The Fieldwork Group offers members an opportunity to take part in primary archaeological research and to acquire the relevant skills. Whenever possible, projects are carried out over weekends and public holidays. 

The Claverton Project 

The Society embarked on a new project in the summer of 2006, concentrating on an area to the west of  Heronbridge and known as the 'lost village of Claverton'. The project has four main aims: 

• to plan and examine the earthwork features resulting from our own landscape survey and those identified by Keith Matthews in 1999, to establish whether or not it is the settlement of Claverton

• to locate and examine the 'Grey Ditch', which is supposed to form the southern boundaries of the liberties of Chester. It is suggested that this may form the demarcation between the military settlement of Chester and the civilian settlement at Heronbridge

• to investigate the location, function and date of Hayward's Castle

• to carry out fieldwalking and documentary research in order to shed light on some of the industries in Handbridge and on the relationship between Chester, Claverton and Handbridge

In Autumn 2007, the Society surveyed an area to the north of Eccleston Road, Handbridge, Chester, using modern survey equipment, combined with the physical effort and commonsense of the volunteers in surveying the woods and fields in and around the site. 

In early April 2008, volunteers from the Chester Archaeological Society continued with the Society-sponsored project to locate the site of the lost village of Claverton. 

It is believed that the remains of this long-lost medieval village are to be found just south of Handbridge, Chester, on the north side of the Roman Watling Street, which connects Chester with Wroxeter. The landscape of the area under investigation consists of woodland and open fields. Medieval ridge-and-furrow is visible both in the woodland and in the open space. In addition, there is evidence of an ancient trackway and, within the woodland, various features which may suggest house platforms. 

Since 2006, when the project began, the Society’s volunteers have acquired the tools and experience necessary to survey the project area using a variety of non-intrusive surveying techniques. 

In 2008, we completed the first phase of the project, including a full contour and resistivity survey of an open field described as ‘Playing Field’ on the Ordnance Survey map of the area. 

Surveying 'Playing Field' 

For the contour survey, the area was divided into plots of 30 metres² and levels were taken at one-metre intervals. The reduced levels were then plotted onto a computer program to draw the necessary contours. For the resistivity survey, the area was divided into plots of 20 metres² and resistance readings were taken at one-metre intervals. 

The Phase 1 survey identified the ridge-and-furrow system that has existed in this field since medieval times, as well as providing evidence for an ancient track. 

Phase 2 also began in April, when a system was devised to continue with contour and resistivity surveys throughout the dense woodland, and especially around various anomalies in the woodland.  This has proved to be particularly difficult, due to the number of trees, lack of daylight, and dangerous undergrowth. Only a small area has been surveyed to date and the results are still awaiting processing. 

In addition to the contour and resistivity surveys, other work in progress includes the provision of accurate plans, together with grid references calculated via the Total Station, and desk top searches of the existing archives in the Chester Record Office. 

The Society will return to the site in November 2008. 
 
If you would like to know more about the Claverton Project or would like to volunteer, please contact Phil Miles.