends have visited the village to remember their comrades in arms. The Green has always been a particular focal point:

Most Americans who visit England fall in love with its green fields and leafy lanes. It is doubtful, however, if any of these temporary visitors get to know the English countryside as intimately as did the soldiers who lived there in the war years …

600 men were put in huts and barracks on a meadow that could well have supported at least two cows …

We arrived in Aldbourne in a blacked-out convoy one frosty September night in 1943. When we awoke the next morning, we saw the England of nursery rhyme and children’s story. Fairy-tale cottages with thatched roofs and rose vines on trellises stood all around us …

A soft village green with a weathered stone cross spread like a sloping carpet before an old grey church with a Norman door, a Perpendicular tower, and a melodious clock that sweetly chimed the quarter hour.
The words of David Kenyon Webster – Private Easy Company in Aldbourne 1943/44

A group of veterans returned to Aldbourne for the 30th Anniversary of D-Day in 1974.

Source: press clippings collected by the Aldbourne Photographic Society (1974)

The Green is often the central feature for re-enactors; such as the Gathering of Eagles in 2006.

I believe that this was the last stable at Hightown, now in the grounds of Littlecote House

A presence on the Green turned full circle again in 2007, when on Remembrance Sunday re-enactors formed up for an inspection by serving officers. Unfortunately, I don’t have any information on which group of re-enactors it was; nor anything about the serving officers. Any and all information is always welcome, please!

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Irwin Bishell

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Irwin Bishell, DSO, TD – Royal Artillery
Commanding 94 (The Dorset and Hampshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment
Died 01 October 1944 aged 45 – Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Territorial Decoration
Awarded 17 August 1944

Distinguished Service Order
“Throughout the operations carried out from the ODON bridgehead between 1 and 15 July he has displayed the highest qualities of leadership, meeting all emergencies with calm and resolute action and setting an example of devotion to duty and contempt for danger which has been an inspiration to all those in contact with him. The efficiency and morale of his Regt under the most exacting conditions have been of the highest order.”
Awarded posthumously 19 October 1944

Much of the information I use for the Aldbourne Archive, here and on social media, comes from the internet – Ancestry, CWGC, Museums, The British Newspaper Archive etc. But one of the great joys of living in Aldbourne is that people often have memories and stories to share.

In 1936, the then Major Bishell acted as an adjudicator for the special prize offered for the best entry in the Aldbourne Carnival. The winners were Mr and Mrs C Stacey for a ‘satirical representation of the 1936 summer’. Apparently, the float was an ingenious sprinkler system spraying rain over the occupants of the vehicle, who were endeavouring to harvest “hay, in process of decomposition.” (Found a photo, and updated 1 October 2021).

Mr and Mrs C Stacey “Haymaking 1936” Aldbourne Carnival – with thanks to Lisa Barkworth

Mrs Bishell was very active in the Women’s Institute and held meetings at ‘The Southward’, with competitions and events such as ‘flower pot racing’, ‘clock golf’, and an egg & spoon race – again, if I find a picture ….

By July 1939, Major Bishell, a Veteran of the Great War, was in command of the 217th Battery, 112th Field Artillery Regiment, R.A, T.A, with headquarters at Prospect Drill Hall Swindon’s Own Regiment – North Wilts Herald 21 July 1939.

Andrea West’s father, Eric Barrett, was stationed in Gibraltar when his son Tim was born. Eric was called to the Governor’s House to receive the news. The message was organised via Lt Col Bishell.

