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REGENTVILLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT 1989-90:

FIFTH INTERIM REPORT

VOLUME I

THE 1989- 1990 FIELD PROGRAM

J B. . by w· udy Irmingham and Andrew Ilson

Regentville Archaeological Field Project National Estate Grant Project Number 38: 1984/5, 87/8

March 1991

CENTRE FOR HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY UNIVERSIT OF SYDNEY

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PREFACE This is the Fifth Interim Report on the Regentville Project, and will be the last before the Final Report.

This project, funded by a National Estate Grant and administered by the Heritage Branch of the New South Wales Department of Planning, continues to develop new techniques in scientific investigation of historical archaeological sites in the field, and more effective analytical procedures back in the laboratory. These are consistently proving more successful and cost-effective than those widely used elsewhere in New South Wales, a major reason being that they start from a sound and explicit theoretical and structural basis.

This project continues to demonstrate that systematic recovery of data in the field can be integrated with laboratory techniques for processing and analysis of mass finds ,~~ produce solid results in a short space of time- and no major excavation contract inNS.~ or Victoria is now awarded to an archaeological director who does not at least undertake to carry this out. In contrast to this excavation and others which have used its techniques, few of these undertakings have been met and were they have the quality is sometimes dubious.

Results of the project to date have more than justified the Department's initiative in supporting this project, and continue to prove the importance of a major University-led training and research project of this kind. Those who once considered Regentville to be an 'academic' enterprise not relevant to the cut and thrust needs of public archaeology on urban sites have had to think again. Subsequent developments in urban projects in NSW have shown only too clearly that a sound professional, theoretical and methodological base combined with efficient management adds up to hard economic savings measurable in thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of dollars and a massive difference in the quality of the results achieved.

Procedures initiated at Regentville have now been adopted internationally - notably on archaeological expeditions working in Jordan (Pella 1990), in South Italy (I Fany 1990) and in Greece (Toroni 1989)- as well as coming into widespread use in Australia. They proved particularly successful at the large-scale Footscray City Link site in Melbourne, and are at last having an impact on the Sydney urban scene, where earlier generations of consultants were slower to adapt successfully to new technologies and techniques. More important, these results go beyond meaningless number-crunching to genuine new historical archaeological insights.

More and more students of Sydney University - and others - are now trained in the Regentville systems. Demonstrably the results are flowing through the profession, in that these same students are in considerable demand on contract excavations in NSW, as well as interstate. and are now being disseminated to the public at large. There can be no doubt that two of the major aims of the project at its outset in 1985 -'to provide a rigourous training in a wide range of essential archaeological skills' and developing 'an efficient and effective methodology' - have been successfully accomplished. Other less publicly visible results are discussed in the body of this Report.

Judy Birmingham, Project Co-ordinator

March 1991

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1. CONTENTS

1.1 Table of Contents

Volume I

Preface ....................................... 2

1. Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.1 Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.2 List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3. About This Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

4. The 1990 Field Program ........................... 7

4.1 Area 4 Excavation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4.2 Area 5 Excavation ......................... 15

4.3 Questions Outstanding ...................... 18

5. The 1990 Post Excavation Program ..................... 19

Volume II

6. List of Stratigraphic Units Excavated

7. Artefact Inventory Sheets 1990 Area 4

8. Artefact Inventory Sheets 1990 Area 5

9. Detail Plans of Excavated Areas

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1.2 List of Figures

1. Area 4 excavation in progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2. Schematic Plan of the Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3. Schematic Plan of Area 4 .......................... 11

4. Scatter of artefacts in courtyard ...................... 13

5. Area 4, showing demolition rubble .................... 14

6. Area 5, showing stable floor and stalls .................. 16

7. Visitors examine artefacts during Open Day .............. 21

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2. INTRODUCTION

The Regentville Project is now into its sixth and final year, and can list substantial achievements. As is appropriate for a University excavation it has been concerned with the theory and procedures underpining the fieldwork as much as with the field investigation and excavation themselves. The results of the 1990 field work and the 1989-90 inventory analysis program are presented here, and continue the methodological lines previously described.

The broad aims of the 1990 season continue the same as in previous years, and as set out in the project description in 1985. First, that the project should provide a rigourous training archaeological skills, Secondly, that it should develop an efficient and effective methodology in both excavation and analysis of excavated material. Thirdly, that it should communicate its results to a wide audience

The third of these continued to be a special concern, in line with which our Volunteer Program and Register were established. All Work Experience applicants were encouraged wherever possible to demonstrate their dedication by attendance as volunteers. Media contact and interaction with neighbours and local residents were another aspect of this programme, and this year's Open Day was a highlight of the excavation.

On the more strictly archaeological side, work on the existing artefact base now absorbs as many resources as completing the fieldwork and data collection. The international network of comparable sites and artefact data in Canada, the United States, Britain and New Zealand is increasingly relevant as catalogue stage work takes over from the inventory stage as a priority.

The Regentville Project Final Report, while primarily intended for the profession, will include provision for a component which can be published separately in a popular and more widely accessible format, and work is now under way on this project.

