The Barcombe & Hamsey BIG DIG - Report
- By Sue Rowland (December 2005)

The Hamsey Big Dig was conducted as part of “Discovering Barcombe and Hamsey: contrasting communities”, a Sussex Archaeological Society community research project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. One of the aims of the project is to identify lost medieval house sites in both parishes. Early medieval documentation is sparse so archaeological evidence is very important. Few medieval sites have been identified so it can be assumed that some may have been replaced on the same site by later houses. A public meeting was held in Barcombe where residents were asked to come forward if they wished to dig a metre square test pit in their garden under the guidance of Chris Greatorex, archaeological consultant for the project. The aim was to find evidence for earlier settlement, particularly medieval.

In Hamsey parish certain houses were targeted where it was thought there might be an earlier settlement. These included houses which have been dated by Annabelle Hughes, Historic Buildings Consultant, as part of the project. They range from the earliest house, Highwell 1400 to Tulleys Well 1735. Also included were some 19^th century houses where we know from the Hamsey Manor Map of 1752 (ESRO MOB 1699) that earlier houses existed. Resistivity, organised by Bruce Milton, was carried out where we suspected the former house site may have been in a different position from the present day house. Because of the large amount of medieval pottery recovered when a pond was dug at Great North Barn in 2003 we also conducted resistivity behind Hamsey Place Farmhouse on the roadside up to Hamsey Church.

Figure 1: Pottery from Woodcock Cottage, Offham

Twelve sites were visited over two weekends with a variety of finds coming to light. These are at present with Luke Barber, Research Officer at SAS, and we await the dating results. The most exciting area was around Woodcock Cottage (c.1550-1600) in Offham where four pits were dug. One of these contained medieval pottery and a substantial amount was also found in an adjacent newly planted hedgerow. We know from documentary evidence that a chapel of ease stood in this area in the 14^th/15^th centuries. The finds have not yet been fully analysed. Once that has been done we may follow up some of the sites. Thanks to all the MSFAT members who helped over the two weekends.