Church Wilne Deserted Medieval Settlement, Derbyshire

Trent and Peak Archaeology, 2010. (updated 2014) https://doi.org/10.5284/1000111. How to cite using this DOI

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Dr David Knight
Head of Research
Trent and Peak Archaeology
Lenton Fields
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Tel: 0115 951 4823
Fax: 0115 951 4824

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Digital Object Identifiers

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are persistent identifiers which can be used to consistently and accurately reference digital objects and/or content. The DOIs provide a way for the ADS resources to be cited in a similar fashion to traditional scholarly materials. More information on DOIs at the ADS can be found on our help page.

Citing this DOI

The updated Crossref DOI Display guidelines recommend that DOIs should be displayed in the following format:

https://doi.org/10.5284/1000111
Sample Citation for this DOI

Trent and Peak Archaeology (2014) Church Wilne Deserted Medieval Settlement, Derbyshire [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1000111

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Overview

Church Wilne, Derbyshire: view during quarrying

The small medieval village of Church Wilne was located on marginal land in the broad alluvial floodplain of the River Derwent, close to its confluence with the River Trent and several kilometres upstream of the confluence of the Trent with the Rivers Soar and Erewash. All that survives today is the parish church of St Chad's. This is an isolated building, located some 200m north of the modern river. The church may originally have been enclosed on three sides by a meander of the Derwent, the medieval course of which may be reconstructed from topographic, documentary, cartographic and excavation evidence. The last dwellings in the village were demolished in the 1960s, while the area adjacent to the church was converted after quarrying to a large reservoir (St Chad's Water) within a water sports centre.


History of archaeological investigations

Faint earthwork traces near the church were identified in the late 1960s as evidence of a deserted medieval village (Beresford and Hurst 1971, 185). Medieval sherds were recovered from the ploughed fields adjacent to the church during the succeeding decade, providing further evidence for extensive medieval occupation.

Threats from gravel quarrying prompted more extensive archaeological investigations in 1974 and 1975 by the Trent Valley Archaeological Research Committee, assisted by funding from the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission (England). This work was directed by Hazel Wheeler and conducted by TVARC staff and local volunteers.

Excavations presented an opportunity to study the relationship between the church, settlement and riverine landscape, and in particular to investigate the impact of changes in river course and flood frequency upon settlement development. Very few deserted medieval villages elsewhere in the Trent Valley have been excavated, notable exceptions including Thurvaston in Derbyshire and Adbolton in Nottinghamshire (Elliott et al 2004, 170-174), and the excavation results provide a valuable opportunity to research the development of a small settlement precariously located alongside the high-energy and flood-prone Derwent.


ALSF Project

Three stages of post-excavation work were conducted between April 2009 and April 2014, with the aims of:

  1. securing and enhancing the site archive (Stage 1)
  2. providing an assessment of the site's research potential (Stage 2)
  3. creating an on-line resource facilitating access to archive data for researchers interested in the development of medieval and post-medieval settlement in the Trent Valley (Stage 3)

Stage 1 of the ALSF project (2009) underttook the following tasks:

  1. ensuring that all documentation, photographs and drawings are well organised and indexed and hence readily accessible for future researchers
  2. collating existing catalogues of artefacts and environmental remains and all available specialist reports as a basis for MAP2 assessment of artefacts and ecofacts
  3. providing a complete set of radiographs and descriptions for all iron artefacts
  4. identifying any specialist conservation requirements for the artefacts retrieved during excavation (principally iron and copper alloy artefacts)
  5. completing any outstanding packaging and processing of artefacts and ecofacts
  6. providing a summary report of the archive contents

IN Stges 2 and 3 the original documentary archive has been reorganised and repackaged, while finds retrieved during the excavations have been repackaged and conserved as appropriate. Most of the ironwork has been discarded, and the radiographs prepared by Kent County Museums Service and York Archaeological Trust now form the primary archive for this class of material (see Section 11 of this digital archive). All other finds have been retained and may be accessed by application to Derby City Museum and Art Gallery. The digital resource, which may be accessed from this archive, includes copies of the following (with appropriate catalogues and supporting information):

  • Integrated assessment report, including description of excavation methodology, synthesis of structural remains, discussion of palaeochannel evidence and specialist finds reports (Knight 2014).
  • List of contents of site archive in Derby Museum (Appleton and Markoulaki 2009; updated March 2014).
  • Scans of Site Notebooks and index of Context Codes, feature numbers and drawings.
  • Large format plans and sections (A3 and larger), including catalogue.
  • Excavation photographs and catalogue.
  • Database of Context Codes (including details of artefact and ecofact associations).
  • Harris matrices (Areas I-IV,V, VI and VII).
  • Finds drawings: scans of pottery and small finds drawings, including catalogue.
  • Metalwork condition assessments (Mildwaters 2009a, 2009b) and report on investigative cleaning (Kenward 2010).
  • Radiographs of metal artefacts.
  • List of slag and other metalworking waste.

This work was funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund administered by English Heritage and was managed by David Knight under the guidance of Paddy O'’'Hara and Buzz Busby of English Heritage. Work on the site archive was conducted on behalf of Trent & Peak Archaeology by Eileen Appleton and Panagiota Markoulaki between April and July 2009 (Appleton and Markoulaki 2009). Alison Wilson (TPA) compiled the original Contex Code database. Scott Lomax (TPA) prepared the Harris matrices and updated by reference to these the Context Code database, while Scott Lomax (TPA), Laura Binns (TPA) and Jim Priest assisted with scanning the site notebooks, original drawings and photographs. Particular thanks are also extended to Rachel Atherton of Derby City Museum and Art Gallery for providing access to archive material and for advice on the curation and storage of material, and to Peter Hammond, Anne Irving, Howard Jones (TPA), Kate Kenward (York Archaeological Trust), Nyssa Mildwaters (YAT), James Rackham (Environmental Archaeology Consultancy) and Petrus de Rijk for their specialist contributions to the Stage 2 Assessment Report. Ian Panter (YAT) advised on the ironwork condition assessments and the preparation of digital copies of the radiographs, while Mags Felter (YAT) helped with preparation of the digital radiographs. Lee Elliott (TPA) and Richard Sheppard (TPA) provided helpful comments on the metalwork and other small finds from the site.

References

Appleton, E. and Markoulaki, P 2009 Church Wilne, Derbyshire: Contents of Site Archive, Trent & Peak Archaeology, University of Nottingham (unpublished report in Derby City Museum and Art Gallery: DBYMU 1997-75/6).

Beresford, M and Hurst, J G (eds), 1971. Deserted Medieval Village Studies, Woking, Lutterworth Press.

Elliott, L, Jones, H and Howard, A J, 2004. The medieval landscape, in Knight, D. and Howard, A.J. Trent Valley Landscapes, Kings Lynn, Heritage Marketing and Publications Ltd, 153-191.

Kenward, K. 2010. Church Wilne Village: the Investigation of Two Iron Objects, SF40 and SF81. York: York Archaeological Trust Conservation Laboratories.

Knight, D., 2014. Church Wilne Deserted Settlement: Assessment of Archaeological Potential. Nottingham: Trent & Peak Archaeology.

Lewis, C, 2006. The medieval period (850-1000), in Cooper, N. (ed) The Archaeology of the East Midlands, Leicester Archaeological Monograph 13, University of Leicester, 185-216.

Mildwaters, N. 2009a (June) Condition Assessment of Ironwork from Church Wilne. York: York Archaeological Trust Conservation Laboratories

Mildwaters, N. 2009b (July) Additional Condition Assessment of Ironwork from Church Wilne. York: York Archaeological Trust Conservation Laboratories>/p>


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