Peterborough Archaeology

Origins of Medieval Fields and Settlement
2025-02-17 19:30 UTC
Tradition and transformation – the origins of medieval fields and settlement
Speaker: Susan Oosthuizen, Emeritus Professor of Medieval Archaeology at the University of Cambridge
Organised by the Histon & Impington Archaeology Group

The Importance of Pottery Decoration
2025-02-28 19:30
The Importance of Pottery Decoration to Prehistoric Societies

Speaker: Sarah Botfield

An Oundle event organised by the Middle Nene Archaeology Group

From Viking Boats to Whitby Jet
2025-03-03 19:00
From Viking Boats to Whitby Jet: new discoveries on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula
In this talk Prof Oliver Harris will explore the archaeology of Swordle Bay on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, examining how a seemingly empty landscape is in fact teeming with more than 6,000 years of archaeology. Covering the excavation of Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Medieval and post-medieval sites this talk will set out the fascinating landscape and the discoveries we have made, including the only Viking boat burial on the UK mainland.
Speaker: Oliver Harris, Professor of Archaeology, University of Leicester
Oliver Harris is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Leicester. He is the author or co-author of five books and specialises in the study of the Neolithic and Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland as well as archaeological theory. He has co-directed fieldwork on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, western Scotland since 2006.
FREE for FRAG Members
Non-members welcome – £5 cash, payable on the night
(card payment not currently possible)
The Venue for FRAG Talks is:
University Centre Peterborough
Park Crescent
PE1 4DZ
What3words: https://w3w.co/grants.liner.slime
This is NOT the new university building in the centre of the city, but is on a shared campus with Peterborough College and is accessed from Park Crescent.
There is on-site parking available.
The lecture theatre is on the first floor; a lift is available.
Google Map

Malaria in the Fens
2025-03-12 14:30
Fenland Ague: The Story of Malaria in the Fens
A Peterborough Archives Talk at Peterborough Library
Join Dr Martyn Thomas for a fascinating illustrated talk on Fenland Ague, a disease that once plagued the Fens.
Learn about its causes, treatments, and how it vanished by the late 19th century—plus Peterborough’s role in its history.

CAS Spring Conference 2025
2025-03-15
Cambridgeshire Antiquarian Society – SPRING CONFERENCE 2025
Villages in Archaeological and Historical Perspective
Key Note Speaker – Prof Carenza Lewis
University Faculty of Law,
Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DZ

Saxons in the Nene Valley & FRAG AGM
2025-04-07 18:50
Saxons in the Nene Valley & FRAG AGM
FRAG Annual General Meeting
Please arrive 10 minutes earlier than usual so we can complete the FRAG AGM in good time for our monthly talk.
The Agenda for the AGM is shown below.
Saxons in the Nene Valley
The Nene Valley offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of Saxon settlements and the landscape from the late Roman period through to the time of Domesday. The transition from Roman urbanism to Saxon rural settlements is evident in the archaeological record, particularly in the form of building remains, cemeteries, and changes in settlement patterns. By the 9th century, the region saw the establishment of territorial units such as hundreds and parishes, which laid the foundation for the medieval landscape we recognise today. The evidence from the Nene Valley thus provides an important insight into the development of Anglo-Saxon society and its administrative structures, offering a window into both the continuity and change that characterised the early medieval period in England.
Speaker: Professor Stephen Upex
Stephen Upex has written on a wide variety of topics related to British landscape history and archaeology and his interests range from Roman and Saxon landscapes and archaeology to medieval open fields systems. He has directed archaeological excavations on Roman and Saxon sites in the East Midlands and contributed to several Time Team programmes for Channel Four. He lectures at the University of Cambridge. Recently, Stephen has written a series of landscape and archaeological reports and books on sites within the East Midlands and he is currently working on a volume for the Society of Antiquaries on Roman and Saxon landscape in northern Cambridgeshire.
FREE for FRAG Members
Non-members welcome – £5 cash, payable on the night
(card payment not currently possible)
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE FANE ROAD ARCHAEOLOGY GROUP
7th APRIL 2025 held at University Centre Peterborough

Welcome and Apologies for absence
Minutes of AGM held Monday 8th April 2024
(Matters Arising not covered below)
Chairman’s Report on the past year – Julie Gray
Treasurer’s Report – Tamsin Foster
Election of new Committee.

