Another dig comes to Lancaster

Permission has been granted by Historic England (former English Heritage) for Beyond the Castle to re-excavate one of Sir Ian Richmond’s 1965 trenches near to the Roman Bath House on the Vicarage Field.

Sir Richmond was a Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire at the University of Oxford.

He was a prolific excavator of Romano-British sites, he excavated at Chester, South Shields, Lancaster, Bath, Silchester, and the Chedworth Roman villa.

He wrote a highly successful book on Roman Britain for the Penguin series and was appointed a member of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.

Having experienced two years of minor heart troubles, Richmond died at his home in Oxford on 5 October 1965.

Jason Wood, consultant archaeologist for the Quay Meadow project, said: “Sadly Sir Richmond died three months after finishing the work here so wasn’t able to write up his findings or complete his studies.

“I thought it would be nice to mark his contribution to Lancaster’s archeology.

“It’s a symbolic act really but also it is fascinating to wait and see what we might find, we might be able to, through modern technology, understand from his notes and photographs.”

The team will reopen the dig on the 50th anniversary of Sir Ian’s death on October 5.

The dig has been planned for the weekend October 4-6 to span the anniversary.