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SiC writes, on behalf of the Friends of Berry Castle archaeology group: What first began as a small-scale dig, has given us many surprises along the way. Our initial preconceived ideas of the well, being a small stone-lined hole in the ground, have been literally blown out of the water. From the first visit, we realised that this was not what we were expecting. Rather than a standard well, this appears to be more of a plunge pool. Uncovered and clearing back the vegetation, has given us a better overall view of the well, although the dig has raised many more questions.
This dig was intended to investigate the possibility of a stone platform above the well and restore the well, for the community to come together over.
These objectives have been reached, but without any finds which can help us date the well itself, we are still having to make educated guesses, rather than establishing hard facts. But this is often the way with any archaeological excavation; can we ever really definitely know what people thought, or how they used a site, many centuries ago?
The trenches sides showed no signs of changing layers (contexts), which was unexpected. Although there were obvious signs of stone being dumped around the well, (as with many agricultural fields) there wasn’t a significant change in levels, from the natural gradient of the field.
The level of the possible stone platform was the same as the top of the surrounding stone wall of the well, suggesting that these were related. However, dating is not known. It makes sense that there was a solid surface to stand on, for onlookers, when baptisms were taking place. Standing inside the well, the platform would be around head height.
The pathway of stones, leading round the South side of the well, was just below today’s surface level, descending to the entrance of the well. Having not dug down, below these stones, we can’t tell if there was another, previous set of steps, underneath. This is something to investigate further, once we have an archaeologist to advise.
The shards of N Devon pottery, which were found littering the site (dated between 300-500 yrs old), would be expected, as people would have filled bowls and jugs with the water. However, this well has always been seen as a baptism well, rather than a source of drinking water. The village has many wells and springs, so drinking water wouldn’t have been a limited. However, local ‘legend’ tells us that the well has never dried up, even in long hot Summers.
So, could this have been a source, when other springs dried up? If this was a place which always provided water, it’s not surprising that it had religious connections, both Christianity and possibly earlier.
This brings us onto the quartz. It’s obvious that his type of stone was brought to the site from further afield, as it’s not a naturally occurring stone, in the area. A recently discovered enclosure, a mile to the East, also has a large number of quartz stone, where the banks would have been. Although the stones are spread, probably from ploughing, they tend to follow the lines of the banks.
Could there be a connection to this site? Another unconfirmed enclosure, 700m to the NE, also shows large amounts of quartz, both large and small stones, whilst the surrounding fields have none. Both enclosure sites were visible from a distance; the later having a full 360 degree view extending to Woolsery, Bodmin, Dartmoor and Exmoor. This enclosure site, especially, would have stood out in the landscape. Was there something ‘special’ about the area, which was marked with quartz?
The large number of stones found in the well, platform and pressed into the clay sides, indicates that the quartz was deliberately used for a purpose, at the well. Maybe decoration, as it would enhance the ‘sparkling’ effect of the water, or as Time Team’s Francis Pryor puts it, if we are not sure what it’s for, just call it ‘ritual’! Most of the quartz, pressed into the sides, was found around the entrance – something which would have been most visible from the platform, above. Hundreds of tiny flecks were also found around the well base and sides, mixed with the silt. Could people have been smashing the stones, for some reason? This may explain the large quantity of slivers found in the well.
The entrance, at the Eastern side, had a significant drop, into the well. We imagined that there would be steps into it. One set, at least, was uncovered. These measured 14cm front to back, but not wanting to dig too deep into the clay (as advised), we can’t be sure if further stones lie behind them. This is something to investigate further, next season.
The North side of the well seemed elongated, in comparison with the rest of the sides. Once the silt was scraped back, it was clear that it had been dug out, at some point in the past. A pile of soil and stone, a few metres back from the side was strimmed back and cleared. The characteristic blue clay, pottery and quartz was found within the pile, leading us to believe that this was from the well. These stones will be used to restore the North side.
The lower pavement became much clearer, as the water was taken out. The silt around the stones flowed away, leaving a flat stone pathway, leading out of the well. Here, we found the largest number of pottery fragments, along with a high number of quartz stones. The most intriguing find was that of the ‘tile’. If we had found several, it could suggest that they may have lined the pavement. However, a single one is hard to explain.
The dig met our objectives, but created many more questions, which we hope to answer when we dig again, next season. With a qualified archaeologist, on site, we can investigate further down to the original stone base and underneath, as well as below the stone platform and pavement. This may unearth more artefacts, which could help us date the well.
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