I was particularly thinking that given the proximity of a possible site of the battle of Brunanburh that something may have turned up . However does anyone know of any historical artifacts that were discovered during its construction.
Very interesting point. Hard to believe its now almost 40 years since it was constructed! I don't think anything was found though relevant to the battle otherwise we would have heard, but have asked the County Archaeologist.
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Steve Harding
NCMH Laboratory
University of Nottingham
LE12 5RD
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve
Sorry about the delay IB. We still haven't been able to find out, but the Wirral Archaeology Group have plans to start a systematic Geophys study in the area around the Storeton-Brimstage area. If anyone's interested there is this Chapter by Dr. Paul Cavill of the English Place Name Society in a new monograph on Brunanburh to appear soon:
and this Chapter by myself appearing in the same book (it assumes of course the Battle of Brunanburh took place on Wirral) - this may give some clues where to look for possible artefacts:
Thanks very much for that Steve , it will be interesting to see if the Geophys shows up anything and i'll read with interest the refs you give .
I hope you don't mind me coming back with another question ?
I've been reading 'St Andrew's, Bebington' by Richard Lancelyn Green which includes this paragraph on the Church Vaults
"other vaults or quasi-vaults may still remain under the the floor , though most were dug up in 1871 when much of the floor was excavated to allow heating and ventillation to be installed below .The large number of bones which were unearthed at that time gave rise to the rumour that they were victims of the battle of Brunenburgh (of AD937). Phillip Sulley , in The Hundred of Wirral (1889) accepted this unlikely claim. 'Under the flooring,'he said 'was found a large quantity of bones and skulls,many bearing evidence of wounds and violence,some even with fragments of iron and arrow heads imbedded, and numbers of arrow heads also .This would certainly point to a battle having been fought in thr neighbourhood and might be regarded as additional evidence of the great fight of Brunanburh.'
I'd be interested on your view on Lancelyn Greens take on Sulley's claim being unlikely
and
Are you aware of any later research being done on the bones in the St Andrews vault ?
