I guess it’s time to give myself up and submit a biography! I’m a Blackpool sand-grown ‘un (though now living just outside the place because it’s gorn orff in recent years.) I’m old enough to have just celebrated my Silver Wedding anniversary to Peter the Philistine, though I was of course a child bride. As the daughter of two teachers there was no way I could escape childhood without a heavy smattering of culture, and I spent much of my early years around old buildings and sites. I was mad keen on archaeology, asking for “Digging Up The Past” for a school prize at the age of 11, but my enthusiasm was dimmed a bit by a sadist of a history teacher who clearly thought the Corn Laws were the height of human achievment, and regularly bombarded me with chalk and occasionally the board rubber too. However, my total and inevitable failure to gain an “O” level in History did not put me off. I’ve remained a mainly armchair archaeologist all my life, though I’ve done one short course at the local college. I’m in management at a large comprehensive school, and I don’t have much time at the moment. However, I do write in what little spare time I get (just had a children’s play published) and have three cats, which is timeconsuming in itself.

I love Time Team, and really enjoy the Forum. Long may both continue!

Special Interest Areas

Pre-history, Dark Ages, Medieval, Elizabethan, Late 19th Century

Lived various parts of Scotland and England left school 1967 from Kingsbury High, Warwickshire and started work underground same year and have been there since (obviously coming out for sunshine sometimes). Married with 1 son 27yrs old.

A couch potato regards going out and doing but hope to change shortly. An avid time team fan, member of time team club and am really enjoying communicating with you all on the forum. Thanks for the welcome

I have been a fan of Time Team from the very first programme, and have not missed one since. My archaeological experience is, however, virtually nil – I am very much the armchair researcher. At college I was in the arch.soc. and I have the dubious honour of having found a post hole on one dig we went on.

For paid employment I teach children who don’t go to school for one reason or another. This should be for medical reasons but, as you will appreciate, there are often other reasons for a child’s non-attendance. I teach them in their own homes, and when we are re-integrating a child into school I actually teach them on a one to one in school.

The other thing that keeps me occupied, apart from this wonderful WWW, is family history. I spend most of my free time doing transcriptions or research, quite often for other people.

So although I may not be an archaeologist I am certainly a historian. Like archaeology there is always more to find out. One part of my family has been traced back to the muster rolls of King Henry VIII, whereas another part I haven’t even managed to get back before 1850.

Website

http://www.angelfire.com/de/delighted

I’ve been interested in history for over 20 years through my hobby of table top wargaming. About 10 years ago I volunteered to become a Property Guide at a local (Council owned) farm complex, with a history dating from the Domesday through to the present day, and the research I did – generated by the questions of the public – really expanded my horizons. I left there about 3 years ago to become a House Guide at a National Trust property and the learning curve started all over again. Just over 4 years ago I joined the Sealed Knot and I wish I’d done it a lot earlier. The things you learn from the public (lots of local leads and legends) and the experiences are things very few other hobbies can offer (I’m sure other re-enactors will agree). As part of my Nat Trust volunteer activities I “do” school visits and demonstrate/explain life in the 17thC to them. In 2001 as part of the 350th anniversary commemorations of the King’s escape, I joined a group of Nat Trust employees. Together the four of us (admittedly in a minibus) followed in his footsteps, stopping off at 20 schools (seeing just under 1000 children) 4 National Trust properties and several town and city centers. The “best” moment was when a teacher produced an ORIGINAL sword that a relative had found hidden in a wall! (still researching that).

For a living I’m a computer operator. At heart I’m a Wolverhampton lad, but I’m currently in Coventry (appropriate for a Royalist?)

I’ve been watching Time Team from day one, absolutely love it but have to wince when they say “we’re just going to record this and dig on down to the interesting stuff” (ouch).

Special Interest Areas

British Civil War;Living History; Local History

guess you could call me a long-time poster, or “oldie” of the forum. I’ve been posting since the forum first opened on the Channel 4 web-site. I also used to run the TTFF homepage but had to give it up due to the pressures of work early in 2000.

I am a 25 years old and graduated from the Newport School of Art at UWCN two years ago with a degree in Graphic Design. I am currently running the web-site for Bath Spa University College. Despite my artistic grounding, I have always had an interest in digging things up (including my friends garden when I was 7…..We found a couple of Roman coins in the process, and also a few pieces of broken Viking pottery.)

Over the past three years my interest has grown to the point where I am finding that I am reading two archaeology text books a week. Recently I have begun work on creating a web-site detailing the Roman invasion and settlement of Britain, which should go online late next year (If you would like to add any articles to this site, please feel free to contact me via the webmasters).

Special Interest Areas

Romano Britain, Viking, Stone/Bronze/Iron Age, Egyptology.

Website

http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/

Bath Spa University College

I’m still living with my parents in Cheddar, Somerset.

