Tag: Archeology
St Peter’s Church, Moulton Suffolk.
A Sheela-na-Gig carving is on view in this church.
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Halloween
Some atmospheric images from Suffolk Churches for Halloween.
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St Mary the Virgin, Depden, Suffolk.
St Andrew’s, Covehithe, Suffolk.
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St Mary Rickinghall, Suffolk.
St Mary, Rickinghall Superior, Suffolk.
There are two churches at Rickinghall the other also dedicated to St Mary, Rickinghall Inferior, is one of the round towered churches that are found across East Anglia. I have yet to visit that one, but will do when time allows.
The church is now redundant and if you wish to see the interior, you will need to get a key, information of where to do so is on the notice board. As my visit was on the spur of the moment, I only had a look around the outside. On a future visit I will plan ahead.
Despite it being near the busy Diss to Bury road, it’s very tranquil. I visited in June and the Churchyard was overgrown, not necessary a bad thing as the place was full of wildlife. I sometimes I think we can be a bit over the top with tidying up green spaces. Not only that but gravestones get damaged by constant mowing and strimming.
Yew tree and gravestones.
The Churchyard has monuments from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It’s also has a First World War Commonwealth War Grave dedicated to Ernest Matthews who died in 1918.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission have a database of war graves in the UK and elsewhere which can be found here.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/
The Chancel. 
The Tower. 
Tower and bricked up arch. 
Flint rubble wall. 
Chancel. 
Flint tower with gargoyle. 
Chancel and decorative flint work on nave.
The church itself consists of a 14th century chancel and a 15th century tower and east nave, all constructed of flint rubble with ashlar and red brick dressings. It was restored in 1868 by W.C. Fawcett. The nave has a black flint chequer board pattern and flint is used as decoration elsewhere on the church including on the buttresses.
Chequered flintwork. 
Flintwork and shield decoration. 
Flintwork on buttress. 
Chequered flintwork on nave. 
Buttress. 
Nave with chequered flintwork.
The porch was added and altrered in the 15th century and has MR (Marian) and IHS (Jesus) flint flushwork monograms and decorative stone shields. There are two gargoyles on the the tower to the north and south. The top of the tower has an embattled parapet and more decorative flint work, monograms and blank shields.
There is a possible masons mark on one of the buttresses on the south-west corner of the tower. It is thought to represent a pair of compasses.
The windows have some nice tracery and I did notice a few very weathered carvings by two of the doors, two looked like heads.
A blocked archway, filled with brick, can be seen between the tower and the porch.
Gargoyle and decorative flintwork on tower. 
Gargoyle and decorative flintwork. 
Weathered carvings. 
Door. 
Chancel.
Two windows have fragments of 15th century and 18th century glass. Other windows are of 19th century date.
One commemorates Samuel Speare, a former altar boy, who at the age of 15, set out to become a missionary. In 1873, whilst working on the Island of Zanzibar, he became ill, returned home, and died at the age of 20.
As I was unable to view the interior I have posted some links which detail what can be seen.
The website, The Last of England, Churches of East Anglia, Suffolk, is a brilliant and very interesting resource if you are interested in Suffolk churches.
http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/rickingsuper.html
The Churches Conservation Trust site is another useful site.
https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/visit/church-listing/st-mary-rickinghall-superior.html#
Historic England has a very useful searchable database.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1241122
Bricked up arch. 
View from the side window in the porch. 
Wild Churchyard.
All photos are my own.
The Strange and Unusual
Some interesting, unusual and maybe a little strange, stories that have caught my eye.
From doorbell ringing slugs to a 19th century Astronomer with a pyramid grave, the UK certainly has some interesting and sometimes bizarre stories to tell.
Enjoy.
Slug Rings Doorbell.
An amusing story of a slug ringing someones doorbell.
A spider decided to make it’s home in front of mine. It looked like a giant spider was attacking the flats opposite.
Unexplained Portsmouth.
