Lockdown Archaeology: The Industrial Revolution in Lincolnshire. Part 1: Manure!

By Alan Telford, Project Supervisor

While he’s working from home, Al has been reading up about some of his favourite post-medieval archaeology! This blog is summarised from a longer piece that you can download here…

The-Industrial-Revolution-in-Lincolnshire Download

Although parts of the county are currently some of the most heavily industrialised in the UK, Lincolnshire is often regarded as an agricultural county. In the past this was even more marked: the 1851 census records 52,046 agricultural labourers and 11,048 farmers. As someone who grew up on Tyneside, and with a keen interest in industrial archaeology you might think that there would be little of interest to me in Lincolnshire… HOWEVER, the industrial revolution did happen here! It took place about 35 years after it was over in some other places, and of course was strongly linked to agriculture. So what better place to start exploring it than with fertiliser and specifically with…

Superphosphate!

Essentially the first of the chemical manures, the use of bone dust as a fertilizer in the UK is thought to date to the 18th century and has been attributed to the sale of bone dust as a by-product from the cutlery workshops of Sheffield. The presence of phosphorus in bones was recognised in 1769 by the Swedish chemist and metallurgist Johan Gottlieb Gahn, but the use of untreated bone dust as a fertiliser has limited use, as the phosphates are insoluble in water, and can’t be taken up to any great extent by the crop. In 1842 John Bennet Lawes was granted a patent and began the production of superphosphate at Deptford Creek in London. Manufacture soon spread to Lincolnshire. The method used was very simple, essentially involving throwing a load of vitriol (sulphuric acid) onto a heap of crushed and/or burnt bones, in a large room known as a den. Inevitably the process became more complex over time, with bones replaced by an array of ‘phosphate rock’, a catch-all term for materials that included Peruvian guano and coprolites (fossilised poo), first extracted in the UK in Suffolk in 1847. The sulphuric acid required in the manufacturing process was difficult to transport, so establishing vitriol plant on site was a logical step. This was certainly true of the chemical manure works of John Jekyll, established in 1856 on Carholme Road in Lincoln, which certainly was producing vitriol and superphosphate by 1897. Jekyll’s works eventually became part of Fisons, and the site currently lies beneath the ‘Roman Wharf’ development. Another chemical manure works worthy of note is that at Hubbert’s Bridge, to the west of Boston, still largely survives.

Slag!

Although superphosphate was the most common phosphatic fertiliser used during the 19th century, in the 20th century another important source of phosphates was manufactured in Lincolnshire from basic slag, a by-product of the steel industry. In 1888, Maximilian Mannaberg, established a basic open-hearth plant comprising two 15-ton furnaces and the integrated iron and steel works of John Lysaght and Co. at Normanby Park, was producing steel from 1912. Following the First World War steel plants were erected at Appleby-Frodingham, Redbourn Hill and the Trent Ironworks . Basic slag was a by-product of basic (as opposed to acid) steelmaking, which was developed from 1879 as a way of using iron ores with high phosphorus content. The phosphorus passed into the slag and could be ground into a fine powder and used as fertiliser. By 1910, the UK was producing somewhere between 600,000 and 850,000 tons of basic slag and 733,262 tons of superphosphate.

Sulphate of Ammonia!

I expect everyone is wondering about the production of nitrogenous fertilisers in Lincolnshire! Equally if not more important as phosphates, the main source of nitrogen fertiliser in the 19th century was sulphate of ammonia, produced by the distillation of ammoniacal liquor produced as a by-product of gasworks and coke works. By 1882 Lincolnshire had around a dozen gas undertakings, and in the early 20th century the coke ovens at both Redbourn Hill and Normanby Park iron and steel works were producing sulphate of ammonia. The national figure for the production of ammonium sulphate in 1910 is 367,587 tons, of which 167,820 tons were from gasworks and 92, 665 tons from coke works and constituted an important part of the chemical industry in Lincolnshire.

