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From the
https://www.independent.co.uk By Ewan Somerville, Monday 5 August 2019.
Archaeologists find remains of kings’ feasts at Anglo-Saxon royal manor buried beneath beer garden.
Researchers searching for proof of ancient royal household end 15-year
search with surprise findings.
An archaeological search for an ancient royal manor lasting over a decade
has reached its climax beneath a beer garden.
A team of scientists launched a hunt for the Anglo-Saxon house 15 years
ago, curious to uncover the knowledge it held into how people lived at
the time.
Initially there were doubts that the residence, thought to belong to an
age-old King of Kent, even existed.
But when the owners of a Kent pub allowed diggers into their beer garden
for two weeks in July a “royal rubbish heap” was found under the grass,
surfacing items researchers thought were long gone.
“Masses” of wild boar and deer bones, thought to be leftover from royal
feasts, were discovered beneath the grass at the Market Inn in
Faversham.
Remnants of “grass-tempered” pottery, a unique production method used
only in early-Anglo Saxon England, were also found in the rubbish mound
alongside possible iron ore, suggesting the site was once used to craft
materials.
Dr Pat Reid, who the project for the Faversham Society Archaeological
Research Group, was overwhelmed by the ancient findings which could
shine new light on this “massively neglected” historical period.
“After spending 15 years looking for proof of the manor, I am absolutely
delighted. The whole thing is very exciting,” she said.
“We found an undisturbed rubbish dump with masses and masses of wild
boar, deer and cattle bones. These are so-called ‘feasting meats’.
“The king would stop over at the manor and entertain guests with huge
feasts, and this is where the bones would end up.
“There is nothing better for an archaeologist than a rubbish dump. Tidy
people who recycle and sweep up leave us nothing.”
A team of 20 volunteers from the research group conducted the excavation
between 13 July and 28 July and celebrated following the findings.
Archaeologists landed in a Kent beer garden after 15 years of
searching for an ancient royal manor.
Faversham has often been on the radar of historians, with records
tracing the area back to a pre-Roman settlement.
It has a strong connection with royalty, known as the King’s Town, and
several royal charters including the Magna Carta have in previous
centuries granted the town permission to govern itself independently to
the rest of the country.
David and Sue Potts, managers at The Market Inn, were taken aback by the
centuries-old secrets lying beneath a seemingly inconspicuous place for
the community to gather.
“I knew that these guys had been looking for Saxon finds in Faversham
for a while, in particular the so-called Kings Manor,” Mr Potts said.
“I suspected there might be some evidence of human activity near the
pub, but I don’t think anybody expected anything on this scale.”
For Dr Reid, the pub remaining open during the dig provided a highlight
as the research mission concluded.
“It is really lovely that the find is in the pub garden,” she said. “It
means we can get the public involved. We love that community feel and
it’s wonderful to have the children watching.”
Researchers now hope to clean the remains ready for preservation at
Faversham Museum.
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