Archaeologists discover remains of 18th-century military camp dating from the Siege of Ghent

In December 1708, a European army led by John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, gathered near Ghent to recapture the city from the French in a battle that was part of the War of the Spanish Succession.

‘Churchill, who is an ancestor of a later British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, had decided to press ahead with the attack in winter. That was unheard of at the time. Battles normally ceased from October onwards. The weather was bad; the whole area around Ghent was a vast mud-pit. It was bitterly cold,’ says historian Aiko Boumerkhoufa.

The European alliance, fighting on behalf of the Austrian Habsburgs, consisted of 60,000 soldiers who surrounded Ghent. ‘They were mainly Dutch and English, but there were also many German mercenaries. Smaller groups of Danes and Swedes also took part.’

‘In Ghent itself, 20,000 French soldiers were holed up. They too received support from others, including Swiss, Spanish and Walloon troops.’

Shelters for soldiers suffering from the cold

In recent years, during excavations at what was once the Sint-Denijs-Westrem airfield, traces of these military encampments have been discovered.

‘We have found a number of circular pits with a stepped profile. They have a flat base, where the remains of a hearth can be found with a raised seating bench around it,' says archaeologist Johan Hoorne.

The seating pits, with ovens and hearths, cause visible discolouration in the subsoil.

‘These are shelters that were also protected by raised earth. Small walls were built around them to keep the heat in. In other pits, we also found brick hearths or remains of ovens, presumably field kitchens.’

There was a huge succession of conflicts at that time, but archaeologists can nevertheless link at least one oven pit and possibly two seating pits to the Siege of Ghent in 1708. ‘Smoking was in vogue during that period, partly due to the discovery of the New World. Soldiers used earthenware pipes. We have found several examples.

What makes these pipes special is that they bear decorations or even stamps from the workshops where they were made. ‘Based on one very specific stamp, we can trace them back to a pipe maker in Gouda and a particular type that was only in use for a short time.’

That pipe comes from manufacturers Passchier Vergouw and was produced between 1699 and 1710. ‘We know that the pipes had a short shelf life,’ says Hoorne. The fact that they have turned up at the site may indicate that this is a camp from 1708. ‘In the region we have only found similar army camps at Drongen, a locality outside Ghent proper.’

‘Ghent falls on New Year’s Day’

The siege in 1708 lasted a few days, following weeks of preparation. The weapons were transported via the Rivers Scheldt and the Leie. ‘The fighting began on Christmas Eve and the French surrendered on New Year’s Day,’ says Boumerkhoufa.

‘The Allies captured the city and immediately demolished all the encampments in the vicinity. In that way, the enemy could certainly not reuse the positions.’ Farmers were able to return to their fields. The remains disappeared underground, until archaeologists set out in search of traces three centuries later. The discoveries were made during various excavations, and the results have now been collated.

Archaeological treasure trove

Excavations have been taking place at the site for around 20 years. 'It is an archaeological treasure trove,’ says Hoorne. Among other things, his team found traces of a settlement dating back 3,000 years, Roman farms and a medieval village. A new district of the city is currently being developed on this site.