AiM members were assisted today (22 May) by Police Cadets.  They learned about how excavations work and tried digging, trowelling and sieving.

AiM will be returning to KGV this weekend (18 and 19 May) and various dates through June to continue our work at this site.   All dates will be weather permitting.  This year we will be excavating an area not previously dug. 

Sunday 19 May

On arrival on site this morning we found that our trench had been vandalised overnight last night; the police have been informed.  However, with phase one of our excavation completed we will return to complete phase two.

Sunday 2 June

Today we continued with our work but due to heavy rain had to leave earlier than planned.  We will be returning to do more at a later date.

11 July 2019

Our work for this year is now completed; we will continue with more excavations in 2020.

RESULTS FROM 2018 EXCAVATIONS

From the excavations within Trenches 3, 4, and 5 in 2018 it appears that there is a ring-ditch feature in this location on King George V playing field.  However, the evidence from Trench 3 appears to corroborate the evidence from Trench 1 (2017) which indicates the slope of material from the centre of the feature, towards the ditch. Consequently, this may suggest that the feature is a barrow, rather than a ring-ditch.

No conclusive dating evidence was recovered from the excavation of the Trenches 3, 4, and 5 (including the Extension trenches); therefore, the feature currently remains undated.

 AiM will be continuing our work on KGV playing field in 2019.  Further information for 2019 excavations will be released later in the year; so watch this space.....

(King George V Playing Field, Wednesfield)

AiM is pleased to announce that we will be excavating at King George V playing field, Wednesfield, in May 2018.

Popular archaeology magazine British Archaeology recently published an article about the 2017 excavation in their May/June 2018 publication, which you can find on page 63.

The magazine article reads as follows:

"KGV: In Search of Prehistoric Wednesfield

Geophysical survey and test-pitting of King George V playing field, Wednesfield, West Midlands, led by Eileen Matthews, found evidence of prehistoric activity in 2015/16. Further excavation in  2017 sought evidence for a bronze age barrow and investigated a green area where a famous Anglo-Saxon/Viking battle occurred. The project aims to engage the local community in its history and archaeology, and there were opportunities for schools and university students to take part."

AiM chairperson Eileen Matthews commented:

"I am delighted to confirm that I have secured further funding from the Council for British Archaeology’s Mick Aston Archaeology Fund in order to continue to excavate King George V playing field (KGV) Wednesfield in 2018.

On 19th and 20th May 2018, Archaeology in Mind - AiM, accompanied by students from the University of Birmingham Archaeology Society and local volunteers, will begin the excavation.

The aim of the project is to try to establish if the remains of a barrow recorded in antiquity is situated on KGV, along with other evidence of prehistoric Wednesfield.

With appropriate permission now secured from the City of Wolverhampton Council, the event will take place over a period of 2/3 days. There will be an opportunity for a number of volunteers to assist with finds washing, and sieving; further information on this will be provided nearer the time.

Archaeology in Mind would like to thank the Council for British Archaeology's Mick Aston Archaeology Fund, supported by Historic England, for their generous grant, without which this event would not have been able to take place.

Archaeology in Mind would also like to thank our referees for their references and support with this project, along with the City of Wolverhampton Council for their permission to excavate."

This project was made possible (in part) by a grant from the Council for British Archaeology's Mick Aston Archaeology Fund, which is supported by Historic England.

Site Information

The King George V playing field is supposedly linked to the Battle of Wednesfield or Tettenhall, which took place in AD910 (Raynor 2004: 352-353). The battle was an important victory for the combined Mercian and Wessex armies, over the Danes (Raynor 2004: 352-353). Plot (1686) describes the battle: "To revenge whose quarrel [speaking of the Danes], another Army of them that possest Northumberland, breaking a league they had formerly made with King Edward, invaded Mercia in the very same year, pillageing the Country wherever they came: against whom king Edward bringing a powerfull Army both of West Saxons and Mercians, overtook them in their return at the village of Wednesfield, not farr from Theotenhall [Tettenhall], and overthrew them again in another bloody battle..." (Plot 1686: 415).

Although the precise location of the battle is widely disputed, several barrows across Wednesfield are thought to be linked to it. Huntbach (referenced in Shaw 1801: 150) discusses the location of the battle: "There is very great reason to confirm their testimony who say the battle was here fought [speaking about Wednesfield]; for there are many tumuli or lows there, that shew some great engagement hereabouts..."

A barrow, or tumulus, was recorded at the King George V playing field in the 17th century by Huntbach, which was known as "North Lowe" (referenced in Shaw 1801: 150). "Low" is another term for "barrow". As with many of the mounds on the northern side of Wolverhampton, the North Low barrow has been linked to the burial of the deceased from the 10th century Battle of Wednesfield/Tettenhall, despite barrows generally being prehistoric in date.

During the 17th Century, Huntbach (referenced in Shaw 1801: 150) describes the North Low barrow as "being yet visible, the North Lowe, near in lands to croft-lodge..." Despite this, Plot, in 1686, states that this barrow had gone: "There is another ground here too call'd North-Low field [thought to be the location of the King George V playing field], which no question heretofore has had also a Low [barrow] in it, tho' now it be gone. Which doubtless were cast up over some of those kings, or Danish or Saxon nobles, then slain here..." (Plot 1686: 415).