Eric Barrett, Royal Engineers, Gibraltar. With thanks to Andrea and Peter West

Aldbourne’s War Dead and Easy Company’s Band of Brothers
http://www.theobservationpost.com/blog/?p=1945
US National World War II Museum ‘Band of Brothers Tour’ June 2017

Getting the story out there is vital for archaeology, and there are so many benefits if it’s done well. A case in point came following the Operation Nightingale ‘Band of Brothers’ dig on the football field. It’s a really lovely story from David Shaw-Stewart who lived in Aldbourne during 1944 and who saw us on Digging for Britain. He got in touch thanks to Professor Roberts whom he contacted after the programme. Never will there have been a more suitable site mascot too!
Richard Osgood, Operation Nightingale 28 January 2020

As a family, Father, Mother, myself and older brother, we lived in Hadley Wood in North London. I was born in 1936. Sadly my Father died and with the outbreak of war we moved to Wiltshire to the village of Aldbourne to live with one of my Mother’s sisters, Aunt Peggy.
It was here that we were neighbours of the camp of Easy Company known as the “Band of Brothers”, Southward Lane. Residents of the house were: Owner: Lt Colonel T. I. Bishell, 94th Field Regiment, Royal Artilley. Killed in action at Arnhem. His wife, Mrs M Bishell (Aunt Peggy); Daughter, J Bishell, (Joan) Son, J Bishell, (John). My Mother, Mrs E A Shaw-Stewart, (Betty) My Brother, C A Shaw-Stewart (Colin) Myself, D E Shaw-Stewart (David).
The grounds had a large kitchen garden as well as ducks and geese providing eggs and being good “guard dogs” for security. We used to get our milk every day from Mr Hawkins’ farm that was across the road from the camp. I used to watch the soldiers marching up Southward lane every day to go on their training exercises up over the downs and also on to Pentico Wood. They would throw sticks of chewing gum to me. They also would go along the valley, opposite from the drive up to the house, to fire live ammunition into the hillside. They discarded belts of empty machine gun bullets which we picked up and used as bandoliers. We also collected belts, water bottles, mess tins, helmets and bits of ammunition such as rocket grenades. The house looked down the valley across the road to Hungerford so that we were able to watch much of their training across the farmlands including parachute drops. On one occasion they set fire to a hay stack. Unfortunately the village fire engine was still horse drawn and the horses were out ploughing a field.
My Aunt Peggy and Mother were very involved in helping the war effort in the village and were friends with many of the military personnel in Easy Company and also with the large Airforce base at Membury nearby. They would have drinks parties for officers of Easy Company. I remember the well- dressed soldiers coming to the house. My Mother was friends with one of the officers called George. I never knew his surname. He gave her two badges which my Mother sewed on to my Brother Colin’s chimpanzee teddy called “Switzy”. The two badges were the 101st Airborne and the eagles head. I am not sure where the badge for the Anti-Aircraft Company came from. Switzy is still a companion today.
On “D” Day the camp was deserted. My cousin Peter and I went down to the camp. All the doors were left open and there were open boxes of live ammunition on the tables. The end of an era.
David Shaw-Stewart – 27/01/2020

Yellow Flags with a Royal Connection?

Look out in May for yellow iris around the pond in Aldbourne. They make a real splash of colour, together with the pink blossom of the horse-chestnut trees. This year at about the time they first appeared, I spotted a fascinating article by Karen Andrews (aka ‘Botany Karen’) setting out some other common names for this flower; including ‘Yellow Flags’. You can read Karen’s full article here. Karen connects to a 14th century tile in the Louvre, which reminded me of six tiles of a similar age found in Aldbourne and now in the British Museum. I’m not sure when these tiles were found, but it may have been sometime in the 19th century. There’s a mention of ‘medieval tiles’ as part of Mr Walter Lawrence’s collection, proudly displayed at the Crown to visiting members of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society in 1894. Possibly the first instance of a ‘pop-up’ Museum in the village. The six tiles found at the Court House were acquired by the British Museum in 1947, are just a tiny part of the huge collection belonging to the 9th Duke of Rutland (1886-1940). We’ll probably never know if Mr Lawrence discovered his tiles at the Court House, or if the newspaper article refers to other discoveries; or (if they were the Court House tiles) how they found their way to the Duke of Rutland. Dating tiles is a mystery to me. At least one of the six in London is listed as ‘made in Clarendon’; how do they know that? Mind you, I’ve seen an article that speaks of tiles from the mosaic at Littlecote House having been made at Minety, which is fascinating, but that’ll be another article for another day!

