cba sw spring 2012 newsletter 7th edition

8/2/2019 CBA SW Spring 2012 Newsletter 7th Edition

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Welcome back!For reasons stated in the accompanying leer, we have not been able to publishas regularly as we wanted this year, but our budget has allowed us to producethis second bumper edion instead. This past year, we have been endeavouringto overhaul the way we do things: revitalising our links and our engagement withlocal archaeological organisaons; responding to the changing ways in whichpeople wish to parcipate; and tackling the issues caused by the falling value ofour revenue (and indeed that of CBA naonal). As a result of investment throughthe Renaissance programme, a number of our local museums have undergone

refurbishment. We in the CBA SW wish to celebrate the achievements of museumsta and encourage the public to support these museums. With this in mind, thisyears AGM is being held at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton on Saturday 12thMay 2012, and 2013s AGM is planned for the Royal Albert Memorial Museumin Exeter. Also, John Keenans event last October celebrated Bristols marimeheritage. Finally, we are planning to run events alongside commiee meengs inSeptember and January from now on we will be announcing these at the AGM.

Issue 7, Spring 2012

LETS START WITH A REMINDEROF WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT!

Photo: Cornwall County Council


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The photograph on page 1 shows the remainsof a Bronze Age or Iron Age selement whichhave been exposed in the eroding cli face atHalangy Porth, St Marys on the Isles of Scilly.It will be a major focus of the regional groupsShorewatch event, to which we return later inthis Newsleer (page 15) but its signicancefor our current purpose is to illustrate a

number of features of archaeology in theregion that go beyond issues of budget andstructure.

We are constantly reminded just how richthe South West is in archaeological remainsof all types and all periods; this site has twoother signicant messages, however, in thatit was not discovered as the result of a major- and expensive - programme of high techinvesgaons, but by chance; and, secondly,

it needs to be invesgated and recordedurgently, before the process of erosion thatrst brought it to our aenon nishes itswork by deposing all of the archaeology ontothe beach in an indiscriminate heap.

There is therefore more material meringour aenon than we will ever know of, along history that accounts for its deposion,and countless future generaons in whose

interests the past needs to be idened,interpreted and preserved. We will never haveenough resources, not even the free onessuch as me and energy, to do all that needsto be done, but that should never deter usfrom doing what we can with the resources,knowledge and skills at our disposal.

THE SCILLY HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT

RESEARCH FRAMEWORK

A major step forward has been taken in theIsles of Scilly with the launch of the ScillyHistoric Environment Research Framework(SHERF). This project is being undertakenby a wide range of individuals and agencieswith an interest in the topic, and is beingfunded by English Heritage, the Council ofthe Isles of Scilly and the Duchy of Cornwall.The aim of the project is to assess our currentunderstanding of Scillys past, to idenfy thegaps in our knowledge, and then to promotetargeted research to ll those gaps. At allstages the local community, both lay andprofessional, will be closely involved.

A Mesolithic forest discovered on the seabed in St MarysRoads in 2006 (photo: Kevin Camidge, from the SHERF website).

for further informaon about the Scilly HistoricEnvironment Research Framework:

contact Charlie Johns, Senior Archaeologist,Cornwall County Council

email [email protected]

web www.scilly.gov.uk/environment/con-servaon/SHERFfrontpage.htm

RETURN TO BODEN FOGOU

Staying in the west of the region for awhile longer, there is a good exampleof collaboraon between land-owners,professional archaeologists and the localcommunity in the work undertaken by theMeneage Archaeology Group at a fogou foundnear Manaccan on the Lizard Peninsula.

In 2003 the Historic Environment team fromCornwall Council excavated part of an IronAge fogou and enclosure at Boden, at the

invitaon of the landowner. A number oflocal people were keen to get involved withthe project, many becoming regular visitorsand enjoying hands-on archaeology for therst me. The project was a success, in that


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it was possible to verify the presence of thefogou and to retrieve dang evidence forthe structure and surrounding enclosurewhich put it at around 400 BC. A numberof decisions were also taken about themanagement of the project,and in parcularabout the establishment of the MeneageArchaeology Group (MAG) in order to inform

and involve members of the local community.

Members of the Meneage Archaeological Group excavang theBoden fogou entrance in November 2010. Photo: MAG

In 2008 a Middle Bronze Age roundhousewas excavated just outside the Iron Ageenclosure in a joint venture with CornwallArchaeological Society, and more recentlyMAG have organised a season of weekendexcavaons led by James Gossip from theCounty Councils Historic EnvironmentProjects Team. These have again focussed onthe fogou itself, with a view to complengthe excavaon of the entrance and to makingthe fogou accessible and safe to visitors. This

will involve the erecon of a fence aroundthe open part of the structure and ulmatelythe installaon of an informaon panel.With the assistance of the landowner, MAGmembers will take responsibility for the futuremaintenance of the site, pung this uniquepiece of Cornish archaeology rmly in thehands of the community.

for further informaon about work of theMeneage Archaeological Group:

contact James Gossip (President)


AND TALKING OF CORNWALL ....

