You were very interested in  yesterday’s post, and rightly so because it is I think a fascinating project. It really will be fascinating to read of the discoveries being made on the site of Jane Austen’s birthplace,and what it reveals to us about the Austen family’s life style at Steventon. Apparently, interesting “finds” have been made every day of the dig

So, I’ve dug around ( groan!) and found some more information, which clears up some of the questions you raised in the comments, yesterday.

The work is being carried out by a Hampshire based firm, Archaeo Briton. They are a group of experienced archeologists, who have formed their own firm to undertake individual archaeological projects. The Steventon Rectory project is, according to their website, not only going to lead to an exhibition at the Willis Museum in Basingstoke, but also to a publication,  Archaeology Greets Jane Austen.

“The Rectory Project will research the home of the authoress Jane Austen to explore the factual lifestyle of the Austen family. Jane Austen was born at Steventon on 16th December 1775 and lived there with her family for 25 years. The “Rectory” was demolished to the ground during the 1820s and very little is factually known about the building or its contents. The project will use archaeological research methods to discover the material culture of the Rectory and the Austen family.

The project has been made possible financially by a grant of £10,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and  also support from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation.  Maureen Stiller of the Jane Austen Society has been closely involved in the project. As have lots of volunteers  from the locality, which is wonderful.

If you go through this link, here, you can see a short BBC Hampshire film on the project.  I am so looking forward to the results of this research. And you can be assured I will keep you all informed of any developments.