Burton Agnes (aka Brutal Agony) This was the last season for the British Museums East Yorkshire digs. The composition of the team had changed from its mix of long term volounteers, students and proffesional archaeologists to a mix of the latter two. Previous seasons had normally benefitted from a mild climate in September with very few days lost if any due to inclemant weather.

This season was to be somewhat different - it rained and rained and rained. The aim of the dig was to provide data for a material profile of the Iron age settlements in the area - this meant site was spread over several square miles as we investigated clusters of selected features to provide a sample of the settlements. The landscape in this area of the Wolds was wide open ploughed fields with no hedgerows to shelter from the bitter winds blowing in from the north sea.

Our accomodation, mess huts and site offices were a couple of former holiday caravans parked in the corner of one of the fields we were working in - most of the team were camping in a variety of tents scattered along one of the few hedgerows in the area. In previous seasons the accomodation had been fine - but with the frequent rain storms that year the whole camp site turned into a quagmire and despite our best efforts there was soon as much mud inside the accomodation as outside. The once a week trip to the leisure centre was a god-send although we did tend to leave some rather murky streaks behind us as we swam down the pool.

After a short time a frontier mentality broke out among the team with the pathways we had established across the fields being named the "Trail of Tears" - sites were given names such as "Boot Hill" or "Dead Mans Gulch" - the mess hut became "The Last Chance Saloon" and our ceramics expert was "Calamity Jane". In one corner of the site our own "fort" even appeared.

Despite the primative conditions and the weather, the archaeology was good. Most archaeologists enjoy working on chalk, defining the features is easy (almost a case of black and white). The features were productive and we soon recovered a range of artifacts and material. Eventually though the weather started to get the better of us. We had several nights of torrential rain. The features flooded and the site began to resemble a scene from the "Somme". One night the wind and rain swept in from the North Sea battering the tents and flooding the site. As the diggers tents got flattened or blown into the next county, the diggers sought shellter in the caravans, we soon had the whole dig team trying to sleep inone caravan (except for Russell who decided it was warmer in his flattened tent with the water around his ankles than running the 200 yrds to the caravan).

After the storm it was decided that we had recovered sufficent material to provide the data required for the project - so the dig could finish a couple of day's early and we could all dry out. For our last night out in Driffield most of the team decided to have a noght out at the disco, but even here the fates were against us - the heavens opened up - the roof leaked - and the disco was flooded out - so it was back to our wet and muddy caravan.

Despite the weather, the mud, the cold, and the lack of most facilities it was still an enjoyable experience - and I would still rather spend time cramped in a muddy caravan with a team of other diggers than stay in an isoloated B&B - although a hot shower now and again would have been appreciated .