The 2011 Cornwall & Devon ArchaeologicalSociees joint Symposium was held onSaturday, 12 November 2011 at the EagleHouse Hotel in Launceston. Entled ACelebraon of 50 years of Archaeologyin Cornwall, it commemorated the 50thanniversary of the founding of the CornwallArchaeological Society (CAS) in 1961, althoughthe societys origins go back even furtherto its predecessor organisaon, the WestCornwall Field Club, which was founded in

1935.

The symposium was opened by TonyBlackman, the outgoing president of CAS,supported by County Councillor JulianGerman (Cabinet Member for the HistoricEnvironment), who praised the work of localsociety volunteers in helping the countysarchaeologists even in such dicult economicmes.

Scienc techniques featured heavily in twoof the talks those of Vanessa Straker ofEnglish Heritage, and of Pete Rose of CornwallCouncil. Vanessa reported that plant studieshad shown that pastoral or livestock farminghad been the mainstay of Cornish farmingin prehistory rather than arable, and that astudy of animal bones from Launceston Castlesuggested that livestock improvement hadstarted in Elizabethan mes.

In his talk, Pete said that over 200magnetometer surveys had now been carriedout in the county, and this wealth of datashowed that Anciently Enclosed Land (i.e.land enclosed prior to the 18th century)actually goes back to prehistoric enclosuresbeneath the medieval elds.

Nick Johnson, the recently rered CountyArchaeologist, highlighted two parcularthemes that had emerged from the variousinputs. Firstly, a number of speakers hadsuggested that the archaeology of the uplandsand lowlands of Cornwall were not


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separate, as once thought, but very muchinterconnected. Secondly, the last quarter ofa century since the Societys 25th anniversarycelebraons was characterised byimportant technological developmentsin survey and documentaon, such asGeographical Informaon Systems, togetherwith a new interdisciplinary approach.

Front cover of Cornish Archaeology volume 50: The AncientStones of Penwith Lanyon Quoit, by Bob Humphries 2011

The 50th anniversary volume of CornishArchaeology has recently been published, andis a recommended read for those wishing tocatch up on the developments of those last 25years in Cornwall.

for further informaon about the CornwallArchaeological Society:

web hp://www.cornisharchaeology.org.uk/index.htm

AND FINALLY FROM CORNWALL:RIDGE-TOP DEVELOPMENTS ATPORTREATH

Archaeological Consultancy Ltd werecommissioned by Gwel An Mor Holiday Villageto undertake an archaeological evaluaonto inform planning decisions in advance of aproposed holiday chalet development. Thestudy found evidence for human acvity from

the late Mesolithic or Early Neolithic unlthe present day, including a probable barrowcemetery, a substanal planned ridge-topselement enclosure with associated eldsystem, and a probable inhumaon cemetery

apparently spanning the late Iron Age andpart of the Medieval period.

The evolving archaeological landscape atGwel An Mor has been used as a trainingopportunity for students of Truro College, andhas led to closer working relaonships withthe College, local residents and the wider

archaeological community. Much of the sitehas been preserved in situ, and it is hopedthat display panels, presentaons and popularpublicaons will foster a deeper appreciaonof this excing archaeological landscapewithin the wider community.

Two probable Late Iron Age round houses at Gwel An Mor 2,Portreath, Cornwall. Photo Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.

On-going excavaon of two probable LateIron Age round houses within a similar eldsystem on the adjacent ridge (Gwel An Mor 2)has added considerably to our understandingof unenclosed late prehistoric selementat Portreath. The two round houses appearremarkably similar. Each has internal pits,a central oval post-ring with addionalposts dening a southwest entrance, and adrip-gulley of c. 15.5m external diameter.The structure in the background of thephotograph above appears to have been


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robbed of all of its re-usable materials,which were seemingly incorporated intoits replacement in the centre. All the postshad been pulled up and there was a notableabsence of stone-work and nds. The secondhut shows slight oxidaon in the centre,suggesng a domesc scale hearth. Thecurious alignment of the entrances upslope

and into the prevailing south-westerly windsmay suggest that there were addionalstructures outside the study area on this side.