Lockdown Archaeology: a walk in the woods

By Rob Evershed, Project Officer (Geophysics)

Due to the ongoing coronavirus situation I’ve found myself confined for the majority of my time to my home. I’m fortunate in so much as I can continue working on writing up various projects, but it’s still a little claustrophobic, a feeling I imagine a lot of people are having at the moment. So my daily escapism comes in the form of walking my dog just after 4pm. I’m lucky to have some woods just up the road where I can easily go, and where I have turned my archaeological eye on.

hector the dog looking for archaeology — Hector looking for archaeology

The woods are part of a landscape of managed woodland in the area, although parts of it are slowly returning back to nature as at the moment there appears to be limited removal and replanting of trees. I’ve always been interested in the slightly unusual lumps and bumps within the wood, but never got any further than thinking it might be interesting to try and work out what might be going on.

Well finally with the lockdown I got round to doing a bit of detective work. The Environment Agency has Lidar data they provide for free on their website, and this proved perfect for getting a better look at what might be going on.

As you can see from the image, the area available for dog walking has a number of lumps and bumps, including a sub-circular swamp area extending from the southern edge. It does continue further to the south, but that’s private woodland.

However the most interesting feature I’ve noticed is the strange square feature towards the northeast corner of the area. Here’s a zoomed in Lidar image.

square feature in the lidar image — Detail of the square feature seen in the Lidar image

Exploring the area this feature has fairly clear banks surrounding a lower flattened area that sloped gently to the west. Without all the trees and vegetation it would undoubtedly stand out very clearly as a distinct feature, but with the trees and vegetation it is actually very difficult to see. Taking good photos of earthworks is notoriously difficult, and being in the woods makes it even trickier. However here are a few shots from which you might be able to make out some of the banks.

looking across the woods — The southeast corner of the woods

From it’s square shape, and distinct ninety degree angles, it definitely looks like a manmade feature. The surface geology is sand and gravel, but the woods in this area definitely pre-date the twentieth century as they are present on the 1^st Edition OS map. Nearby heritage features include a deer park, a deserted medieval settlement, and the site of a former priory. But apart from the woodland potentially being used for one or all of these places, I’m at a bit of a loss for what the square feature might be, or why it was created. Currently my imagination is suggesting it’s an Iron Age fort, but I have no evidence to back that up. What do you think?

Lockdown Archaeology: accidental fieldwalking

By Matt Parker Wooding, Heritage Research Manager

As the lockdown from the Covid 19 pandemic continues, taking breaks from managing the heritage research team, and seeing the outside world physically rather than through the window, takes on all sorts of importance – physical wellbeing and mental resilience being the main two.

However, this has also been a valuable exercise in getting to know the place where I moved at the start of autumn last year and have not yet had the opportunity to explore. I now live in a rural area containing a multitude of public walks direct from my doorstep, with no driving required, a massive bonus right now.

One of the unexpected pleasures of this, with my distinct leanings towards prehistoric archaeology, has been the chance to do a bit of fieldwalking along the public rights of way which are ploughed. An opportunity which has only slightly affected the choice of routes for my daily walks. The finds have been expanding not only my knowledge of the area but have also been reported to the local HER with photos of each (with scale) and their grid reference.

Whilst this has been a welcome relief from the current problems, archaeology has to compete against the other distractions, which include red kites and grass snakes, and some beautiful views and sunsets, which do sometimes make it difficult to concentrate on the ground! Looking up at the views and skies is something I think we all need to do in the present circumstances, simply for the break from the computer or TV screen, and managing the work-life balance, which can be difficult when working from home.

A Day in the Life of…Alistair Branagh (Project Archaeologist, GIS and Survey)

My current role within the company is focused on GIS and survey. I am primarily based at our head office but from time to time I get released onto site to do some GPS or Total Station survey, or to provide some training in using our survey equipment to my colleagues in the field. Most of the time I can be found sitting at the computer doing GIS work.

