Issue 64

Fordhall Farm Archaeology Project 2009

Introduction
Surfer was used to create diagrams for a British archaeology project in 2009. The Fordhall Farm Archaeology Project involved surveying an ancient Norman castle in Shropshire, England, to increase the knowledge of this nationally rare site. The castle stands within the land of a charity called the Fordhall Community Land Initiative, a charity which which promotes organic farming methods and rural life.

Photograph and 3D image of Castlehill in Shropshire, England

Background history
William the Conqueror invaded England and defeated King Harold the second at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD, giving a Norman victory. The Normans then systematically constructed castles across the country to subdue the native population and control their newly claimed land. The castle at Fordhall Farm, locally known as Castlehill, is an example of a Norman castle. Most castles of this type were constructed with earth ditch and embankments with wooden pallisades or ramparts. Stone defences were only constructed when heavy defence was vital because of the amount of effort required. Castlehill's wooden defences have long since gone, but the ditch and embankments still survive. This project aimed to survey the remaining castle and conduct literature research into the site's history.

The surveying The project team comprised of five members who surveyed the site using two Total Stations. The area which was surveyed was approximately 200m2 by 200m2, covering all approaches to the castle from the north, south, east and west. Apart from the project organiser, the majority of the project volunteers had no previous experience of surveying. After some training in basic surveying technique and Total Station use on the first day, the team set about surveying the site in earnest over a period of two days. At the end of the survey a total of 433 surveying data points were recorded, covering most of the site. Considering the short time scale and level of surveying expertise within the team, the outcome of the survey was very successful. Surfer Surfer software was used to create contour maps and 3D diagrams of the survey site for use in the project report. All that was required was an Excel spreadsheet of the survey data to create professional maps and diagrams of the site. It is clear that the north-eastern quadrant of the survey site is lacking in detail and requires further surveying, however the maps and diagrams are invaluable to understand this rare Norman castle.

Contour map of survey area		3D diagram of survey site

Discoveries from the project
The research into the history of Castlehill has uncovered a vast amount of information about how the Normans conquered Britain. It appears that Castlehill was used as a garrison for a small but highly mobile force of Norman horsemen who could control local transport links and economic activities. Castlehill would have worked in conjunction with other small castles which encircled the local town, called Market Drayton, to force the native population under Norman control.

The future
A return trip to Fordhall Farm is required to survey Castlehill in greater detail, as is further research into the importance of this relatively small castle within Shropshire. How large was the castle in its prime? How many buildings did it house? What buildings were there? There are many unanswered questions regarding the history of Castlehill, all as yet unresearched and waiting to be discovered.

A big thanks to Golden Software Ltd for their help in providing these wonderful maps and diagrams from Surfer. For more information about the Fordhall Archaeology Project 2009 or the charity Fordhall Community Land Initiative visitwww.Fordhallfarm.com and click on the Contact Us page.

James Goodhind
Project organiser