Volunteers from Lincoln Archaeology Group travelled to Epworth to support a series of community archaeology excavations at the Old Rectory over two weekends in August 2024.
Epworth Old Rectory, an imposing brick building, was built on the site of the original timber framed, thatched rectory, following a fire in 1709. It was occupied by the Wesley family. Father Samuel was the rector of St Andrew’s church, and lived with his wife Susanna and their children, including John and Charles. John and Charles went on to found the Methodist Church. The rectory is now a museum telling the story of the Wesley family and methodism
As part of their ‘Out of the Box: - unlocking collections at Epworth Old Rectory’ project, made possible by the National Lottery Hertage Fund, the museum organised two digs for community volunteers. This was an opportunity to work alongside staff and archaeologists to help excavate trenches in the Croft (the sheep field behind the Rectory) and the gardens to uncover ‘hidden’ stories of the Old Rectory. Thanks to a local metal detectorist they had already found objects such a 17th century crotal bell, a coin from the 1377 and 18th century shoe buckles and a thimble (pictured below).
The dig took place over two weekends in August. The principal aim was to look for evidence of the original rectory and investigate areas that had promising archaeological features by digging a series of test pits. As experienced volunteers we worked with community members and local enthusiasts of all ages to give them a taste of an archaeological dig.
On the first weekend we worked with a family group with two young girls who were as excited by rescuing the worms as by the bones and pottery they found. Their dad was totally engaged and had to be virtually dragged out of the trench for refreshments at the end of their session. We also had several A Level students, interested in history and contemplating the possibility of studying archaeology at university.
Reports in old documents suggested that the remains of the original rectory could be seen in the gardens to the south of the present building, so on the second weekend two new trenches were opened on the lawns. Some limestone rubble and charcoal were found but further exploration would be needed to identify if this was part of the original building. During the weekend a local journalist and a party of American Methodists visited the Old Rectory and were fascinated by the community dig and overall level of enthusiasm.
A great many finds were recovered – including pottery, glass and bone – and, as is often the case, the excavation raised as many further questions about the history of the site as it answered. There is now enormous community interest in the site further archaeological work is planned.
If you'd like to know more about Epworth Old Rectory check out their Facebook page and we'll also hopefully bring you news of future digs here.
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