Alistair fixing a camera — Some kind of electronics Frankenstein

What is GIS you may be thinking? GIS stands for Geographic Information System. It is a really important part of archaeology. At a basic level, it is essentially mapping. The GPS data taken on our sites to record the location of the archaeology we have found is brought to me. It is my job to firstly check the data for inconsistencies, format it appropriately and import it to the GIS. My job also involves digitising plan and section drawings and combining all of this information to create standardised figures for our reports.

It is a crucial role which allows me to be involved in many different projects and through every stage. As such I have a lot of varied tasks, ranging from georeferencing plans from clients and setting out trenches and site boundaries, to collating data at the end of a project. I’m also here to support staff in the field if they have a problem with the GPS or need an up to date plan of site. In a typical day I could be working on three or four different projects, completing any number of different tasks that are required. On occasion if a large project has recently completed, the GIS work may take up a large part of my week. It can be a time-consuming process and requires a lot of attention to detail to make sure everything is correct and accurate.

I spend some time looking after our survey equipment as well, checking that everything is working so that our field team have everything they need to do their job. From time to time I can also be found hunched over a dismantled camera like some kind of electronics Frankenstein, making sure they are cleaned and functional. On top of that, I often find myself being called on when my colleagues have problems with their computer!

It’s really difficult to try and paint a picture of a “typical” day in my job. It’s an interesting one because sometimes the days can feel very much the same but other weeks the days can vary quite a bit. It is for this very reason that I enjoy my job a lot as I never really know what the next day will bring or what new challenges will come along.

Find of The Month – August

This month’s find might not look like much. It is a pretty run-of-the-mill ‘willow pattern’ plate, and you probably noticed it’s also broken. So what makes it so special? Well, we’re currently writing up what we hope will be our first major monograph, on a post-medieval cemetery in Brentford, West London. This plate, along with another similar one, a pewter plate and a blue and white tin-glazed cup were all found in graves.

It is possible that these vessels contained salt, believed to provide protection and ward off decay, but we don’t really know for sure. Rare examples of plates or saucers are known from other burials in London and from sites further afield, for example at St. Mary’s Church (Leicester), St. Peter’s Church (Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire) and at St. Nicholas’s Church (Wetwang, East Yorkshire).

So this plate is special, not because of what we know about it, but because of what we don’t. The person with whom this was buried died less than 200 years ago, and yet already the reasons for this tradition have been lost.

A Day in the Life of…..Emily Doe (Project Supervisor, Fieldwork)

I’ve been working at Allen Archaeology for the best part of four years. I started as a bright-eyed and enthusiastic PA (Project Archaeologist) then worked my way up to the role of Project Supervisor. As you can imagine having such a role has its pros and cons. With highs of being the one who holds the power to allocate slots to reveal the secrets of the site, and lows including being the bearer of bad news when it’s time to go back to work when the lovely English weather is throwing its worst at us and we have deadlines to meet!

There is never a dull day as a supervisor, as it’s a very varied role and often keeps you on your toes depending on the site and how far along you are with it for. You could be machine stripping a site for days on end not finding anything or be on tender hooks as there is so much archaeology your eyes can’t keep up with it. Though on a more established site where you may be for months on end, days can take a more regular form. With starting each day afresh with your eager team ready to get their hands in mud. I would allocate slots for each of team member to dig, record and interpret. Sometimes help is needed with training new staff in recording/ excavating methods or interpreting what a section is telling us by looking at the wider picture and relating it to other features or slots within the same area. Lunch time and break times give everyone the chance to relax and refuel for the rest of the day ahead. If I’m lucky I may get the opportunity to dig features myself but if not then archive checking is a frequent and important task.

Emily machine watching — Emily watch the machine strip a site

Differing approaches to archaeological fieldwork

Written by Michał Górzyński, Project Archaeologist (Heritage Research)

During my studies and after graduation I worked on a number of excavations conducted by universities, museums and private companies in Poland. This gave me a basic understanding of the methods used in archaeological fieldwork and I then assumed that these methods would be the same elsewhere! That’s why after my first day of work on an archaeological excavation in Britain, I was so surprised to find many differences between the methods I had learnt in Poland and the methods used in the UK.

