Dig at Tutbury Castle, June 2004

Submitted by TimPrevett on Friday, 04 June 2004 Page Views: 4648

Tutbury Castle, a superb mediaeval castle, could have been built upon the site of an iron age hillfort. Given its hilltop location with a sweeping panorama in nearly all directions, situated not far from the River Dove, it would have provided a worthy location for a defended prehistoric settlement.

Mediaeval re-usage of an iron age hillfort is not without precedent. Beeston Castle in Cheshire was constructed upon prehistoric defences, making use of an obviously suitable site.

Tutbury is situated on the eastern fringe of Staffordshire, just south of the A50. The Castle also has a reputation for being home to many ghosts, being featured in the second series of the TV programme "Most Haunted".

For three weeks in June 2004, a dig at Tutbury Castle hopes to uncover more about the prehistoric, roman and mediaeval past of the location.

The dig is open for members of the public to observe. Contact Tutbury Castle on 01283 812129 or e-mail [email protected]. Visiting the Tutbury Castle website provides further extensive information.

The dig is part of a larger project to get together as much information as possible about Tutbury Castle and the surrounding area, through a combination of historical and archaeological research. The overall project is led by Dr Gareth Williams of the British Museum, who is the Director of History at the castle, but the dig is being carried out by a team from the University of Birmingham, led by Dr Malcolm Hislop.

A number of small trenches, primarily focused in the inner bailey, in front of the North and South towers respectively will be opened up. There will also be a trench on the slope between the two outer baileys, which is believed to have been the original entrance to the castle.

In addition to excavation, there should be substantial geophysical and topographical surveys, as well as a programme of building recording. This is expected to form a more detailed plan for further investigation of the site over a number of years, subject to finding funding and to receiving all the necessary clearances.

The site is first recorded as a castle shortly after the Norman Conquest, and a number of phases of destruction and rebuilding are recorded before its final military use in the Civil War, after which it was deliberately slighted, that is to say, rendered unusable as a fortification.

Although Tutbury is not recorded before the Conquest, the place-name is Anglo-Saxon, while Roman objects have also been found previously on the site It has been suggested that the castle may have been built on the site of an Iron Age hillfort. It is hoped that the archaeological investigation may shed light on some of these earlier periods.

Many thanks to Lesley Smith, the Curator of Tutbury Castle for the specific dig information.

Contributor Bio for TimPrevett: Based in Warrington, contributing since 2012. Favourite site: Taversoe Tuick. Occupation: Creative Media.

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