Portchester Castle. Picture: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
From the disappearance of Lionel ‘Buster’ Crabb to UFOs and unsolved murders, Portsmouth has it’s fair share of mysteries.
https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/people/6-of-portsmouths-most-shocking-unsolved-mysteries-3394320
Lightning Folklore.
Some folklore and stories concerning lightning.
I was camping during a violent storm in Ashdown Forest and a tree next to the campsite got struck by lightning. I have never been so frightened.
Mystery Vehicle in Devon.
Local people have been speculating on the origins of this unusual vehicle. I think the suggestion it’s aliens is someone having a bit of fun.
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/mystery-alien-vehicle-zips-through-6031869
John Dee’s Mirror.
John Dee’s Obsidian mirror may have Aztec origins.
A very interesting article about mirrors and they’re mystical and occult history.
I would recommend going to see this and other items that belonged to John Dee in the British Museum.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-aztec-origins-of-a-mysterious-elizabethan-mirror
British Big Cats.
A Countryfile podcast on mystery big cats in the Cotswolds.
I grew up not far from the haunt of the Beast of Bluebell Hill although I never saw anything myself.
However I do know a few people who have seen big cats at Bluebell Hill and in other parts of the country.
https://www.countryfile.com/podcast/mystery-big-cats-cotswolds/
Another Welsh Dinosaur.
A dinosaur fossil, found in the 1950’s in Wales, has been discovered to be a new species and has been named Pendraig milnerae.
The Natural History Museum, Wales in Cardiff, is a great place to visit. It has a Dinosaur gallery plus a model and fossil remains of Dracoraptor hanigani, which was found in 2014 not far from Cardiff, as well as other fossils found in Wales.
Ladybird Invasion.
Basically the weather is on the turn, Winter is coming and ladybirds are looking for a nice place to hibernate, which just so happens to be human dwellings.
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/uk-ladybird-infestation-2021-hits-21811595
Washed up Sea Creatures.
By-the-wind-sailors a colonial hydroid, have been washing up on Welsh beaches. The Autumn and Winter storms often wash them ashore around the British coast.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/strange-looking-by-wind-sailor-21805537
Letters Blaming Satan for Covid, Posted Through Residents Doors.
Residents in Birmingham are receiving letters claiming Satan is responsible for the Covid Pandemic.
Mystery Wooden Head in Norfolk.
Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of a carved wooden head said to be associated with Witchcraft, that was stolen in 1967.
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/weird-norfolk-witchcraft-mystery-field-dalling-8392226
Gold Necklace Discovered During Fireplace Renovation in Wales.
The necklace could have been deliberately placed by the fireplace to protect the cottage from bad luck.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/buried-gold-necklace-protected-north-21780475
The Irish Cave Where Halloween Was Born.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PHOTOGRAPH RONAN O’CONNELL
Supposedly Halloween has it’s roots in Iron Age Ireland. I’m sceptical, Iron Age tribes weren’t restricted to Ireland and what sparse evidence we have suggests similar festivals over a wide area of Europe.
The 19th Century Grave of Charles Piazzi Smyth, Astronmer Royal For Scotland.
Charles Piazzi Smyth had some interesting ideas about the Egyptian Pyramids, hence his Pyramid tomb in St John’s Sharow Churchyard, Ripon.
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St Andrews Church, Covehithe, Suffolk
The church at Covehithe is a church within a church. The ruins and tower are mostly of 15th century date with earlier work being 14th century.
During the Civil War the stained glass of the church was destroyed by the iconoclast, William Dowsing.
Due to the financial burden this large church had on the small village of Covehithe in 1672 the old church was deroofed and a new smaller thatched church built against the older tower.
The tower was at one time an important landmark for sailors.
Unfortunately the church was closed when I visited so I was unable to view the interior.
I did notice 19th century graffiti scratched on the diamond shaped window panes. Graffiti going back hundreds of years can often be found in old churches.
The ruins are impressive, I visited on a sunny, hot day. The shadows cast by the ruined walls and arched windows made for a very atmospheric visit. There is some interesting flint work, something I’ve noticed at other Suffolk churches.
