"I have always had a great personal interest in archaeology so to visit the dig in Calne was thoroughly enjoyable and could also prove to be of historical importance nationally," said North Wiltshire MP James Gray.

Mr Gray continued: "Further digs of the site and finds there could bring both jobs and economic prosperity to Calne and the surrounding areas and help form a more secure knowledge of our own local history."

Teams have established conclusively that a 13^th or 14^th century Fortified Tower House once stood, underlining the importance the town had, not only to Wessex but to the kingdom as a whole, and in just fourteen days (5^th to 18^th July), the dig has unearthed over 10,000 items covering almost 2,000 years and ranging from worked flints to 18^th Century salt glaze stoneware.

Though there are currently no plans to return the site, if current finds are deemed significant enough, site owner Wiltshire County Council may allow further investigation of the site. Existing evidence seems to suggest the building has a strong link to Robert Burnell, Lord Chancellor to Edward I who not only had close familial relations to Fulk de Cantelo, who had been given land in Calne by the king, but also was granted leave to build a Fortified Tower House. Pottery dating from this period and tiles decorated with a fleur-de-Lys indicate the high status of the castles’ inhabitants, further strengthening this theory.