A number of lithic nds and probable LateIron Age poery fragments have also beenrecorded. These include fragments of granitesaddle quern, mullers and a possible slatespindle whorl, which suggest that cerealpreparaon and texle manufacture wereimportant parts of everyday life. We can also

deduce that cereal producon and sheepfarming may have been undertaken in thevicinity. Hone stones, hammerstones, polishedstones and sizeable worked, rounded slateswere also recorded.

for further informaon about the ridge-topexcavaons at Gwel An Mor:

contact Ma Mossop, Director,Archaeological Consultancy Ltd


web www.archaeologicalconsultancy.com

ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE OF LOCATION,PERIOD AND SCALE, SO OVER NOW TOA BACK GARDEN IN BRISLINGTON ....

In an earlier newsleer (issue 4, October

2010, page 6) we described the work of theBrislington Community Archaeology Project(BCAP), which had been set up to invesgateand celebrate the archaeological heritage ofthe village and its surrounding area. One ofthe projects iniaves has been a virtualmuseum, and we were intending to carry anarcle about how it works and how it wasset up, but the BCAP Chair, Ken Taylor, hasbeen invited to write a long arcle about themuseum for the forthcoming edion ofBrishArchaeology.


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We will therefore have to wait our turn tohear about this fascinang iniave unl ournext edion, but in the meanme Ken hasprovided an account of the ways in whichcommunity archaeology operates and thesurprises that are part and parcel of thishighly local approach.

BCAPs fourth archaeological excavaonstarted in July 2011 in the back garden of aprivate house. The dig followed the sameprocess as two previous excavaons, byexploring the archaeological potenal of thesite by means of a 1m square test pit. Thecareful excavaon was spread over eight days(not all of which saw digging taking place),and reached a depth of 1.2m; communityarchaeology can take longer than some otherdigs because modern features and artefacts

are invesgated as well as more ancient ones,since they can all help tell the story of the site.

Site director Ken Taylor and a team of BCAPvolunteers were joined on Saturday 30thJuly by members of the public as part of theCBAs annual Fesval of Brish Archaeology(see page 8). Many of the visitors did notjust watch and discuss the excavaon, butjoined in with trowelling, sieving, and washingartefacts.

The site itself was chosen for three mainreasons: its proximity to the route betweenBrislingtons medieval manor (Manor FarmPlaying Fields, o Sturminster Road) andBrislington Common (Broomhill); its proximityto Tudor coal workings (the Rock Vein), andits locaon within the grounds of BrislingtonHall, an estate house built around 1770, whichbecame home to the largest landowners inBrislington, and was demolished in 1933.

The most abundant type of nd was tap slagwhich is produced in the smelng of iron orewhen the slag is tapped o and discarded,and many pieces exhibing the characteriscow structure. This process has beenemployed in bloomery furnaces since Romanmes, and the apparently high iron contentindicates these examples were probably notmore recent than the Medieval period.

Much more excing - and signicant -however, was a sherd of haemate coatedware found among the industrial debris. Thiswould appear to be the rst Iron Age materialever found in the Brislington area, and thanks

A sherd of Iron Age poery of the 4th to 6th century BCE foundin a thick layer of industrial debris (photo: Ken Taylor). Theprevious image shows the BCAP open day in full swing (photo:Steve Hallam).

to the community archaeology approach, itwas found by complete chance by sinking atest pit almost at random in a back garden! Afull account of the nature and dang of thefragment can be found on the Virtual Museumsite at hp://www.brislingtonarchaeology.org.uk/museum/pix/111105a1.jpg.

for further informaon about the BrislingtonCommunity Archaeology Project and its acvi-es:

contact Ken Taylor, Chair BCAP


web www.brislingtonarchaeology.org.uk

NEXT: A PLEA FOR HELP WITHSOMETHING EVEN MORE UP TO DATE

The regional group has been contacted by anMPhil student from Surrey, Jon Moore, who islooking for an important piece that is missingfrom his research jigsaw. Given that he is asenior library assistant he has obviously tried

all the convenonal means of nding it, butwithout success, and is now resorng to pleasand entreaes. SO: has anyone got a copyofExcavaons on Berry Head, 2005. Part 1:The Victorian Rie Range, by P. Armitage,


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published in Taunton by the Council for BrishArchaeology South-west in 2005? Or does anymember know anything about this publicaonat all?

Jon explains his interest in the followingterms:

I have been researching the wholelife history of a Victorian Volunteer/Territorial Force rie range in Surrey. My studyis intended to integrate the physical evidenceon the ground with surviving documentaryrecords. There is some evidence on site ofthe original build in 1860 and of at least oneand possibly two of the documented re-buildsduring its funconing existence to c.1919. Asthe site is on an SSSI neither excavaonsnor the use of metal detectors is permied,

which limits the exploraons which can beundertaken. I have eld-walked the line ofthe range and its danger area many mes andhave found a variety of 0.577 (musket &rie), 0.450 (rie and revolver), and 0.303(rie) bullets. The apparent distribuon ofthese on the ground roughly accords with myexpectaons from the various designs of therange and the weapons used.