It’s well worth spending time wandering around the ruins and churchyard.
The churchyard was a bit overgrown in places, this is to encourage wildlife and a number of churches I’ve visited are doing the same.
St Andrew’s has it’s resident spirit. A female ghost with no face, is said to haunt the churchyard.
The tower and ruins are in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/
Nearby is Covehithe Beach and Benacre National Nature Reserve which are well worth a visit.
https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/south-east-england/suffolk/covehithe.htm
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Treasure
Mention the word treasure and no doubt images of gold, silver and gems, will spring to mind, maybe associated with Pirates.
The UK has had it’s fair share of remarkable ‘treasure’ finds over the years and still hoards and single finds of various ages turn up, usually found by metal detectorists.
It should be noted that any finds of value must be reported. People have got into trouble for not doing so.
https://www.gov.uk/report-treasure-step-by-step
The Portable Antiquities Scheme encourages finders to report items that are not considered treasure trove so they can be recorded.
Whilst news articles seem to concentrate on how much the finds are worth, the objects themselves have a much higher historical value and can open a window on the past.
This is why they should be reported so archeologists can find out as much as possible about the site the objects come from as well as the objects themselves.
Metal detecting and the law
• No search can begin until permission has been given by the landowner
• All finds belong to the landowner
• Any find in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that is more than 300 years old, made of gold or silver, or found with gold or silver artefacts, could be treasure under the 1996 Treasure Act
• These must be reported to the appropriate county finds liaison officer
Source: Portable Antiquities Scheme
‘Treasure’ News from around the UK.
Various articles on where ‘treasure’ has been found.
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
https://www.hampshirelive.news/news/hampshire-news/hampshire-isle-wight-ranked-among-5872179
North Yorkshire.
Lincolnshire
https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/history/lincolnshire-named-one-buried-treasure-5869511
Oxfordshire.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19554295.oxfordshire-10th-best-place-find-buried-treasure/
Norfolk.
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/norfolk-treasure-survey-find-8300798
Dorset.
https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/19564853.dorset-third-best-place-find-buried-treasure/
Essex.
https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/huge-amount-buried-treasure-discovered-5867883
Nofolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire.
Raymond Kosschuk with some of the artefacts he found. (SWNS)
Claims that King John’s treasure has been found in Lincolnshire.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/king-john-england-sutton-bridge-lincolnshire-lost-treasure-122050762.html
Some interesting finds in Swansea.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/treasure-dating-back-hundreds-years-21425789
Rare Early Medieval Brooch found in Somerset.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-58552915
Police dig up area in Carterton looking for items that were stolen from Arundel Castle.
Historical finds from Northern Ireland.
Shipwreck Treasure Museum in Cornwall wins award. Sounds like an interesting place to visit.
The hoard included a Charles I declaration shilling.
The Lindsey Hoard of Civil War coins discovered in Suffolk declared treasure trove.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-58205023
Rare gold coin from the reign of Richard III goes on display at Buckinghams Old Gaol.
Still no sign of the gold toilet, stolen from Bleinheim Palace two years ago.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-58529069
Gold Bronze Age pendant on display in Shrewsbury.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-58508163
Two articles about finding treasure in the UK. Be warned, you can’t just dig up areas to your heart’s content and certain finds have to be reported. Landowners aren’t going to be impressed if you start digging great big holes in their property without getting permission.
https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1489491/best-location-treasure-spot-staycation-uk
ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
Another treasure find – a gold Roman clasp with blue and green glass – is now in Saffron Walden Museum after being compared to jewellery in the Thetford Hoard.
Article about a Norfolk metal detectorist and some of his finds.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-58001604
Gold prospecting in Scotland.
Husband spends 40 years making wife ring from gold he found panning in Scotland.
Got to he honest I would really like to try my hand at gold panning.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/husband-spends-40-years-making-24872278
Gold can also be found in Wales. I’d recommend a vist to the Dolaucothi mines that have a history stretching back to Roman times.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dolaucothi
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