Mark Newman
TERRITORY ARCHAEOLOGIST
Hidden 'Treasures' in National Trust houses
The very range of landscapes, properties and artefacts for which the National Trust cares inclines the work of its archaeologists to be broader and more varied than is expected by the public. Recent work at two properties in Yorkshire has concentrated on an unusual archaeological investigative method – recovery of objects from beneath the floors of standing buildings.
The discovery of 'strange things' (such as boots, mummified cats and occasionally hidden treasure) in the course of building works, usually by builders, is nothing new, but the development of archaeological techniques for investigation and recording (not to mention devising 'deposit formation models') is more novel. This is timely, as many rooms where such remains may be found have already been restored without archaeological involvement and much material cleaned out and thrown away.
The untouched examples have the potential to provide a fascinating bridge into the lives of the houses’ previous occupants, and need careful investigation and recording.
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