Little Flanders beyond Wales : Whitson as a planned settlement on the Levels

The Gwent Levels bare striking comparisons with the Low Countries but is there are stronger connection? As a researcher at Ghent University in Belgium, Gerben Verbrugghe studied the occurrence of planned rural settlements in the County of Flanders and in the context of Flemish migration to Wales. His talk will show how modern-day landscape archaeological methods, including the application of remote sensing and scanning techniques, thereby can further our understanding of how these villages developed. Considering the village of Whitson as a prime example, the talk will explore how remarkably similar rural settlements in Flanders may offer indications for a Flemish presence on the Gwent Levels