What is under this field?

Archaeological Excavation at Hedd yr Ynys, Llangefni

For several years Gwynedd Archaeological Trust has been searching the area near Fron, Llangefni for remains of an early medieval cemetery reported in 1829. As part of the search a ­field adjacent to the house of Hedd yr Ynys was investigated by geophysical survey. This revealed some intriguing "anomalies" suggestive of the ditched enclosures that sometimes mark special graves in early medieval cemeteries.

The owner of the field kindly agreed to an excavation and in July 2016 a trench was excavated to investigate the traces picked up on the geophysical survey. Many volunteers helped with the excavation and numerous features were found, but no graves, so the search for the cemetery must go on.

Dating and understanding the features was difficult but analysis of the finds and radiocarbon dating suggested that a complex of small paddocks probably dated to 16th or 17th century with later large pits and other ditches. Radiocarbon dates did suggest that there was some early medieval activity on the site and slight remains with a bake-stone set in the middle may indicate a small “Dark Age” structure. Roman pottery, a coin and a brooch show there was Roman activity in the area, but not in the excavated trench.

For a summary of the final report click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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