Learn about Brignall's place in history at Teesdale Record Society meeting

AN archaeological dig to explore the remains of the shrunken medieval village of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, will be the subject of a history talk next month.
In October 2015, local volunteers joined  archaeologists from Northern Archaeological Associates Ltd to take part in a three-week excavation. The discovery changed historians understanding of the village after they came across shards of prehistoric pottery, possibly as old as Stonehenge.
The pieces from the late neolithic, early bronze age period date back to about 2,500BC. The dig will be explained by the project manager Penny Middleton when she speaks to Teesdale Record Society on December 5, at 7.30pm, at Cotherstone Methodist Schoolroom.
Mark McNee, from the society, said: “The earliest reference to Brignall is in the Domesday Book, although there was almost certainly an early medieval settlement somewhere in the vicinity – a fragment of Anglo-Saxon sculpture survives built into the wall of the ruins of old Brignall church down on the banks of the river.
“Geophysical survey, undertaken as part of the project, identified what appeared to be the remains of the shrunken medieval settlement close to the centre of the present day village, comprising a series of crofts and tofts spread out on either side of the road.
“However, the survey also revealed an unexpected circular anomaly at some distance from the main settlement the survey.
“This seemed at first glance to be potentially of prehistoric origin. In order to investigate these findings two targeted evaluation trenches were opened. All of this work was undertaken working with volunteers from the local community who were provided with hands-on training in a wide range of archaeological field skills. “
In this talk, Ms Middleton,  will discuss the results of the excavation and how they have changed our understanding of the village’s development.
Entry is free to members and £1.50 each for non-members.