Wylding Hall

Chapter 18

East Hampshire Echo

April 14, 2014

Renovation of the oldest wing of Wylding Hall has been halted as the result of an unanticipated discovery: a Neolithic passage grave beneath the fourteenth century manor house. A construction crew led by Morris Taggersell of Taggersell Builders came upon the prehistoric structure when they moved a massive eight-ton boulder under a corner foundation. “I’m accustomed to finding surprising things during site work, but never something like this,” Taggersell said yesterday. “The owners have been contacted, and they have agreed to suspend any new construction until a proper assessment has been made.”

Preliminary examinations by an archaeological team from the University of Winchester have turned up flint arrowheads and other weapons, glass and bone beads, and a number of animal skeletons, as well as a human femur and skull. Carbon dating will provide additional information as to exactly how old the site is.

Chief archaeologist Dr. Elise Rossi made an even more surprising discovery when she unearthed a man’s modern wristwatch amongst a cache of grave goods that also included stone bird figurines and a bone flute. “We have absolutely no idea how that got in there,” she said. “There’s no sign whatsoever of any kind of disturbance that might have caused its inclusion with the grave goods.” Dr. Rossi added that carbon dating would not be necessary for that particular artifact.