Archives, Archaeology and Artificial Intelligence

2 pm Welcome and Introductions

2.10 pm The Manor Revealed: An update on 2025 excavations at Columbjohn, Killerton

Dr Susan Greaney, Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Exeter, will talk aboutthe results of excavations at Killerton during 2025, including some prehistoric features, more about the former manor house at Columbjohn, including some lovely Elizabethan ceiling plaster, and hints of a much earlier house underneath. She will also be displaying some finds from the excavations.

3.00 pm Automatic Transcription of Handwritten Texts: The Material Culture of Wills, England 1540-1790

Historians Laura Sangha and Harry Smith will discuss the Leverhulme Trust research project 'The Material Culture of Wills' which has used cutting edge digital technology to transcribe 25,000 manuscript wills in order to examine changing attitudes to material culture in England in the 250 years before the Industrial Revolution. The project researchers have been working alongside volunteers to develop Handwritten Text Recognition software and to correct and check the auto-generated transcriptions of wills. In this talk Laura and Harry will give an overview of their research aims, methods and questions, with a focus on the use of digital technology in historic research. They will also discuss some of their preliminary findings, indicating the new research avenues that automatic transcription of manuscripts can open up.

4.00 pm Opportunity to view finds from Killerton, ask further questions and discuss issues raised in presentations

4.30 pm Close