Devizes Gazette Cutting July 1894 in the library at Wiltshire Museum, Devizes

Returning to the Yellow Iris, or Fleur-de-Lys, there was an interesting display during 2018 at the Aldbourne Heritage Centre, researched by Warwick Hood and reproduced in part here with his very kind permission.

THE COURT HOUSE TILES
The four decorated floor tiles shown here are the best examples from six medieval tiles that were found in the garden of Court House. The six date from between about 1280 and 1412 and are now held by the British Museum.The tiles form part of the Rutland Collection, assembled by the 9^th Duke of Rutland (1886-1940) and originally kept at his family seat, Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. The collection was sold to the British Museum in 1947 by his son, the 10^th Duke.

Two of the six tiles date from before 1300, evidence that a substantial house or hall existed on the site at that time. The pattern of one of the other tiles, dating from the 14^th century, resembles a fleur-de-lys. This was a prominent feature of the coat of arms of the Dukes of Lancaster in the 14^th century, as can be seen in the tunics of Henry of Grosmont and John O’Gaunt, both pictured below

The Hall, the oldest part of the present house, has a fine fireplace into which have been carved a rose and a fleur-de-lys. Both the Rose of Lancaster and the fleur-de-lys are closely linked with John of Gaunt. The presence of these carved symbols has therefore been cited as evidence for the link between John O’Gaunt and Court House.
The puzzle is that the fireplace dates from 100-200 years after John’s death in 1399! Maybe the symbols were added later to celebrate the earlier link with John? Or perhaps they mark a later connection with the Crown, which held Aldbourne Manor for much of the Tudor and Stuart period up to 1627? All of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs used the fleur-de-lys and the rose – by then the Union Rose combining the roses of Lancaster and York – as important symbols.
Warwick Hood

The yellow flags by the pond, and the fleur-de-lys have also made their way into the exquisite ‘Awborne Gospels’. a current illuminated manuscript project by Jenny Greaves, inspired by the beautiful works of Medieval scribes and artists. The manuscript initially set out to present John Wycliffe’s fourteenth century translation of the Four Gospels into English – this unauthorised translation enabled Aldbourne’s Medieval residents to hear, for the first time, the Bible in their own language. The challenge of these “Awborne Gospels” is to illustrate each page with something to do with our village. As Jenny’s project progresses, the breadth and depth of our village’s history and culture are proving to be near infinite.

With thanks to Karen, Warwick and Jenny

Digging for Britain (in Aldbourne!)

UPDATE: Site Excavation Report on the Band of Brothers dig 2019 by Operation Nightingale. A great effort by all the team, the villagers of Aldbourne and everyone sustaining the memories of those American lads who spent months living in rural England (PDF on Google Opens in new tab)

Operation Nightingale, in partnership with Breaking Ground Heritage, aims to use heritage based projects to promote physical and physiological well-being among those who are, or were, members of the armed forces. It was my privilege to assist with their visit to our village in 2019.

Archaeology in Aldbourne with Operation Nightingale appeared on national television on Wednesday 11th December 2019, a WW2 special. (Still available on iPlayer as at March 2020).

Digging for Britain follows a rich variety of excavations working to unearth some of Britain’s most unusual and exciting finds.

Professor Alice Roberts follows a year of British archaeology, joining up the results of digs and investigations the length of the country.
Digging for Britain BBC Four

In Aldbourne, Wiltshire, the search is on for the most famous American unit of the US army, ‘Easy Company’, who were stationed there in 1943 and 1944. Archaeologists are particularly looking for any personal items of this renowned regiment to gain insight into their lives in the months and days leading up to the D-Day invasion.
Digging for Britain Wednesday 11 December 2019 9pm BBC Four

Before a shovel hit the turf back in May 2019, there were visits to Ramsbury and Aldbourne with Archaeological Surveys Ltd, research meetings at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre and prolonged scrutiny of aerial photos in the Historic England archive. Exercise Digging Band of Brothers gave locals the opportunity to work with professional archaeologists and service veterans. It all came together with the excavation on the football field in May 2019. (See The Dabchick issue 173 August 2019 for a full report by John Dymond).

