Cambridge Antiquarian Society - Monthly Talk (Jointly with the Prehistoric Society)
'Rivers of Bronze: the eastern fens of East Anglia in the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age' by Rob Wiseman (OA East)
Monday 1st October 2018 at 6pm
Faculty of Law, West Road, Sidgwick Site, University of Cambridge, CB3 9DZ
There is no charge for visitors or guests at lectures. New members are warmly welcomed.
 
Fane Road Archaeology Group - Monthly Talk
'Nassington Roman Barn – Year 3' by Derek Roberts (MidNAG)
Monday 1st October 2018 at 7pm
The Parkway Sports & Social Club, Maskew Avenue, Peterborough, PE1 2AS
FRAG members have been excavating a Roman Barn at Nassington in conjunction with MidNAG. Derek Roberts will provide details about the latest discoveries and what we are learning about agriculture, industry and daily life in the Nene valley during the Roman period.
All welcome (Members: Free; Non-members: £5).
 
Cambridge Archaeology Field Group - Monthly Talk
'Aspects of some recently excavated Anglo-Saxon cemeteries from Cambridgeshire' by Paul Spoerry (OA East)
Wednesday 3rd October 2018 at 7:30pm
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Downing site, Cambridge - Parking is available on site from Tennis Court Road.
All welcome (CAFG invite contributions of £1 from non-members)
 
Fen Edge Archaeology Group - Monthly Talk
'The Relhan collection: recording south Cambridgeshire’s antiquities in the early 19th century' by Alison Taylor
Wednesday 3rd October 2018 at 7:30pm
Landbeach Village Hall, 1 The Green, Landbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9FD
Richard Relhan was an apothecary who worked in Cambridge in the early 19th century and was able to devote time to travelling around south Cambridgeshire in a horse and cart, making water colour record drawings of attractive sites and buildings in many villages. There are over 300 of these drawings, many illustrating church monuments and scenes of topographic interest. Unusual items include Barnwell Priory and the Cellarers’ Chequer, Anglesey Abbey and Bartlow Hills. As the drawings were made before Victorian repairs etc were made to churches, and when memorials were still comparatively fresh, the drawings are a valuable historic record. They now belong to Cambridge Antiquarian Society. The University Library has digitised the drawings on behalf of the Society, whose members will prepare notes on many of the monuments recorded, and all will be made publicly available.
Admission: Members £2; Non-members pay £3.
 
Longthorpe Tower - Medieval Experience Day
Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th October 2018
10am, 12.30pm and 3pm daily
Have you ever wanted to time travel and become a valiant knight or fine noble lady? Now's your opportunity with this very special event at Longthorpe Tower. You'll be dressed in authentic medieval costume before getting to sample medieval food, have a go at traditional crafts, make medieval cures, and try on a suit of armour – with the help of your very own squire of course! Sessions last 2 hours and each workshop only has 4 places - so booking is essential! £15 per person, over 18s only.
To book, please call Peterborough Museum at 01733 864663. If you require any further information, please call the Museum or email longthorpe.tower@vivacity.org
 
Histon and Impington Archaeology Group - Talk
'Pre-Construct Archaeology: Recent Surprises in East Anglian Commercial Archaeology' by Mark Hinman (Pre-Construct Archaeology)
Monday 8th October 2018 at 7:30pm
Histon Baptist Church, 2 Poplar Rd, Histon, Cambridge CB24 9LN
This talk will counter the commonly espoused view that ‘surely archaeologists have found everything there is to find by now’ with Mark’s own impression from a career in commercial archaeology  that ‘we have barely scratched the surface of British archaeology’ . He will use some of the finds from the last 7 years at PCA’s Cambridge office to illustrate this.
Open to all. Members free and visitors £3, accompanied children free. Refreshments available.
 
St Neots Local History Society - Talk
'Revolutionary State? Royal Palaces in Cromwell's England' by Dr Simon Thurley
Thursday 11th October 2018 at 7:30pm
Guest Hall, Priory Centre, St Neots, PE19 2BH
The execution of Charles I brought about the sale of the century. Royal palaces were sold, as were their contents. Just a small number of royal buildings were reserved for the republican regime. Oliver Cromwell was King in all but name and his need for magnificent residences and buildings was as great as any monarchs. In this talk he is shown in an unfamiliar light - interested in French furniture and fashions and holding court in princely style.
Simon Thurley is one of the country’s leading historians, and for thirteen years was Chief Executive of English Heritage. He is a regular broadcaster, presenting a number of television programmes on history, archaeology and architecture as well as author of several books.
All welcome. Cost £5 per person. Tickets available from St Neots Museum, The Old Court, 8 New Street, St Neots, PE19 1AE. Tel. 01480 214163 (or on the door, subject to availability)
 
