The interest is warmly appreciated from the Cistercian history and the immediate link of Holme Cultram Abbey, the affiliation from Melrose Abbey.
St Mary's Abbey, Holme Cultram, Abbeytown, Cumbria: Archaeological and Historical Investigations - Cumbria Archaeological Research Reports No. 4 (Book) by Jan Walker, et al. (2013): Waterstones.com
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| Holme Cultram from Melrose Abbey |
The Cumberland News
Holme
Cultram
Dig
reveals treasure chess of the monks
Interesting discovery: Archaeologist Mark Graham is leading the dig at Holme Cultram
Abbey at Abbey town. He is holding up a medieval chess piece unearthed during
the dig. Paul Johnson
BY JENNY BROWN
A CHESS piece, a shoe sole and leather horse
tack are the latest findings to have been uncovered at a north Cumbrian excavation.
Archeologists have unearthed artefacts at Holme
Cultram Abbey, near Abbey town, that they believe tell us about the activities
of the Cistercian monks who lived in Cumbria more than 500 years ago.
To the south of the site a latrine has been
found in a newly-discovered building, thought to be an infirmary.
Archeologist Trish Shaw said: "It's brilliant.
It goes beyond what we expected to find really.
"It's absolutely wonderful to be in Cumbria
and to do research on a site like this."
Volunteer Robert 'Bone read about the dig in
The Cumberland News and decided to take part.
Shifting soil: The excavation
has been ongoing since June. Going underground: Inside the medieval
water cistern at the abbey
He was the lucky digger who found the
chess piece on his second day.
"I'd only been there for about half an
hour before I found it," said Robert. "It was beginner's luck. I didn't
expect to find anything more than a bit of bone.
"If I hadn't found it someone else would
have."
He said it looked unusual and was unsure what
it was made of. The piece was found inside the refectory - where the monks would
have eaten and socialised - and is thought to be a queen or a pawn.
"It's small but intricate," said
Trish. "It could be ivory, bone or horn but it is yet to be looked at by a
specialist."
Leather horse tack and a shoe sole were found
at Friar's Garth, an area to the west of the abbey where, in 2012, experts found
it to be an area containing a high level of magnetic disturbance.
Trish continued: "The leather is quite
good and well preserved, and it should be able to be handled when it is conserved."
She explained how all their fmdings tell us
a lot about how the monks lived.
"We've found drainage systems, but no
water sources yet. But it shows us they were managing the water systems.
"We know they were breeding sheep and cattle
- from the bones we've found - and that they encompassed quite a lot of the area,
managing the woodland, farming and utilising the sea," added Trish.
"As they increased in wealth they were
in a position to reorganise things."
The site around the church, that was nearly
destroyed by fire in 2006, dates back to about 1150.
It would have once been a huge complex, but
experts say it was destroyed in 1538 during the dissolution of the monasteries
by Henry VIII.
The excavation, which is part of the Heritage
Lottery funded Solway Landscape Partnership, has been ongoing since June and will
run until July 25.
In the past, coins, stained glass, ceramics,
decorated tiles and bodies have been found in the area.
Where the artefacts will be displayed is yet
to be decided. There is a lot of post-excavation work and research to be completed
before then.
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