ARCHEOLOGY enthusiasts are hoping to uncover the origins of ancient longhouses in the Duddon Valley, thanks to a £70,000 donation.

The Duddon Valley Local History Group (DVLHG), which surveyed the structures, will now be able to excavate the three longhouses, in the hopes that they can find out when they were built.

The archaeological work will focus in the higher intake fields below the Walna Scar road leading into Duddon, close to Seathwaite Tarn, which is farmed and managed from Tongue House Farm.

With the help of the Lake District National Park Authority and the National Trust, the DVLHG made a succesful bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Council for British Archaeology, Copeland Council, Sir John Fisher Foundation and CGP Group.

“This is a really exciting time for us," said Ken Day, chairman of the DVLHG. "Our members have spent over seven years surveying the Duddon Valley and to be able to carry out this excavation is a fantastic achievement for all concerned.”

It has been suggested that the longhouses, which would have typically been used as dwellings and were built around wooden frames, are medieval and could even be Norse in origin.

Cumbria had a strong Norse influence, as is evident by the place names, burials and treasure hoards of Scandinavian origin in the county.

Mervyn Cooper, a member of the DVLHG, has said that the group are 'very excited' about the funding from Heritage Lottery.

"There are relatively few medieval longhouses in the Lake District," he said. "It will fill a gap in our knowledge."

The DVLHG, which has been involved in archaeology surveys for nearly 10 years, is seeking volunteers to help it to learn more about how medieval people settled and farmed in the area.

The volunteers will get the opportunity to work with professionals from Oxford Archaeology North, with full training provided.

"This looks set to be a fascinating project to be involved with and we hope the DVLHG gets the support it needs from volunteers," said Jamie Lund, a National Trust Archaeologist. "National Trust rangers have added a new gate to the fell wall to allow access to the sites and I'm personally looking forward to lending a hand on site during the survey and excavation phases."

Volunteers will be needed throughout April, with the first site being excavated from mid-June into July.

Those interested should contact Ken Day on duddondig@gmail.com