The Berry Head report is the only referenceI have found to the excavaon of a Victorianrie range in the UK. I am intrigued as muchas anything else to see whether or not it willvalidate my assumpons on the distribuonpaerns of spent bullets.If anyone can help Jon, please contact theeditor of this newsleer, whose contactdetails are on the back page.

THE NATIONAL NEWS

Apart from a very guarded hint in the Editorialon page 1 we have so far avoided all menonof budgetary constraint and the pressureand change that inevitably ow from it, butit would be impossible, if not downrightmisleading, to avoid addressing these issues.Aer all, we already know that ExeterArchaeology will have been wound down by

March this year because it is not nanciallyviable in the current climate (see DevonArchaeological Society Newsleerno. 109,May 2011 pp. 1, 4).

Now news has recently been received that the

archaeology and heritage-related services ofGloucester City Council and GloucestershireCounty Council are facing cut-backs. It hasbeen reported, for example, that the folkmuseum is to close for 42 weeks of the yearand that the Gloucester City Heritage Serviceis to be pared down to a skeleton crew. An800 signature peon, supported by two

former mayors was submied by more than30 museum and archaeology workers as wellas members of the public, but the Councilargues that savings need to be made in itsbudget and that it is even being forced tocontemplate selling o carefully chosen artworks from its collecon in order to meetbudget shoralls. It is understood that theCounty Councils Archaeology Service is alsoapparently threatened, although the fullramicaons of the cuts that they face are not

yet known.

No doubt equally dicult decisions are beingcontemplated all around the region, andthe naonal Council for Brish Archaeologyitself is not exempt, in that the grant fundingit receives from the Brish Academy is tobe phased out between 2011 and 2016.The Council is therefore looking at ways ofmeeng this challenge through structuralchanges and by reviewing their priories.

Indeed, they have already decided to makesome key changes to the current membershipstructure, and these will directly aectregional groups like ours.

CBA naonally will be launching a bigrecruitment drive this year, with the aim ofdoubling membership over the next fouryears. To make the membership structureeasy to promote, to simplify administraon,and also to resolve a long-standing issue for

regional groups about the current subvenonfee, CBA has decided that membership of aregional group will no longer be an automacbenet of joining the naonal organisaon.As a result they will stop paying the regions a


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subvenon for every member that joins theCBA. Instead members will be able to opt tojoin a regional group at an addional cost ifthey so wish, when joining or renewing theirnaonal membership online.

THE FESTIVAL OF BRITISHARCHAEOLOGY 2012

CBA will however connue to promote anumber of naonal iniaves from which wein the regions can benet and to which wecan contribute.

Chief among these is the annual Fesval ofBrish Archaeology, which in 2012 is beingheld between Saturday 14th and Sunday 29thJuly. Each year the Fesval showcases thevery best of Brish archaeology, by presennghundreds of special events organised and heldby museums, local sociees, naonal andcountryside parks, universies, and heritageorganisaons across the UK. The Fesval isdesigned to oer everyone the opportunityto learn about their local heritage, to seearchaeology in acon, and to get involved.Events range from excavaon open days andbehind-the-scenes tours, to family fun days,

hands-on acvies, guided walks, talks andnds idencaon workshops and last yearmore than 200,000 people aended 774separate events across the country.

for further informaon about the Fesval ofBrish Archaeology 2012:

contact CBA

web hp://fesval.britarch.ac.uk/

THE DIG DEEP FOR YAC CAMPAIGN

The withdrawal of the main source of publicfunding for CBA naonally is inevitably havinga major impact on the organisaons nances,which in turn has implicaons for the YoungArchaeologists Club (YAC) that it supports.At the moment CBA subsidises both the YACmembership package and the YAC Branchnetwork within the regions. Whilst it is likelythat YAC UK can become self-supporngover me as a result of the CBA membership

expansion plans menoned above, the Clubsregional branches are inevitably vulnerable.

In the South West we currently have threeacve YAC branches, as follows:

Bath andBristol

Nick Corcos07816 [email protected]

Exeter Cressida Whion01392 [email protected]

Torbay James Hull01803 [email protected]

The Club is a vital way of ensuring that newgeneraons of young people become not onlyenthusiasc about the past, but also that theydevelop the skills, condence, knowledgeand commitment to promote and safeguard

archaeology for the future. The Dig Deep forYAC campaign is encouraging members of thepublic to do what they can by fund-raising,donang, and adopng a local branch. To thiswe can add encouraging young people to join.


