Glastonbury Lake Village

Rising Damp!

Just over 100 years ago, in the middle of a vast peat moor, known as the Somerset Levels, one of the most incredible archaeological finds of the century came to light. But to get you to that point, you need to know a little about the background.

During the winter of 1853-54, a harbour, in the lakeside town of Meilen, in Switzerland, was being dredged. A large number of antler and stone tools, plus a large array of wooden piles were brought up from the bed of the lake. It was a 'lake-dwelling' from the prehistoric past. A detailed book was written about the finds, and in 1878 the English version was published. In 1888, Arthur Bulleid read the book, and living as he did next to the wetlands near Glastonbury, speculated on the possibility of a similar settlement in Britain.

Photo of Arthur Bulleid in the doorway of the site hut, during the excavations of the Glastonbury Lake Village

"For four years as opportunities occurred, the moorlands were explored looking for probable sites, more particularly in the peat-cutting localities of the Shapwick and Edington Burtle Turbaries. On a Wednesday afternoon in March,1892, when driving across the moor from Glastonbury to Godney, a field was noticed to be covered with small mounds, an unusual feature in a neighbourhood where the conformation of the land is for miles at a dead level. On the following Sunday afternoon the field was visited, and anticipation were agreeably realise by picking up from the numerous molehills a number of pottery fragments, a whetstone, and pieces of bone and charcoal. The same evening in course of conversation a valued friend and neighbour, Mr EDWARD BATH, became interested in the matter, and having intimated that he believed the field belonged to him, a note arrived the following morning to confirm this, with permission to dig, subject to making arrangements with the tenant. This was done, and a week or two later tentative excavations took place by digging trenches into two of the mounds. The sections exposed clay floors with hearths, supported by massive timber substructures. Quantities of pottery, bones of animals, several implements of bone and antler, and a beautifully polished jet ring or bead, were among the relics discovered during these preliminary investigations. As the water level was still high and flooded the trenches, it was deemed advisable to postpone the exploration until the summer. In the meantime the matter was brought before the Glastonbury Antiquarian Society, and a fund was started with the object of making a systematic examination of the site, and Mr EDWARD BATH generously made a gift of five acres of land (including the site of the village) to the Glastonbury Antiquarian Society. Investigations were begun towards the end of July 1892".

The first excavations took place in July 1892 and continued, almost without a break, for the next 11 years! What Bullied had found was the undisturbed remains of a 'crannog' or man made island, complete with the bases of all the houses, pottery, metalwork, baskets, and most important of all, vast amounts of woodwork. Not just building timbers, but bowls, trenchers, tubs, wheels, hurdles, spoons, loom frames and much, much more! Rather than trying to put all of that information on a web page I would highly recommend the following book.

This is an early view of what they thought the village would have looked like Drawing by A.Forestier, 1911

The Lake Villages of Somerset

Stephen Minnitt & John Coles

Glastonbury Antiquarian Society ISBN 0 9507122 3 X

A classical text on the lake villages, contains fine details on the artefact.

Published by the Somerset County Council