A MAJOR dig at one of the region's most important historic sites has begun to unearth relics from the distant past.

Archaeologists digging at the site of Anglo-Saxon monastery in the Headland area of Hartlepool say they have made exciting discoveries.

Their most important find so far during the dig has established that the 700AD monastery was much larger than was previously thought.

A number of individual relics have also been unearthed.

Yesterday, a medieval brooch, believed have been made in the Hartlepool area in the 14th Century, was discovered in the 20m by 10m trench.

A large, fragmented iron object, which may have been a sword, was also sent away for x-ray testing yesterday.

The team has also discovered the site of one of a collection of wooden buildings that made up the monastery, which was one of Britain's earliest Christian sites. The archaeologists say they can clearly see where post holes were cut into the rock.

The last big excavation at the site took place in 1999 as part of the Channel 4 Time Team television programme. On that occasion, a cache of books was found, proving that the monks had books, while a skeleton may have been that of a nun.

The public are invited to inspect the dig at the Moore Terrace entrance to Friarage Field on Sunday, between 10am and 4pm. The dig was been under way for a fortnight and will continue for another two weeks.

The excavation has been funded by the North Hartlepool Partnership and is being carried out following consultation with the landowners, the Henry Smith Trust.