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for further informaon about the Young Archae-ologists Club and the Dig Deep Campaign:

contact YAC, St Marys House, 66 Bootham,York, YO30 7BZ


web www.britarch.ac.uk/yac

CBA CHALLENGE FUNDING

Now to some rather less gloomy nancialnews - indeed the oer of grant-aid! The CBAhas recently announced that their ChallengeFunding scheme is open to applicaons forthe remainder of this nancial year and (indue course) for at least the next two years.Since 1997 CBA Challenge Funding has beenan important source for small grants of up

to 750 to help voluntary groups, socieesand individuals carry out original andinnovave research in their local area. Suchprojects have ranged from iniaves led byschools and small charies through to thoseorganised by voluntary archaeology groups,and have covered a wide range of acviesfrom the procurement of specialist analysissuch as radio carbon dang, through to thepurchase of specic equipment to help a

project achieve its aims. The scheme is madepossible by funding from English Heritage andtherefore only relates to projects in England.

CBA Director Mike Heyworth said it wasreally good news that CBA is able to supportresearch within the voluntary sector by meansof Challenge Funding. The grants oen make akey contribuon to the successful delivery of aproject, and can also help to aract addionalnancial support from other sources.

for further informaon about the CBA Chal-lenge Funding Scheme:

contact YAC, St Marys House, 66 Bootham,York, YO30 7BZ


web www.britarch.ac.uk/grants/challengefunding

for informaon about other CBA grants

and awards open to archaeologists and thevoluntary sector:

web www.britarch.ac.uk/grants

A NEW, IMPORTANT AND WELCOMEPUBLICATION

Any one who has ever listened to Harold Fox,or read any ofhis many publicaons, will beaware of his love of Devon, his scholarshipand his wit. Sadly he died before he wasable to complete his study of transhumancebetween the lowlands of Devon andDartmoor, but Mahew Tompkins andChristopher Dyer have now seen the bookthrough to publicaon.

Dartmoors Alluring Uplands: Transhumanceand Pastoral Management in the MiddleAges is being published by the Universityof Exeter Press. It describes, for the rstme, the social organisaon and farmingpracces associated with the annual transferof thousands of cale to and from Dartmooreach spring and autumn. It also presentsevidence for a previously unsuspected Anglo-

Saxon pracce, in which lowland farmersspent the summer living with their cale onthe moor.

The book is available in hardback at 55 andin paperback at 30, and is being launched inLydford on 12 March (email [email protected] for details).

for further informaon about Dartmoors Allur-ing Uplands:

contact University of Exeter Press

web hp://www.exeterpress.co.uk/en/Book/542/Dartmoors_Alluring_Uplands.html


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NON-CONFORMIST BUILDINGS IN WEST

CORNWALL

In her MA dissertaon of 2008, Sandy Colbylooked at the non-conformist buildings ofKerrier and Penwith, when she idenedapproximately 163 buildings and sites ofbuildings mainly through a detailed study ofthe OS six inch map series of 1888. Sandy hasconnued her research over the past threeyears with the aim of applying to do a PhD byresearch in this area, and she has providedus with the following interim report on herndings.

Over the past three years Sandys connuingresearch has led to the idencaon ofalmost 300 buildings and sites; these datefrom the late eighteenth century to somecomparavely modern buildings. What ismore, they cover the full range of Bapst,Congregaonalist, Methodist, Wesleyan,

Quaker and Countess of HunngdonConnexion congregaons, and all types oflocaon including large towns, small villagesand hamlets. Both generic and specic

examples of vernacular building types are

represented, but few of them are listed.Paradoxically, Sandys research would seem toindicate that might even be an advantage insecuring their preservaon with the originalfeatures.

In size the buildings range from small chapelsto much larger ones in the major centresof populaon. However, unexpectedlylarge chapels occur in what would nowbe considered sparsely populated areas,

indicang that the populaons at the me ofbuilding may have been much larger. Censusrecords are being examined to determinelocal populaons.

However, me has taken its toll. Manybuildings, irrespecve of size, have beendemolished or allowed to fall into ruin. Siteswhere they existed have been discoveredthanks to snippets of informaon found inbooks, photographs and on the internet. Allthat remains of these is perhaps part of awall, some railings, gates, a couple of blocksof stone or somemes nothing at all, just a

Cockwells Primive Methodist Chapel (1858) fell into disuse in 1940, by which me the congregaon had dwindled to two. Ithas now been bought by the owners of the house on the right and is being conserved using original materials, while respecnga nest of rare bees. Photo: Sandy Colby.


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grid reference or a descripon in an arcle.

Individual members of the public have beenextremely helpful, somemes unexpectedly,with vital informaon being gathered througha chance meeng with a dog walker, aconversaon in the street, or from someonewho saw the researcher examining a building

and volunteered useful informaon. Otherbuildings have been found thanks to theirname, for example, Chapel House, WesleyHouse and even, on one occasion, by seeingthe name Chapel Coage on a dustbin!Other clues that have led to the discoveryof buildings o the beaten track includeanomalies in rooines, and a survivingwindow or porch. Some sites, however, havetaken much more detecve work to nd andidenfy.

