<P> In the 16th century, a pit, dated by bottle shards left at the bottom, was dug into Mound 1, narrowly missing the burial . The area was explored extensively during the 19th century, when a small viewing platform was constructed, but no useful records were made . In 1860 it was reported that nearly two bushels of iron screw bolts, presumably ship rivets, had been found at the recent opening of a mound and that it was hoped to open others . </P> <P> In 1910, a mansion with fifteen bedrooms was built a short distance from the mounds and in 1926 the mansion and its arable land was purchased by Colonel Frank Pretty, a retired military officer who had recently married . In 1934, Pretty died, leaving a widow, Edith Pretty, and young son, Robert Dempster Pretty . Following her bereavement, Mrs Pretty became interested in Spiritualism, a religion that placed belief in the idea that the spirits of the deceased could be contacted . </P> <P> Mrs Pretty in 1937 decided to organise an excavation of the mounds . Through the Ipswich Museum, she obtained the services of Basil Brown, a self - taught Suffolk archaeologist who had taken up full - time investigations of Roman sites for the museum . In June 1938, Pretty took him to the site, offered him accommodation and a wage of 30 shillings a week, and suggested that he start digging at Mound 1 . Because it had been disturbed by earlier grave diggers, Brown, in consultation with the Ipswich Museum, decided instead to open three smaller mounds (2, 3 and 4). These only revealed fragmented artefacts, as the mounds had been robbed of valuable items . In Mound 2 he found iron ship - rivets and a disturbed chamber burial that contained unusual fragments of metal and glass artefacts . At first it was undecided as to whether they were Early Anglo - Saxon or Viking objects . The Ipswich Museum then became involved with the excavations: all the finds became part of the museum's collection . </P> <P> In May 1939, Brown began work on Mound 1, helped by Pretty's gardener John (Jack) Jacobs, her gamekeeper William Spooner and another estate worker Bert Fuller . (Jacobs lived with his wife and their three children at Sutton Hoo House). They drove a trench from the east end and on the third day discovered an iron rivet which Brown identified as a ship's rivet . Within hours others were found still in position . The colossal size of the find became apparent . After several weeks of patiently removing earth from the ship's hull, they reached the burial chamber . </P>

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