5. Saturday 7th August 2010

Having called yesterday off due to impending bad weather, David called the team out for Saturday, as the last day of the Hartlington dig. David and Ruth carefully lifted the big slab of stone lying in the middle of the structure, and as expected found the flue underneath. A rodent’s burrow had made a neat little runway across the mud to the back of the flue, and as we cleared away the infill, we found a nest of old leaves, and part of a tiny rodent skull.

In clearing away the mud, we hoped to find the point at which Cudworth had found the main flue branching off into two secondary flues, but there was no sign of that second flue. Instead, we found the clear line of one stone-lined flue running from under the hearth at the southern end, up to the back of the structure at the northern end. Here, we found further signs of burning in the reddened rocks. In several places inside the flue we also found significant amounts of charcoal and a few tiny pieces of coal.

After Jane took a photoshoot of the finished excavation, Ruth attempted to take some GPS readings with Bob the total station. But he refused to play today, and it was decided to try again tomorrow, after a consultation with Roger.

So we packed up and congratulated ourselves on having enjoyed a really good dig – pleasant company, a successful outcome - despite the misgivings about interpretation of the structure – and good luck with the weather. We have also appreciated the interest shown every day by passers-by, and in particular, by local residents. Again, many thanks to Hartlington Hall for giving us some parking space, and to Hartlington Fencing Supplies for the use of their essential facilities!

The site will be left open for anyone to look at until we backfill at the end of the summer holidays. The edges of the structure will be left exposed and an interpretation board will be set up at the site.

Jane Lunnon