My name is Emma Langworthy, and live in Puddletown, near Dorchester in Dorset.
I have worked at Weymouth College since 1990, and until recently, worked as Accounting Assistant in the Finance Office. I have recently moved to the MIS department on a trial period.
I first became interested in Archaeology over 20 years ago, way back in the 70’s, when I used to dig trenches in my parents vegetable patch and excavate pieces of clay pipe, pottery and china, which I would then build into a mosaic. I also had a ‘museum’ in my bedroom cupboard. I used to enjoy visiting the local museum in Dorchester and seeing real mosaics and Roman remains. I have no idea where I got this inspiration for Archaeology from – not from my family at all. It is strange, maybe as a child I was destined to be on Time Team, but growing up I forgot all about it. Something which I regret now, and can’t afford to send myself to College to prepare myself for University. If only I had remembered my dream when I was 16.
My favourite age in History is the Romans, and I am lucky that in and around Dorchester – or should I say Durnovaria, there are a lot of Roman remains, such as Colliton town house, the aqueduct, the amphitheatre, town wall and Maiden Castle. Of course some of these are much older than the Romans. I recently went to a lecture at my College on local archaeology; I enjoyed it but was disappointed that I was so young, possibly not even born when the Roman baths in Dorchester were excavated. Maybe if I won the lottery, I could buy the car park that covers them and have a look myself!
I have been a constant viewer of Time Team since the first series began, and am so obsessive that I have been videoing them all since the end of the second series. I am yet to see a Time Team Live actually live! I have also been a member of the Time Team Club since the beginning, and try hard every issue of Trench One to win a place on a dig. No luck yet! I also subscribe to Current Archaeology, British Archaeology, and belong to the Association of Roman Archaeology, and the College Archaeological Society. I did attend a six-week ‘Archaeology for Beginners’ course at my College, and my class enjoyed it so much, that our tutor ran a continuation the following term. To ensure it ran, as it was a budget course and depended on numbers, I paid double fees to make up the class numbers. Unfortunately, I then became ill with glandular fever, and missed the second half of the course. Just my luck! I also spend a day fieldwalking in the Summer with the GF, boring at the best of times I guess when you are put in an area of the field which is full of modern bricks and pottery! As for the Forum, I have been a regular visitor and contributor – even if not necessarily of archaeological topics, since the spring of 1991, when I bought my PC, and don’t know what I’d do without my daily intakes of the Forum.
I have a lot to thank Time Team for, as after having an operation in 1999, and having many replies on my thread of good luck, etc. I put out a new thread asking for e-pals. Little did I know after e-mailing a fellow TTFF several times and chatting to him on Northfell, I would travel all the way to Hull to meet him, and 6 weeks later get engaged! Rod Hughes and I are getting married on 18th August 2001.
Special interest Areas
Roman Britain especially the Dorchester/Durnovaria area