First month reveals great potential at the ‘Dig for Shakespeare’

A month into the archaeological dig at Shakespeare’s final home, New Place in Stratford Upon Avon, and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has revealed exciting finds – including one by a volunteer from Solihull - which demonstrate the potential for remarkable discoveries at the historic site.

The dig, which is open to the public and will continue until September this year, has seen archaeologists and historians working side by side to learn more about the house that Shakespeare occupied in the last few years of his life, when he returned to Stratford from London. Three trenches are being dug and explored, and in each, archaeologists have found items and artefacts that reveal how close they are getting to being at the level where items from Shakespeare’s time period are likely to be buried.

“Of the three trenches, possibly the most speculative was the knot garden, which we think would have been the servant’s yard when New Place was on the site. We cleared off the top soil and pretty quickly found what looks like an 18th century well so it postdates Shakespeare’s house, but confirms our belief that this area would have housed deep trenches and wells. If our suspicions are correct, this area would have been used in this way from the time the first house was built at New Place, so we really are one step closer to finding Shakespeare’s rubbish pits,” says Diana Owen, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which owns New Place and commissioned the dig.

Another exciting find has been a small fob seal, which would have been used to put a personalised imprint into a wax seal. The fob seal is thought to be made of pinchbeck (an alloy of copper and zinc which has the appearance of gold) has a red carved glass fascia roughly carved with the words “A DIEU” and a picture of a ship, possibly Henry VIII’s super ship, the 1500 ton “Henry Grace de Dieu” which was a contemporary of the Mary Rose. The fob seal would likely have been owned by a man of average means, as a wealthy man would have a fob seal made of gold with a precious metal or semi-precious stone seal. The style is typical of an early 19th century seal.

The fob seal was unearthed by one of the Trust’s volunteers, Margaret Elsy from Solihull, in the trench at the front of the property, where archaeologists have been sifting through material disturbed during an early ‘archaeological’ dig in 1862; at this time, antiquarians would have been more interested in finding walls than small artefacts, so it is likely that this item had been thrown back, unnoticed. The fob seal has been treated by conservators to ensure that the metal does not corrode now it has been exposed to the air, and returned to Nash’s House, next to New Place, to go on public display as the ‘find of the week’ this week.

Finds in the 18th century well have included a horse’s jaw bone, which reinforces the idea that this well would have been filled in with rubbish when the water spoiled, a fact which excites the archaeologists as it increases the chances of waste being preserved by waterlogged conditions as they excavate deeper!

Visitors to Nash’s House, which is located in Chapel Street, just a short walk from Shakespeare’s Birthplace in the heart of Stratford Upon Avon, are able to watch as the dig progresses, as the Trust has constructed elevated platforms around the edge of all three trenches so that visitors can view the dig over the shoulders of the team of archaeologists and volunteers working there. With a Town House ticket for Shakespeare’s properties allowing visitors to return free of charge as many times as they want for the following 12 months, many local people are taking the opportunity to watch the dig as it progresses, returning week after week to see where progress has been made, and to view the finds which are put on display as soon as they are washed, catalogued and conserved.

The dig is being undertaken by archaeologists from Birmingham Archaeology based at the University of Birmingham, who will be working on the dig seven days a week. Admission prices, which include access to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and exhibition, Nash’s House and New Place, and Hall’s Croft are £12.50 for adults, £8.00 for children and £11.50 for concessions.

For more details, please call +44 (0) 1789 292 325 or book online at www.shakespeare.org.uk

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Notes to editors: The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, founded in Stratford in 1847, is the guardian of the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage sites, comprising Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Nash’s House & New Place, Hall’s Croft, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Mary Arden’s Farm. Offering a unique Shakespeare centred experience, The Trust is a truly global brand that has been attracting visitors to the houses since as early as the 17th century. At the heart of all things ‘Shakespeare’, the Trust is not only at the forefront of academic learning, but also an iconic destination in the UK and the cornerstone of the region’s identity and tourism economy.

The five houses offer a multi-layered experience for visitors unlike any other, giving people from all over the world the opportunity to learn about the life of the world’s greatest playwright, discover his work and experience a real sense of the times that influenced him here in Stratford.

The Shakespeare Houses and Gardens are winners of the Gold Award for ‘Best Tourism Experience in the Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2009. For further information about the houses, please visit www.shakespeare.org.uk

Birmingham Archaeology is the commercial arm of the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity at the University of Birmingham. It comprises three teams; Birmingham Archaeology Heritage Services, the Visual and Spatial Technology Centre (VISTA) and Birmingham Archaeo-Environmental (BAE). Each of the groups is responsible for the undertaking of commercial projects and services, the development of research projects and the delivery of postgraduate and professional training via taught Masters programmes and Continuing Professional Development workshops.

For further information and press enquiries please contact: Jay Commins PRO Dig for Shakespeare Tel: 0113 251 5698 Mobile: 07810 546567 Email: jay@fim.org.uk