A bit about our volunteer diggers past and present
Over the years there have been many volunteer diggers, too many to mention here. Without those volunteers the work we’ve done wouldn’t have been possible. People come and go, and their contribution has and will always be welcome, however there are a few stalwarts, keen and dedicated to the cause. Volunteers, volunteer for wide and various reasons, so we thought we would ask some of the regulars “why?” Here’s what they said…
Tam – Biggar
I got started in archaeology and museums in 1978 when I had to pack in my hobbies of golf and shooting due to arthritis. I got the arthritis fixed but stuck with heritage as my main hobby. Its been a long and continuing learning curve about the past with an emphasis in contributing to it by fieldwork and research. It has also been and still is a great privilege to lead the award winning Group who have to be applauded for their significant contribution to Scottish archaeology.
Richard – Edinburgh
I was interested in archaeology from an early age. I was about 10 years old when, with trowel, brush and tape measure, I set off to excavate the Roman Fort at Cramond taking the No. 41 corporation bus, to find that it was already being excavated by Mr Rae of Moray House College of Education! This must have been around 1960. I plucked up courage to ask Mr Rae (I think it was him) if the discarded broken bottles were Roman. They were only 18th Century. So my early interest was not encouraged any further until twenty years later, while leading a group reopening a long disused lead mine at Leadhills, Tam Ward came up to the mine and asked if he could help. Tam said he was planning on excavating the remains of a remote building called Windgate House. I had always wanted to do an archaeological excavation and hoped he would ask me to help. He did ask me and we are still excavating sites 30 years on
Fiona – Edinburgh
At the age of four and a half I buried 12 bun pennies in a bag in my grandmother’s Edinburgh garden. “One day someone will dig them up”. I joined Richard at Windgate House in 1981 and on nearly all subsequent digs and fieldwalking with Tam 30 years o
Jim – Biggar
I am a retired teacher having taught geography at Biggar High School before moving on to Sanquhar Academy. I joined the Group in 1988 and took part in the extensive, 11 year excavation of the bastle house at Glenochar and its associated buildings. I have participated in all of the Group’s subsequent field activities and have dug at sites that range in date from the Upper Palaeolithic to the early 19th Century. At the present excavation of the multi-period prehistoric site at Daer, I consider it to be a duty to recover the smallest petit debitage possible.
David O – Biggar
In 1992, as part of my college course I did work experience at Biggar Museums. On that very first day I was asked if I wanted to help with surveying Glenochar Bastle – not what I expected! Since then, as part of the team I have field walked, surveyed and excavated on projects such as Glenochar and Smithwood Bastles, Fruid Reservoir, Carwood Hill near Biggar and the various projects in the Daer Valley. I do the IT support for the group, assisting Tam with reports, photography and scanning plans and images.
Joyce – Traquar
I’ve always been interested in history and the past: definately the influence of my parents, but it was not until I neared retirement that I found time and energy to get actively involved with archaeology. Around 1999 I joined the local Peebleshire Archaeological Society the members of which were in closer contact with the Biggar Group at that time. I’ve had some good times with BAG – field walking at Weston was memorable – I thought all ploughed fields were so prolific! other sites were the Bronze Age house platform at Fruid Reservoir, Smithwood bastle house and Howburn Farm, to name a few of the sites I’ve been involved with.
Sandra – Rosneath
Back in 2003 I got put in touch with BAG while trying to join in with Time Team’s ‘Big Dig’. I’ve also spent my whole life looking at the ground and picking stuff up to add to my collection of “lovely things” – quite sad really. It all started when I was wee with my treasured dinosaur sticker book and thought archaeology would be fun, even though I had no idea what it was all about and certainly couldn’t spell it (I still have problems with that). Having a 150 mile round trip each digging day certainly proves how much fun I still think it is. As well as digging and fieldwalking I am the technical illustrator for the pottery and lithic finds. My handywork can be found in reports and posters.
Jacquie – Balerno
I also popped along with a few friends to the “local” public dig as part of “Time Team’s Big Dig” at Weston way back in 2003. I’ve not been able to give it up since. Spending most of my time stuck in an office, the opportunity to get access to parts of the countryside you wouldn’t dream of getting to and being allowed loose on an archaeological site is a great antidote to stress. My other role in the group is the website – this time I gladly volunteer as I wouldn’t be the relatively well balanced individual I am without the chance to run around with a trowel in one hand and a bucket in the other! My best find ever … there’s been so many, finding two halves of a tiny glass bead, an arrowhead in a felled forest walk – my first! And finding a beautiful flint scraper in a mole hill.
Helen – Lanark
I have always been interested in archaeology, and did the Glasgow University field archaeology certificate in 2005 and 2006. I became involved with the Biggar group at Howburn – went there in May 2009 for an afternoon’s digging and haven’t been chased away yet. No special talents, but surprisingly happy in wet mud.
Bill – Innerleithen
As a child I collected fossils in Bathgate Hills and visited Cairnpapple Henge/Burial site and the main Orkney sites on annual summer hols. I joined Peeblesshire Archaeological Society (PAS) in 2005 and at local Probus Club heard Tam Ward present Life and Death in Manor Valley. I was hooked! I took part in the Howburn Dig in 2009 and in the excavation at Logan. As an enthusiastic amateur I promote the BAG and Archaeology as a whole. Attended Scotland Rural Past field training day at Threipmuir through PAS and hope to continue digging, listening, learning, researching and promoting archaeology as long as possible.
Val – Glasgow
I’ve been working under Tam’s tender guidance since the Howburn dig in 2008. Why I should want to drive down from Glasgow and spend a cold, wet day kneeling in the mud is a bit of a mystery but I’ve been interested in archaeology for a long time and this gives me the chance to indulge my fantasies of finding that spectacular artifact or structure that will rewrite the books! Seriously though, it’s fascinating, great fun and addictive and much more rewarding than digging the garden.
Alick – Lanark
Joined BAG about 2008. Got interested in archaeology at Biggar High School. Found out about Howburn site from appeal in local paper for volunteers to dig. It’s a well run and dedicated group (with enthusiastic leader – Tam Ward). My role within the group at the moment seems to be digger/deturfer. I come along to the group when I can spare the time.
David D. – Biggar
I moved to Carwood, Biggar, when I retired from 20 years as a farm manager near West Linton. I attended one of Tam’s very early talks in West Linton, and had occasional visits to the Smithwood bastle house at Daer, and to Howburn. After I retired in February this year, I was persuaded, by Tam, to go along to a dig – the two of us in pouring rain – it didn’t put me off and I have tried to go along every other Sunday since then. We all know that Tam has a talent for spreading his enthusiasm to his volunteers and the work is something special and of interest to many people.
Andy – Galashiels
I’m new to BAG and try to help at the Daer site whenever possible. I’m volunteering because I believe in deepening our knowledge of our historical heritage and preserving it for future generations. For me, uncovering living history through archaeology is exciting and rewarding. My only previous experience is a week-long archaeology camp run by the NTS. I won the award “Most Enthusiastic Newcomer to Archaeology” after excavating some Victorian solitaire balls and exclaiming my delight with the utterance “Oooh”. I work in IT and am studying part-time for a history degree
