Bamburgh Research Project

If you want to hear more about the newlly published Monograph for the Bowl Hole Cemetery at Bamburgh Dr Sam Lucy is doing a lecture that is open to the public One of the editors of the new volume Dr Sam Lucy of Cambridge University is presenting a lecture to the Society of Antiquaries of London on 26 February at 5pm. This is open to all and also live-str…

Dr Sam Lucy is doing a public lecture on the recent publication of the cemetery site at the Bowl Hole Bamburgh do check out the details on our blog

bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com/2026/02/17/i...

Exciting News as the Monograph for the Bowl Hole Cemetery at Bamburgh is Published The first large scale excavation that the Bamburgh Research Project undertook was on the Bowl Hole Burial Ground that the BRP had recently rediscovered the location for. It lay just 300m south of t…

Very happy to announce that the publication of our cemetery excavation is available for order. Do take a look at the link below

bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/e...

Want to come and excavate with us at Bamburgh? Booking for the 2026 excavation season is now open 19th July – 14th August 2026 (4 weeks) Join us this summer for our 2026 excavation season at the world famous Bamburgh Castle. We will be continuing our excavation and survey on and around the outw…

Booking for our dig in 2026 is now live! Check it out through our blog

bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com/2025/11/29/w...

Person stood with seated people at table with bones laid out on table top

Today was our final post-ex day, where we explored #osteoarchaeology.

We took a deep dive into the excavation of the early med. Bowl Hole cemetery, which sits just outside the castle.

This pm we were then joined by osteo, Giselle Kiraly, who taught us the basics of osteoarch.

A fascinating day!

Tablet weaving with red and gold thread on wooden frame

Four people stood like joking at tablet weaving device

This afternoon we continued our exploration of the early medieval period with Paula Constantine.
We had the opportunity to try different clothe making techniques and understand the different natural materials and tools used in the production of early medieval textiles 🤩🧶🏺 2/2

Groups stood in front of large stone features in an archaeological trench. Lindisfarne castle visible in the background

Day 4 of our post-excavation week and we have been out to visit our friends at Ad Gefrin and @davidpetts1.bsky.social on #Lindisfarne.

Lots of lovely early medieval goodness.
#northumberland #archaeology
1/2 🏺

Red hot fire with pots poking out

Pots on the ground with people stood around

Young woman working on a pottery wheel

Day 3 of our post-ex week here at #Bamburgh Castle and we have gone all potty!

We spent the day making and firing various types of #pottery, while discussing all things ceramic🏺🔥

Two individuals discussing a bone and more individuals bones on table

People stood looking at articulated skeles on a table

It's Day 2 of our post-ex week and we have spent the morning recording and illustrating some of our (many) small finds 🏺

This afternoon we were joined by Zooarch, Clare Rainsford, to explore how animal bones are understood and used in archaeological interpretation. 🦌🐈🐄🐇

Individuals sat around a table washing finds with castle and blue sky in background

Individuals sat around a table looking at finds inside a brick building

We're back for another post-ex week at #Bamburgh Castle 🎉🎉🎉

We've started by exploring our many small finds and bulk find assemblage.

The sun is out, the coffee is flowing and chat is good 🤩🏺

Post Excavation Taster Week – Join us for a day or days! If you are not able join us for a full week or there are particular activities that really appeal we would be happy to welcome you just for that day. Join us to learn about the archaeology of Bambu…

Come and join us next week for our post excavation week. Places are available even if you can only make one or two two days.

bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/p...

Three images. First is trench with people excavating in a line. Next is a clump of styca coins and the last is a shot of the castle on the coastline

The BRP post-ex week runs Monday-Friday and is based at #Bamburgh Castle in #Northumberland.

If you can't make the full week or would like to join us on a particular day/activity, do get in touch!

Find out more 👉https://bamburghresearchproject.co.uk/index.php/post-excavation-taster-week-2/
🏺🧵2/2

Green poster with picture of individuals undertaking various post-ex activities and woman stood smiling next to stone wall

🚨Due to a last minute cancellation we have space left for our post-ex week (starts Monday)🚨

We focus on:
👉artefact ID & illustration
👉Zooarchaeology
👉Medieval textiles and ceramics
👉Osteoarchaeology
👉Field trip to Lindisfarne

🏺🧵1/2

Poster with shots of individuals working with artefacts

📢 This September we'll be back at #Bamburgh Castle for our post-excavation week.

