THE HUNT FOR ROMAN BAWTRY
GARDEN ARCHAEOLOGY
Dear Bawtry Resident
This email is from Bawtry Heritage Group. In an attempt to communicate with as many Bawtry residents as possible, we asked all the groups/associations/clubs etc in the town to send it out to their mailing lists.
We have an unusual request to make. That is to search your gardens for any historical items (known as “artefacts” in the world of archaeology) and to show them to us. Maybe you already found something odd or interesting years ago , and put it on your mantelpiece, or in the shed. We want to see those artefacts too!
The reason we want you to do this is our “The Hunt for Roman Bawtry” project. We already know a lot about Bawtry in Roman times. We know there was a small fort close by, at Scaftworth, guarding a crossing across the River Idle. That crossing was for a branch of the Roman road now known as Ermine Street, connecting Lincoln and York. We know the road ran to the river north of the fort, and we know it connected with what is now the Great North Road (Doncaster Road, the A638) just north of the present town of Bawtry – so it will have run through the north east part of the the town – maybe under Queens Crescent, maybe under Mayflower School or the allotments; maybe further north under the Kings Wood estate – we do not know for sure. We know there was another road west of Bawtry, and we know there was another important fort a few miles north, at Rossington, and quite possibly another at Finningley. We know there is what looks like a Roman shrine close to the river, just east of Bawtry. We know Roman artefacts have already been found in and around Bawtry – mostly coins and bits of broken pots – known as pot sherds.
So we know quite a lot. You can see all of this if you visit our website at bawtryheritagegroup.co.uk There, you will find two papers on Roman Bawtry under the “Bawtry History” tab.
There was, therefore, lots of Roman activity around what is now Bawtry. What we don’t know though is whether Bawtry as a settlement existed then. What exactly was the route of that road after it crossed the Idle? Did people live here – or was it just an area that Ermine Street passed through? That’s what we want to find out, and that’s why we’re asking you to search your garden.
In an ideal world, we would commission geophysical surveys and targeted archaeological excavations on the back of them to answer our questions – you probably remember the sort of thing Time Team got up to! But they’re very expensive, and therefore not an option for us – at least not at the moment. If, however, we could point to hard evidence of more Roman activity in the town it may be we could successfully apply for grant funding to underwrite the costs of help by professional archaeologists. We have been liaising with South Yorkshire Archaeology Service and City of Doncaster Council about our project; they are very interested. What we are doing reflects their advice.
“Garden archaeology” is not something we’ve invented. It’s sometimes used as a first step by the professionals. It doesn’t cost anything except volunteers’ time, and it doesn’t require professional knowledge or expertise. Ordinary garden soil will often contain artefacts that have been lost or discarded hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Roman artefacts found in your garden could point to the existence nearby of a Roman site – a road, a farm, a workshop, a dwelling etc.. We – BHG – will obtain some expert advice as to their identification and their significance. We have a public event planned for Monday 17th June 2024, 7 p.m. at the Phoenix theatre, as part of Bawtry Festival, where we’ll be able to share more about this.
If we’re to make the most of this opportunity, we need to organise it properly. If you’re willing to help us, please adhere to these simple rules and advice:
- 1 Send an email to us at bawtryheritagegroup@gmail.com (or phone/text David Kirkham on 07703 804699) stating your name, street address, and email address.
- 2 We simply want you to make a visual search of your garden or allotment. Dug over vegetable patches and flower beds will be the best bet. WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU TO DIG TRENCHES. That requires archaeological expertise.
- 3 Don’t forget about any interesting looking artefacts that you or Grandad found years ago and put away somewhere!
- 4 Look out for anything that looks “man made”. You could find all sorts of things – typically brick and tile rubble and pot sherds, possibly animal bones, possibly glass, possibly carbonised material. Although unlikely you could find worked stone (including tessarae, which were used to make mosaics), and even less likely, metal objects. We’ve attached to this email a guide to what to look for produced by West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service. Try to avoid collecting broken bits of modern flower pots – but if in doubt collect it!
- 5 Anything that looks like human bone must be reported to the police.
- 6 Don’t touch anything that looks like asbestos or other toxic substances.
- 7 Artefacts (with the exception of metal objects) should be rinsed to remove any soil adhering to them, BUT NOT SCRUBBED. Loose soil may be gently removed from metal objects BUT THEY SHOULD NOT BE WASHED.
- 8 We will need records about where artefacts have been found – the address, and if your garden is big, exactly whereabouts. A simple sketch with an X marking the spot!
- 9 Artefacts should be bagged or boxed, with the record.
- 10 Let us know , by email, phone or text, if you have any finds. We will collect them. We may have a “finds table”, to identify and display the artefacts you find, at the Phoenix event in June.
- 11 We will return to you anything you want to keep.
We are not asking you to only look for Roman artefacts – we don’t have the expertise to do that. We’ll be very interested in anything historical – if it’s not Roman it will still contribute to knowing more about our town.
Visit our website bawtryheritagegroup.co.uk and check the News page for project updates. There will also be articles in Bawtry Today, Bawtry News, and posters around town.
Happy hunting!
David Kirkham, Chairperson of Bawtry Heritage Group
240229 Beginners’ guides combined
MARKET HILL REFURBISHMENT- Draft Design Plans
Below are the draft design plans for the refurbishment of the Market Hill Car Park. These are subject to change with exact positioning of electric vehicle charging units or other items to be confirmed. It will lead to a reduction in parking spaces. This is unavoidable partly due to the fact that modern guidelines require bays to be wider and moreover, planning requirements would not allow vehicles to access and egress the car parking bays directly from the High Street, as they can now, as these would not meet modern road safety standards.
The costs of the scheme is currently unknown; so it may be that any final plans need to be delivered in stages, with the resurfacing works the initial priority.
If you have any comments the Council would welcome local residents or retailers thoughts on the proposals. Email: theclerk@bawtrytowncouncil.gov.uk
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NOTICE: TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDER
Please see documents below regarding the made Traffic Regulation Order for Market Hill Car Park.
TRO Executed and dated order – in force 17th May 2021
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Bawtry Neighbourhood Plan
The made Neighbourhood Plan has now been published and can be viewed at:
https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/planning/bawtry-neighbourhood-development-plan