This was by any definition a different evening than the one some of our members had planned. We were going for a guided tour of the restored water-powered sawmill at Gunton, unfortunately this was not to be, so a hasty plan B was put in place and Graeme Simmonds brought along his extensive collection of objects found beneath our feet. Through field walking, excavations and metal detecting over a number of years Graeme brought to life the possibilities of stories behind some of the finds. With a firm belief that the importance of feeling a historical object gives it a sense of purpose and importance to the owner of long ago and to us to realise the devastation at the loss of such an item even though we find it today, in the 21st century a trivial piece of history, which could now be easily replaced.
The three questions Graeme is so keen to answer once an object is found are what is it? When was it last held? And what did it mean to the person who lost it? This is what makes the finds come alive.
Common finds are buckles, thimbles, keys, seals and coins. The box of thimbles collected at various times and places dated from the 18th century and were made of copper; why so many and why so many different sizes, two reasons were put forward. The first was that they may have been used to protect the fingers of all members of a family whilst gleaning in the stubble or were they used as hessian sacks were sewn up in the fields during harvesting. As I held a tiny thimble I could only imagine a small child eking out a living along with his or hers parents and siblings.
One of Graeme’s favourite finds was a small copper alloy 17th century medallion, almost missed, on his way back to a car park. On one side is the image of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus. On the other side is a figure of a woman who Graeme has identified as St Barbara, a 4th century Christian martyr. She was the patron saint of military men, miners and those at risk of sudden or violent death. The medallion may have been worn to protect the owner from harm, so to lose such a personal item would have been devastating.
Norfolk is rich in treasures laying buried for centuries together with their stories. There were 659 medieval churches in Norfolk, with the wool trade being responsible for the richness of the county, ninety percent of people were settling and trading within the area, this of course would have given many opportunities for the loss of small items all of which meant something to someone through time. Were they just tossed aside or lost along the pathways which make up this rich landscape. We can only imagine what might have been but it is with grateful thanks to Graeme who brought to life a little of our past.
Attahced are some pictures of artifacts (not associated with this talk) found locally