Isle Heritage CIC

01/09/2026

Just a reminder that there is NO site work tomorrow, we will be back onsite this THURSDAY 3rd September

30/08/2026

Our Exhibition 'Raising the Dead' is all about one community in the Kingdom of Kent. If you'd like to know more about Kent in the Early Medieval period, why not book a ticket for a our masterclass on the 19th of September?

The Kingdom of Kent was one of the first ‘Anglo-Saxon’ kingdoms to rise from the ruins of Roman Britain. It had a very different culture to other parts of what became England – neither Anglian nor Saxon. For a time, it was the wealthiest and most sophisticated state in the British Isles. Kent had access to exotic goods from as far away as India. Some of that wealth is on display in our exhibition!

Learn more about the landscape, people, culture, and politics of the Kingdom of Kent from the fifth to ninth centuries AD in this masterclass, created in partnership with Isle Heritage CIC. It’s led by Dr Andrew Richardson, Finds Liaison Officer for Kent, who is an expert in Anglo-Saxon Kent and its cemeteries. You might have seen Andrew on the last two series of Digging for Britain.

Tickets are £40 plus booking fee. Tea and coffee are included – but please bring your own lunch! Find the booking link in the comments below.

27/08/2026

Today the Priory was too wet to work on, so after a few Drone shots of the farm, including of the Scheduled Monument Castle Toll, where the ploughed out bank and ditch can be seen as a clear cropmark, we retired to the finds shed and organised all our excavated graves. We also reorganised the entire space to make more room for finds processing, sometimes these jobs just need doing and the weather can provide and opportunity.

26/08/2026

Time for another weekly update!
Today was a day of two halves, with the morning focussing on getting the remaining post-dissolution rubble out of the south-wall foundation cut and reducing one of the graves. The afternoon was spent quantifying stone removed from one deposit and washing finds from the previous couple of weeks.
It is important to keep on-top of finds processing, and is a welcome break from a dusty site!
We couldn't do any of this without our wonderful volunteers.

21/08/2026

We had a good day onsite at Lossenham yesterday, although it started with alarm seeing a number of fires. Luckily these were controlled fires on a different farm. Quite a spectacle!
Excavation focussed on the south-wall, removing the last disturbed foundation layer (lots of stones!!), exposing a levelling mortar-bed.
Elsewhere on the farm a team continued the Magnetometry survey, completing 3-Transects (total 120x240m area) The cooler day was also very welcome.

19/08/2026

Back onsite at the Priory today.
We started off strong, clearing weeds (a relentless task) and then focussing on defining the foundation bedding deposit in the south wall.....It hasn't all been robbed after all! However, the rain beat us, and we had to abandon excavation before we ruined the clay surfaces.
We moved to the finds shed and spent the afternoon sorting, weighing, labelling, packaging and photographing the washed finds.

13/08/2026

Anyone available Monday (17th) or Thursday (20th) next week?

Urgent call for geophysics volunteer at Lossenham this week, Wednesday or Thursday. The work involves moving the grid ropes.
Anyone free please let me know!

12/08/2026

We had a great day on site today, with the continuation of a magnetometry survey, led by Kevin Cornwell, and metal detecting (Led by Laura The-Explorer). We were joined by Daniel, our young prospective archaeologist and he assisted with both detecting, recording finds, surveying findspots and griding the geophysics.

PLEASE NOTE we will NOT be onsite tomorrow due to the forecast high temperatures. See you next week!

10/08/2026

Urgent call for geophysics volunteer at Lossenham this week, Wednesday or Thursday. The work involves moving the grid ropes.
Anyone free please let me know!

07/08/2026

Late afternoon, evaluation trench survey, best of days!!