Getting in touch with the past

Today I headed for Castell Nanhyfer/Nevern Castle because I knew it was the final day of this season's excavations. Archaeologists have been at work here every summer for several years, trying to learn more about the history of the place. There's not much to be seen: a couple of mounds, a deep rock-hewn ditch, an area of level ground, a moat of sorts - all overshadowed by close-clustering mature trees.

I struck lucky because I arrived to find this archaeologist acting as tour guide to a couple (and their dog Lily) and I was able to tag along. He explained that the castle was built by the Norman invaders in their attempt to control the indigenous Welsh early in the 12th century. Then they were defeated by the Welsh who took over the castle. For years its possession shuttled back and forth between the natives and the colonists as alliances, treaties and marriages were forged and broken. The tribal Welsh were themselves riven with conflict and at one point the disputatious sons of the lord Rhys of Nevern imprisoned their father here in his own castle. (The one who set him free got given the castle: it could be have been written by Shakespeare.) The castle was dismantled at the end of the 12th century to prevent it falling back into Norman hands. It was never rebuilt, thus what's left is as it was 800 years ago with no more recent overlay except the broken shards from Victorian picnic parties.

The archaeologist seen here (his name is Peter Kane) was so excited about the dig and full of enthusiasm for his subject. At one point he caressed the hewn stone, declaring 'History is boring stuff you have to read about, we archaeologists get to touch the past'.