Duignan (1902: 97-98) also discusses the Battle of Wednesfield, and the barrow on the KGV playing fields: "Huntbach the antiquary, wrote in the 17th C. that there was then 'a very large' tumulus here. Much, if not the whole of it, has been since destroyed. The hill is lofty and a place likely to be selected for the burial of some prehistoric magnate. In 911 a battle was fought between the Saxons and the Danes, called in the Chronicles the Battle of Tettenhall, but which was really waged on Wednesfield Heath (now Heath Town). The dead were buried as usual under mounds, which in Huntbach’s time still remained, and were known as North Low, South Low, the Little Low, the Great Low, Horselow, Tromelow, and Ablow (many of these names survive), besides others which had then disappeared. It is therefore difficult to say whether the low here was a prehistoric tumulus or a battle mound.” Duignan here is summarising the difficulties that arise when attempting to date the potential barrow at KGV playing field by literature-based research alone, and highlights that the barrow may in fact be prehistoric in date, rather than relating to the Battle.

As previously mentioned, barrows are often prehistoric in date. Barrows are typically mounds of earth or stone, that vary in shape and size (Historic England 2011: 2). These monuments are characteristic of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, and were constructed from c.3800-1400BC, though barrow construction was intermittently continued until approximately AD800 (Historic England 2011: 2). Sometimes, later burials were added into pre-existing ancient monuments, though some new barrows were also constructed (Historic England 2011: 5).

It is possible that the barrow at KGV playing field was originally a "prehistoric tumulus", as indicated by Duignan (1902: 98). A "tumulus" is another word for a "barrow". This barrow was potentially constructed during the Bronze Age, but then later re-used, as many prehistoric monuments were added to or modified, during later periods of history (Thomas 2007: 35). The size and morphology of the feature in the KGV playing field indicates that it may have been a Bronze Age round barrow.

Barrows were some of the first monuments to be recognised by antiquarians, who excavated these features during the 18th and 19th centuries in the mistaken beliefs that they would contain treasure, when in fact, barrows often contain little material evidence, apart from the occasional object or trace evidence of human remains (Historic England 2011: 2).

There are approximately 900 round barrows recorded within the West Midlands, though some of those recorded during the 19th century in Wolverhampton have been destroyed by urban development (Garwood 2002: 1-2). More recent investigations into the prehistory of Wolverhampton have led to the identification of more and more Bronze Age barrow features. This has meant a greater appreciation of the occupation and intensity of activity in this area during prehistory (Garwood 2002: 2). This could have significant meaning for the potential barrow in the KGV playing field, as this could also belong to the Bronze Age, but has yet to be properly identified and dated.

Few barrows survive in the archaeological record, as many are damaged by urban development or agricultural processes (Historic England 2011: 2). This is also the case for the potential barrow at KGV; it can no longer be seen on the surface of the ground, potentially due to agricultural development in the field during the 20th century. 

Consequently, the KGV 2018 excavation will initially focus on the potential barrow feature to determine whether or not it is a barrow, and if not a barrow, what the feature is. AiM will also attempt to recover dating evidence for this feature, to determine whether it is prehistoric, or whether it is related to the Battle of Wednesfield.

Further Reading and References

• Black Country History. 'North Low Barrow' http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/WOHER_MBL426
• Black Country History. 'Site of The Battle Of Wednesfield/Tettenhall' http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/WOHER_MBL342
• Duignan, W. H. 1902. Notes on Staffordshire Place Names. Oxford University.
• Garwood, P. 2002. Early Bronze Age Funerary Monuments and Burials Traditions in the West Midlands. West Midlands Regional Research Framework for Archaeology. Seminar 1.
• Historic England. 2011. Prehistoric Barrows and Burial Grounds. https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/iha-prehistoric-barrows-burial-mounds/prehistoricbarrowsandburialmounds.pdf/
• Pastscape. 'Battle of Tettenhall' http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=118812&sort=4&search=all&criteria=wednesfield&rational=q&recordsperpage=10
• Plot, R. 1686. The Natural History of Staffordshire. Oxford Theater.
• Raynor, M. 2004. English Battlefields: 500 Battlefields that Shaped English History. The History Press.
• Shaw, S. 1801. The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire. Volume 2, Part 1. EP Publishing.
• Thomas, J. 2007. 'Three Bronze Age Round Barrows at Cossington: A History of Use and Re-use', Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeology and History Society 81, 35-63.

Aims and Objectives

Initially, the KGV 2018 project has three main aims and objectives:

• Determine whether the feature that we are excavating is the barrow
• If the feature is not the barrow, then determine what the feature is
• Recover potential dating evidence for the site

21/05/18- Note From the Site Director

Following the first weekend of excavations at KGV, Site Director Eileen Matthews comments:

"A personal 'thank you' to all AiM members, students from University of Birmingham ArchSoc, and local volunteers involved with this year's excavation on 19th and 20th May 2018 which was very successful. Two trenches were excavated resulting in two more sections of the ditch of the feature being confirmed. We will continue with more excavations on 2nd and 3rd June 2018 when a further update will be available."

AiM would like to thank everyone who has taken part in the KGV 2018 excavations. It has been a very successful project, which would not have been possible without our amazing members and volunteers.

For more information about the excavations that have taken place at KGV this season, why not check out our Excavation Diary?