What links 1209 to October 2009?  For the residents of Willingham it was the 800th anniversary of the founding of Cambridge University.  With the support of Carenza Lewis (Cambridge University and Time Team) and the Fen Edge Archaeology Group, over the first weekend of October 30 test pits were dug in the village to uncover elements of the history of the village, to add to the growing archaeological record of the fen edge villages and to participate in the 800 years celebration as the University provided funding for the project.

The project started with a two-day dig on Thursday and Friday at the primary school.  Groups of the older children joined members of FEAG, Carenza’s team and volunteer student archaeologists from Peterborough.  Two pits were opened at the back of the school close to the known Saxon settlement and dug to a depth of almost 1 metre.  The children participated in digging, trowelling, sieving, surveying and recording.  The participation and enthusiasm were very impressive and the reward was the only Saxon pottery found in the village that weekend.

On Saturday morning the school played host to approximately 100 people.  These were a mix of villagers, archaeologists and student archaeologists.  After a briefing from Carenza on the art of digging 1 metre test pits, people departed to their gardens with sieves, mattocks, buckets, tape measures, trowels and record sheets to enjoy the wonderful autumn weather and to endure back pain and blisters!  In many places the ground was rock solid following a long dry spell.

Lunchtime Sunday was marked with backfilling and a return to the school clutching now full finds bags.  This is when the professionals really ‘do their thing’.  Led by Paul Blinkhorn, pottery expert for Time Team, pottery was sorted and identified.  Carenza plotted the finds by date onto maps of the village and a feedback session put together the story of the dig to a tired but satisfied audience.

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