Altogether Archaeology has been working at Holwick in upper Teesdale for the past two years trying to find out more about how life was lived in the dale during the middle ages. In May we carried out our second excavation on the Well Head settlement which is a small deserted hamlet occupying rising ground on the south side of the valley. Our work has shown that the settlement was occupied for several centuries during the medieval period. This is based on the range of pottery types recovered. This year we excavated a complete longhouse structure, typical of the period, which would have provided living accommodation for people and animals under the same roof. We also looked at two other structures which form part of the settlement. The site has produced a considerable quantity of small finds - not only large quantities of pottery, as mentioned above, but also glass and metal objects.
So that we can share the results of our work to date we are organising a public meeting in Middleton-In-Teesdale Village Hall on the evening of Thursday 25th October from 7.30 until 9.30pm. Members of Altogether Archaeology will be giving illustrated talks about what we have found and there will also be opportunities to see and handle some of the interesting finds that our excavations have unearthed. There is no admission fee for for this event and everyone is welcome. Please come along!
Our project at Holwick this year was funded by the Northern Heartlands Community Initiative Fund, managed by County Durham Community Foundation. Altogether Archaeology is grateful to both of these organisations for their support.
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