The basic structure of field investigation (excavating features and then recording them and the artefacts) is the same, but the methods of how to excavate, and the type of tools to use are different (except maybe using shovels!).

For example let’s use the excavation of a pit. The first step is the same, make a line to divide the feature in two and then start excavating one half to get a section through the feature. After that, according to Polish methodology, you would cut a box shape around the feature to explore the surrounding stratigraphy. This results in one half of the feature staying untouched and the other half showing a full section plus a small area around it. This is opposed to British fieldwork methods where only the feature is half-sectioned and the surrounding ‘natural’ is left untouched (unless there are other archaeological features).

The next step is to record the feature by drawing and photographing the section. In Poland, there is often only one person is doing the recording, most often the site supervisor. There are no context sheets, all the necessary information is inputted into excavation notebooks. When this is done the half of the pit which is left needs to be excavated, but this time following the cut of the feature. Again, after excavation of this half, drawing and photographic documentation is undertaken by the field supervisor. All measurements on site are taken with a dumpy level and staff and it is rare that a GPS is used. In my work in the UK, as is common on most archaeological excavations, the features are recorded by the excavator using context sheets, photography and drawing, as well as a GPS to mark where the features are spatially within the site.

Michal Gorzynski — Michal looking very happy on site!

I’m really happy that I have had the opportunity to learn Polish and British fieldwork methods, because both make me better archaeologist. I am now enjoying my time working on a secondment in the Heritage Research Team at Allen Archaeology where I am building on my knowledge of British archaeology.

if you’re interested in finding out more about British fieldwork and the work we do at Allen Archaeology have a read through some of our previous blog posts!

News from The North!

Our Northeast office has moved to new, larger premises in Chester-le-Street, with room for future expansion, meetings and a cafe too! After a few days of unpacking and building furniture, our Regional Manager for the Northeast and Scotland and Business Development Manager, Craig Huddart is all set. The opening of the new office is just the latest phase of our expansion and Craig is really excited and proud to be the person spearheading it. The Northeast and Scotland are thriving places, with stunning scenery and coastlines, renowned for outstanding heritage assets and amazing archaeology. We’re building on an existing foundation of clients and projects and Craig is looking forward to welcoming new clients and schemes to our portfolio. So if you are looking for archaeological advice or work to support a planning application, thinking of starting a community project or perhaps in need to a geophysical survey, give Craig a call. Contact details can be found here.

A Day in the Life of… Fabian Danielsson (Project Supervisor, Fieldwork)

I’ve been with Allen Archaeology for close to 4 years now, and have been working as a Supervisor for just over a year. My working life, like many others at Allen Archaeology, is split between periods in the office and periods out on site.

On site, my job is essentially twofold – making sure that every archaeological feature gets excavated to a high standard and on time, and making sure the recorded archive is of a good quality. To do this, a site usually starts by stripping the topsoil off the site with a mechanical excavator, and surveying in the revealed features by GPS. I then work out what needs to be excavated – we usually have a target percentage for how much of each type of feature we excavate, and also all relationships between features so that we can work out the stratigraphy of the site (the chronological order that things happened).

I then provide guidance and advice to the guys and girls digging, adjusting methods and strategies as necessary. The features are then recorded by the excavator: everything gets a drawn section, a drawn plan and a colour photograph, as well as a context sheet which creates a written description. This is the recorded archive, which I will ideally check daily to make sure it all makes sense and is correct.

Fabian in his natural habitat (complete with wellies, mud and survey kit!)

Once a site has been finished, the archive is essentially the only record that is left of the site, so when it gets to the office we need to make sure it is handled correctly. This involves downloading photographs and survey data, logging finds and scanning drawings onto the computer. Once everything is in order we can write a report, although this does not always happen immediately after a site is finished as it depends on the requirements of the project. A report has several components, including selected photographs and drawings, specialist reports of the finds recovered, and the historical background of the site. The bulk of the report consists of a written summary of what was found – this can be anything from a few paragraphs for very small sites to over 300 pages for some of the really big sites!

At the end of the day though, it’s time to go home and watch a bit of Gardener’s World…