Day 12

It was submission today for pottery reports, the students had to write 500 words on a chosen piece of pottery found at Brynkir. As it was their first assignment, you can expect there was a little bit of a panic to get it done! However as it turned out, they were all very good. So panic over, the students went on to do their trenches. Trench E, which is just outside the Archery Range was extended following the discovery of what appears to be a wall, which is very exciting. Mark left us however for various meetings in North Wales, leaving myself and Sarah holding the fort for a few days Will we cope? I should hope so!

We opened up a new trench (H) to find the foundations of the gate house which we are looking for, while Jay continued drawing out her stone survey.

Day 11 at Brynkir!

Warren came back this morning and we all went to Dolbenmaen Castle where Llewelyn the Great, one of the Princes of Gwynedd held his court in the 1220s until his move to Criccieth Castle in 1230. The students also learnt of the different mortar styles through the centuries, looking at a 19th century church which was a rebuild from a much earlier church opposite the castle. We moved on to Penarth Fawr, a 13th-14th century manor house, identical to our Upper House. It is Very similar stylistically and in very good condition following its rebuild in 1656 following a fire which was ignited on Cromwell's orders. I loved how white and pristine the lime-wash was and knowing how the Upper House would have looked in the late medieval period brought a whole new dimension to the project in my opinion.

So the students came back and worked on their trenches. The Geophysics results have really influenced this dig and made it very exciting! Jess stopped drawing her plans and got in her amazing trench to dig away at Trench E and Jay went on to do the stone survey. We were also greeted by a local archaeologist called Bitt Jones who took a tour of the site.

Day 10- Moving to the Upper House!

Today the Students have moved to the Upper House, just outside what the hostel used to use as an archery range and opened three test pits Trenches E-G in order to find the possible gatehouse and doorway which would have been parallel to the house. Meanwhile on the research side of things, Mark took two of the students with him to meet the Reverend Dylan Parry in order to try and get access to the church where the Brynkers were buried. The church has been abandoned for forty years and the key has been lost since.

Trench F found a Basal Stone, one of the foundation stones of the building. Trench E has also found part of a wall. However, Trench G has yet to find anything of interest.

Day 9- when they studied stones!

In the morning, the students carried on their normal routine. They finished their drawings and opened another trench, Trench D. In the afternoon Andrew, a geologist from Cardiff Museum came to show us about the different building materials both the upper and lower house were made out of. I took some documentation photos and learnt about different mason marks and how to tell the difference between different stones. It was interesting to learn the technique of quarrying known as 'Plug and Feather', where the stone was chiselled deep and moved around until the rock split into two.
 

An example of a mark caused by Plug and Feather

The rest of the day, the students continued in their trenches. We are thinking of moving to the Upper House soon to open new trenches!

Day 8 at Plas Brynkir!

Today was an awful day for the weather! it started raining and was very murky. The students were greeted by a special visitor, Spencer Gavin Smith, a specialist in Deer Parks. Spencer took the students round the site and had a good look around to find features typical of Deer Parks that he knew of. He was here for most of the day and left at about 4:00, there was a lot to see! He pointed out various features such as terraces and ditches that were relative to controlling how the deer ran and at what speed and sought to identify the killing field. He also gave a lecture on various different sites to help the students understand the different features relevant.

After Spencer left, the students carried on in their trenches despite the weather.

Day 7 at the site!

Today's been fairly quiet. We found a possible wall in Jess, Chloe and James's trench! its not been exposed much yet although its an amazing discovery, maybe its part of another wing on the building. We still need to confirm it but it seems likely because its an arrangement to stones mortared together. It amazes me that modern science can find buried stone structures and produce an image similar to an x-ray almost. Most of the students simply carried on digging for all of today with not to much to report, Harriet though stayed indoors to transcribe some of the Huddart's accounts from 1813.

I fear the weather is on the turn this afternoon, but I hope it isn't because it would mean the students would have to be stuck indoors drawing plans! has to be done though I suppose.

Day 6 at Plas Brynkir

The day began with the students going down to the Lower House to continue on their test pits. From results found yesterday, it was time for the well positioned pits to be extended into the student's first trenches! The students dug until 11:00, when they enjoyed a small break and went back down until 13:00 when they came back for their lunch. While they were eating, Bettina Harden came up to see the site and give a lecture on historic Welsh gardens. The lecture started at 14:00 (after some complications with the projector!) and went on until 15:30, when everyone left the Training Room and settled for tea and cakes, leaving Mark, Sarah and Bettina to tour the grounds.

The day resumed as normal and the students went down to the site and continued digging. Some interesting results cropped up towards the end of the day, Alex found a flowerbed and pathway in his trench, which is an exciting discovery! In the mean time, we were greeted by David Will, who came to do 3D renders of the site and trenches for the open day! He will be with us on and off for the duration of the dig. Of course, the students were able to meet their new house-mate at 5:30 when they came back from the trenches.

The flowerbed trench!