Local History

Trench containing excavated walls

Inspired by a fascination with history, a team of local volunteers, aged from 9 to 79, have been grubbing around in the mud on a patch of land off Wakefield Road, searching for clues to Barnsley's mediaeval history.

They've been brought together by keen amateur archaeologist Kate Faulkes as part of a community project to get young and old working together. After some training from experts at the University of Sheffield, the volunteers started excavating a site at New Lodge, known locally as Cherry Fields.

They've already uncovered some substantial walls and mediaeval pottery and hope to piece together just exactly how they fit into the history of the area.

History of New Lodge

Documents from the 12th century talk of a suite of buildings called The Grange, related to the nearby Monk Bretton Priory.
When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in the 16th century, the priory and its lands including The Grange were bought by a William Blytheman.  The archaeologists are hoping to discover whether he lived in the existing buildings or demolished them and built something new.

Henry VIII, National Portait Gallery

The Blytheman family lived on the site until 1796 when they sold the buildings and grounds to a famous architect, John Carr. He demolished the Grange and built his own "New Lodge", which gives the area its name.

And there's a tantalising future excavation in prospect too. Previous investigations using geophysics (a technique for looking at what's beneath the ground before you dig it up) pointed to other interesting remains in the area, possibly a moat . Kate Faulkes is hoping that will be the site of a future dig, before it's covered by a proposed health centre.