2015 lewis citizen-humantities

The Power of PitsMaximising research potential in historic settlements

through community sourcingCarenza Lewis

Professor for the Public Understanding of Research

Advancing humanities research through engaged scholarly community crowdsourcing

1. Background: Aims and outcomes of the CORS project

2. How humanities research has been inspired and enabled through

community crowdsourcing combining professional and non-professional input

3. How the volume of research and the scholarly and social reach and impact of humanities research has been increased through crowdsourced co-productioncrossing institutional and professional boundaries.

The CORS Project 2005-15

Aims and outcomes

Aim: To create a corpus of archaeological data from CORS enabling their long-term development to be reconstructed

CORS (currently occupied rural settlement) refers to rural places inhabited today, including villages, hamlets and small towns.

CORS at Houghton, Cambridge-shire

DMV at Hartside, Northumb-erland

10cm

10cm

10cm

10cm

Context 1

Context 2

Context 3

Context 4

Each pit is excavated in 10cm spits/contexts

All excavated spoil is dry sieved through a standard 10mm mesh sieve

Finds from each 10cm spit/context are kept separate.

Pottery is used for large-scale analysis because it is:

• widely used in the medieval period, • frequently discarded • durable in archaeological contexts, • easily datable

It can thus act as a proxy for human presence

% pits producing 2+ sherds Roman pottery (sites with 23+ pits dug)

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Disturbed levels

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Undisturbed levels

Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to 700 BC – AD 43

N

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Disturbed levels

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Undisturbed levels

Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to 1

st– mid 5

th

century AD

N

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Disturbed levels

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Undisturbed levels

Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to mid 5

th– mid 9

th

century AD

N

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Disturbed levels

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Undisturbed levels

Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to mid 9

th– mid 11

th

century AD

N

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Disturbed levels

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Undisturbed levels

Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to mid 11

th– end

14th

century

N

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Disturbed levels

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Undisturbed levels

Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to 15

th– mid 16

th

century

N

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Disturbed levels

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Undisturbed levels

Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to mid 16

th– end

18th

century AD

N

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Disturbed levels

1 sherd 4g or less

1 sherd 5g or more

2-4 sherds

5 sherds or more

Undisturbed levels

Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to the 19

thcentury

N

CORS Project 2005-15

6 counties50 communitiesScores of groups2,000 excavations 10,000 volunteers50,000 pot sherds

Bigger pictures…

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Eastern region (average)

Eastern region

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Eastern region average

Pirton

Community crowd-sourced research – inspiring and enabling

• Partners: HEIs, schools, local history groups, community groups, charities, arts organisations, AONBs, county councils

• Funders: Aimhigher, Heritage Lottery Fund, University of Cambridge, AHRC, English Heritage, Arts Council England, landscape partnerships, local societies, local businesses, individual sponsors

Inspiring and enabling:Community crowd-sourcing enables research through:• Person-power – support, excavation, background research• New sites suggested• Access negotiated• Locally-informed logistical advice and planning• Routes into diverse funding sources• Money raised• Local and specialist knowledge contributed• Observations/explanations offered• New questions raised

Crowd-sourced research 2

How the quantum, reach and impact of the research has been increased

N

0 miles 50

Gaywood

Hindringham

Binham

Wisbech St Mary

Thorney

Ufford

Ramsey

Castor

Houghton

Sharnbrook

Pirton

Ashwell

WillinghamCottenham

Girton

Shelford

IslehamGarboldisham

Carleton Rode

Acle

Chediston

Coddenham

Melford

Clare

West Mersea

Thorrington

Writtle

Little Hallingbury

Manuden

Mill Green

Hessett

Bramford

Paston

Potton

Peakirk

ClaveringNayland

S Bulbeck

Stapleford

Walberswick

Wiveton

Terrington St Clement

Daws Heath

Amwell

Rampton

Shillington

Shefford

Castleton

Warnborough

Kibworth

Smarden

Southwold

Waldingfield

Sudbury

Bures

Riseley

Sawtry

Toft

Meldreth

Grimston

W Wickham

2,000+ pitsHEFA

HEFA/community

Community

Research quantum and reach50+ case studies2,000+ new excavations10,000 volunteers100,000 sherds• New perspectives on long-term local and regional development• Comparative benchmarks established• Advanced understanding of settlement change• New information about historical demography• Methodological validation• Dynamic scope

Social Impact10,000 volunteers; 150,000 hours• Better and wider public understanding of the research process• Knowledge cascaded, propagated and snowballed• New skills instilled• Aspirations raised• Appreciation of local environment enhanced• Social connections developed• Well-being improved • Dissemination to new audiences

% pits producing 2+ sherds Roman pottery (sites with 23+ pits dug)

PIRTON Test Pit Locations2007 (Green), 2008 (Blue),2009 (Yellow), 2010 (Purple)& 2011 (Orange)

1

2

3

5

4

1

8

7

9

15

16

10

17

7

13

14

11

1226

2728

20

21

18

12

2

3

5

4

11

13

6

19

22 14

15

16

17

26

1

3

45

89

10

19

20

21

24

22

25

23

2318

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

12

3

45

79

6 8

20

21

22

23

24

26

27

25

8

910

11

12

N

1

23

45

6

7

13

14 15

16

1718

1920

21

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Eastern regional

Kibworth

Castleton

Reeth

From plot to street to region – beyond eastern England

Conclusion: Enhancing research through engaged scholarly community crowdsourcing

• Community crowd-sourcing can be used to instigate, execute, finance and expand valid, important and useful humanities research which would otherwise be impossible

• Community crowd-sourcing can very effectively increase the scholarly and social reach,benefits and impact of humanities research.

