Universities of Chester and Exeter receives €1.2 million to research medieval history of England and Wales

Historians and archaeologists from the University of Chester and the University of Exeter have received €1.2 million in funding for a new project that will explore the changing significance of memory in medieval and modern England and Wales.

The universities announced the grant from European Research Council (ERC) yesterday. It goes towards the project, titled ‘The Past in its Place: Histories of Memory in English and Welsh Locales’, which aims to delve into archaeological, historical and literary perspectives of memory by exploring churches, ancient monuments and distinctive local landscapes.

Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net

Lecture on Interpreting Anglo-Saxon Gloucestershire to take place at Corinium Museum, Cirencester

Cotswolds history from the air and beneath the ground will be examined in two lectures at the Corinium Museum, Cirencester.

Prof Howard Williams will give a talk entitled ‘Interpreting Anglo-Saxon Gloucestershire’ as part of the museum’s Evening Lecture series, next Thursday, January 27.

The area is rich in Anglo-Saxon history. Relics from the Saxon cemetery at Butler’s Field are displayed at the museum.

Click here to read this article from the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard

Undergrad thesis: ‘Feathered Funerals: Birds in Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Rites’ wins award

Ruth Nugent of the University of Chester has been awarded The Society for Medieval Archaeology’s John Hurst Prize for the Best Undergraduate Dissertation, 2010, for her work Feathered Funerals: Birds in Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Rites.

The prestigious annual award is made to the undergraduate dissertation that makes the most original contribution to medieval archaeology (from AD 400 to 1600) and Ruth is ‘surprised and delighted’ to have been selected from a whole range of submissions from the UK and Ireland.

Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net

Archaeological dig begins in Chester's Grosvenor Park

Archaeologists and students from the University of Chester are about to embark on a month-long excavation to unearth vital clues about the history of Chester's Grosvenor Park.

Throughout May students will work with Cheshire West and Chester's (CWAC) Historic Environment Team to excavate remains associated with the Civil War, Medieval and Roman periods in the city's park.

Simon Ward, senior archaeologist with Cheshire West and Chester Council's Historic Environment Team, has joined with the University for the fourth consecutive year to direct the excavations, which are a key training experience for second year Archaeology students.

May's excavation officially launches a new research initiative between the University and the Historic Environment Team called the Chester Amphitheatre Environs Research Project (CAER Project).

This year's trench focuses on an area near the boundary with St John's Church and the proposed site of Cholmondley's Mansion. Excavations in this area last year showed that there are also potential Roman levels preserved here.

Dr Meggen Gondek, Programme Leader for Archaeology, said: "It is an exciting time to be an archaeologist in Chester with all the recent investigations and discoveries. Every find and archaeological feature adds another piece to the story of the city's rich heritage."

For the first time on this particular project the trainee and professional archaeologists will be keeping an online account of their finds in a blog, which goes live on May 4, so that interested parties can keep up to date with all the discoveries.

On Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22, the project will be opened up to members of the public who will be given tours of the site and the opportunity to quiz the staff and students. There will also be a chance to get involved in artefact handling and washing, as well as a ‘mini-dig' and colouring activities for children.

To follow the project online visit: www.univchester-parkdig.blogspot.com

Source: University of Chester