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An excavation led by archaeologists from the National Trust and York Archaeology, with the help of local volunteers, has helped unearth the remains of a house originally built for Hannah Newton (née Ayscough), the mother of Sir Isaac Newton.
The house in question once stood next door to Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, the location of Isaac Newton’s birth and where he was subsequently raised and later returned to during the plague of 1665. Isaac’s father died three months before he was born, and when he was three his mother moved away to marry a vicar, leaving Isaac to be raised by his maternal grandparents. His mother (and three new half-siblings) would return to Woolsthorpe seven years later, however, after the vicar died in 1653, and she subsequently had a house built next door to that of her parents. This structure is believed to have been damaged by a fire in the early 1800s, and was then demolished – but archaeological echoes of the property have now been brought to light once more.
Today, Woolsthorpe Manor is owned and operated by the National Trust, and five years ago they also acquired a neighbouring field in which, as a 1797 sketch by JC Barrow shows, Hannah’s house once stood. Over recent years, South Witham Archaeology Group and the University of Leicester have conducted surveys on the site, which suggested that some remains of the house might still survive – and this summer, the National Trust and York Archaeology carried out a small ten-day excavation as part of the Festival of Archaeology. They quickly found rubble from the house’s demolition, together with a plethora of everyday artefacts – many dating to the 17th century, when Hannah would have lived there – including decorative Staffordshire slip tableware; ‘jettons’, which were used as gaming tokens; three thimbles, one of which was child-sized; and a fragment of a Bellarmine jug, depicting the full face of a bearded man (below).
Commenting on the finds, National Trust archaeologist Rosalind Buck said: ‘The discoveries are such relatable objects and a real window into the domestic life of the Newton family. We can really imagine Hannah and the family eating from items like the Staffordshire slipware, or using jugs like the one with that magnificent, embossed face. Were people potentially gaming with jetton pieces while domestic tasks such as sewing and repairing clothes were being done nearby?’
Some of the finds will go on display at Woolsthorpe Manor after post-excavation analysis has been completed.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Image: National Trust – Phil Adams
