Rampion’s archaeological program unearths rare remnants of England’s history
Published: June 07, 2018
Anglo Saxon remains, Roman and medieval pottery among the fascinating finds
Flint tools. Pottery. Evidence of watercress cultivation.
Not to mention a thousand-year-old Anglo Saxon skeleton in a chalky grave.
During surveying work for the onshore portion of the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, off the south coast of England, crews have carefully recovered remnants of history spanning millennia—from the late Neolothic era to the Bronze Age, Roman, and post-medieval periods.
And the most intriguing of the finds was the intact skeleton of a young adult male, well-preserved in a chalk bedrock grave, who appears to have met a rather messy end.
“The skeleton is most likely to be an execution burial of the later Anglo Saxon period of around 1010 to 1025 AD,” says Jim Stevenson, project manager of Archaeology South East, whose archaeologists uncovered the remains in 2015 during the wind farm construction process.
“Most significantly, two cut marks made by a sharp blade or knife were found at the mid length of the neck, which would have proven fatal.”
As part of route surveying and excavation on the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm’s cable, carrying power from the 400-megawatt wind farm, Archaeology South East conducted an extensive archaeology program in the South Downs region near Sussex.
Rampion has been working with the South Downs National Park Authority and West Sussex County Council to ensure responsible onshore project development.
“We are pleased to see this partnership working, and the excellent care being taken in dealing with such important archaeological finds,” says Elizabeth Gent, project manager for the South Downs National Park Authority.
The Rampion project is expected to be fully operational later in 2018, and will provide enough electricity to power 347,000 homes. Rampion has been co-developed by European electric utility E.ON, the UK Green Investment Bank plc, and Enbridge, which owns a 24.9-percent interest.
As part of our energy sustainability goals, and our commitment to a lower-carbon energy future, Enbridge also has an ownership stake in the Hohe See and Albatros wind farm projects in the North Sea, off the coast of Germany. The two projects have a collective capacity of 610 MW, and are expected to enter service in 2019.
In mid-2016, Enbridge also acquired a 50-percent interest in Éolien Maritime France (EMF) SAS, a French offshore wind development company.
(TOP PHOTO: These remains of an adult male, aged 25 to 35, were found in the South Downs region of England during onshore surveying work for the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. The remains are thought to be an execution killing circa 1010 to 1025 AD.)