• Academic input provides structure and support as well as the connectivity and

contextualisation needed to make the outputs of community-sourced research greater than

the sum of their parts, enhancing their impact and reflexively facilitating further engagement.

Thank you

clewis@lincoln.ac.uk

Project area

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Norfolk parishes

Acle

Binham

Carleton Rode

Garboldisham

Gaywood

Paston

Terrington

Wiveton

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Chediston

Clare

Coddenham

Long Melford

Nayland

Sudbury

Walberswick

Suffolk parishes

N

0 miles 50

Gaywood

Hindringham

Binham

Wisbech St Mary

Thorney

Ufford

Ramsey

Castor

Houghton

Sharnbrook

Pirton

Ashwell

WillinghamCottenham

Girton

Gt Shelford

IslehamGarboldisham

Carleton Rode

Acle

Chediston

Coddenham

Long Melford

Clare

West Mersea

Thorrington

Writtle

Little Hallingbury

Manuden

Hessett

Bramford

Paston

Potton

Peakirk

Clavering Nayland

Swaffham Bulbeck

Stapleford

Walberswick

Wiveton

Terrington St Clement

Daws Heath

Amwell

ShillingtonMeldreth

West Wickham

Roman

(late C1st

– late C4th

)

0

1-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-60%

61%+

Toft

Sudbury

N

0 miles 50

Gaywood

Hindringham

Binham

Wisbech St Mary

Thorney

Ufford

Ramsey

Castor

Houghton

Sharnbrook

Pirton

Ashwell

WillinghamCottenham

Girton

Gt Shelford

IslehamGarboldisham

Carleton Rode

Acle

Chediston

Coddenham

Long Melford

Clare

West Mersea

Thorrington

Writtle

Little Hallingbury

Manuden

Hessett

Bramford

Paston

Potton

Peakirk

Clavering Nayland

Swaffham Bulbeck

Stapleford

Walberswick

Wiveton

Terrington St Clement

Daws Heath

Amwell

ShillingtonMeldreth

West Wickham

Early Anglo-Saxon

(late C4th

– late C7th

)

0

1-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-60%

61%+

Toft

Sudbury

N

0 miles 50

Gaywood

Hindringham

Binham

Wisbech St Mary

Thorney

Ufford

Ramsey

Castor

Houghton

Sharnbrook

Pirton

Ashwell

WillinghamCottenham

Girton

Gt Shelford

IslehamGarboldisham

Carleton Rode

Acle

Chediston

Coddenham

Long Melford

Clare

West Mersea

Thorrington

Writtle

Little Hallingbury

Manuden

Hessett

Bramford

Paston

Potton

Peakirk

Clavering Nayland

Swaffham Bulbeck

Stapleford

Walberswick

Wiveton

Terrington St Clement

Daws Heath

Amwell

ShillingtonMeldreth

West Wickham

Late Anglo-Saxon

(late C9th

–late C11th

)

0

1-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-60%

61%+

Toft

Sudbury

N

0 miles 50

Gaywood

Hindringham

Binham

Wisbech St Mary

Thorney

Ufford

Ramsey

Castor

Sharnbrook

Ashwell

WillinghamCottenham

IslehamGarboldisham

Carleton Rode

Acle

Chediston

Coddenham

Long Melford

West Mersea

Thorrington

Writtle

Little Hallingbury

Manuden

Hessett

Bramford

Paston

Potton

Peakirk

Clavering

Walberswick

Wiveton

Terrington St Clement

Daws Heath

Amwell

High medieval

Early C12th

–mid C14th

)

0

1-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-60%

61%+

Toft

Houghton

Pirton

Girton

Gt ShelfordSwaffham Bulbeck

Stapleford

ShillingtonMeldreth

West Wickham Clare

NaylandSudbury

N

0 miles 50

Gaywood

Hindringham

Binham

Wisbech St Mary

Thorney

Ufford

Ramsey

Castor

Houghton

Sharnbrook

Pirton

Ashwell

WillinghamCottenham

Girton

Gt Shelford

IslehamGarboldisham

Carleton Rode

Acle

Chediston

Coddenham

Long Melford

West Mersea

Thorrington

Writtle

Little Hallingbury

Manuden

Hessett

Bramford

Paston

Potton

Peakirk

Clavering

Swaffham Bulbeck

Walberswick

Wiveton

Terrington St Clement

Daws Heath

Amwell

ShillingtonMeldreth

West Wickham

Late medieval

(late C14th

– mid C16th

)

0

1-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-60%

61%+

Toft

Clare

Sudbury

Stapleford

Nayland