The overall chronology of the excavation was as follows. In 1968 and 1969 excavators worked in from the shoreline following the burials and stonework exposed at the cliff edge and started to excavate the ‘tunnel’ (earth house/souterrain 1) which opened on to it. Spoil was placed adjacent to and behind the cliff to the E of the excavation. By 1970 the spoil heap had been moved inland enabling further excavations of the chapel and manor house. In 1970-1 The tunnel was further excavated and a small trench dug to determine whether it continued any farther across the site. I believe this resulted in the excavation of the ‘well’ which was later found to be the chamber of souterrain 2. A larger trench was opened at this point revealing further manor house flooring. When it was realised that the ‘well’ aligned with the ‘tunnel’ further small trenches were taken out revealing fully souterrain 2 and the inland termination of souterrain 1. Three plans are available showing the extent and position of these excavations: • The General Site Plan 1968-69 shows a clear edge to the then excavations and a fully measured plan of the chapel and manor house structures then exposed. • There is a fully measured plan of souterrain 2 and the inland terminus of souterrain 1 together with the edges of the trenches then dug. Slide evidence shows that the area between the two souterrains was excavated more fully at a stage (1972?) after the plans were made. • There is also extant a general site plan with numbered graves 1968-2000. Not publicly available this is based on Plan 1968- 69 with extensions showing the extent to which the manor house was further exposed to the NE. These were based on further measured drawings which do not seem to have survived. Also added to the 1968-69 plan were the excavations undertaken to determine the extent of the ‘tunnel’ (souterrain 1). Souterrain 2, however, is excluded. I believe that the length, plan and angle of the unexposed sections of the ‘tunnel’ are approximations only and I do not know of any attempts to measure or plan these. I made measured plans of the trench in which souterrain 2 was exposed which do not appear to have survived. From slides and from memory the trench was some 4m by 2.5m. Slide evidence places it within 1m of the SW corner of the farm steadings. As far as I can I have assembled the above evidence from plans, slides and memory. Results are approximate but give a rough impression of the areas excavated. Geoff Bowles 13 January 2021

The triangular excavation area and the steadings shown in Geoff’s plan show up well on GoogleMaps satellite view.

Newark excavations 1969-1972 - Geoff Bowles

Click on plans to enlarge