Gaming piece discovered in Bedfordshire

Such objects were used to play a variety of medieval board games known as ‘tables’, some of which resembled modern-day backgammon.

A kind of medieval gaming piece known as a ‘tableman’ (below) has been discovered by Cotswold Archaeology during recent excavations at Bidwell West in Bedfordshire. Such objects were used to play a variety of medieval board games known as ‘tables’, some of which resembled modern-day backgammon. These were often played by two people, and would involve rolling dice and moving pieces across a board.

The Bidwell West example was recovered during the investigation of an enclosure ditch associated with a 13th-century building. It is made from a cattle mandible, measures c.6cm in diameter, and is decorated with a ring-and-dot design, enclosed by concentric circles. (These motifs may have been purely decorative, but could also have had a more practical use within the rules of the game.) The piece is comparable to finds from other areas of the UK, including an 11th-13th-century tableman discovered in Winchester, suggesting that the form and design were also used in other areas of Britain during the medieval period.

As for the purpose of the building where it was found, the discovery of a set of fiddle-key nails for horseshoes led Cotswold Archaeology to interpret the structure as a possible stable or agricultural building, potentially related to the nearby medieval site of Thorn Spring manor. The surrounding area has produced evidence for extensive occupation ranging from prehistory to the Roman period, and the main features that have been identified are agricultural in nature, although a Bronze Age cremation and barrow were also revealed.

Investigation into the wider context of the site might be able to provide further context for the Bidwell West site and its artefacts. Whilst this marks the final season of excavation on this site, there is potential for further archaeological investigations in the wider area, with more development planned around Houghton Regis.

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