The original floorboards of the cottages which, combined, now form our house were 8 1/2 inches wide but only 9/16" thick. The ravages of wear, woodworm and poor repairs over a century and a half left many gaps through which everyday items could be lost. Only the rich had carpets; these were certainly not houses for the rich
Later, the cottages became dilapidated. A section of the roof collapsed and dirt and rain got in. Some parts may have been used as storage for the farm. When the building was renovated as a single dwelling, the builders swept some of the accumulated debris into available gaps in the floor.
Whilst repairing floors and installing wiring, we have found many items which give a clue to the lives of past inhabitants. Here are some of the items we have found.
http://www.wallwork.me.uk/floorboards.html
What should this subject be called? "Floorboard archaeology"? "Subsolum archaeology"? ("subsolumology" doesn't sound quite right...)