Recommendation for amendment to the constitution
Suspension of the need for a Field Officer and Safe Guarding Officer if or until the Group resumes an active dig.
Nominations for Committee:
Those offering themselves for re-election:
Chairman: Julie Gray; Treasurer: Tamsin Foster
Minutes Secretary: Dan Peeroo
Standing down: Wendy Gamble, Daphne Mair, Nick Coneybear
Other nominees from members attending? (2 or 3 more would be good)
7. Upcoming events
8. (Any Other Business)
FREE for FRAG Members
Non-members welcome – £5 cash, payable on the night
(card payment not currently possible)
The Venue for FRAG Talks is:
University Centre Peterborough
Park Crescent
PE1 4DZ
What3words: https://w3w.co/grants.liner.slime
This is NOT the new university building in the centre of the city, but is on a shared campus with Peterborough College and is accessed from Park Crescent.
There is on-site parking available.
The lecture theatre is on the first floor; a lift is available.
Google Map

Recent Geophysical Surveys of Durobrivae
2025-05-12 19:00
Recent Geophysical surveys of Roman towns including Durobrivae
Speaker: Dr Kris Lockyear, Senior Lecturer, Institute of Archaeology, UCL

Much of Kris’ research focuses on the application of computer methods and multivariate statistical techniques, especially Correspondence Analysis, to archaeological problems. He is the author of “Coin hoards of the Roman Republic online” hosted by the American Numismatic Society.
From 2006 onwards Kris has been a tutor on the US National Park Service’s annual course on geophysical survey methods in archaeology.
In 2013 he founded the Community Archaeology Geophysics Group which has undertaken surveys on a wide variety of sites in the SE of England. He now mainly work on sites in and around Hertfordshire.
FREE for FRAG Members
Non-members welcome – £5 cash, payable on the night
(card payment not currently possible)
The Venue for FRAG Talks is:
University Centre Peterborough
Park Crescent
PE1 4DZ
What3words: https://w3w.co/grants.liner.slime
This is NOT the new university building in the centre of the city, but is on a shared campus with Peterborough College and is accessed from Park Crescent.
There is on-site parking available.
The lecture theatre is on the first floor; a lift is available.
Google Map

A47 Archaeology Open Day
2025-05-18
Archaeology of the A47 around Wansford
Open Day
Headland Archaeology has been heavily involved with National Highways, undertaking surveys and excavations in advance of upgrade of the A47 between Wansford and Sutton.
There will be an open day to explore some of the results. This will be held at Sacrewell Farm and Heritage Centre on Sunday, 18th May, 10am to 4pm – there will be information boards about the archaeology found on the scheme, a display showcasing some of the finds, and a series of short talks throughout the day.
11am – Jessica Lowther, Headland Archaeology
12pm – Mike Kaikas, Headland Archaeology
1pm – Jay Cumberworth, Peterborough Museum
2pm – Steve Sherlock, Archaeology Advisor A47
The open day is free to attend (though if you want to visit Sacrewell as well then normal entry charges apply).
More Info on A47 Archaeology

A428, First Century Roman Wells
2025-05-19 19:30
A428, First century Roman wells
Speaker: Ana Bordona Foz, MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology)
A Histon & Impington Archaeology Group Event
At Histon or ONLINE via Zoom

East Anglia in the 4th and 5th Centuries
2025-06-02 19:00
East Anglia in the 4th and 5th centuries: new evidence from settlements and burials
Recent excavations, and further analysis of older excavations, in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, have involved re-evaluation of chronological sequences in the later 4th and 5th centuries. Dr Sam Lucy will discuss her work on a series of settlement and cemetery projects, including Mucking and Spong Hill, and outline how thinking about these sites is shifting and the implications for further research.
Speaker: Dr Sam Lucy
Dr Sam Lucy is an archaeologist specialising in Late Roman and Early Medieval Britain, with a particular focus on mortuary evidence.
After completing a PhD at Newnham, Sam held a lectureship at Durham University for nine years, before returning to a full-time research role at the Cambridge Archaeological Unit in 2004. She has held a variety of roles at Cambridge University.
Research interests focus on funerary archaeology and key periods of transition in the fourth to seventh centuries AD. She is currently working on a number of publications, including the Anglo-Saxon royal cemetery at Bamburgh, Northumberland and the Roman and Anglo-Saxon sites at Babraham in Cambridgeshire.
FREE for FRAG Members
Non-members welcome – £5 cash, payable on the night
(card payment not currently possible)
The Venue for FRAG Talks is:
University Centre Peterborough
Park Crescent
PE1 4DZ
What3words: https://w3w.co/grants.liner.slime
This is NOT the new university building in the centre of the city, but is on a shared campus with Peterborough College and is accessed from Park Crescent.
There is on-site parking available.
The lecture theatre is on the first floor; a lift is available.
Google Map