A former non-conformist chapel that has been sympathecallyconverted to domesc use. The Weslyan stonework hassurvived, and the house is sll called Borah Chapel. Photo:Sandy Colby.

A great many non-conformist buildings havebeen taken out of religious use and havebeen converted to secular purposes (seeBorah Chapel, above). Their conversion intohomes, warehouses, poeries or ats canbe benecial from a heritage point of view,by retaining the features that would idenfythem, but in other cases the original intentof the builders can be obscured, and onoccasion this can be due to the engineering

of the original building. Very few have landfor gardens, since the original builders usedas much of the plot as possible, while in othercases the land alongside the chapel was usedas a graveyard.

Many chapels have sloping oors rather likea gently raked lecture theatre. The originalbuilders engineering their design to t theirpurpose; modern planning constraints, evenwhen the building is not listed, can thenplace condions on any conversion. Galleriesdesigned to increase the capacity of thechapel may have to be retained, for example,

reducing the exibility of the space.

Sunday schools were an essenal part ofchapel culture, in that they provided the onlyeducaon children obtained, albeit with areligious bias. In most cases Sunday Schoolbuildings postdate chapels, but occasionallyan earlier chapel is superseded by a larger,beer appointed building and the originalchapel turned into the Sunday School.However the larger chapels somemes

proved costly in terms of maintenance, and,with falling congregaons, the newer SundaySchool was oen used as the Chapel, whilstthe original, building was sold o.

At Carharrack the former chapel has been sold with manycovenants governing its reuse, and worship moved to theformer Sunday School next door. Photo: Sandy Colby

The dierences in building styles betweenthe various persuasions of Methodismbecome apparent when examining the originof buildings. The signicance of money isfrequently obvious; many Wesleyan buildings,for example, were built to a common designincorporang porcoes and columns. More

basic designs, incorporang poorer materialsbut the same dedicaon and faith, havesurvived less well, although some are slldisncve architectural enes in their ownright.


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Smaller chapels were oen built on anunwanted piece of ground, a small plot ofland at the edge of a eld, or at the junconof lanes or footpaths, like Cockwells, above.This does not diminish their importance interms of vernacular architecture but doesaect their preservaon or potenal forreuse. Since these buildings play an integral

part in Cornish history, culture and identy,it is hoped that future research will help toprovide a basis for the sympathec conversionof some of these lesser buildings so thatexamples of the whole range of the heritagecan survive.

for further informaon on research into thenon-conformist buildings of West Cornwall:

contact Sandy Colbyemail [email protected]

EXCAVATIONS AT WEST YEO FARM,WITHERIDGE, NORTH DEVON

Between April and September 2011 theNorth Devon Archaeological Society (NDAS)conducted excavaons in the garden andadjacent meadow south of the exisngVictorian farmhouse at West Yeo. The aim ofthe dig was to locate dang evidence for theprevious house, which had been burned downin the late 1870s and comprehensively buried.

Trial trenches in the garden in 2010 hadproduced substanal amounts of 13th to20th century domesc poery, and revealedthe corner of a small rubble-stone structurerunning towards the garden fence and the

neighbouring meadow. Subsequent earthresistance survey results showed somedark patches in the vicinity of the proposedtrenches, so this area was therefore includedwithin the new excavaon.

Throughout the summer of 2011 members,local volunteers and students excavatedtrenches by hand. The meadow trench wasfully excavated, by removal of a great depthof clearly redeposited material. This revealedthe lower courses of a heavy rubble-stonewall of local sandstone running north-east tosouth west, which was possibly the base of

a cob wall, since its alignment correspondsto a boundary wall shown on the the map.Within the trench most of the stoneworkhad been robbed away, leaving a ragged endin which there was a broken block of nelydressed volcanic trapp. This kind of stoneoriginates from the Exeter area and wasfrequently used for the mouldings of doorsand windows in higher status buildings. Thewall connued as a band of clean red clayacross the trench. To the west of the wall

was a hard surface of packed small stones,containing a possible square post pad also ofvolcanic stone.

The meadow trench fully excavated in September 2011: southis to the top of the photograph. Photo: NDAS.

Abung this wall was a secondary heavyretaining wall of coursed local sandstone,faced on the south side, which retained ahard silty clay surface, ecked with charcoal,possibly a oor. In the angle of the two wallswas an area of dark soil, thought perhapsto be a later garden feature. The purposeof the large retaining wall has not yet beenestablished.

