A Midland abbey is hoping to uncover new evidence of its Saxon – and possibly Roman – past after winning a grant to enlist an army of volunteers.
Polesworth Abbey, near Tamworth, in North Warwickshire, is to hold a special dig over the next week thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund – and all volunteers are welcome to help out.
The abbey, on the bank of the River Anke, has been the site of some fascinating finds in the past but there are still many secrets to uncover, say experts.
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Originally thought to date from the ninth century, the established abbey’s origins could be even older, say archeologists, who think that the original religious buildings may even date as far back as Roman times.
Father Philip Wells, the Vicar of Polesworth, said: “Polesworth Abbey is thought to have been founded as long ago as 827, but the excavations last year left us wondering if the foundation might be quite a lot earlier.
“We found evidence of ancestors whose remains seem to be in an area where there were once Saxon dwellings, possibly houses for people who were connected with the Abbey.
“We know that Saxons would not have built on known burial places, so it could be that we have found some evidence of a much older Abbey, possibly from the time of the Roman occupation.”
There have been previous community digs at the abbey, in 2011 and 2012, but this year people will also be able to follow the discoveries on YouTube and Twitter.
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The Government gave permission for archaeology to take place at the abbey in 2009 and volunteers last year made some major finds, including centuries-old skeletons buried in a long forgotten area of churchyard.
Other excavations on the site investigated the dormitory, chapter house and refectory of the medieval abbey.
The oldest find so far has been a decorated Anglo-Saxon pin dating back to 700-900 AD.
Other significant finds included rare decorated medieval floor tiles, of which up to 1,000 have been found, an almost complete medieval window frame, a medieval lead cloth seal, coins from the reigns of George I to George V, clay pipe, fragments of medieval glass, roof tiles and pottery.
After the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, the abbey became the site of a school where a number of famous poets are believed to have been educated, including Michael Drayton, Ben Jonson and John Donne.
There are also claims that William Shakespeare himself was schooled on the site.
Father Wells added: “It is very exiting to be able to find out more now. A big thank you to Heritage Lottery Fund for this grant which will enable the remains to be carefully recorded, excavated and then returned to a specially appointed area in the churchyard.
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“We are really grateful to Heritage Lottery Fund for this support for our volunteers, which will enable us to complete a particularly rewarding area of archaeology.
“This area, which has taken two years and lots of volunteer time to excavate is to the west of the Abbey and has provided finds dating as far back as Saxon times.
“But we are now looking for volunteers and visitors, at short notice, to help with the work on this scheduled monument site.”
A blessing ceremony will take place this Sunday (August 25) at 10am and the reinterment will take place on Sunday September 8.
Organisers say anyone is welcome to turn up to the dig which starts on Tuesday (August 27) and could last a week.
There will be daily site tours for visitors to see the dig each day at 2.15pm, and they will also be able to tour the abbey, the gardens and view the exhibition of archaeological finds.
The opportunity to conduct a dig arose because of work taking place to open up more of the buildings to visitors. Already the gatehouse is open for visitors and guest accommodation.
Leading the dig will be a team from Northampton Archaeology, which has run the previous projects on the abbey site.
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