I work in a public services organisation in Scotland. I have three avid interests in life. Filming, History & Learning. The “Time Team” programme is therefore of immense interest to me. It is a personal ambition to be present, or assist, in its filming (even if all I do is make the tea). I have previously produced Broadcast Video mainly for the Fashion Industry, and hope later to develop into other areas, particularly documentaries.

My “full time” work brings me into contact with people from all walks of life including historians, custodians and others involved with historical works. My previous office was directly beside the remains of an Abbey dating back to the 11th Century, so “a trip down memory lane” was never far away.

My interest started when I was once asked, in a cobbled stoned street of Paisley, in Scotland if I had noticed anything unusual about the layout of the cobblestones, adjacent to a church. Some of the cobblestones had been laid in the shapes of a handkerchief, spectacles, necklet and ring. These items were the sole possession of a prisoner who helped build the church in 1715 but had later fallen to his death whilst working on the spire. The other prisoners laid the stones in the shapes of those items as a memorial. I had walked over that spot almost daily and never knew what I was walking on. That started me looking and asking.

History is with us all the time, just finding it is the key.

Born in Bournemouth of a Yorkshire father & Geordie mother, although I have lived in Birmingham for most of my life. (How’s that for mixed breed!). Married to Carolynne (Carol or Caz.) for nearly 34 years, 3 children, Paul, Samantha & Genevieve. and grand-daughter-Katelyn (aged 2). Early retired from NHS as a support services manager in a residential home (closed through cutbacks!).

I have no qualifications, just an avid interest in history and archaeology. Although Carol is more into Archaeology and would love to go on a dig! In fact the only qualifications I have are in youth leadership and I was involved in Scouting for 23 years as a Leader, retiring as Group Scout Leader when I was 50.

Other interests:- The environment, endangered species (mainly Wolves-a passion.) Music – jazz, blues, rock, classic, “Celtic” country, almost anything. Reading, woodwork, D.I.Y. & chatting to you lot!

Special Interest Areas

Romano-British, Dark Ages, “Celtic” Myths & legends. Ancient customs & folklore. Post WW2 British Social History

Just qualifying as a post-war ‘baby-boomer’, history wasn’t exactly my favourite subject at school, despite an early fascination with all things Roman. This had been such a boyhood fascination that, from the age of ten, I drew pictures of Roman soldiers and read everything I could about the army and empire of ancient Rome, especially the occupation of Britain. My interest was fuelled by the children’s novels by Rosemary Sutcliff and the stories of Wulf the Briton in the boys’ comic ‘Express Weekly’.

A passion for archaeology began to be instilled when I visited the excavation of a Roman villa at Gadebridge Park, Hemel Hempstead in 1966-71 and was able to talk with the director of excavations David S. Neal, whose meticulous reconstructions of the mosaics he discovered almost led me into a career in archaeological illustration.

Although my studies eventually followed another path and I left school to study graphic design in London, the fascination with archaeological sites never quite left me and I became, for want of a better word, an excavation “groupie”, pestering archaeologists with questions at every dig I could find – seeking all the information I could about early Britain, from the pre-Roman Celtic to the late Anglo-Saxon period.

I was able to witness the discovery of major finds on the Roman waterfront adjacent to London’s Lower Thames Street in 1982-83 as well as part of the original settlement of Norwich at Westwic in 1989. Visits to Denmark to the sites at Roskilde Fjord and Lindholm Høye confirmed a further interest in the period of Viking occupation of the British Isles.

A viewer of ‘Time Team’ since the first series and a confirmed ‘armchair archaeologist’, my interest in the Roman and post-Roman period continues to excite and fascinate, as does the development of English placenames and the language from its Germanic roots to Early- and Middle-English up to the present day.

Married to Shirley with three boys, I have recently left my full-time career in graphic design, re-trained in computing and Internet skills, and am currently employed as IT technical assistant in a newly-created language college at a High School in Norwich. Other interests include genealogy, the Danish language and people, and the fortunes of Aston Villa.

Special Interest Areas

Roman and post-Roman Britain, Viking and Saxon periods

Website

The East Anglia Forum Friends website.

I live in Sussex, got into archaeology at a very early age courtesy of my father who was an archaeologist. First went onto a site at 3 months old where I apparently screamed my head off and wasn’t allowed back until I was about nine when I was allowed to help dig out a 18th century cellar full of beer and wine bottles which probably had a lasting influence on my present lifestyle. (health and safety regs were a little less stringent in those days) In a desperate attempt to avoid archaeology I went into catering for six years but was dragged back into digging in 1986 after being made redundant. After three years of digging in and around West Sussex I finally realised that I liked archaeology after all and did a degree at Sheffield University. I’ve spent the last few years working for various units around the country and trying not to get too depressed at the state of contract archaeology in Britain.

