Muskets and Money – finds from Newark
Archaeology today is a discipline of many skills and specialisms. We are proud here at APS that we not only have our team of site assistants and ‘diggers’, but also geophysicists (for non-intrusive survey) and a finds officer. A few weeks ago our geophysicists were keen to show that finds are just as often found on the surface of the ground, as they are uncovered by excavation. They were recently undertaking geophysical survey and metal detecting work near Newark, on a site that once hosted one of the many seigeworks constructed around Newark during the English Civil War (1642-1651). So it wasn’t surprising when they brought back a few artefacts for us to examine!
Four of the finds in particular caught our eye. Of these, however, only the two musket balls (top and left) may date from the Civil War. The object on the right is a gunflint, used in muskets commonly after 1660. The coin is a silver half-crown of George IV dating from 1821, a year after he succeeded his father. Those of you with good eyesight may notice he wears a laurel wreath, a nod to the Neo-Classical style that evolved during the 18th century, culminating in the Regency movement of George IV.
Finds like these are always exciting, so the competition is on as to who finds the next top find – will it be the site assistants or the geophysicists?