Richard Osgood, Senior Archaeologist at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Archaeologist of the Year 2019) and his team would like to say a special thank-you to the people of Aldbourne.

The men of Easy Company, 506 PIR, 101 Airborne were given warm hospitality during their stay at Aldbourne in 1943-4 and this welcome continued 75 years later when an archaeological team of veterans sought to investigate the ‘Band of Brothers’ camp site on the sports pitches. In glorious weather the team looked for any trace of their American predecessors beneath the turf. And did they find anything? Well watch Digging for Britain on BBC Four on 11 December to find out (though safe to say that the excavation wouldn’t be on had it drawn a blank!). It was wonderful to welcome local villagers, schools, scouts, and the general public to site in that week and we really hope to return in 2020.
Richard Osgood November 2019

The Aldbourne Community Heritage Group have confirmed that the artefacts uncovered have been returned to the village and work is starting on their conservation. All finds (including those shown on TV) will be on display in the Aldbourne Heritage Centre throughout the 2020 season. Find out more: http://aldbourneheritage.org.uk/band-brothers-finds-arrive

Some links for more information

Operation Nightingale https://www.gov.uk/guidance/operation-nightingale
Breaking Ground Heritage https://www.breakinggroundheritage.org.uk/
Photos in Aldbourne (May 2019) by Harvey Mills ARPS https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZeWnRP9a1nexPDAG7
Harvey’s amazing photos are also on You-Tube as a slideshow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EneOo0nQ5Ys

Aldbourne Village Gallery. The story so far – long may it last!

I started a Flickr Gallery in 2008. It now has just over 4,000 photos in it. Flickr has been acquired by something called Smug Mug, and I’ve decided not to add any more photos since there seems to be a risk that the Gallery might disappear; free accounts being a bit vulnerable to that, it would seem.

So here’s a link – enjoy! https://www.flickr.com/photos/aldbournevillagegallery/albums

Many aspects of village life are represented; particularly Carnival and the Beating of the Bounds. If there are any photos or albums you’d like to chat about, please drop me a line, aldbourne.archive@gmail.com

Jo Hutchings – August 2019

Stonehenge and Avebury: An Avebury landowner avows to protect the stones

Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre @HeritageWSHC on Twitter 150819

A recent tweet/FB/Instagram by Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre reminded me of this article (2013 The Heritage Journal), featuring the redoubtable George Brown of Avebury. Shared here as I get stuck into thinking about research for the #RidgewayHistoryTrail.

https://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/stonehenge-and-avebury-an-avebury-landowner-avows-to-protect-the-stones

I have purchased an excellent and indispensible book Walking the Ridgeway, by Steve Davison which suggests an alternative start from the centre of Avebury village; and describes the official start at Overton Hill as ‘not very inspiring’. Each to their own. I have to admit that up to a few years ago, I would have agreed; at the Sanctuary – concrete posts – what’s that all about? So disappointed visiting as a child after watching Children of the Stones and hearing about the Avenue and Sanctuary. However, I’ve been fortunate enough to find out what it is really all about, thanks in part to the helpful information boards installed at the site. As a total fan of Trowel Blazer, Maud Cunnington, I find much to inspire me there; so much, that I’m finding it difficult to move away and start the journey exploring the stretch of the Ridgeway Path as it travels away from Overton Hill. Maud will be much on my mind as we journey past Aldbourne, and towards Foxhill.

http://www.steve-davison.co.uk/ridgeway.html https ://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway https://www.ridgewayfriends.org.uk

Maud Cunninton Digging Women of Power. Cartoon by Gabe Moshenska
https://trowelblazers.com/maud-cunnington
See also: J. Roberts, “‘That Terrible Woman’: The Life, Work and Legacy of Maud Cunnington” Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine (2002): 46-62. and
M. Pitts 2001. Hengeworld. London: Arrow.