We focus on:
👉artefact ID & illustration
👉Osteoarchaeology
👉Zooarch & paleoenvironmental
👉Medieval textiles & ceramics

Find out more👉 bamburghresearchproject.co.uk/index.php/po...

Post-Excavation Taster Week – One space still available One place is still available for the September Post-Excavation week! If you are interested in joining us for a fun week where you get to see a rather different side of an archaeological dig, there …

Through can still join us for our post excavation week in September

bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com/2025/08/06/p...

A young woman turns the pages of a binder while another in a green baseball cap looks on.

Elizabeth shows Meg how we complete context sheets for different areas and features within the trench with our earlier #medieval foundations. #archaeologicalexcavation

A young person in a light blue baseball cap leans down into a muddy tank to scoop wet silt out using a hand shovel.

Laurie's cleaning out the settling tank from the flotation system to remove all the silt and get ready to pack up for the offseason. The silt is so smooooooooth! #environmentalarchaeology #SpaDay

Put a Pin in That, and Let’s Brooch the Subject One of our small finds from the beginning of the week was an iron pin, mostly corroded, but, fascinatingly, the point is still quite sharp! It came out of the midden area of our larger ditch during…

A metal pin from the #midden!

bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com/2025/07/18/p...

A yellow and rainbow fragment of glass in a palm.

Some #Roman #glass from our #IronAge #roundhouse in old trench 3! It came out of an #environmentalarchaeology sample processed today.

Wall made of square stones with greenery draped on it and a trench in front that has varied stones extending out towards the bottom right of the image.

Possible linear feature running under the likely #Victorian folly in front of the #medieval walls! How does this connect with our ditch and the foundations behind the folly?

Another Enjoyable Day with YAC Contest Winners at Bamburgh Castle On Sunday, we welcomed three young archaeologists from the Council for British Archaeology’s YAC network. Abbie, Ollie, and Christina spent the whole day with us, taking a tour of the archaeology, …

We 💚 the Young Archaeologists' Club! Read about our contest winners' day at the Castle here: bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com?p=9965

A young woman uses a hand tape to measure distance from a medieval wall. To her right, another young woman holds a drawing board to record the points the other calls out. To the left of both, the blocked medieval gateway sits in shadow.

Emily and Anastasia are planning the new spread of large stones near the blocked #medieval gateway. Emily has a hand tape and plumb-bob to ensure accurate off-set while Anastasia "graphs" the point she calls out on the gridded permatrace (waterproof paper for site drawings).

A young woman in a backwards baseball cap peers through a lens on a tripod to take a measurement.

Sophie is using the EDM (electronic distance measure) to locate some of our planning points near the blocked #medieval passageway at St. Oswald's Gate. #survey

Week 2: Round-up Last week was incredibly busy, particularly in the trench and finds, while enviro chugged along through old Trench 3 samples from the Iron Age level (excavated by a commercial team comprising forme…

Last week's round-up! bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com/2025/07/16/w...

Three massive flagstones form a backwards 7 in a medium yellow brown area of soil between two sections of masonry. There are seed trays holding artefacts scattered throughout.

We are between the wall stump and 13th-century #medieval wall where we discovered foundations in previous seasons. Today we were able to clear the rubble under the massive flagstones that were lifted last season, creating that level area to the right of the remaining stones.

A young woman in a blue rain jacket sifts soil through a green sieve with Victorian steps and some white sandbags behind her

Isabella is sieving soil from the area near the #Victorian postern gate and the #medieval wall foundations trench!

A young woman in a striped shirt and grey baseball cap draws a plan of stone between two walls. There is a white frame at her feet. Behind her, a young man in black empties a hand shovel of dirt.

Aimee is planning the #medieval cobbles and rubble between the 13th-century wall and the wall stump so we can lift them!

A man in a black fleece points to the left while young woman look to the distance.

Our new crop of students on Graeme's trench tour!

Fresh from the Trench: More Worked Bone, and a Reinterpretation Last week for FFTT, we had a bit of bone we were tentatively calling a bone plaque or fitting, but a second bit of worked bone has also emerged from the topsoil. This is not a “secure” context so w…

More #medieval worked #bone! bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com/2025/07/11/f...

A thumb and forefinger pinches the front of a jaw fragment. Teeth are visible on the other side.

A red deer mandible! It came out of our #midden. This is one of the largest species of #deer, and one of two native to Britain, the other being the roe deer which is tinier. #zooarchaeology

Blue trays with bone and shell on newspaper to dry.

The sun is helping our #midden finds dry!