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Pilgrim Souvenirs, Devotional and other Objects of Faith. Late-medieval to modern period small finds from the River Wear, Durham

Release date: 16th October 2025

This volume narrates the remarkable discovery of dozens of religious artefacts recovered from the River Wear in Durham City—an extraordinary collection of pilgrim souvenirs, devotional objects, and ecclesiastical items that lay hidden beneath the waters for centuries. Between 2007 and 2023, underwater archaeologist Gary Bankhead undertook a sustained, self-funded diving programme beneath the 12th-century Elvet, revealing a multi-period archaeological site of national significance. His meticulous work has brought to light over 14,500 artefacts, forming the largest riverine assemblage in north-east England.

At the heart of this monograph is the story of Durham’s spiritual past, told through the objects once held, worn, or offered by pilgrims and townspeople. These include ampullae, crucifixes, pilgrim badges, coins, and other tokens of faith—many likely linked to the cult of St Cuthbert, whose shrine in Durham Cathedral drew pilgrims from across medieval England. Among the most evocative finds are two medieval crosses, one of silver and the other of lead-alloy, echoing the form of St Cuthbert’s own pectoral cross. While some of these items were likely lost by accident, others appear to have been purposefully deposited in the river, perhaps as offerings or acts of devotion.

The assemblage also includes a striking group of modern ecclesiastical objects associated with Archbishop Michael Ramsey recovered from beneath the 18th-century Prebends Bridge, including commemorative medals, a silver key, and a bronze crucifix by the Polish artist Jean Lambert-Rucki. These items, some crafted from precious metals, suggest that the river continued to serve as a site of symbolic deposition well into the twentieth century.

Together, these finds offer a powerful material narrative of Durham’s religious life across seven centuries. They illuminate the city’s role as a major pilgrimage centre, its enduring spiritual significance, and the personal expressions of faith that once flowed through its streets and across its bridge. As a public collection and research resource, the Durham River Wear Assemblage challenges conventional historical narratives and opens new avenues for understanding the devotional landscapes of medieval and modern Britain.

Due to significant early interest in this Arch and Arch research report, it is anticipated that copies of this first edition hardback publication will sell out quickly. To pre-order a copy of the book (signed if you wish), simply email: admin@diveintodurham.uk to secure a copy.

Price £35 + pp

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Textile Manufacture, Taxation and Trade in Late- and Post-Medieval Durham City.

The first research based on objects recovered from the submerged riverbed positioned just downstream of the twelfth century Elvet Bridge in Durham City, has now been published. A 280-page colour hardback book, published as an Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland Research Report, in association with Durham City Freemen and with support from the Finds Research Group represents a cultural, scientific and technical study of 334 lead cloth seals recovered from the River Wear between 2008 and 2022. These small, enigmatic objects represent the largest assemblage of such material available for analysis outside of London and, as such, are of crucial significance for understanding the cloth trade during the period to which they have been ascribed.

Price £35 + pp

Overview...

The book represents an interdisciplinary study of 334 lead cloth seals which date from the mid-fourteenth to the early-nineteenth centuries. These recently discovered objects, recovered by Durham-based underwater archaeologist Gary Bankhead, were once linked to the trade, industrial regulation, and taxation of commercially produced cloth. These small, enigmatic objects represent the largest assemblage of such material available for analysis outside of London and, as such, are of crucial significance for understanding the cloth trade during the period to which they have been ascribed; they connect the northern city to national and international trading networks and highlight previously overlooked and undervalued aspects of its textile activities.

At the heart of the book is a detailed typological catalogue of the 334 recovered lead cloth seals which describes not only their physical configuration but analyses the possible significance of the miniature symbols and initials inscribed upon them. These small identifying lead markers were once attached to the edges of woven fabrics as part of systems of quality control and alnage assessment, they enable an exploration of the economic and social aspects of textile production and consumption. These important objects represent the largest assemblage in England of such material outside London and are of crucial significance for understanding the cloth trade in the late- and post-medieval period. When combined with other objects related to textile working recovered from the same submerged site, they provide invaluable comparative material and reference resource for anyone studying historical textile and economic related activity on a local, regional, national or European scale. They also allow for parallels to be drawn with published archaeological finds, and other chance (metal detecting) finds.

Evidence from the cloth seals is combined with other documentary, cartographic and archaeological sources of evidence to produce a synthesis illuminating our understanding of the cloth trade in Durham City in the late- and post-medieval periods. The research generated by this study has showed not just the scale and extent of textile production in the city of Durham but has also revealed evidence of hitherto unknown English and European trade routes.

Supported by contextual evidence gathered from a wide range of textual and visual sources, ranging from pictures and maps to grave slabs, the lives, locations and shifting fortunes of those importing, producing, assessing and using textiles in Durham come into fresh focus. Most excitingly, scientific analysis of the tiny fragments of cloth which had survived, caught between the closed seals and lost for centuries but preserved in their underwater environment, provides exact evidence about the nature of some of these fabrics. Comprehensive scientific analysis of three such rare survivals, complete with striking Scanning Electron Microscope images, provides invaluable information about the dyed woven wool fabrics which were being traded in the city, corroborating and supplementing data on Durham’s textile trade connections.

ISBN 978-1-7391074-0-6

The 'Arch and Arch' have published a number of research monographs, to see the full series, please visit: aasdn.org.uk/monographs.