2013 End of Year Round Up!

2013 has been a brilliant year for Elmet Archaeological Services Ltd! In fact, we have never been this busy since our formation in 2009! 

We began the year with a commercial archaeological evaluation at Thrybergh in Rotherham, in freezing conditions and even snow! Our annual Dearne Valley Archaeology Day took place in mid-February with over 100 attendees and 10 speakers. An array of presentations was delivered with local, national and international topics. 

Freezing conditions at Thrybergh

Soon after this the Hickleton Hall Prisoner of War project started which ran for a few months and ended with fieldwork on the POW camp itself. Alongside this project, a number of workshops were hosted on a wide range of archaeological topics from Osteoracheology to Artefact Illustration which were open to members of the public and archaeologists alike. 

Working in the sun at Hickleton Hall

 In May we continued the war theme but focused on First World War practise trenches. Visits to Redmires in Sheffield and Silverwood in Barnsley followed, as did a round of geophysics training with various local groups. These included our regular group from the Oaks Day Centre in Wath-Upon-Dearne. We also had our second commercial job, a geophysical survey and strip, map and record in North Yorkshire.

Beautiful views in North Yorkshire

Immediately following this Hickleton POW project had finished with two weeks of successful fieldwork in July and we were still out in the field, but at Sutton Common, near Doncaster with the University of Hull, trying to find evidence for the Mesolithic period. Christine then went down south to Dartington in Devon searching for more Mesolithic evidence of short-term habitation, again training University of Hull undergraduates in the skills of fieldwork. 

Students hard at work at Sutton Common

October saw us helping Rotherham Archaeological Society to try to locate a possible Roman Fort in Ulley, a project which engaged over a hundred volunteers and local enthusiasts! November was taken over with our final big event this year; the commercial strip, map and record of a cementation furnace in the historical heartland of Sheffield at Kelham Island. 

Great weather for November, at Kelham Island, Sheffield

We also had many smaller projects, we’ve visited schools, held workshops at our Wath offices and we also helped the Brinsworth Local History Group locate a Roman road! Not only that, but we currently host a weekly reminiscences group in our Wath office for older people and we have worked with the good people at Clifton Museum, Rotherham and made many links with other volunteer led organisations. 

The Brinsworth Local History group learn how to use a resistivity array

Currently we are working on several projects that will take us into the New Year; some with local history groups; a First World War project and the archaeological examination of a Norman castle. Not only this, but we have plenty more projects on the boil as well! As good as 2013 has been, we think 2014 will be even better for Elmet! 

Both Chris and Alex would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped us in any way this last year, either by helping out on one of our fieldwork opportunities, or just by generally supporting Elmet Archaeological Services Ltd throughout 2013. We couldn’t be this successful without you!