Eldon Hole Dig

[Mark Wright]

Iron Age was about where John Barnatt and I reckoned the dates would come back for the bones, though that  means there might be another millennium or two of people chucked down there still to dig through!

We all reckoned about 250 years. What was your reckoning based on?

Mark

 

[AR]

Iron Age was about where John Barnatt and I reckoned the dates would come back for the bones, though that  means there might be another millennium or two of people chucked down there still to dig through!

We all reckoned about 250 years. What was your reckoning based on?

Mark

Archaeological experience, to put it succinctly. We know that there have been definite phases of usage for underground sites in this country, and the most recent one where there has been systematic deposit of objects and corpses underground is the Romano-British era going back into the Iron Age. There was another wave of deposition/use in the later Bronze Age, hence my comment that there may be more.

If the Badgers are wanting assistance on the archaeological side of things, I may be able to help - I'm changing jobs shortly and should be less tired and pushed for time than I have been this last year.

 

[Mark Wright]

If the Badgers are wanting assistance on the archaeological side of things, I may be able to help - I'm changing jobs shortly and should be less tired and pushed for time than I have been this last year.

We might take you up on that offer as I think we will need to convince the powers that be that continuing the dig would be better than leaving it to collapse.

Mark

 

[SamT]

I cant see why they wouldn't want you to keep digging on the grounds that you're potentially/likely to turn up more items of interest.  Whats the point in not digging??

 

[2xw]

That's so cool. What did the area even look like in those times? Was Eldon a gaping hole in a forest? Or was it pretty much the same as it is now, or moorland? I guess there was lead mining in the area and the skeletons would have been around in the same century as the Dovedale hoard and the fort at Navio?

 

[Roger W]

So were they thrown down or did they fall in - with the broken bones to prove it - or were they "ritually  deposited" or whatever, with the skeletons being essentially intact?  Any sign of grave goods or other objects?

 

[Big Jim]

I watched a documentary once where a group of kids got chased by baddies down some tunnels and they ended up in some huge cavern with a pirate ship in it that was full of treasure. Then the cave collapsed in around them and the ship sailed off out to sea again with all the loot.  Maybe you'll find treasure too. 

 

[Fulk]

Hey Big Jim, are you sure it was a documentary?

 

[Big Jim]

Hey Big Jim, are you sure it was a documentary?

Think so, it was in colour.  One of the kids was a geeky Chinese lad who had loads of gadgets that saved their bacon a few times. I think the rozzers got the baddies in the end luckily.

 

[mikem]

Who's the Loonie..? 

Mike

 

[alastairgott]

Hey Big Jim, are you sure it was a documentary?

...it was in colour...

Is that Multicolour or Technicolour? Or just Tie-dye?

 

[Goydenman]

I watched a documentary once where a group of kids got chased by baddies down some tunnels and they ended up in some huge cavern with a pirate ship in it that was full of treasure. Then the cave collapsed in around them and the ship sailed off out to sea again with all the loot.  Maybe you'll find treasure too. 

You are confusing Goonies with cavers wearing goon suits ha

 

[MarkS]

So were they thrown down or did they fall in - with the broken bones to prove it - or were they "ritually  deposited" or whatever, with the skeletons being essentially intact?  Any sign of grave goods or other objects?

Being underneath about 16 m of (somewhat mobile) rubble, the bones were far from being intact skeletons. I have no idea whether the nature of breaks may provide any information though. One for the archaeologists to answer I think.

Sent from my Moto E using Tapatalk

 

[benshannon]

Popped into Eldon for the first time today. That dig is incredible. Is it still active? There's no. Mention on this thread since the human remains were found. Would he a real shame if its no longer being dug

 

[Mark Wright]

The latest edition of the Derbyshire Caver is now available online at https://thedca.org.uk/publications/newsletters.

No. 155 edition includes:

• Fitting Lids at Cussey Pot and Intake Dale Mine
• The Intake Dale Mine Extensions
• Odin Mine?s Grand Re-opening
• Lid Repairs at JH
• Eldon Hole Bones Recovery
• DCRO Hauling Exercise at Eldon Hole
• SSSI Monitoring Update

Angus Sawyer

DCA

We are just waiting for the OK from the authorities and will be back down there as soon as we can.

Mark

 

[benshannon]

Ah Mark that is great to hear. Fingers crossed you hear soon

 

[Tangent_tracker]

How did it go with the archeologists? Did you join them?

The latest edition of the Derbyshire Caver is now available online at https://thedca.org.uk/publications/newsletters.

No. 155 edition includes:

• Fitting Lids at Cussey Pot and Intake Dale Mine
• The Intake Dale Mine Extensions
• Odin Mine?s Grand Re-opening
• Lid Repairs at JH
• Eldon Hole Bones Recovery
• DCRO Hauling Exercise at Eldon Hole
• SSSI Monitoring Update

Angus Sawyer

DCA

We are just waiting for the OK from the authorities and will be back down there as soon as we can.

Mark

 

[Mark Wright]

DCRO got them all down the entrance shaft and back out. I gave them a lifeline for the top section of the dig and Mark Richardson sorted them out at the bottom.

We did have the option of leaving them all down there if they weren't going to let us carry on digging it but they were quite positive so we decided to let them all back out again.

You will all be welcome to join us when we get back in there.

Mark

 

[braveduck]

If you need some new digging buckets let me know !