Archaeologists will be digging deep into Hertfordshire's history when further excavation work begins along the bypass route at Baldock near Letchworth (England). Trial trenches dug last winter uncovered a Bronze Age funerary complex, Iron Age and Roman boundary ditches and a Medieval leper hospital and field systems. More detailed work is being carried out so that the sites can be fully recorded before construction starts.
     Project Manager, Ruben Thorpe, from Albion Archaeology, said: "There are a number of natural springs in the area, which have attracted settlements dating as far back as the Mesolithic. Initial excavations revealed sites spanning 2000 years, so we are looking forward to finding out more. The process involves digging down in layers and recording the findings. We hope to be able to build up a picture of how people lived in the past, what sort of animals they raised, what they ate, what their health was like and the age people died."
     The excavation is expected to take about 15 weeks and archaeologists plan to visit local schools to discuss the findings. When the excavations are complete, plans will be drawn up and all finds and recordings will go to the Letchworth Museum.

Source: Royston Crow (7 November 2003)