Young Archaeologists in the Pandemic

For six months at YAC, we have changed dates and plans to fit in with the twists and turns of the pandemic. We started to talk about our project whilst trying out archaeological techniques at Fordham with Colchester Archaeological Group. At Colchester Castle Museum, a member of staff shared his extensive researches. In two meetings at Roman Circus House, young people began to visualise the deadly trap so many people in Essex, and particularly Colchester,  fell into under the Tudors. They formulated their plans to decide how to tell the story. We met again in Colchester Castle, near the prisons and the castle bailey. A young archaeologist had brought an 18th century edition of "Foxes Book of Martyrs". We explored our trail of the town, marking it out in red on copies of the John Speed 1610 map.  

   Here is the story which "inspired" the YACs and school children:-   A cricket pavilion overlooking Great Bentley village green was built on the exact spot of the cottage of William Munt, his wife, Alice Munt, and her twenty-year-old daughter, Rose.    In 1556 they had such strong beliefs and faith, that, with twenty-two other protestants, they were arrested and sent to London. They were cross examined by Queen Mary Tudor’s Bishop Bonner. He sent them back to their home after deciding they were no threat to the authority of the Catholic Church and the Pope.    William Munt was a farm labourer. His wife Alice, and her daughter Rose, were “spinsters”. That does not necessarily mean they were unmarried but that they spun wool into yarn for the cloth trade. The Earl of Oxford from Hedingham Castle, Lord Darcy and Master Tyrrell both of St Osyth were among those Justices and commissioners who had ordered their arrest.    Protestants were people who questioned the authority, trad

 My visit to Great Bentley on a bitterly cold day at the end of January, is mentioned in the latest edition of the village parish magazine. That day, we tucked ourselves in a corner of the building on the site of William, Alice and Rose's home, trying to keep out of the bitter wind, which swept over the wide village green.   When the children returned to the warmth of their nearby school, the story "really inspired many of them", so much so, that they were "desperate to hear it again." I had given their teacher a transcript of my narrative, so they able to hear this story of the family of three who had been fatally caught in the "Tudor web".

 Colchester YAC needs a story board for "Caught in a Treacherous Tudor Web." When I mentioned it this morning I was told "they would love to do that." So they will. All the research, artwork, trail map and location maps will form a narrative. In the meantime, there are still an unprecedented number of enquiries for membership and have been since first lock down (March 23rd 2020). Three more have been added this week. Zoom meetings never really caught on. It involved quizzes and they were fun, but it has been preferable to meet up to chat about our particular interests and favourite periods in history/archaeology.  

  Young Archaeologists were not phased by some arcane spellings, such as "Bricklesey" and "Chemesford", with the missing "L" floating above it, as they identified the places they needed to highlight on this 1610 map of Essex. To completely personalise it, they became very creative and depicted favourite archaeological eras. They took turns to do find washing at Roman Circus House. (Picture below). The artefacts had been excavated from the former Essex County Hospital site, which is due to be redeveloped. So far the site has revealed Roman road junctions and Roman bread ovens, perhaps for cooking up tasty snacks to take to the Chariot Racing Circus. The work on the maps and the artworks herald the completion of our project, which we started in September. From preparing bids for funding, organising the researches, locating resources and meetings, actual and zoom,  between them,  volunteers have probably clocked up more than 100 hours, working on "Caught

  Our tentative first meeting in the pandemic... eight months ago in a marquee in the gardens of Roman Circus House. Masks, hand gel and social distancing were the order of the day. We made check lists of "good" and "bad" things about the pandemic (see below). Our most senior volunteer had spent time in the lock down sourcing and sorting out lego to add to our collection.  She al so added to the materials and beads for our jewellery making sessions. It had been 16months since our previous meeting.

Judging from the interest of all the people who have seen this map of Essex, the young archaeologists are likely to be fascinated with it at our next meeting. This is only a section of the  1610 Speed map of the county of Essex, scanned for us to a high resolution. I particularly like "Bricklesey" in the "TENDERING HUNDRED". The map was made before the days of Dr Johnson and spelling standards for words and place names. Not visible on this part of the map, but the map maker left the "L" out of Chelmsford and popped it between the "E" and the "M" above "CHEMESFORD HUNDRED". There is plenty of space for  the young people to "personalise" this map of Essex with their own images, colourings and artworks as Michael Landy did, with his "Map of Essex from 1579, which is still on display in the entrance to the Firstsite gallery.

Young members of Colchester YAC are set to deliver their project on time. This will be achieved with the invaluable help of local historians, Great Bentley parish, Colchester museums, Colchester Archaeological Trust (CAT), tour guides, YAC volunteers and graphic artists. They will "shout out loud" the "from the ordinary to the extraordinary" stories of some of those Essex men and women whose lives were turned upside-down and tragically ended, when they were "Caught in a Treacherous Tudor Web". The stories and trail will be published on the Colchester Young Archaeologists Club section of the CAT website.