Why WEre we digging at Barbers Point?
In 1907 some historical remains, then thought to be Roman, were discovered in the mud beside the River Alde at Barber’s Point. Erosion of the promontory had exposed these items. A group of amateur archaeologists from the Aldeburgh Literary Society then undertook a dig on Barber’s point. The dig revealed pottery and artefacts again thought to be of Roman origin. There is only a poor, very brief record of this dig which doesn't even show exactly where it took place. But, in the folklore of Aldeburgh, it was always said that Romans lived up at Barber’s Point.
Richard Newman of the Aldeburgh & District Local History Society has long been fascinated by the story of this Edwardian dig and it was his drive and enthusiasm that inspired the Aldeburgh & District Local History Society to undertake the first modern dig in 2004. A lot of early Roman pottery was found but some Saxon too. A beautiful Neolithic arrowhead was discovered. Boundary ditches were excavated. And post-holes, some Roman some Saxon, revealed of buildings. The site was obviously more complex than we had expected. What was the nature of the Roman and Saxon settlements?
An interesting discovery, revealed by our 2004 bore-hole survey, was that the water level in the river had changed radically during the period of settlement. It appears that for a time Barber’s Point had been an area of raised land approachable only across muddy marsh at low tide. It was inhabited in the early Roman period but total inundation around the year 300AD meant that it wasn't inhabited again until the Middle Saxon period, around 650AD.
Two more trenches were dug in our second modern dig (Barber’s Point 2) in 2006. More Roman and Saxon pottery was found. Another Neolithic arrowhead, this time by one of our children visiting form Orford Primary School. It was thought that the Roman settlement was of a fairly humble nature, probably associated in some way with the manufacture of salt and possibly combined with some sort of iron production judging by a very heavily fired area found in one of the trenches. There was also considerable evidence of shellfish gathering. An intriguing pattern of Saxon postholes was discovered revealing what appeared to have been a large building, perhaps a hall or religious building. Even more exciting was the discovery at the very end of the dig of two human bodies (or parts of) in the vicinity of the ‘large building’. The bodies were carbon-dated at around 720AD. One was of a young woman the other impossible to ascertain. Could the large building be an early church? Could there be more burials? The Saxon occupation looked to have been more substantial than the Roman.
The question we were trying to answer with the 2010 dig was whether or not the Saxon settlement was of a religious nature. Was the ‘large building’ an early church? Could this island site be a satellite religious settlement connected to Saint Botolph’s abbey at Ikenhoe just across the river? Would there be more burials?
There were certainly more burials. We discovered nine more graves dating between 700–750AD. We found a variety of burial rites but the graves were all deemed to be Christian because they were within the settlement and contained no grave goods. This is important because it means that Barber’s Point is the earliest known Christian burial site in the area. One further interesting discovery was made on the last day of digging when Richard Newman discovered a grave a long way (about 20 metres) from the others. This poses the question, is all the land across the 20 metres one large cemetery? That’s what we aim to find out in this fourth and final dig at Barber’s Point when we’ll be digging that area for the first time. And maybe, finally, we’ll find some clues as to the true nature of Barber’s Point in the 7th and 8th centuries. Was it, as has been suggested, a predominantly religious settlement? And, of course, there is always the unexpected!
Richard Newman of the Aldeburgh & District Local History Society has long been fascinated by the story of this Edwardian dig and it was his drive and enthusiasm that inspired the Aldeburgh & District Local History Society to undertake the first modern dig in 2004. A lot of early Roman pottery was found but some Saxon too. A beautiful Neolithic arrowhead was discovered. Boundary ditches were excavated. And post-holes, some Roman some Saxon, revealed of buildings. The site was obviously more complex than we had expected. What was the nature of the Roman and Saxon settlements?
An interesting discovery, revealed by our 2004 bore-hole survey, was that the water level in the river had changed radically during the period of settlement. It appears that for a time Barber’s Point had been an area of raised land approachable only across muddy marsh at low tide. It was inhabited in the early Roman period but total inundation around the year 300AD meant that it wasn't inhabited again until the Middle Saxon period, around 650AD.
Two more trenches were dug in our second modern dig (Barber’s Point 2) in 2006. More Roman and Saxon pottery was found. Another Neolithic arrowhead, this time by one of our children visiting form Orford Primary School. It was thought that the Roman settlement was of a fairly humble nature, probably associated in some way with the manufacture of salt and possibly combined with some sort of iron production judging by a very heavily fired area found in one of the trenches. There was also considerable evidence of shellfish gathering. An intriguing pattern of Saxon postholes was discovered revealing what appeared to have been a large building, perhaps a hall or religious building. Even more exciting was the discovery at the very end of the dig of two human bodies (or parts of) in the vicinity of the ‘large building’. The bodies were carbon-dated at around 720AD. One was of a young woman the other impossible to ascertain. Could the large building be an early church? Could there be more burials? The Saxon occupation looked to have been more substantial than the Roman.
The question we were trying to answer with the 2010 dig was whether or not the Saxon settlement was of a religious nature. Was the ‘large building’ an early church? Could this island site be a satellite religious settlement connected to Saint Botolph’s abbey at Ikenhoe just across the river? Would there be more burials?
There were certainly more burials. We discovered nine more graves dating between 700–750AD. We found a variety of burial rites but the graves were all deemed to be Christian because they were within the settlement and contained no grave goods. This is important because it means that Barber’s Point is the earliest known Christian burial site in the area. One further interesting discovery was made on the last day of digging when Richard Newman discovered a grave a long way (about 20 metres) from the others. This poses the question, is all the land across the 20 metres one large cemetery? That’s what we aim to find out in this fourth and final dig at Barber’s Point when we’ll be digging that area for the first time. And maybe, finally, we’ll find some clues as to the true nature of Barber’s Point in the 7th and 8th centuries. Was it, as has been suggested, a predominantly religious settlement? And, of course, there is always the unexpected!