Although I went to Swansea University for three years – initially to study psychology, but changed to philosophy after a year – I came away in June 2001 without a degree. This was due to a dispute with my LEA, because although I passed all my philosophy modules, I failed some subsidiary modules. This meant that I would have to repeat the first year, which the university were happy to let me do, however the LEA said that as this would be my first year they would need to make a decision on whether or not they could fund me (otherwise I would have had to pay the full £8,500/year tuition fees myself). Quite understandably, the university couldn’t register me until I could tell them who was paying the fees, and were supportive in that they let me carry on as a student in the mean time. However, when the LEA still hadn’t made this decision in mid November the university said that I had to register then, or withdraw from the university (about a fortnight later, the LEA did finally get back to me with an answer, which was “yes”, but too late).

The accommodating office let me continue in student accommodation until the end of the year, and so I spent until June living the student life (sans lectures!) and spending my time, when not doing something as secretary of the university computer society, basically living on a fast Internet connection!

Once I came home I started applying for jobs, and finally got one earlier this month (October 2001), as a trainee Cartographer (map making) with DEFRA (who used to be the Ministry of Agriculture), although I don’t start until mid November.

It was during my time at university that I discovered the Time Team Forum (after the Blaenafon dig in February 2001), and I quickly became addicted! I now travel around the country to Forum Friends meets (I think I’m second only to Co in terms of the number I’ve been on, and in the distance travelled!), and I’ve even organised a couple – including helping Keith S with the first National Meet to Much Wenlcok and Ironbridge in September 2001.

Although I only came to the forum recently, I’ve been a fan since at least 1995/6, and it is the only programme I now make sure I watch every week on C4, and the repeats as often as I can on Discovery. I haven’t ever had an opportunity to do any archaeology myself, although I would like to, so I am probably best described as an armchair archaeologist.

Special Interest Areas

History of settlement / buildings; History of transport.

Website

http://www.sucs.org/~cmckenna – My personal website with humour and some of my poetry on it.

http://www.sucs.org/~cmckenna/ttff – the section of my website with Time Team Forum Friends stuff on it. This is mainly photographs I have taken at the various TTFF meets I have been on, although there are some other things

I hail from Kent and was born in Canterbury although apparently I moved to the village of Herne about 6 miles away at age 2 days. I’ve been there ever since (apart from a small period in the North Sea!)

I went to school at Chatham House Grammar (Floreat Domus Chathamensis) in Ramsgate and was inducted into Heaths House named in honour (?) of a old boy by the name of Ted Heath (sic!).

After college in Canterbury and Uni in Leicester (a Desmond in Geology) I spent 8 months on an oil rig in the North Sea. I was actually supposed to be on a prospecting ship going to the Indian Ocean but it had problems and it was decided a refit was needed and hence I got posted to a drilling platform. The life of a “mud-logger” didn’t suit, so I left and after a period of finding various employments I settled with a large multinational Communications co. where I still am!

I’ve been watching TT since it’s inception and can even remember the original four Time Signs programmes that Tim Taylor originally produced with Mick Aston and Phil Harding!

I have recently had the privilege to actually “work” on the Canterbury live dig as a steward and I’ve been told you even get to see me!

I’m hoping that within the next year I will be able to take some form of recognised qualification in Archaeology and, with the Geology background, hope to actually find employment in this area. (As long as the good lady agrees!

P.S. in the photo I’m back row extreme left !

Special Interest Areas

Pre/post Roman

I live with my wife Caroline and daughter Kirree (born Jan 97) in the Isle of Man.

love museums and historical sites of all sorts. I particularly like Viking things and have been to Iceland, The Faroe Islands, Orkney, Islay, Ireland, and Brittany as well as loads of sites on the UK mainland.

I started studying Archaeology at evening classes in 1998 and have since dug as a volunteer at Billown (1999), Rushen Abbey (1999+2000), Port y Candas (2000), Peel Promenade (2000), and Glen Wyllin (2000) – all on the Isle of Man.

I follow the fortunes of Carlisle United, and also belong to the Arthur Ransome Society .

Special Interest Areas

Anything before about 1337 AD!

Website

http://homepages.enterprise.net/djr

I was born in Simla British India and raised mainly on Merseyside where I still live. I became interested in mineral collecting in 1947 whilst on holiday in the South West of England. Gaining an honours degree in Geology at Liverpool University I went into teaching. I am now retired due to ill-health and edit a bi-monthly amateur geology magazine. At present I am researching British metal mining and mining sites.

I am an avid devotee of JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth, bence the nickname of Bilbo which are also the first elements of my given and surnames.

Special Interest Areas

Industrial Archaeology, mineralogy and geology. In archaeology ss Late Roman through to immediate post Norman Conquest.

I think I am one of the older posters and I post as an avid Time team supporter and with a long time interest in history and archaeology; but I know little about either. I am a retired college principal; my subject was English, and I spent all my working life in education, in comprehensives and then in a sixth form college. My other interests are theatre-going, reading, gardening, and not doing it myself, but planning what I should like others to do for me.