The 11th-Century Domesday Bread Factory Buried In Devon | Time Team | Chronicle

Time Team has never excavated a watermill before. Despite the fact that they were plentiful in historic times, these features have been under-researched. Heading to the River Otter in Devon, the team excavated a site dating back at least to the Domesday Book of 1086, yet the last mill building on the site was pulled down as recently as the 1960s. They are joined by Martin Watts (mill historian), industrial archaeologist Mike Nevell, and Finds specialist John Allan. Tony visits the working mill at nearby Otterton.
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[@janerkenbrack3373]

I've learned from this that if you're a male English archeologist, you have to cut off your own jeans into shorts, and never take them to a seamstress to hem them.

[@BBQAndButter]

I swear, that guy is right out of The Detectorists.

[@carolynwells5293]

They are not jeans they are Daisy Mae hot pants. Love then and the man in them

[@janerkenbrack3373]

@@carolynwells5293 There's more than one pair in this episode. And that's fine. But noticeable enough to mention.

[@deborahparham3783]

​@@carolynwells5293 Daisy Dukes not Daisy Mae. He does wear them well. Time Team wouldn't have been near as much fun to watch without Phil.

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

Ol' Phil is a character alright.

[@koningbolo4700]

Phil is quite the flintnapping enthusiast...Now turns out he has a soft spot for watermills as well...Who would have known?

[@levioptionallastname6749]

I love TONY ROBINSON! :D phil harding is also a favorite

[@donp5774]

I've worked on a post Civil War era water powered mill here in the Blue Ridge in Virginia. The gearing is similar with a fairly low quality cast iron great gear with wooden insert teeth. I have one old worn out tooth that was half buried and very beetle eaten. We found several new replacements up in the mill. They were embossed with a makers mark and I believe were reversable to extend their life. I've been told they were elm which with its interlocked grain makes sense, they would not split as easily. The old timers referred to a likely mill site as a "mill seat". It was very common to have a mill seat that had multiple mills on it through history. Flood, fire, economy and changing needs. Many times a flutter wheel powered sash type sawmill predates a grain mill as a community developed. My personal mill is a 1917 "portable" stone mill, very popular during prohibition :D Thoroughly enjoyed this episode.

[@MontyDotharl]

It's been a stressful couple days for me, and not much is more relaxing than an old episode of Time Team. It's a great show for just taking it easy.

[@davidjones535]

It does not for me as well .

[@Just_Sara]

I hope the weekend comes soon for you then! TT always helps a little, doesn't it?

[@kimberlypetrossi6607]

❤

[@janetsanders5356]

Like hanging out with some old friends

[@paulapridy6804]

I'm such an old lady who will binge watch Time Team. Oh yes. To this day. And for Stewart Ainsworth- well there's my teen idol 😊

[@NH_RSA__]

Wouldn't have been a bit easier to do the archeology before the thing was knocked down?

[@Patrick_Cooper]

I love these shows. That wood burning stove reminded me of my Grandma's stove. She cooked many a meals on that over the years. That's where I learned to love slightly burnt pancakes, with peanut butter, thanks to Grampa.

[@kimberlypatton205]

These Time team videos are always wonderful and interesting! They soothe the archaeologist part of me that I’ll never get the chance to do myself! On top of ot all is the scenes of the beautiful English countryside!

[@Bubbles_Hill]

So very true :) and while I’m American, I go back to the Saxons, Irish and Scottish. Have never had the pleasure of setting foot in any of my ancestors lands, so videos like these just soothe my soul. Love these channels.

[@GodsOath_com]

Watching these guys try to grind grain I can see the frustration women would have had so the women probably took it over as a way to keep the dirt out of the flour. Geez guys get it right.

[@Patrick_Cooper]

At 36:36 Stu looks up, as the soft coronet music is playing, as if he was looking for its source. Gotta know, was that purposeful, or just an accident of editing...

[@paulapridy6804]

And Helen Geake aged so very graciously. Her enthusiasm has not flagged. Beautiful.

[@rhijulbec1]

Best Time Team ever! Loved this episode. I wish they could have gone on forever! ❤😊

[@paulapridy6804]

I would dearly love to know those places with that kind of continuous occupation in my homeland. So I get vicarious pleasure from UK archaeology. There's that.

[@BBQAndButter]

*Getting ready to watch and seriously hoping there are river otters in the River Otter.*

[@lucidmoment71]

There are Otters but a very rare sight.

