Archaeological Dig at Abandoned Village
Coquetdale Community Archaeology, supported by Defence Estates, has just completed their third annual excavation. The dig took place at Ovenstones, in the Grassless valley, just on the edge of the Otterburn Training Area. Over two rather wet weeks, 40+ volunteers joined Richard Carlton of the Archaeological Practice Ltd to excavate the site of a small mining settlement in the hope of learning more about the families who once lived there.
All that remains today is a row of crater-like bell pits, snaking up the hill following the coal seam. Miners would have worked these pits for coal which would be sold to other industries in the valley. Part way along the seam are the remains of a banked enclosure, and at the heart of this enclosure are the ruined, partially buried, stone walls of a short row of stone cottages.
Bell Pits that surround the cottages
Volunteers opened a large trench over one of the cottages, removing turf and fallen stone to reveal the walls of the one-room dwelling. A flagged floor was found at the eastern side of the room, whilst the western side revealed a beaten earth floor. At the eastern end stood the fireplace, constructed of large, well dressed stones and bricks, which would once have been a range for cooking, heating and hot water.
Hundreds of shards of pottery were found during the excavation, including pieces of locally made vessels and more expensive stamped ware bought in from factories further a field. Some pieces were stamped with religious text, suggesting a strong Christian connection. Clay pipes, glass and metal objects, including a three-footed cauldron were also recovered.
As well as excavating on site, volunteers began to unearth documentary records from the site, revealing that the cottages were home to three or four families of miners. The earliest reference to the site is from 1771, and certainly by the 1830s there was a thriving community making a living from mining. By the 1870s the fortunes of those at Ovenstones were in decline and by the 1880s the settlement was abandoned.