I’ve always enjoyed Time Team since it started, but I suppose that like most people who work in the profession I watch it with a critical eye. The best thing about it is that it has given the general public a much clearer picture of the process of archaeology than other programs have done while still managing to emphasise that its not actually how things are done in the profession day to day which is a point that many of its more strident critics tend to miss

My hobbies are, in order of preference… cooking and eating curries, real ale, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tomb Raider and er…archaeology. My best find on a archaeological dig was a rather grotty mosaic and the most annoying near miss was a complete Roman gladius which was found 10cms underneath where I’d stopped digging the day before. (The words `Oh` and `Bugger` were used a lot`)

Special Interest Areas

Late Iron Age-Late Roman

I moved from London to Lanzarote in 1986, for years we had no access to British T.V., so I have only recently discovered the TT programme, I didn´t realise that it had been running for nine years!! The only good thing is that there are so many programmes that I haven´t seen yet, I´ve alot to look forward to.

I was so pleased when I discovered the TT forum, as now I can stop boring the people I work with by telling them what happened in the latest programme!!! I can now make contact with people who are as interested in it as I am.

I have been an avid fan of Time Team since it started – finally some good TV. I am currently working on my masters, so since I work full-time as well – if I disappear off the Forum for a day or two you’ll know why.

My interests include reading [history, archaeology, architecture and interior design (histories of), science fiction, and anything by Terry Prachett], arts and crafts, and more reading. Oh, and of course messing about in the Forum where threads can move from incredibly serious debates to light whimsy with no trouble at all.

Special Interest Areas

Tudor/Jacobean

I am now living in Bath, in the second year of my degree, and single again after four and a half years, which feels a bit strange, and is taking some getting used to ( it’s been about a month now!) but as they say, life goes on! So finally I can live the student life everyone else has!

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I was born in Derby although my family on my fathers side has 19th century roots in Scotland. At the age of sixteen my parents decided that Australia was the place to live and so I finished off High School out there and then went off to the University of Western Australia to study Science. I ended up with a Ph.D. in Chemistry at about the time that the Australian minister for Science (Barry Jones) said “It has come to the point where a young man with a PhD in Chemistry is an embarrassment to his family and has to leave the country to get a job. I left Australia and spent a little while as a post-doc at Oxford. I’ve never married and these days I work in Operational Analysis in Hampshire.

The thing I like about “Time Team” is that it combines science and history in a nice multi-disciplinary way that brings out the strengths and weaknesses of all of the techniques. I like reading history from any period (and find the dark ages very intriguing) but growing up in Derby gave me a very strong interest in railways and I am still a member of the Australian Railway Historical Society.

Special Interest Areas

Almost anything after the Neolithic

Website

http://website.lineone.net/~asmay Website dedicated to West Australian Railway Rolling stock

I live in West Lothian in Scotland. My interest in Archaeology came early in life as I live very close to Cairnpapple which is a large beaker burial site. I was always up there as a kid. My parents also have a love of history and archaeology and they took me around a lot of sites as a child.

I studied Scottish Historical Studies at Uni and did a year of Archaeology in my time there. I really liked it but it wasn’t possible to take it along with History as a degree and I really wanted a historical side to my qualification. So Archaeology had to go. But I am so interested in it and hope to volunteer this summer. Fingers crossed.

My job ended up being nothing to do with History. I am an Educational Liaison Officer for Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh – I am basically in charge of student recruitment. I have to say I love my job and it means a lot of time travelling around Britain with, usually, a wee bit of time on a trip to check out an interesting site close by. It also indulges my other passion – cars! Don’t get me started…..

I have a lovely boyfriend called Robin who also loves TT but in not such a manic way as me!! We are looking to buy a house this year! I also play in a band so am happy to put tunes to anyone’s TT songs! Also available for weddings, parties. . . . . . . . I love my band and have a good time – been doing it since I was 15 – gosh that makes me feel old!

Well that’s all folks! Hope to speak to you all on the forum. Heres to the day we can all appear on TT.

Special Interest Areas

I love the medieval period – especially the time around the Scottish Wars of Independence and the early Stuarts. I am mainly interested in Scotland as that was my degree specialism but I am slowly opening out.