Just a Quick Note – 02/09/22
Just a Quick Note
2nd September 2022
The e-newsletter of the Twmbarlwm Society
Hello Folks
Well that was a busy August – three weeks of digging trenches on the mountain – in the usual range of weather from the hottest days on record to torrential rain and fog. And we did a lot more work than originally planned which was mainly down to the hard work of the volunteers. Six trenches were dug all together plus auger samples taken on the motte itself.
There were no remarkable finds in the way of ancient artefacts but, I must say, we weren’t really expecting any. But the archaeologists found a lot of evidence that maybe asks more questions that may persuade them to come back for more exploration next year (funding permitting).
If you want to see more details of the results please refer to the daily blog on our website www.twmbarlwm.co.uk – and the official archaeologist’s report will be published as soon as possible.
One thing of great interest was the trench excavated in the ditch around the motte. After digging down for almost two metres through a lot of fill material, the base of the ditch still wasn’t found. Core samples taken with an auger led the team to surmise that the ditch may well have been over three metres deep and is an extremely steep V shaped section – further investigation will be needed to explain this.
The top part of this trench contained quite a bit of broken glass from late 19th, early 20th century bottles – proving that litter louts is not just a modern phenomena!
All together, it proved to be an excellent project and we were very grateful to the team of volunteers who turned up in rain or shine and put in a lot of physical effort in search of Twmbarlwm’s past. They shifted tons of material down to depths of nearly 2m – in the first week the work was in temperatures up to 36° – we even had to cancel work for the first weekend because it was “officially” too hot.
Some volunteers did a few days, some were there practically every day – but everyone had a good time and it was fabulous to hear the friendly banter back and forth in the trenches.
Again we would like to thank Cadw and its officers for all their help and advice and, of course, the CPAT team (Clwyd and Powys Archaeological Trust) for their expertise.
THE SWARD MANAGEMENT PLAN
… is a plan prepared as a guide for the medium and long-term management of Twmbarlwm after the extensive damage caused by the wildfires of 2018. It follows on from emergency works and the re-seeding project that was implemented immediately after the fires.
The fires highlighted the fragility of the landscape on and around the scheduled monument. If we are to protect the area from similar tragedies in the future – and maintain it in it’s natural state – we first need to understand the make up of the current environment.
The recent archaeological dig was a part of the environmental plan in that digging trenches through the fire-damaged surface enabled the experts to identify the extent of the damage caused by recent and ancient fires.
To help us further understand the eco-system of Twmbarlwm, CTS has organised an Ecological survey with the Gwent Widlife Trust and with them we will be holding Bio-Blitz walks on Sunday 11th September 2022.
TWMBARLWM BIO-BLITZ
Sunday 11th September 2022
An opportunity to wander around Twmbarlwm with an expert to explain the features, flora and fauna found there.
Meet in the car-park at the foot of Twmbarlwm. From there we will be running two guided walks up on to the hill fort at the top of Twmbarlwm at 10:30 am and 13:00 pm. These will be looking at both the history and wildlife of the area (no need to book, just turn up). We will encourage everybody to record and report their wildlife sightings to help us build a better picture of the wildlife in the area. All ages and abilities welcome.
WHAT’S A BIO-BLITZ?
The idea of the bio-blitz is to record and catalogue as much of the flora and fauna as we can – which will then help us to identify the best way to manage the area in the future. This event will simply be an informal walk from the car park to the top of the Scheduled Monument, and around the outer ditch. The walk leader will point out things of interest but we hope you will all keep your eyes peeled for any special flora and fauna we come across and ask questions.
When we get back to the car park we’ll help indentify your findings and record them. CTS will have a gazebo on site where people can gather to record their findings and we will probably provide tea and biccies.
EVERYONE WELCOME
If you decide to come along please remember to dress appropriately for the terrain and weather – decent footwear and waterproofs are essential – you are responsible for your own safety and please bring along any refreshments you may need whilst on the mountain.
Children under 16 years of age are allowed only under the supervision of a responsible adult.
Dogs, unfortunately, are not allowed on this occasion.
We would be grateful if you would contact us in the first instance via email to give us an idea of what numbers to expect. Please supply your contact details – so that we can keep you up to date with further details of the event.
Here’s a link to some photographs of the last time we did a bio-blitz on Twmbarlwm
UPCOMING EVENTS
We haven’t been able to hold any talks for the past couple of years for obvious reasons – so this autumn and winter we are hoping to hold a talk every month – all with an interesting historical theme – and if we can work in a tenuous link to Twmbarlwm so much the better.
So far we have allocated the following dates but will confirm closer to the time:
10th October 2022 – Newport Castle – Will Davies, Cadw
2nd November 2022 – Being Santa, the history of Father Christmas and life in the grotto – Roger Morgan
7th December 2022 – Christmas Quiz
1st February 2023 – The Lost Farms of Mynydd Maen – Rod Southall
1st March 2023 – The Newport Transporter Bridge – Speaker to be confirmed
5th April 2023 – The Newport Medieval Ship – Jeff Grosvenor, Friends of Newport Medieval Ship
The talks will be held at Crosskeys Rugby Club – dates and times are yet to be confirmed.
Entry will be £3 per person – or free to paid up members of the Twmbarlwm Society
Visit our website https://www.twmbarlwm.co.uk for up to date information and be sure to follow our the archaeology blog to see photos and download reports as they are published.
More info available on our website.
Many Regards
TERRY EVANS
Chairman Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society
Address general queries to: twmbarlwmsociety@gmail.com
These details are posted on our website and on FaceBook – but if you know of anyone who is interested but don’t get their news through the internet – could you please let them have a copy of this message.
