Open day at AS excavation site
Prior to the construction of a new residential development by Vanderbilt Homes in the village of Stone, Archaeological Solutions Ltd (AS) have been investigating the medieval origins of the historic settlement.
Stone was recorded in the Domesday Book and our site on Bishopstone Road is close to the medieval church of St. John the Baptist, which would have lain at the heart of the village. Within this site archaeologists from AS have discovered ditched enclosures that would have formed plots within the medieval village, with many containing rubbish pits associated with domestic occupation. One plot contains the remains of a building with a sunken floor and a large furnace that may have functioned as a smithy. The furnace contained multiple layers of clay lining and iron slag, indicating that it remained in use over many years.
Artefacts recovered from the site include a series of copper-alloy buckles and bells that may have once been common adornments of clothes from the medieval wardrobe, possibly lost as they came loose during people's travels or work. Even more evocative are the broken fragments of an ampulla; a lead pilgrim flask with a shell motif, possibly used to carry holy water, and probably connected to St. James or the cult of St Thomas Becket. More mundane are many fragments of pottery derived from cooking pots and jars, whose shape indicate that they were made in the 10th to 12th centuries, contemporary with the construction of the church.
On the 14th of July 2016, Archaeological Solutions Ltd hosted a community open day at this site. Over 200 visitors throughout the day enjoyed a chance to view a selection of small finds from the site including pottery, Roman coins and part of the lead ampulla before touring the excavation with members of the fieldwork team. Visitors included members of local history and archaeological groups as well as the district and county councils. Children from the village school were also given the chance to try their hand at surveying and excavating one of the medieval ditches. Thanks go to the developer, Vanderbilt Homes, and the residents of Stone for making this event such a huge success.