[@BBQAndButter]

@@lucidmoment71 I just read that they found some wild beavers in the River Otter. So cool! I'd love to see the beaver population recover.

[@lucidmoment71]

@@BBQAndButter The problem with Beavers is that they were re-introduced. I'm not sure but I think it has been over 1,000 years since we had Beavers in our rivers. Beavers create dams and dams in the rivers have led to flooding locally.

[@BBQAndButter]

@@lucidmoment71 Yes, we have a beaver restoration project here in California, and have some of the same problems. (It hasn't been 1,000 years here, though!) We need to regularly clear drains and culverts to prevent flooding, but the environmental payoff is worth it.

[@paulapridy6804]

And Carenza Lewis-In the US, she would be from the South. No nonsense and Git Er Done.

[@JohnnyBlaze5100]

Tony is so funny, I like the show.

[@CoffeeLover-mz7bk]

Why do they always only have 3 days? A week would be better.

[@markuschampos5750]

​​@@andyeasy3320...and 3 days, friday, saturday and sunday is what everybody has time for because they all have their ordinary work in the weeks at Universites and English Heritage.

[@dotcassilles1488]

During the week the team of people who lead the digs for time team are all employed elsewhere by businesses or by universities and the government. They got together for a "long weekend" to film each episode. If you are interested in the results they do publish reports on their official website. The process is to do research before the dig to prepare and get the right permits etc so the dig is legal. Then they do what's called an "exploratory dig" that is filmed for the shows. Post dig work has to be completed after the three days. This includes cleaning and logging finds, genetic testing, carbon dating, researching and reconstruction of the pottery and any bones/skulls. At the same time the site is rehabilitated back to as close to original condition. A report is produced and published after all this. Then whoever invited the team and the relevant authorities get together to decide whether to go ahead with further digs and research. Often archaeology is done with grants from the government, local councils or businesses, developers, etc. So there is a whole other process for applying for a grant. They also have to meet guidelines for the work, sort of like license conditions. They may only be able to dig up a certain amount of land, depending on whether a site has protection in law or is set aside as a site of national significance, etc. Blessings from South Eastern Australia, Dot

[@johnshmulsky5973]

loved it! funny characters here who love history.

[@traccas01]

Love these videos, but this one has me confused. They keep referring to grinding corn. Wouldn't they have been predominately grinding wheat? Certainly looks more like wheat in both the hand and mill stone segments, and the mill historian uses the term Grain.

[@Ikwigsjoyful]

Corn is actually an old English term for the hard berry or nut of a grain, so you will often still hear British people referring to any hard cereal grain (like wheat or rye) as “corn.”

[@gregb6469]

Using the term 'corn' to refer only to maize is an American thing.

[@julianakleijn9254]

Lol did he call the French frogs?

[@cherylbrooks7005]

I just love Phil ❤

[@retr0gaminghub]

It is a mill or it is bakery

[@Droopybear]

Why is domesday pronounced doomsday, but spelled dome?

[@MichaelEllis-f1d]

They have too return the hard hats ,da!

[@roberttelarket4934]

I prefer the past medieval village format videos with the actors!

[@a.nikitina1991]

Очень познавательно❤

[@TravisBrady-wn8fr]

My fave medevil recipe was my grandmas fave. Chainmail tacos. 1lb chainmail taco shells cheese yum yum

[@sophie1301]

Why mills are rarely excavated- what Prof Mick is saying is that mills aren’t sexy and if you don’t have a sexy site, then there’s no chance of funding.

[@PapriceP]

Why didn't these communities by pre-milled flour to save time?

[@bigdog44pc]

Corn wasn't first grown in England until 1973.

[@janetsanders5356]

In England any grain is corn

[@bigdog44pc]

@@janetsanders5356 You learn something new everyday.

[@thomasbell7033]

Something tells me a PA was mowing the grass and Stewart took over just long enough for the shot. However, II love TT so much I forgive them the little artifice like this.

[@scoon2117]

habitat destruction is fun!

[@Ridley369]

Lol, stay inside

[@mrdogshit]

so relaxing and a break from the world

[@trojanpussy]

To anyone: in Netherlands, province Zeeland, there is also much knowlege about mills. Its knowledge grew towards Belgium more than Netherlands.

[@julianakleijn9254]

Well Belgium was part of the Netherlands so it makes sense

[@trojanpussy]

💝🕯🙏makes me feel like baking and nurcing.