ULAS News

Monument, Memory and Myth

On 25 January 2025, a new exhibit celebrating identity, memory and community opens at Charnwood Museum, inspired by the amazing Bronze Age Cossington Necklace. The necklace was found by ULAS archaeologists in 1999. To coincide with the exhibition, ULAS Deputy Director John Thomas explores the Bronze Age setting of the discovery. Use and re-use of…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Secrets from the Cess Pit!

When most people think of archaeological excavations, tangible artefacts such as pottery and coins spring to mind. Also of importance, yet often overlooked, are plant remains, such as cereal grains and seeds, and the remains of wood and charcoal. These can survive by mineralisation, charring or waterlogging, and are vital for archaeological study as they…

The Midlands – Birthplace of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot

“Remember, remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.” Tonight is Bonfire Night, the annual commemoration of the foiled plot to blow up King James I and the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament in London on 5 November, 1605. It was hoped it would be a prelude to a popular Catholic…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – The Living Churchyard

We have talked a lot about the remarkable archaeological discoveries from Leicester Cathedral. About the Roman cellar ‘shrine’ and the altar stone, and about the thousand medieval and post-medieval burials, and we will talk about them further as new information comes from the analysis of the archaeological material and the human remains. Meanwhile, the assessment…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed –Roman pottery discoveries

During the excavations at Leicester Cathedral, a total of 5,540 sherds of Roman pottery were recovered dating from the beginning of Roman Leicester during the 1st century, through to the 4th century and the end of the Roman town. The pottery has all been assessed to determine how it can contribute to our understanding of…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Animal Bone Discoveries

In our latest blog from the Leicester Cathedral Revealed project, Environmental Supervisor William Johnson-Moss, tells us about the assessment of the animal bones and what they tell us about life in Leicester in the past. During the excavations at Leicester Cathedral a total of 10,516 fragments of animal bone were recovered. These came from features…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – St Martin’s and the 1645 Siege of Leicester

Our team are nearing the end of their assessment of the archaeological material from the Leicester Cathedral Revealed excavation and will soon have lots of new information to share with us. In the meantime, excavation director Mathew Morris, takes a moment to reflect on the anniversary of one of the most violent events in the…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – The story is in the stratigraphic sequence

Saying it’s been a wet winter is an understatement! It’s been terrible for archaeological excavations, with flooded sites, high water tables and mud, glorious mud! For Leicester Cathedral Uncovered, this has been a bit of a blessing, with staff, rained off other projects, devoting a considerable amount of their winter cleaning the skeletons from the…

Stepping out of the Dark: Anglo-Saxon Settlement at Eye Kettleby

In the mid-1990s, one of the largest known early Anglo-Saxon settlements in the country was excavated by University of Leicester Archaeological Services at Eye Kettleby in Leicestershire. Now the results of the work have been published in a new book titled The Anglo-Saxon Settlement at Eye Kettleby, Leicestershire. The book forms the latest addition to…

Eye Kettleby: The development of a prehistoric landscape

One of ULAS’s first major excavations was a large multi-period site at Eye Kettleby near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. A new book detailing the important Anglo-Saxon discoveries is soon to be released. To celebrate this, Dr Gavin Speed, Project Manager at ULAS, looks back at the equally significant prehistoric discoveries from the site. Mesolithic and…

‘With luck and good management’: Jean Mellor and the transformation of Leicester’s archaeological landscape

International Women’s Day has been celebrated on the 8th of March each year since 1911. The theme for 2024 is #InspireInclusion. The day promotes equality and illuminates women’s achievements in many different fields. In this blog, ULAS Project Officer Jen Browning celebrates the career of one of Leicester’s great archaeologists, Jean Mellor. Archaeologists aren’t alone in…

Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Discovering more about John Wilson Ottey (1810 – 1851)

Over a year ago, we learnt about John Wilson Ottey (1810-1851) and uncovered what historical records can tell us about his life. John Ottey, one of a few of the named dead excavated from Leicester Cathedral, is well documented in newspapers for his youthful indiscretions. However, his death, many years later, marked him as a…