To the east, alongside the length of theapparent boundary wall, was a stone linedand covered drain, with three more stonelined drains or gullies covered with at stones,


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and a circular gulley. When this area was rstuncovered, much of it was marked by charcoalstaining, perhaps the result of a thatch burn.Whether this area represents the oor of abuilding or an open yard is not at all clear.The the map does not record any building oryard in this area.

The garden trench revealed a layer of veryhard, thick orange clay which lay east-westacross the north of the trench. This wasecked with charcoal and contained somepost and stake holes. Originally thought to benatural clay, this appears in fact to be a man-made layer, possibly a oor surface. A smallstone-lined drain ran from the north-west ofthe trench, and terminated in a small areaof random stone incorporang 13th to 15thcentury pot (North Devon gravel-tempered

ware) between the stones.

Structure in the garden trench, September 2011. Photo: NDAS.

The structure discovered here in 2010 wasfully excavated, revealing two low walls,of coursed small stones, separated by anarrow channel and topped by large atstones at right angles, with a gap between.The structure was located in its own narrowditch of dark soil, cut into the natural orangeclay. The ditches and centre channel of thestructure were excavated and soil sieved,although there were no nds. A at stoneat the closed end of the channel, placedvercally onto a pad stone, formed a terminusto the ditch. Small pieces of 13th to 15thcentury pot were found beside the wall, andone suggeson is this may be a medieval

latrine.

In the southern part of the trench besidethe baulk was a band of dark soil whichappears to be the ll of a cut feature. Furtherexcavaon is required later this year to clarifythis point. Torrenal rain in September 2011prevented further work, so the trenches were

covered with membrane and le open overthe winter.

As far as nds were concerned, the featuresin the meadow trench were revealed beneatha deep deposit of redeposited materialmade up of rubble, clay soil, a large amountof North Devon lead glazed poery. Thisincluded both coarse and ne ware, andranged in date from the 16th to the 20thcentury; sgrato, Bristol/Staord ware and

porcelain were all represented. There wassome animal bone, a quanty of thin palegreen glass and a D shaped gunint, togetherwith a great deal of thick dark green boleglass, including a collecon of heavy bolebooms, called ponlles. These have beenidened by Kevin Shaddick as Bristol boleglass of between 1715 and 1770. Overlyingdeposits in the garden trench were similar,with the addion of probably Mesolithic ints.

Green glass bole booms, or ponlles. Photo: NDAS.

It is interesng to note that from thesurface, there was no hint of any of theexcavated features: just a sloping gardenlawn running into the meadow behind thehouse, all seemingly natural. Everything hadbeen thoroughly buried, apparently in the19th century. It was only when the inial


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geophysical survey was carried out thatthere was an indicaon of the richarchaeology beneath the surface.

Post excavaon work connues, and it ishoped to nalise the garden trench in spring2012. Parallel with the excavaons, membershave been undertaking an intensive eld-

walking exercise on the farm. To date twoelds have been completed of the threethat have been targeted, and an interesngcollecon of int artefacts has been built up.The nds are mostly from the Mesolithicperiod, and include bladelets, cores, awlsand microliths, plus some scrapers and someNeolithic int. Stone and quartz ulisedpieces, rubbing stones and a possible smallquern have also been found. Finds have beenviewed by the late Ann Plummer and John

Newberry. Work connues and the intenonis to produce a complete report includingdistribuon maps and drawings.

for further informaon on NDAS excavaons atWest Yeo, Witheridge:

contact Derry Bryant, Chair NDAS


web www.ndas.org.uk

TWO HOUSES AND THEIR PARKS

Two stalwarts of the regional group, JohnKeenan and Teddy Francis, have been workingwith the Construcon Industry ResourceCentre Archive (CIRCA) to record two formermanor houses, in order to establish howevents have aected their architecture.

The two houses chosen were widelyseparated geographically, in Devonshire andHerefordshire; supercially they are similarand share similar histories, but the outcomeshave been very dierent. Both were basedon monasc estates, have been occupied bythe same family since they were built, wereenlarged and improved at the end of the18th century, and in both cases the familiessuered disasters which put a premature endto the work.

In each case the study began by measuringthe envelopes and wall thicknesses, and

undertaking a paper search on the site,parcularly lisngs, images and maps in thecollecons of English Heritage. In both casesmany more quesons than answers wereraised, some accepted facts and dates werechallenged and a number of lines for futureresearch idened.

Great Fulford, from www.weddingvenues.com/venue5081.html

The Devon representave was Great Fulford,near Dunsford, home of the Fulford family,where survey established that the plan wasnot square, for reasons that are not clear;that there had been problems caused by

the external walls leaning, which had beenaddressed in part by the construcon of baywindows, and that there were a number ofanomalies in the various oor levels, with the

Great Fulford: the doorway aer clearing. Photo: John Keenan.


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threshold of the chapel being approximatelyone metre below the present level, forexample.