MAA’s Stores Move Project
2025-06-06 19:30
One Box at a Time: MAA’s Stores Move Project
Speaker: Imogen Gunn, Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
A Joint HIAG & FEAG Event
At Rampton or ONLINE

Cotterstock Roman Villa
2025-06-12 19:00
Prehistoric & Roman Landscapes around Cotterstock and the Story of the Cotterstock Roman Villa
Speaker: Professor Stephen Upex
A fund raising event for St Andrew’s, Cotterstock
Details below:

Festival of Archaeology
2025-07-19
Hear about interesting finds in the Peterborough Museum collection from the Archaeological Collections Officer.
See objects from the Prehistory & Anglo-Saxon collections not normally on public display.
Listen to short talks from the Finds Liaison Officer and Chair of the Fane Road Archaeology Group!
Full Details

Wisbech Community Dig
2025-07-31 - 2025-08-02
Wisbech based archaeology group Fenarch are undertaking a community excavation.
Visitors are invited.

The Parish Church
2025-08-12
The Parish church: Origins, development, features and changes
An event organised by Olney Archaeological Society

MidNAG Excavation - CANCELLED
2025-08-16 - 2025-08-30
Excavation of a Roman and Iron Age rural landscape
MidNAG continue the excavation of an Iron Age and Roman site near the village of Nassington.
If you are interested in volunteering contact MidNAG through their Facebook page.

Domination
2025-08-29 19:30
DOMINATION: The Fall and Rise of an Empire
Join Professor Alice Roberts as she takes us on an investigative journey to establish who spread Christianity, how and why; the story of the fall of an Empire – and the rise of another.
Celebrating the publication of her new book, Domination, the narrative will lead audiences from a secluded valley in South Wales to the shores of Brittany; from the heart of the Roman Empire in a time of political turmoil to the ancient city of Corinth in the footsteps of the apostle Paul; from Alexandria in the fourth century to Constantinople.
As the Roman Empire crumbled in Western Europe, a shadow of power remained, almost perfectly mapping onto its disappearing territories. And then, it continued to spread. Unearthing the archaeological clues and challenging long-established histories, Professor Roberts tells a remarkable story about the relationship between the Roman Empire and Christianity.
New Theatre, Peterborough
Tickets FROM £37
Non-FRAG Event

DIG OPPORTUNITY - Harlaxton
2025-09-06 - 2025-09-21
The Lost Manors of Harlaxton
Weekend Excavations – September 2025
Harlaxton History Society is organising a series of digs this September as they seek to identify and record the site of the three ancient manor houses.
The project is supported by a lottery fund grant and is being guided by Prof Abi Hunt from Nottingham University.
The group is looking for volunteers with excavation experience to join their September fieldwork. If you are interested please email project leader, Douglas Brown: hhsmanordig@gmail.com
The preliminary plan is as follows:
Please note, tasks with an asterix * require volunteers with previous experience of an archaeological dig.
6-7 Sept Dig Days 1&2
Volunteers needed to
· Open two main trenches across GPR targets and manage/record finds *
· Survey of No2 Rectory Lane Garden and other properties on street for worked stone
· Measuring and recording the wall towards the Eastern end of the garden (poss former walled garden)
· Metal detecting across garden of No1
12, 13, 14 Sept Dig Days 3,4 & 5
Volunteers needed to
· Continue excavation of two main trenches manage /record finds*
· Open other small trenches and manage /record finds*
· Clear and record sunken room*
· Record all worked stone in No1 rectory Lane Gardens
· Measure and record Pond at Pond Street
19, 20, 21 Sept Dig Days 6,7 & 8
Volunteers needed to
· Continue excavation of all trenches and close in afternoon*
· Continue to clear and record sunken room*
· Record all worked stone in fabric of No1 rectory Lane
· Measure and record moat
Harlaxton is just a couple of miles to the East of the A1 at Grantham, just half an hour North of Peterborough.
Manors Project Information

