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The
BBC's news site stated: Tuesday,
November 2, 1999
Anglo-Saxon
village uncovered
Archaeologists
say they have made a major discovery by unearthing the remains of an Anglo-Saxon
village. Experts believe the settlement found near Ely, Cambridgeshire,
was the village of Cratendune, known to have existed in the 11th Century.
The discovery was made during routine excavations for a new housing development.
Cratendune is listed in records housed in Ely Cathedral and is thought
to have been a significant settlement. For a longer report see here:
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The Cambridge NewWork said:
Archaeologists find lost Cambs village
Release date:
04 Nov 1999 00:00:00
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The lost village of Hereward the Wake has been unearthed nearly 500 years
after disappearing from history.
Cratendune
existed only in legend and 12th century records -until builders began
working on a new housing estate earlier this year. Excited archaeologists
swarmed over the site, keeping it secret for eight months while they uncovered
its historic treasures.
Cratendune was home of Hereward the Wake, the hero and rebel against William
the Conqueror.
Legend had it that he lived in the area around Ely, Cambridgeshire, in
1070, exactly when the newly discovered village would have been at its
height.
Medieval documents put Cratendune a mile south
of Ely, but the new discovery shows that it was, in fact, just to
the west of the city. Scientists from the Archaeology Unit at Cambridge
University carried out a fingertip search of the site, in West Fen Road,
Ely.
They uncovered 50,000 artefacts, including a massive quantity of pottery.
A myriad of intercut ditches with a 'spaghetti junction' like webwork
were found, indicating a dense population.
Archaeologists also found the remains of a number of Saxon halls. They
will now try to establish why the village ceased to exist and disappeared.
The 16 acre site of the village was part of the 80 acre site being developed
for 760 homes by the Ashwell Group. Simon Kaner, senior architect for
Cambridgeshire County Council, praised the developers for their patience
during the secret eight month excavation.
He said it would now take several months to evaluate what had been found,
before any artefacts would go on public display.
Paul Thwaites, chairman of the Ashwell Group, said: 'We are privileged
to be associated with such a fascinating historical find and we did everything
in our power to give the team of archaeologists every facility to investigate
this aspect of our national heritage.'
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Whilst the Cambridge
Evening News reported:
Lost village is unearthed. TIME detectives believe they may have unearthed
the lost village of Fenland hero Hereward
the Wake. Today, the site, on the edge of Ely, is thought by some
experts to be the village of Cratendune, which disappeared from history
in the 1500s, was described as one of the largest and most important Anglo-Saxon
settlements in the country. It was discovered on an 80-acre site earmarked
for 760 homes.
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Maybe
it is a shame that the Cratendune will soon be covered in houses, but
as we suggest at the end of "Search For" feature - maybe we should capitalise
on this ancient mysterious village - our very own Atlantis - build the
Cratendune Theme Park now! Jousting tournaments, merry minstrels, archery
and Living History. Does Ely have the vision?
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Local
Revelation of the millennium...? 