The inial dig in the doorway of the chapelproduced a collecon of poery fragments,ranging from English salt-glazed pieces fromthe 13th or 14th century, via a 16th centuryGerman Ballarmine jug, to 17th and 18thcentury Chinese porcelain. Pieces of bone,nails and bricks were also found.

The researchers have produced displaysshowing the main ndings of their work andhighlighng a number of the issues that arisefrom it. These were exhibited in 2011, andfurther exhibions will be arranged this year.

for further informaon on the Heritage in thePark project:

contact John Keenan


or contact Teddy Francis


FORTHCOMING EVENTS

1. Hot Rocks and the role ofExperimental ArchaeologyOn 17 and 18 March there will be a weekendof experimental archaeology, prehistoriccookery and evening lectures, exploringthe possibilies of prehistoric hot stonetechnology, lithics and hide processing. Thevenue is Saveock Mill, Greenboom, Truro,and the suggested contribuon is 5 per day.

Photo: Ma Mossop

for further informaon about the Hot Rocks andExperimental Archaeology weekend:

contact Ma Mossop, Director,Archaeological Consultancy Ltd


phone 01326 341061

2. Isles of Scilly Shorewatch eventThis newsleer opened with a picture of a siteon the Isles of Scilly that has been broughtto our aenon through coastal erosion,and there are many more sites around thecoastline of the archipelago that are underthreat. Some are situated on the edges ofclis, or are exposed on the cli face, butmany others are on the interdal zone. The

need for the regular monitoring of these siteshas long been recognised, and between 27and 30 April volunteers are being encouragedto take part in a Shorewatch event, duringwhich the most threatened sites will bevisited and their condion monitored.

for further informaon on the Isles of ScillyShorewatch event:

contact Charlie Johns


3. CBA SW AGMThe AGM of the regional group will be heldon 12 May at the Museum of Somersetin Taunton, starng at 10.30. There willbe a talk by John Pamment-Salvatore onthe Roman military works depot recentlydiscovered on the outskirts of Exeter.

for further informaon and to book a place:

contact Brian Cann

phone 07974 818154


4. Visit to Ham HillAt 88 hectares, Ham Hill is Englands largest

hill fort and the excavaons are on anunprecedented scale. The nds and featuresfrom last year alone include a large enclosure,several large round houses, grain pits withdeposions of human and animal remains,


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hp://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/ or www.cbasw.org

members to update their details using theenclosed form. We would be parcularlypleased to hear from you if you would like tojoin the commiee of the regional group.

This Newsleer is published twice eachyear. If you think you may have somethingof interest to oer, please get in touch with

the Editor, Alan Lambourne, at any me, todiscuss issues such as deadlines, format andcontent.

to contact the editor:

name Alan Lambourne,


address The Old Coach House, 70 EastStreet, Ashburton, TQ13 7AX

phone 01364 654543

YOUR COMMITTEE

A full list of the CBA SW commiee isavailable on our websites at the addresses atthe foot of this page, but here is a list of themajor oce holders for easy reference:

CHAIR Caradoc Petersemail [email protected]

phone 01326 312511

TREASURER Ma Mossop

email m.mossop@archaeologicalcon-

sultancy.com

phone 01326 341061

MEMBERSHIPSECRETARY

Sandy Colby


phone 01455 290271

an Iron Age sword and other weapons, plusseveral arrow heads. Members of the regionalgroup are invited to visit the site on Saturday18 August, meeng at 11.00 am in the carpark. The suggested donaon is 3 per person.

for further informaon on the visit to Ham Hill:

contact Brian Cann

phone 07974 818154


5. CBA SW Autumn Commiee Meengand talkThe next commiee meeng has beenarranged for the morning ofSaturday 8September, in St Thomas Church, Thurlbeare,

when there will also be a talk open to allmembers. Further informaon on ourwebsites.

6. The 2012 Deerhurst LectureThe 2012 Deerhurst Lecture will take placeat 7.30 pm on Saturday 8 September in StMarys Church, Deerhurst. The lecture willbe commemorang the millennium of themartyrdom of St Alphage, archbishop ofCanterbury, in 1012 and will be given by

Professor Nicholas Brooks.

for further informaon on the DeerhurstLecture:

contact Michael Hare


web hp://deerhyrsriends.co.uk

NOW OVER TO YOU: JOIN THE REGIONALGROUP, SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER;AND CONTRIBUTE!

If you would like to become a member of theSouth West regional group, and receive a copyof this Newsleer regularly through the post,please contact the Membership Secretary,Sandy Colby, whose contact details are in thebox on the right. Further informaon and anapplicaon form can be accessed via our web-sites (see below). We are also asking exisng

cba sw spring 2012 newsletter 7th edition

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