Witham Archaeology - Finds Display
Sunday 14th October 2018 between 2:30pm and 4pm
Display of archaeological finds by Witham Archaeology
Rampton Village Hall, Church End, Rampton CB24 8QA
Finds from an archaeological dig carried out in Rampton in January this year will be on display along with finds from HEFA test pitting in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The Fen Edge Archaeology Group’s test-pitting display will also be on show. During January 2018 Witham Archaeology carried out an archaeological dig in advance of development at 31 High Street, Rampton. Finds from the dig show that the site was occupied mainly during the 12th and 13th centuries. Ditches found at the site probably formed boundaries to a toft which fronted onto the High Street. Finds included pottery, quern stones and animal bone, which came mainly from a cluster of pits on an area of slightly higher ground. The environmental samples from the site show it was a place where people were living rather than farming. The decline in activity at the site after the 13th century is similar to that identified by the HEFA test pit surveys. Refreshments will be available. Proceeds to the Friends of All Saints’ Church.
Everyone welcome. Admission free – drop in at any time.
 
Peterborough Museum - Talk
'Peterborough Abbey and the Peterborough Chronicles' by Nicholas Karn (University of Southampton)
Tuesday 23rd October 2018 at 7.30pm
Peterborough Museum, Priestgate, Peterborough, PE1 1LF
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from Peterborough is not just a book, for it tells us much about the monks' ideas on identity, place and nation. There were other chronicles and histories written at Peterborough, more than at almost all other English abbeys. These often tell a more local story, about the monks and their links to local society, about the great men who passed through, and about the holy and not-so-holy abbots who ruled the place. Dr Nicholas Karn, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Southampton and an expert on Benedictine monasticism.
 
FenArch - Monthly Talk
'A Landscape through time: Archaeology of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme' by Tony Walsh (MOLA Headland)
Wednesday 24th October 2018 at 7:30pm
Mendi's Restaurant, 21 Old Market Place, Wisbech, PE13 1NB
This illustrated talk explores the evidence uncovered so far, including Neolithic henge-like monuments, industrial Roman kilns and Saxon settlements. Tony Walsh is one of four Project Managers for MOLA Headland Infrastructure working on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme on behalf of Highways England. He will discuss the fascinating archaeological findings from one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects, which has brought together the skills and knowledge of over 250 archaeologists.
Admission: Free to all, but booking is essential at info@fenarch.org.uk or Text: ‭07765 172450‬
 
Peterborough Museum - Exhibition
Treasures Exhibition
Open 10am-4pm (except Mondays during term time and Christmas) until Sunday 9th January 2018,
Peterborough Museum, Priestgate, PE1 1LF
National treasures with a connection to the Peterborough area from institutions around the country (including the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum) are being displayed together at Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery for the first time ever.
Each of the treasures on display has either been found in or has a very strong link to Peterborough, such as the Water Newton Treasure found at Durobrivae (Ancient Roman Peterborough) and the Casket of St Thomas Becket which was commissioned by Abbot Benedict of Peterborough in 1177.
Free to all.
 
 
Cambridge Antiquarian Society News
The Cambridge Antiquarian Society have published the latest edition of The Conduit, a guide to Cambridgeshire's local history and archaeology organisations, societies, events and lectures for September 2017 - August 2019. It is available to download as a PDF from their website here. Please note that the CAS Autumn Conference on 'Recent archaeological work in Cambridgeshire' takes place on Saturday 17th November 2018. More details will be available on the CAS website here in due course.
 
 
Community Volunteer Archaeologist Resource Review
A reminder that Oxford Archaeology is currently undertaking a review of community archaeology 'how to' guides on behalf of New Forest National Park Authority, as part of their 'Our Past, Our Future' Landscape Partnership Scheme supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. We have launched an online survey aimed at community volunteer archaeologists who undertake supervised or self-guided archaeological projects, either as part of a community group or as an individual. We are interested in finding out what about where you currently seek guidance on investigating archaeological sites and what you find useful.Here is a link to the online survey: http://surveys.oxfordarchaeology.com/index.php/497754/lang-en The survey will be open until midnight on Sunday 7th October 2018. The review is not about ranking or critiquing existing guidance but getting an understanding of what exists, what is accessible and what volunteers and community groups engage with. It is hoped that this review will be of interest to the wider archaeological sector and help to inform the creation of new resources in the future. Please could you circulate the survey to your contacts in community archaeology and encourage people to respond. If there are people without computer access we would appreciate it if some assistance could be provided for them to complete the survey as we would value their feedback. You can indicate at the end of the survey about whether you would like to be contacted about the results of the survey and our research into community archaeology resources. If you have any questions or queries about the review please contact: community@oxfordarch.co.uk or 01223 850515
 
 
Jigsaw Best Practice Guides
Throughout 2018, we are featuring a different Jigsaw resource guide each month to inform and inspire community archaeologists about best practice. Jigsaw has produced various guides on techniques for researching archaeological sites, identifying archaeological artefacts and on recording and reporting the results of archaeological investigations.
This month's featured best practice guide is: A Basic Introduction to Archaeological Excavation - an introduction to setting up and running an archaeological excavation