Participating in the Past: Non-Excavation Opportunities for Fieldwork

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6.14 Non-Excavation Opportunities for Fieldwork

A number of respondents noted that their local society functioned only on a diet of lectures, which affected the structure of the group. In contrast groups providing some field activities usually had little difficulty in drawing on an active and diverse membership. There are numerous opportunities for local fieldwork, apart from excavation. A number of these have been noted above and it is hoped there may be some unfamiliar ideas there which can be utilised by local groups who are interested in developing their own field programmes. Key to the recommendations below are the early establishment of good links with a local Sites and Monuments Record (or Historic Environment Record) and with museums. If local groups have no clear ideas for suitable projects, Sites and Monuments Record staff and local planning archaeologists may well be able to suggest suitable projects. Most local field activity is concerned with data collection in some form, and the appropriate home for such data and its dissemination is the local SMR. If artefactual collection is involved, retrieved objects should eventually find a home in permanent public collections.

Local initiative apart, nationally sponsored data-collection schemes are both popular and productive and the creation of further schemes to follow, for example the Defence of Britain project, would be highly desirable. Such projects are likely to be attractive to grant-givers. Local Heritage Initiative funding may be available for non-national projects.

  • Recommendation 37: Local societies who are not already engaged in field projects should consider the merits of becoming involved and seek guidance from their local planning archaeologist. Links with museums should be established at an early stage if any artefactual collection is anticipated.
  • Recommendation 38: National organisations should publicise more widely any data-collection programmes they are running. Others should be encouraged to consider initiating such programmes. The CBA should convene a national meeting to give wider publicity to the opportunities now available and to consider future initiatives.