Sedgeford village history research project

Some fifteen years ago SHARP invited villagers to dig test pits in their gardens to collect any pottery or other artefacts that were unearthed. At the same time some of the village buildings were surveyed to look into their history and development, whilst others (particularly Janet Hammond) looked into the surviving historical documents relating to Sedgeford.

One of our priorities over the next few years is to look once more at the history and development of the village in the Middle Ages (essentially between 1000 - 1500 AD) and possibly to provide the explanation of how and why the village moved from south of the river to its present site.

We would like to work with local people sharing their knowledge of the history of Sedgeford and to look again at some of the buildings and land plots to see if the mark of the past is retained in any of them. We would also like people in the village to collect any pottery found whilst gardening for us to look at and identify as well as thinking about another test-pit survey. This can provide a lot of information about where people were living and how the village grew, It also provides hours of amusement for the children.

SHARP has put together a team dedicated to historical research with the aim of developing and presenting as full a history and reconstruction of Sedgeford's past as possible - a study which will involve and invite the help of the local community.

John Jolleys & Brian Fraser with Kathryn Oliana will be running a six-day course from Sunday 8th July to Friday 13th July inclusive. This would be open to villagers and we would ask for a donation towards insurances and course requirements. The course would cover the history (as we know it) of the village in the 11th and 12th centuries together with construction methods of the time and how to carry out detailed surveys. Click here to find out more details about the course.

Those interested in any of the above please initially contact us at bookings@sharp.org.uk.