MBArchaeology

15/06/2026

Last saturday saw June's Bluestone Archaeology Walk take place in glorious sunshine 😎

Smaller group this time, but i like that as it means people get more interaction and time for questions.

It also saw a few people from outside the area join us, inlcuding two from London and one from Scotland.

So clearly the "tourism" element we had hoped for is beginning to take fruition!

As always, we finished at Bluestone Brewing Co for a pint 🍺😎

The walks for July & Aug are FULLY BOOKED now but there are still TWO places left for the final one in September (5th).

14/06/2026

Cilgerran Castle, home of the famous knight William Marshall, looking epic in the sunshine...

08/06/2026

ONLINE HISTORIC GRAFFITI WORKSHOPS

At the tail-end of last year, i had plans to run a series of historic graffiti workshops.

These were initially postponed due to low numbers, and then just when we had enough to run my phone died and i lost everyone's contacts.

Anyway - they are finally in place now and will run for 5-weeks on Monday evenings, 6 - 8pm, starting 22nd June (2 weeks today!). They will also be recorded for anyone who can't attend a session "live".

I will be covering the general subject of historic graffiti, how we find and record it, what it can tell us and how we can use it to help understand the past.

We will look at mason's marks, animal motifs, symbols, text, music, heraldic crests, memorials and of course my personal favourite - protection marks (taper burns, double-Vs, compass circles, daisy wheels and more).

I'll be drawing on 10+ years of survey work on the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Medieval Graffiti Surveys, for which i have been Project Director since 2015.

I'm also happy to tailor the sessions to needs/experience/interests etc.

They will be online via Zoom, but will run like a "virtual classroom" - lots of discussions and idea sharing as well as me waffling on!

We'll also look at lots of case studies, some of which haven't been published beyond survey/client reports - Southwell Minster, Bolsover Castle, Dronfield Medieval Barn, Holmepierrepont Hall, and dozens of small churches & buildings.

Fee is £75pp for the 5 workshops (10 learning hours).

Message me via [email protected] to book on - we can probably take another 2 or 3 people on top of current bookings, so get in quick!

04/06/2026

Tickets still available for this upcoming online talk...

"STONEHENGE: A GREAT BRITISH MONUMENT?"

An online talk exploring the development of Stonehenge in prehistory, a monument seemingly built from English, Welsh & Scottish materials.

Weds, 17th June, 7pm GMT (ONLINE)

"Join award-winning archaeologist Dr Matt Beresford (MBArchaeology) as he considers recent research that suggests the famous monument of Stonehenge was built using material from across the UK.

Sarsens from England, Bluestones from Wales and a Sandstone "altar stone" sourced all the way from north-east Scotland. The question is, why?

This new talk attempts to answer this question and tracks the social development of Stonehenge through the Neolithic and Bronze Age.

Approx. 45mins plus Q&A session.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mbarchaeology-78481087773

NB - this talk will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. Purchase a ticket as normal, then email [email protected] after the event for the video link.

28/05/2026

Cup marked stone at Treggifian Neolithic tomb, south-west Cornwall.

Looks like it was orginally a chambered tomb with entrance passage but it's been messed around with and is now "open" and partially collapsed.

Very nice cup marked stone by the entrance though!

Also looks like a "hollow" and grooved run-off on top of one of the capping stones (see the notch on the side of the stone?) - these remind me of the cups and channels rock art at places like Simonside in Northumbria. May be natural, but it looked purposeful.

25/05/2026

"STONEHENGE: A GREAT BRITISH MONUMENT?"

An online talk exploring the development of Stonehenge in prehistory, a monument seemingly built from English, Welsh & Scottish materials.

Weds, 17th June, 7pm GMT (ONLINE)

"Join award-winning archaeologist Dr Matt Beresford (MBArchaeology) as he considers recent research that suggests the famous monument of Stonehenge was built using material from across the UK.

Sarsens from England, Bluestones from Wales and a Sandstone "altar stone" sourced all the way from north-east Scotland. The question is, why?

This new talk attempts to answer this question and tracks the social development of Stonehenge through the Neolithic and Bronze Age.

Approx. 45mins plus Q&A session.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mbarchaeology-78481087773

NB - this talk will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. Purchase a ticket as normal, then email [email protected] after the event for the video link.

22/05/2026

The Maiden Stone, Inverurie, North-east Scotland.

A Pictish symbol stone thought to date to around AD800.

Interpreted as having a (possible) depiction of Jesus, a n inscription of Ogham, a mirror & comb, and the notch where the Devil grabbed the Maiden.

I love how it resembles the similar christian-pagan hybrid crosses of northern England dating to the Saxon/Viking period.

19/05/2026

Little visit to Burrow Mump yesterday, not been here before.

Originally a Medieval church, the one there now is later but still ruinous.

From the top you van see for miles - including Glastonbury Tor to the east, and the Isle of Athelney (where Alfred burnt the cakes) to the west, making a holy trinity of important, hilltop sites that would have sat in misty, marshy, waterlogged ground.

15/05/2026

Home Education Archaeology Sessions

Come and join us as we explore Ice Age hunters, Roman gladiators, Viking raiders, Neolithic tomb builders and Medieval knights.

Learn about the past, handle artefacts, visit local sites and make new friends!

Sessions run in 5-week blocks on Tuesdays 10am - 12noon in Cardigan.

Next block starts 9th June.

£60 per child with a 50% reduction for siblings.

Email us at [email protected] to book your place.

ONLY THREE FAMILY SPACES LEFT NOW!

13/05/2026

Just finished the Online Archaeology Lecture for May - 'Stone Circles of the Peak District".

It explored several Late Neolithic & Bronze Age circles including Arbor Low, Stoke Flat, Wet Withens, Doll Tor, Nine Ladies and the Barbrook circles.

Pictured is a field visit to Barbrook II circle with an adult ed group a few years ago.

Pulling all this research together showed that most of the above are embanked, stone settings feature 10ish stones and all are 0.5m or less in height except one stone at each which is twice as big (1m - 1.1m) and this is aligned S-W - the Midwinter Solstice sunset.

Next one in June is "Stonehenge: A Great British monument?" on Weds 17th June, 7pm:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mbarchaeology-78481087773