Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews

Sunday September 30th. Our Chairman Paul Palmer led a 10 mile walk from Hexton (near Hitchin) to Wilbury, Letchworth G.C along the Icknield Way. During the walk, Paul expounded upon the significance of this ancient trackway and we enjoyed a perfect ‘Indian Summer’-like day.

Wednesday October 3rd, Alison Dickens (Cambridge Archaeology Unit) gave an excellent lecture to the Society on the Subject of ‘The Excavations of the old Robert Sayle site in Cambridge’. This was our first lecture at the Garden Gallery in Plinston Hall, where we were warmly received.

Saturday October 6th. The NHAS were represented at Volunteers Fair this weekend held in Plinston Hall. We had productive conversations revolving around the Society and welcomed several new members as a result of this event.

Click here for pictures of all three events

University of London Certificates, Diplomas and Short Courses in Archaeology 2007/8 are now available. At Birkbeck you are offered a wide range of courses taught by people who are as passionate about their past as they are about sharing their expert knowledge of archaeology with you. These range from day schools and summer excavation training to Certificatesand Diplomas in Archaeology, Field Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern and Aegean Studies. Their next Open Evening is September 6th.

Visit their website.

The North Herts Archaeological Society presented a display at the ‘Archaeology in Your Backyard’ event at Bassingbourn Village College on 7th July 2007. The display told the story of the discovery of a Romano-British temple treasure by a metal detectorist and the subsequent investigations and excavations which took place over the following 4 years. Gil Burleigh, the Society’s Field Officer, presented a lecture on the subject of ‘The Royston Mile Ditches and other Iron Age multiple-ditched territorial boundaries on the Icknield Belt in the eastern Chilterns’. Click here for details of his talk.

On Friday 15th June 2007, the booklet entitled ‘Ancient Baldock: the story of an Iron Age and Roman town’ was launched at the Baldock Community Centre. This booklet is authored by Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews (NHDC Archaeology Officer) and Gil Burleigh (an independent archaeologist and the Field Officer of the NHAS). It is based upon the extensive series of excavations in the town since the 1960s, including those which Gil directed from 1978-1994 and in which Keith assisted as a senior member of the team.

Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews and Gil Burleigh

Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews and Gil Burleigh

It tells the story of Baldock from the 1st century BC up to the 6th century AD in a popular style. It is easy to read and understand for those who want a simple introduction to this fascinating subject.

Short speeches were given by Councillor Muir, Gil Burleigh, Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews and Ros Allwood (NHDC Cultural Services Manager)

Copies of the booklet are available also by contacting Gil Burleigh.

The booklet is published jointly by the North Hertfordshire District Council and the North Hertfordshire Archaeological Society. It costs £4.95 (£4.00 to NHAS members) and can be obtained from the museums in Baldock, Letchworth and Hitchin, the post office in Whitehorse Street, David’s Bookshop in Letchworth GC and Eric Moore’s in Hitchin. It will also be on sale at the NHAS lectures.

On Thursday April 26th, Dr Ralph Jackson, Curator of the Romano-British collection at the British Museum came to Ashwell Village Museum to dedicate a replica of one of the gold votive offering plaques found at the site of the Senuna Dig. Peter Greener, Curator, has kindly written a short report of this event for our Society. It contains a photograph of the presentation of the plaque and the replica plaque itself, which can now be seen at the Ashwell Village Museum.