Nassington Prebendal Manor
2025-09-14
Prebendal Manor looking Architectural changes from 1200 AD
From a royal Anglo-Norman timber hall to a substantial stone-built Prebend attached to Lincoln Cathedral.
Booking Required – Follow link below
Heritage Open Days Event

Thorney Heritage Walk
2025-09-14 14:00
Thorney Heritage Walk
A visit to Thorney. A good look at Thorney Abbey, then a walk through the historic village to the community museum.
A Heritage Open Days event

Flag Fen Auger Survey - Volunteers Needed
2025-09-15 - 2025-10-03
Flag Fen Auger Survey
Call for Volunteers
What’s Happening
Between Monday 15th September and 3rd October 2025, archaeologists from the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) and Flag Fen Archaeology Park will be carrying out a 3 week survey of the ground around Flag Fen.
The aim is to better understand what lies beneath the surface — the layers of soil, peat, and gravel that make up the ancient landscape. This information will help us see how the land has changed over thousands of years and how best to care for the Flag Fen Bronze Age monument in the future.
If you can spare just a few hours, between 9am and 4pm (weekdays only) your help will make a huge difference. This is an exciting time to get involved and learn from the experts.
If you can commit to a few days in the above time period or have any questions regarding this, please let David Savory or Lousie Duly, know on: 01733 864468, or email on – flagfen@peterboroughlimited.co.uk
What We’ll Be Doing

Taking small soil samples using hand augers (a bit like a big hand drill).
Collecting samples at 235 points across the area, about one every 20 metres.
Auger holes are very small — about the size of a fist (4–10 cm wide).
All holes will be backfilled immediately, leaving the ground as we found it.
Up to 10 small test pits may also be dug (just 1m x 1m) to double-check auger results. These will also be refilled straight away.

Why It Matters

Builds a clear picture of the ancient landscape and how Flag Fen developed over thousands of years.
Informs future conservation, flood management, and heritage protection.
Contributes to wider studies of the Fens, protecting nationally important archaeology.
All support is gratefully received, whether you can stay for a whole day or just drop in to lend a hand.

Who’s Involved
This is a partnership project led by the Flag Fen Futures Group

Guided Walk at Norman Cross
2025-09-17 - 2025-09-18
Guided Walk at Norman Cross – site of The Napoleonic Prisoner of War camp
Come for a guided walk and talk about the history of Norman Cross – the site of the first purpose built Prisoner of War camp in the world – and find out more of its fascinating history.
Places Limited – Pre-booking Essential – Follow link below
A Heritage Open Day event organised by Nene Park Trust

Architecture Through the Ages
2025-09-18 13:30
Architecture Through the Ages: A Film Journey at Corby Heritage Centre
Enjoy a film showcase exploring how architecture has evolved from Roman times to today through professional and amateur footage.
A Heritage Open Days Event

King's Cliffe Heritage Walk
2025-09-21 10:30
King’s Cliffe Heritage Walk
Take in the scenery in and around King’s Cliffe and Apethorpe with a knowledgeable local guide.
A Heritage Open Days Event

CBA Fieldwalking Conference
2025-09-24
Fieldwalking: Past, Present … and Future?
A Grantham event organised by Council for British Archaeology: East Midlands
This conference will examine the achievements of fieldwalking, take stock of its use today and ask what future it has as a tool for prospection.
More specifically, did fieldwalking privilege certain types of evidence, like flint scatters? Does the decline in fieldwalking mean that flint scatters and the activities they attest are less likely to be detected? What is the relationship between the decline in fieldwalking and the rise in metal-detecting (which by its nature emphasises the later periods of archaeology)? Why do many commercial archaeologists no longer practise fieldwalking?
The conference will aim to highlight past successes of fieldwalking, but also to address its limitations, and explore whether it still has a value as a method of archaeological prospection.
Booking

Cotterstock Villa Walk
2025-10-05 15:00
A SITE VISIT TO THE COTTERSTOCK ROMAN VILLA ON SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER AT 3PM
The walk will be led by Professor Stephen Upex and is kindly facilitated by the Richardson family.
This is a non-FRAG event raising funds for St Andrew’s, Cotterstock

