A team of archaeologists from MOLA are working on settlements dotted along the route of the proposed National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements. They are supported by numerous finds specialists and environmental archaeologists - all working together to better understand the story of this site.

Here we introduce some of the people that are helping us understand this rural farmstead and how it changed over the centuries.

Gary Brogan – MOLA Senior Project Manager

I am the MOLA manager overseeing all the archaeological works undertaken as part of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements. I started working on this scheme in 2019 after successfully managing archaeological works at other large National Highways projects, such as the A14 in Cambridgeshire and the A1 in North Yorkshire. They included over 60 archaeological sites across 400 hectares. I work closely with our archaeology team, the county archaeological advisors, Skanska, and National Highways to make sure the work is achieved to the highest possible standards and to the agreed timeframes.

Simon Markus – MOLA Project Manager

I am a project manager managing the excavations on the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements. I have a busy schedule visiting ongoing sites to see how things are progressing and making sure our work meets our goals. I have managed several large excavations across England, and love understanding how larger sites and landscapes fit together.

Dr Rachel Ballantyne – Project Science Advisor

I am providing scientific support on this project. In collaboration with the archaeologists working on site, my team and I select and collect environmental samples, to make sure we capture the most important biological remains to answer our research questions. I also facilitate wider communication between scientific specialists and the project team. I am an archaeobotanist and environmental archaeologist researching settlement organisation, economy, and wetlands during the later prehistoric to early historic periods (c. 4,000 BC-AD 1000). I worked at Must Farm with the CAU and I'm currently part of the EXPLO project at the University of Oxford.

Jamie, Valeria, and Madeleine – Archaeologists and Digital Engagement Assistants (DEAs)

As DEAs, we share discoveries straight from the excavations along the National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements. We produce social media content that goes out across MOLA’s accounts.

Jamie started at MOLA as a Trainee Archaeologist, and now loves nothing more than digging onsite!

Valeria always dreamed of digging roundhouses – and now she’s digging them along the A428! She enjoys sharing the stories and discoveries that her team finds.

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