Dig at manor house at UK uncovers World War II artifacts — and something much older
When war erupted in Europe in 1939, the status quo immediately changed.
In the United Kingdom, children were sent to the countryside, London streets became a battleground and countless homes opened their doors to soldiers for refuge and rehabilitation.
One of these homes was Fulbeck Manor, built in 1580 and in possession of the Fane family for centuries in England.
In 1944, the British First Airborne Division made the manor and its grounds their home before the Battle of Arnhem, according to an Aug. 22 news release from the South Kesteven District Council.
Now, a project called “Digging Market Garden” brings together archaeologists, researchers, veterans, current soldiers and volunteers to excavate the home’s field and discover what was left behind from that period of British history.
The dig began on Aug. 14, partner group Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire said in a Facebook post, and the team started removing the turf and digging trenches to sift through.
“The excavated trenches yielded bullets, uniform buttons, a kit tag, engine parts and foundations and drains” over the course of three days, the council said.
But that wasn’t all.
“Among the finds from the dig was a worked prehistoric flint, animal bones, a glazed medieval roof tile probably from a high-status manor house on the site, 17th-century wine bottle fragments, ceramic and pottery items, a French coin from 1923, a vehicle condenser (possibly wartime) and several rounds of ammunition, including training and live ammunition and spent cartridges,” Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire said in an Aug. 17 Facebook post.
Then, as archaeologists were recording the findings on Aug. 18, another medieval piece was discovered.
“It’s not over until it’s over!” Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire said in a Facebook post.
Along a sewage drainage pipe that was likely used during the war, the remnants of a medieval wall were uncovered. The group said it likely belonged to a manor house that would have stood on the property before Fulbeck Manor was built, making it more than 500 years old.
After the excavations were completed, the field was once again filled in, Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire said, and the turf was restored.
“We have found an intricate tapestry of WWII heritage and one that has enabled us (to) unearth all sorts of other items of interest to museums,” University of Oxford professor Tim Clack said in the release. “Memory is fragile and Digging Market Garden has also led to some amazing memory capture before it disappears. Not only did locals visit the site to share their stories and memories but, since the dig, the team has been contacted by others keen to share relevant family histories, photographs and records.”
Fulbeck Manor is in the English Midlands, about a 125-mile drive north from London.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 8:28 AM with the headline "Dig at manor house at UK uncovers World War II artifacts — and something much older."
