Brignall Excavation
Following a Geophysics Survey in 2025 the Altogether Archaeology group carried out an Eecavation in the field surrounding Old St. Mary’s at Brignall in June 2026.
To follow the day by day progress of the dig please look at our Facebook Page which has many drone shots of the site as well as photos of the diggers at work.
Scroll down to the bottom of this page to view a drawing of the building discovered and to read Alan’s musings.
A subset of the photos from the dig can be viewed here. They are in 2 galleries
Gallery 1 – Please click on an image to enlarge it and to view the captions
Gallery 2 – Please click on an image to enlarge it and to view the captions.
Plan of the site produced by Martin Green. There appear to be at least 2 phases to the building/
Some thoughts and theories from Alan Newham at the conclusion,
Final Question: The church wall is approximately 140m long, and 30cm wide. What size structure(s) could supply this amount of stone?
A religious community with domestic accommodation, perhaps workshops ( nails pottery) associated with the church, with continuity until the high medieval? Did it eventually fall into a ruinous condition by the c17 or c18? A time when tombstone burials required a boundary wall, where the required stone was on the doorstep? Further, how old is the ruin of Saint Mary’s chapel? What building came first between the chapel and our new discovery? Where did those huge worked stones come from that help make up the north and south walls, are they Roman, did the form a foundational support for a Temple ( three Roman altars in the graveyard)? So many questions with a paucity of answers…until next year?
Altogether Archaeology 