Garden Find

Oh! They've all got holes in them. Have the new ones got holes as well?

In my garden, I am always finding pieces of blue and white pottery. Not all in one area, either. Just - everywhere!

Yes the old pennies had holes in them Spritzhenry, now with our current coins they don't.

Interesting where your blue and white pottery came from and for what reason....mmmm.

Interesting stuff you are finding in your gardens... the only thing I have ever found is old rusty coffee cans.

Ha ha. I found a rusty coffee can too Wohlibuli. I found a rusty old carving knife last summer. Good job I did too, someone could have stepped on it. Blade pointing up.

Interesting coins Panther. Perhaps there is some pirate treasure buried in your garden??

Lol, well apart from the rusty stuff, knives and cans etc,you surely can be lucky to stumble across something better!! No Gilli I doubt I have some pirate treasure buried in my garden...but who knows??LOL

While we were demolishing the old garden wall - at least, the parts of the old wall that hadn't already fallen down! - we came across little glass bottles about 4" high. One, only 2" high is a glorious amber colour, the others clear glass and two of them in the shape of hip flasks. I'd love to know what they contained and why they were in the wall. Had they been hidden there?

In one part of the wall we caught a very pungent onion-y smell and were anxious to find the source of it. Finally, under several more rocks, we found it - a piece of ancient chorizo!!!

What wonderful finds.
Last week I found a 5 pence coin in my front garden.
That's equivalent to an old shilling.
Would have seemed a lot of money at one time. :o(

Not quite so exciting as the bottles and chorizo found by Nariz, or the upturned carving knife from Gilli. :o)

The coins with holes in are fascinating. I hope you find the Queen Victoria 1902 florin.

Panther ~ Great blog.
Well done. :o)

I'd like to find something as lovely as the glass bottles! :-)

I just remembered - I often dig up old iron nails - the kind with square heads. Also, clay pipe stems. I haven't been lucky enough to find a pipe bowl - but neighbours have and they are not just plain, they are carved!

Spritz ~
Look out. Don't talk too much about having a garden full of historic treasures ~ You'll have an invasion from the Time Team TV show, digging up your garden, just when you're getting ready for your first Open Day and wanting everything to look neat. :o)

Hey, here's a thought. Maybe that was the reason for your bovine invasion. Archaeologist cows. :o)

Only thing i keep finding in this garden is broken glass, i've lived here over 25yrs now & still keep digging glass & bricks, i beleive about 5yrs before i bought it the garden was full of greenhouses built on bricks.

Well now, TT - you are closer than you thought, talking about Time Team! They are actually working with the Somerset Vernacular Buildings Group in our village, because they strongly suspect that there's a Saxon village and a Roman settlement somewhere around.

They are working also with the local school children, and we are all supposed to be watching out for odd bits of ancient pottery to show them!

I can never remember his name - the one with the beard - came and gave a talk - the Village Hall was packed out for it. They are coming back in the spring to see what we've all unearthed.

The Somerset Group are surveying as many of the old buildings in the Parish as possible over a two-year period. We have been 'done' and also visited by the whole group - in two 'goes' 12 in the first group ansd 14 in the second, I think. They trouped around the house making excited noises at beams and plaster work. We learned a lot as they had also done a great deal of in-depth historical research into who lived here, back as far as 1608, though the house dates 100 years further back that that.

Great, isn't it, to know who lived in our house 400 years ago - by name! I shall keep digging...

Wow, Spritz ~
What an interesting comment.
How exciting to have Time Team so near.
By the bearded one ~ you mean Mick Aston?
He of the brightly-knitted garments ?

Maybe you can make a blog of your own about this.
Some bits of pottery and pipes ?
Seriously, this would be fascinating, please.
And a little about your 500 year old house ? :o)

That's the one - Mick Aston. Thanks TT.
He came - plus a lady. Can't recall her name either! Pathetic, isn't it!

In the spring, they may come in force - depending on what's been found, I think.

I'll think about your suggestion.

There is also an occasional series called 'The House Detectives' (BBC2 I think). They would find out the history and past owners/residents of your house spritz

Very interesting reading people. Spritz I find that amazing, the historical site where you live, wow!

Andrew - we already have such a lot of information, thanks, and I think it might be treading on the Group's toes, too. It would look a bit ungracious, I think.

Its super to read about these garden 'finds'.

We have evidence of coal mining in this area and the old clay smoking pipes that Spritz mentioned also seem to turn up quite regularly as well. They were probably used by the miners, farmers and market gardeners who lived and worked in this area during the 18th and 19th centuries.I have seen some old photos of the area that show people of both sexes smoking from their clay pipes.

The land also belonged to Lord Bath of Longleat in the early 19th Century, and there is a mention of the land ownership in the old deeds of our house that are handwritten on vellum. The deeds are quite beautiful, and as the house was purchased by my grandparents in 1900 it is quite special.They were the second owners, and we still had gas lighting when I inherited the house in 1972.

I was allowed to light the gas lights when I was a child.

We still have the original art nouveau gas lights and gasoliers and they are stored for safe keeping.

The area nearby was the deer hunting forest for King John, and is now known as Kingswood.

It's fascinating to delve back into the past.

Great reading Grenville, yes the historical significance of the place is what makes it even more interesting with what you find!.

The clay pipes, gas lights and gasoliers ..wow...amazing and not to mention the deer hunting forest for King John....well it is indeed fascinating to delve back into the past. I always am!!!

In our last garden we found an assortment of clay pipes , regimental badges old rusty keys bits of pottery .

In this garden I have found a ring it,s very tiny it hardly fits over the end of my little finger it has a black onyz square on the front also bits of pottery

We have a friend who goes out metal detecting ,he has had some amazing finds they are in the museums now .

Thanks for this blog.
I've really enjoyed reading about the history of members' houses and gardens. :o)

Agree wholeheartedly TT!! I too have enjoyed reading everyone's input, of the history of members' homes and their gardens, they are awesome!!!
Thanks Amy, amazing whose little finger that ring belonged to :-) and the bits of pottery find too!!!