06 July 2010

Community invited to help find `lost´ Tudor mansion

Archaeologists at the University of Sheffield are inviting the local community to help them find a `lost´ Tudor mansion and excavate parts of a Medieval Priory.

Dr Hugh Willmott, from the University´s Department of Archaeology, is leading the project, which will see members of the local community working with staff and students in the excavations. The project is being run in partnership with English Heritage and will take place on a scheduled Ancient Monument Site in Barnsley.

Monk Bretton Priory in Barnsley was founded in 1154 and was passed to the ownership of the Blithman family following the Act of Suppression in 1538. The land was sold to George Talbot, 6th Early of Shrewsbury, and passed through his family. However the status of the priory diminished in the 18th and 19th centuries, and has been unoccupied since the 1930s.

Archaeologists are hoping to rediscover evidence of a `lost´ Tudor mansion, built by the Earl of Shrewsbury. Any trace of the building has disappeared, however other properties built by the Earl do still survive, including Sheffield Manor Lodge and Rufford Abbey in Nottinghamshire. The team expects to reveal the substantial remains of a building of similar size and status, as well as numerous artefacts associated with the Talbot family.

The local community can get involved with the dig between 10 – 15 July and 17 – 22 July, between 10am and 4pm. Anyone who would like to get involved in the dig can email: monk.bretton@sheffield.ac.uk

Dr Willmott said: "We are keen to demonstrate how archaeology can make a positive difference to a local community. Lundwood where the site lies, is often unfairly classed as a socially deprived area with little heritage. Archaeology is one of the few ways people can physically touch the past, so that's why I believe letting people take part in the excavation of artefacts is a great way to enable them to re-engage with their past."