Mercian Archaeolgical Services CIC and the Sherwood Forest Archaeology Project

Mercian Archaeological Services CIC are please to announce that they have now officially running the Sherwood Forest Archaeology Project as of June 2013.

The Sherwood Forest Archaeology Project aims to research and promote Sherwood Forest - the most famous forest in history.

As the home to the legendary outlaw and hero Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest is known throughout the world.

The ethos of this project is to promote the Archaeology, History and Heritage of Sherwood Forest, its landscape and people.

It aims to support and promote the work of individuals and groups (often voluntary) who undertake work in the Forest.

And to raise the profile of this heritage and work to the widest possible audience. 

The project website has had close to 100,000 page views in under two years and the Facebook page has close to 3,000 followers so far!

Mercian Archaeological Services CIC are a Community Interest Company who undertake Community Archaeology with and for the community- please like the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MercianArch 

Mercian Archaeological Services CIC are currently running and planning many projects in Sherwood Forest- and we will keep everyone updated as they progress...

Mercian Archaeological Services CIC

Mercian Archaeological Services CIC - the Kings Clipstone Village Project

In February 2013 Mercian Archaeological Services CIC (www.mercian-as.co.uk and www.facebook.com/MercianArch), a Community Interest Company undertaking Community Archaeology Projects in the East Midlands, ran an archaeological project to excavate test pits in the village of Kings Clipstone in the heart of Sherwood Forest.

The project was aimed at examining among other things the development of the settlement in Medieval times.

Picture: the ruins of King John's Palace in the heart of Sherwood Forest by Andy Gaunt, Mercian Archaeological Services CIC

The village north of the Mansfield Road consisted of long and narrow tofts and crofts which extended backwards from the road to the River Maun to the north.

Evidence from the excavation suggests that this part of the village was formed in the 13th century, as an expansion of the settlement around the royal palace that occupied the ground to the south of the road.

The interim report for this project will be available to download shortly.

The royal palace now known as King John's Palace was the centre for crown activities in Sherwood Forest until the end of the 14th century, with all the Plantagenet Kings from Henry II to Richard II staying there. It was built to accommodate the crown during visits to the forest, where hunting would take place in the royal park adjacent.

In the summer of July 2012, James Wright of https://www.facebook.com/ArchaeologyHistoryKingsClipstone and Andy Gaunt, David Budge and Sean Crossley (now Mercian Archaeological Services CIC) excavated trenches across the boundary ditch of the palace complex.

This report is being brought to completion over the next few weeks too and will be available to download via Mercian's document stores....

It is hoped that a number of publications will follow in the coming year which bring together all of the corpus of work undertaken in the village and at the palace to date, including extensive work looking at the landscape of the lordship and forest.

There will be more community archaeology work coming in the village very soon, with plenty of opportunities to get involved- watch this space for more information...


For more info follow www.mercian-as.co.uk/news.html and www.facebook.com/MercianArch

Mercian Archaeological Services CIC