Digging for answers over 'violent end' of Fin Cop

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has now awarded a further grant of 49,900 to Longstone Local History Group to find out more about the mystery of Fin Cop and a five-week excavation will begin in early July.

Excavations have unearthed the deliberate destruction of Iron Age defences where the remains of a body dating to between 400 and 200 BC were discovered.

The remains have been identified as those of a woman, who was either pregnant or accompanied by a young baby. This new investigation hopes to answer questions such as who she was, where she came from, when the hill fort was first built and when extra defences were added.

Archaeologist Dr Clive Waddington, who will lead the study in conjunction with the Peak District National Park Authority, English Heritage and Natural England, said: "We want to understand more about when and how the fort was used, as well as further scientific analysis which will shed important new light on the early occupation of the Peak District."