Across the river and over the pond
Across the river and over the pond
by Nicole Findlay
With sheep for companions, Chantal Bruvels pitched a tent and settled in for the summer in a field close to Hull. She had to travel a ways to get there – not across the Ottawa River, but the Atlantic Ocean.
Bruvels was participating on an archaeological dig of Thornton Abbey Gatehouse, a tenth century medieval monastic enclosure.
“I had a little chuckle when I realized that I was about to travel almost 6000 km to end up across the ‘river’ from Hull,” said Bruvels, a history and theory of architecture student.
Chantal Bruvels
Located in North Lincolnshire, England, Thornton Abbey was built in 1139 and remained in use for centuries. The focus of the dig, under the direction of the University of Sheffield’s Hugh Willmott, is the site’s use after King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539.
Bruvels and her fellow archaeology enthusiasts spend six days a week, for four weeks, surveying the site. The dig is planned for five years so the team used a variety of techniques to determine which areas had the richest deposits. This crucial and back-breaking work will help future teams concentrate on excavating specific locations – those most likely to offer up the archaeological motherlode.
“We found a number of archaeological features including what appeared to be a number of buried buildings,” Bruvels said of the test-pitting. “We uncovered part of the medieval tithe barn and its southern annex.”
The team then tried to figure out what the building was used for in the years after the medieval period ended.
They also discovered an area where a 19th century canteen tent served for a military encampment.
“Having a part in uncovering history literally was really something that I struggled to wrap my head around daily. It was probably the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life so far.”
Bruvels is now back on this side of the pond and in this century – finishing her degree. Next year, she plans to pursue an MA in medieval architecture specializing in religious architecture.
In the trenches...
Surveying a find