Marcus Rouse

During the Festival of Archaeology 2019 it was my privilege to share memories about two of our village #HumansOfArchaeology, Andrew Sewell and Howard Gibbs. Today seems an appropriate day to recall another gentleman in the village, who many will remember, and whose inexhaustible ingenuity supported many projects: Marcus Rouse.

In the very earliest days of the ‘Aldbourne Archive’, Marcus was kind enough to offer much advice on photographing objects. This included our original effort for 3D photography. The Aldbourne Carnival Crown he made, commissioned by the Cheney family, was our very first project (2005). Marcus explained the symbols in the metalwork. Dabchicks, The Square, Bells, and the Cross on the Green, the coloured cord around the base of the metalwork represents the sallies or bell-ropes in the Church Tower. Hours of fun with a turntable, DIY lighting and a VERY DIY background, and a PowerPoint followed. I can remember long chats when we bumped into each other around the village, once Marcus was inspired by a project his enthusiasm knew no bounds! Much missed.

Marcus contributed a bell wheel for the exhibition in the Memorial Hall during the 2010 Festival. He made a wooden cut-out of a bell, to show the relative size of bell and wheel. He also brought along a bell clapper on wheels; so that small people could safely judge the weight. As I said, a man of great ingenuity.

One of my prized possessions is an acrylic block shaped like a barn which Marcus presented as a memento of a barn dance celebrating my 40^th. The year will remain a mystery!

For the first Aldbourne Festival in 1970, Marcus created a bell foundry on the Green. There was a photograph of this in a fundraising calendar for 2001 and the Aldbourne Heritage Centre have one of his bells, and a model foundry, on display. I hope to find time to search through pictures in the Aldbourne Photographic Club collection at the Heritage Centre to find a photo of the man himself. There’s also a fleeting glimpse of the foundry in the film taken by Moya Dixon during the 1970 Festival

Moya Dixon (original cinefilm 1970. With thanks to Ron Morley and Sam Hutchings for their help digitising and publishing this lovely window on Aldbourne history.

Calendar (2001). One of several created by Maureen Albright as a fundraiser for St Michael’s Church, Aldbourne

Bell founded by Marcus Rouse on display at Aldbourne Heritage Centre
http://aldbourneheritage.org.uk

I’m putting together a collection of Dabchicks (if anyone has a spare number 39 – April 1997) that would be fab! Today is an appropriate day to publish these reminiscences following this article by Marcus that I discovered whilst sorting through the collection.

Marcus Rouse Dabchick Magazine October 1996

Howard Gibbs Remembered

Howard Gibbs (1928 – 2010)
Aldbourne Archaeologist, Howard’s interest in the distant past was kindled when he volunteered during excavations at Littlecote in the 1970s. I had many chats with Howard about his research, and the wonderful model of the villa he created (displayed in the Wiltshire Museum, Devizes). His poems always seemed to focus on the heart of our village, and the landscape in which we live. There is also one about a frog that went ‘a-wooing’ – not sure that it should be posted on-line – bit saucy! His archive (possibly including the saucy poem) is now deposited with Aldbourne Community Heritage Group – please contact the Curator for more information)

An obituary for Howard by Bryn Walters and Grahame Soffe can be found in the Association for Roman Archaeology Newsletter (Issue 23)

75th Anniversary of the Council for British Archaeology
ArchaeologyUK #FestivalOfArchaeology #humanofarchaeology

A Boxing Day Discovery

Andrew Sewell (1921 – 2005)
Remembering a gentleman with a life-long love of archaeology, a skill for field walking and a fascination with our village history. Author of many articles and letters, including ‘Aldbourne: the Present Past.’ The highlight of his endeavours being the discovery of the Aldbourne Hoard (now displayed in the Wiltshire Museum, Devizes)

75th Anniversary of the Council for British Archaeology
ArchaeologyUK #FestivalOfArchaeology #humanofarchaeology…

Jo Hutchings - Aldbourne Archive

The Aldbourne Hoard. Discovered on Boxing Day 1980. Presented to the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society in March 1982 by Mr C E Elliott-Cohen and Mr A Sewell. On display in the Roman Gallery at Wiltshire Museum, Devizes.

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