This was the first expedition of the newly formed group.
The site was a Leper Colony and we believe there was a Chapel there. It is situated on the river Kensey, near to its junction with the Tamar and has an old pack horse bridge crossing it.
We met in the car park opposite the Rugby Ground in Launceston. Fifteen people turned out for this event. We were very lucky to have local historian Jim Edward come along to this event, and we spent a few minutes in the car park learning the history of the area. The television programme Time Team had done a dig at the site about two years previously, but had not come up with anything except a skeleton of a young girl.
Alan Neal and Derek Palmer had been on a recce in the morning and had found out where they thought the Chapel would have been. We all walked the very pleasant short distance to the site. Ann and myself were drawn to the left hand side of the river bank and dowsed there, finding the old Chapel, which Alan later confirmed where he thought it was. We were all dowsing along the path and finding that there were several burials there when the owner of the property, Andy, turned up.
Andy was most helpful, and told us of the many bones and artifacts he had dug up. He then took us all over his land, which is used as an equestian centre, paint war games and holdiay cottages. This was fascinating and, before we realised it, nearly 3 hours had passed.
Some of us found a sacred grove on a natural island in the river and dowsed there for some time, picking up several people who we thought were priests - and at least one high priestess.
Andy took us back to the house and showed us several pieces of roman pottery, and old canon ball and lots of other interesting stuff that he had found on the site.
Jacki Ellis-Martin, Tamar Dowsers, May 2002