Village’s past will be revealed with grant

Shillington Test Pits Project, organised by Shillington History Society, has been given an £8,700 Heritage Lottery Fund grant as part of the All Our Stories grant programme.

The grant programme is linked the BBC 2 show, The Great British Story.

Derek Turner, chair of the history society, said: “We are hoping to find out more about the history of Shillington by getting many of the residents to dig small archaeological test pits in their gardens or similar areas.

“It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while. Like a lot of organisations we know a bit about the history of the church but not the rest of the village.”

He added that only about one in nine applications to the grant fund were successful.

The money will be used to pay for supervision by archaeologists and historical experts who will be able to use their knowledge to ensure that the digs are carried out properly and that as much information can be gleaned as possible.

The digs will be led by the Cambridge Community Heritage Team with Dr Carenza Lewis, formerly of the Channel 4 archaeology programme, Time Team.

The grant will also pay for finds to be sent away for investigation and for a report to be compiled by experts.

It is likely that the one metre square test pits will be dug during the summer.

Derek said: “Archaeology is often the case of using fragmentary finds to build up a picture and reporting back two or three months later. We will have a presentation in the village. It’s pretty certain we will find something to add to the history of the village.”

Anyone wishing to take part in the dig can call Derek on 01462 712462.