Curious Cures
2025-10-06 19:00
Curious Cures: Medicine in the Medieval World
This month’s FRAG talk is also the subject of an exhibition at Cambridge University Library.
Medieval medicine has a bad reputation. It conjures up images of people blighted by disease and ignorance, living a degraded existence in squalid villages and pestilence-ridden towns, and subject to the misguided ministrations of physicians or the bizarre remedies of folk healers and charlatans. We commonly think of the Middle Ages as a time of superstition, blind trial-and-error and devastating mortality…but that’s not the whole story!
This talk will describe the complex theories and ideas that guided medieval physicians in their work, it introduces the many different constituencies who practised medicine at this time, and it reveals the bewildering array of ailments and illnesses they sought to cure.
Speaker: Dr James Freeman, Medieval Manuscripts Specialist, Cambridge University Library
James was the Principal Investigator of the Wellcome-funded project, Curious Cures and is curator of the exhibition Curious Cures: Medicine in the Medieval World, which is open to all and free to visit at Cambridge University Library until 6 December 2025. Prior to joining the University Library in 2016, James worked in various capacities in the Manuscripts and Rare Books Departments at the British Library. He also serves as Assistant Editor for the Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliographical Society and as Chair of the Association for Manuscripts and Archives in Research Collections, which promotes the study, accessibility and preservation of manuscripts and archives in Britain, Ireland and further afield.
FREE for FRAG Members
Non-members welcome – £5 cash, payable on the night
(card payment not currently possible)
The Venue for FRAG Talks is:
University Centre Peterborough
Park Crescent
PE1 4DZ
What3words: https://w3w.co/grants.liner.slime
This is NOT the new university building in the centre of the city, but is on a shared campus with Peterborough College and is accessed from Park Crescent.
There is on-site parking available.
The lecture theatre is on the first floor; a lift is available.
Google Map

The Hedda Stone Mystery
2025-10-14 19:30
The Hedda Stone Mystery
A Peterborough Cathedral in person lecture
Speakers: Dr Jackie Hall and Dr Teresa Porciani
Step back into the world of Anglo-Saxon England and unlock the secrets of Peterborough’s Hedda Stone—one of the most mysterious and intriguing sculptures in the country. In this captivating talk, our speakers will take you on a journey through centuries of speculation, examining fresh research, bold theories, and the tantalizing clues that surround this enigmatic masterpiece. What story does the Hedda Stone really tell? Who created it, and why?

RAF Alconbury
2025-10-31 19:30
RAF Alconbury – Military architecture through the years
A MidNAG Event in Oundle
Speaker: Jeff Hawley
Alconbury Airfield’s history spans from its 1938 founding as a British Royal Air Force (RAF) satellite base through World War II and the Cold War, ending its operational life in the mid-1990s after decades of continuous American occupation. Once a strategic site for reconnaissance and bomber operations for both the RAF and United States Army Air Force, the airfield is now being redeveloped into Alconbury Weald, with its military heritage being preserved through listed buildings, public archives, and a planned heritage trail.

Stowe Farm, West Deeping
2025-11-03 19:00
Stowe Farm, West Deeping – Prehistoric Settlement in the Welland Valley
This month, we have Bob Hatton bringing us a review and update on prehistoric findings from Stowe Farm, West Deeping – Settlement in the Welland Valley.
The Welland valley was a focus for prehistoric settlement, just as was the case in the Nene valley.
The research collated from excavations aimed to build a cohesive site narrative and to place the site at Stowe Farm, Lincolnshire, in a local and regional context.
This talk will bring us up to date on findings for the area.
Speaker: Bob Hatton
Bob is the course lead for the BA (Hons) in History and Archaeology degree at University Centre Peterborough. Previously, Bob worked with the county archaeological team and was involved in several local excavations, including Etton and Maxey, and Flag Fen as well as Stowe Farm.
FREE for FRAG Members
Non-members welcome – £5 cash, payable on the night
(card payment not currently possible)
The Venue for FRAG Talks is:
University Centre Peterborough
Park Crescent
PE1 4DZ
What3words: https://w3w.co/grants.liner.slime
This is NOT the new university building in the centre of the city, but is on a shared campus with Peterborough College and is accessed from Park Crescent.
There is on-site parking available.
The lecture theatre is on the first floor; a lift is available.
Google Map
