5. Rediscovering the Roman Castleshaw Forts

Today, we’re gearing up for the Battle of Hastings. Or at least, its re-enactment next month by 500 history enthusiasts in the location where this key turning point in English history took place. Of course, many of us know the story, including that unforgettable date: 1066. But what happened in the build-up to the battle, and who had the strongest claim to be king? Joining us to answer these questions and more are senior properties curator Roy Porter and curator of collections and interiors Dr Kathryn Bedford. 

To learn more about the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/1066-and-the-norman-conquest

Episode 130 - 1066 and all that: The events and people behind the Battle of Hastings

8 - Early Industrial Archaeology in Manchester and Beyond - an interview with David George

On the 240th anniversary of the creation of the iconic Iron Bridge in Shropshire, we meet head collections curator Matt Thompson to find out how its creation marked a turning point in engineering history, how it revolutionised the use of iron, and how it’s paved the way for other engineering projects.

To find out more about the Iron Bridge or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/ironbridge

Episode 22 - The Iron Bridge and the Industrial Revolution

It's the winter of 1420 and Joan of Navarre, Queen of England has been imprisoned by her stepson King Henry V. A rich widow and an influential political figure, Joan has been accused of witchcraft and plotting to kill the king and now awaits her fate imprisoned in the keep of Pevensey Castle. 

In this episode Josie Long explores the ruins of the castle and meets historian Richard Nevell and site manager Janet Taylor, to learn more about Joan's imprisonment and the reasons behind her accusation of witchcraft. Josie also speaks to historian Virginia Davis about the lives of ordinary women in the Middle Ages, and to Professor Diane Purkiss about the origins of popular witchcraft beliefs and how these could be used to persecute women over the centuries. 

Visit our episode page to find out more.

Speaking with Shadows is brought to you by English Heritage. 

Presenter: Josie Long

Producer: Katharine Kerr for Fresh Air

Contributors: Richard Nevell, Honorary Research Fellow; Janet Taylor, Site Manager for Pevensey Castle, English Heritage; Virginia Davis, Professor of Medieval History; Diane Purkiss, Professor of English Literature. 

www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows

Episode 5: From Queen to Captive – Witchcraft, Women and Power

Archaeology of Manchester

Welcome to the Archaeotea Podcast

In the first podcast Mike Nevell looks at the excavation of Hulme Barracks in Manchester, a site associated with the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. Founded in the 1790s and closed in 1915, by the mid-19th century it was the largest such barracks in the UK. It's best known, though, as the barracks from which the cavalry rode out on that fateful morning in August 1819 to police the peaceful protest at Petersfield in Manchester. The site was excavated as part of the Dig Greater Manchester Community project in 2013.

Hosted by Mike Nevell and prepared for #FestivalCHAT2020

Archaeotea blog

1. Digging up the Hulme Barracks and the Peterloo Massacre

In the second episode Mike Nevell explores the long-running investigations at Buckton Castle, Tameside, a hilltop fortress of the 12th and 13th centuries overlooking the River Tame c. 10km eats of Manchester. It was surveyed and excavated between 1996 and 2010 by archaeologists from the Universities of Manchester and Salford. What they found was the remains of an unfinished stone castle, almost certainly built for the Earls of Chester.

Photo by University of Salford Press Office, licensed CC BY 2.0
Presented by Mike Nevell, produced by Elizabeth Nevell, edited by Richard Nevell.

2. Buckton Castle Mysteries

In the third episode Mike Nevell looks at the founding of the Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit (GMAU) in 1980. GMAU was the forerunner of the present-day Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service who advise the ten local authorities in the Manchester city region on archaeology impacted by the planning process. GMAU was responsible for pioneering archaeological work across Greater Manchester throughout the 1980s, conserving the Roman forts at Castleshaw and conducting the first excavation of a late prehistoric and Romano-British rural settlement in the county, at Great Woolden in Salford.

Presented by Mike Nevell, produced by Elizabeth Nevell, edited by Richard Nevell.

Archaeotea Podcast series 1

3. The Founding of GMAU

Welcome to the archaeotea podcast. In this episode Mike looks at the investigation of an Iron Age and Roman farmstead at Great Woolden Hall in Cadishead, Salford.

Presented by Mike Nevell, produced by Elizabeth Nevell, edited by Richard Nevell.

2. Buckton Castle Mysteries

Archaeotea

Related tracks