Year three children were very fortunate to have been invited to take part in a dig taking place in the depths of Yearsley Woods. Archaeologists from the Yearsley Moor Archaeological Project have uncovered some Norman Watermill remains on Ampleforth land.
Pupils met Elisabeth and Geoff, lead archaeologists, who took them back in time to imagine the site of the millpond and the structure of the mill during the Middle Ages. The children then worked alongside the archaeologists to excavate for real in exploratory trenches – just as they do on Time Team. The children made archaeological finds such as pottery with coloured glazes, pieces of thin glass from ancient windows and burnt charring of stones on the ancient Norman hearth. The finds were washed carefully so that they could be labelled and go toward the evidence being collated to try to understand the history of this ancient watermill, which until recently, had lain totally hidden and unknown under the forest floor.
“This was a wonderful experience for the Year 3 class,” said Miss Hazorika.
