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10
Sept
Beer garden dig adds to the understanding of Ripon's deep history
At the far end of the One Eyed Rat beer garden, small finds have been unearthed that add to the bigger picture of Ripon's deep and rich history.
Following a three-day excavation last week, members of Ripon History and Archaeology Tribe (RHATs) are sifting through pieces of pot, stone and metal discovered during the dig.
Andy Bates, who organised the community archaeology event with fellow RHATs founders Antony Prince and Simon Richardson, told the Stray Ferret:
It was a great success and we were delighted that 25 people joined us over the three days to try their hands at archaeological investigation.
We found a bronze vessel that may be of Roman origin, along with artefacts from the medieval period.
Pat McLennan, who had the role of cleaning the unearthed items, said:
I've never done anything like this before, but it has been fascinating exploring the earth beneath our feet and discovering what the finds can tell us about the Ripon's development over many centuries.
Pat McLennan, pictured with some of the finds unearthed at the One Eyed Rat
RHATs, which was formed 16 months ago, undertakes original research, provides talks and demonstrations and conducts archaeological investigations, such as the one carried out with the permission of the One Eyed Rat on Allhallowgate.
Allhallowgate's One Eyed Rat
When it was launched the group said:
Our aim is to bring to the world the rich historical stories of the area, to unearth tales and objects from the past (and) to discover lost treasures!
We already have an exciting collection of artefacts and we wish to collect and record more so that together they will form the basis of a new museum for Ripon.
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