The Regentville Project remains a team operation, involving an ever widening circle of students and colleagues. We are indebted to the Heritage Commission for the National Estate Grant funds that have made it possible, to the Heritage Branch of the New South Wales Department of Planning who administer the Grant, and for the assistance of Rob Power, Manager of the Branch, for his support and advice, and to the University of Sydney for the Centre for Historical Archaeology. This large well-equipped work-place allows easy access to resources in an atmosphere in which ideas are freely exchanged.

Thanks are due to the joint venturers Glenmore Estate for their co-operation in providing access to the sites, and especially to Ross Sinclair and his family, residents of the primary adjacent property, for their kindness and generosity in providing support and facilities.

We thank also our colleagues in the Soil Science Department, University of Sydney for their continuing teaching and research direction on the soils at Regentville, this year with new emphasis especially in the laboratory work guided by John Corbett.

As always, our especial thanks go to our own Sydney University historical archaeology students without whose expertise and enthusiasm the project could not have achieved its outstanding success.

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3. ABOUT THIS REPORT

This is the Fifth Interim Report on the Regentville Archaeological Field Project, National Estate Grant Project Number 38, 1984/5.

It presents an account of the July 1990 field season and excavation at Regentville, together with inventory of the finds from both the 1889 and 1990 seasons. The previous Interim Reports delivered to the Department of Planning comprise the following:

Interim Report 1- Artefact Analysis 1985

Interim Report 2 -Field Program 1985

Interim Report 3- The 1987 Field & Analysis Program

Interim Report 4 - The 1989 Field Program

In accordance with the policy of the project this Report presents the results of the 1989 and 1990 briefly, with the mass of archaeological data contained in the attached Appendices. In 1990 there was no significant interruption to the excavation program, and work continued on both the data sets left incomplete from 1989 and the new areas planned for excavation in 1990. Inventory of all finds from all units excavated in both seasons has been completed, although final analysis awaits completion of excavation in all areas in July 1991.

A brief account of the excavation of July 1990 is given. The methodology followed is that outlined in Interim Report 3, and is not further described in this Report other than the inclusion of the schematic Excavation Structure chart (Interim Report 4, fig 1) prepared for the 1989 Department of Planning Workshop on urban excavations. This sets out clearly the framework followed for the post excavation work in the Regentville project.

This report has been written by Judy Birmingham in consultation with Andrew Wilson, field director. The photographs were taken by Andrew Wilson, and individual plans drawn in the field by members of the team. Barbara Fitzroy has continued to supervise the processing of all finds as well as data entry within the Regentville classificatory system originally devised by Judy Birmingham and Andrew Wilson.

The roles of the members of the project team are listed below:

Analysis Director and Project Co-ordinator ......... J. Birmingham

Field Director 1990, 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Wilson

Supervisor, Finds Analysis & Data Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Fitzroy

Finds and Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. Mider

Administrative Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I. Powell

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4. THE 1990 FIELD PROGRAM

The 1990 Regentville Field Season and Excavation took place for a three week period in May 1988 as part of the normal historical archaeological teaching program and also with strong volunteer involvement during the same period and after. While all previous field approaches were continued, the 1990 field season had a major emphasis on excavation, and set out to initiate and preferably complete excavation of two new Areas- Area 4, the Western Wing and Courtyard, and Area 5, part of the Stable Block.

The Field Investigation program begun in 1985 continued on all fronts. The Topographic Survey of the courtyard continued.

The Resistivity Transects of 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988 were continued by historical archaeology students supervised by members of the Soil Science Department. Results of these transects are in process of being co-ordinated and mapped by Soil Science personnel and overlaid on to a plan of features as excavated.

The Soil Sampling program developed over the last three years under Brian Davey's leadership was continued with Professor McBratney, Dr. Tony Koppi, John Corbett. and Chris Johnson. All these are part of the archaeological science dimension of the Regentville project which tests the Australian potential of these and similar techniques in the controlled circumstances of a historical archaeological research excavation.

The second component was the Excavation Program. Two new areas were excavated in 1990:

and

Area 4, the West Wing and north west section of the Courtyard, which was selected to pursue the questions identified in the previous Interim Report concerning the width of the verandah, the nature of the courtyard surface in this area, the nature of the junction between the main block and the two wings, the location of wash house and laundry, and the identification of the billiard room­coach-house. It was also hoped to gain further insights into the house interior if the identification with billiard room proved correct, together with whatever evidence the courtyard might prove to contain about its functions and use. See Figure 1.

Area 5, the West Stable block selected to investigate the character of the south perimeter of the courtyard in terms both of its architectural design and its functions, especially in view of the high profile given by Sir John Jamison to bloodstock and racehorses

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Figure 1 Students and volunteers excavating the western wing of Sir John Jamison's mansion at Regentville. The Area 4 excavation, viewed from the south west, includes concentrations of demolition rubble surrounding the surviving walls of the western wing. Turf and topsoil are being removed from the billiard (western) room .

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4.1 Area 4 Excavation

The location and extent of Area 4 can be seen in Figure 2. The excavation of this area yielded some of the most interesting archaeological information evidence yet discovered at Regentville which is best presented in a framework based on the life and dissolution of the mansion.

Construction

Excavation soon revealed the form of the structures in this Area, since some walls still stood to a height of nearly half a metre. Three rooms were identified, here referred to as the eastern, central and western rooms. While the presence of the western room (the presumed 'billiard room') was long suspected both from the tops of visible wall stumps and from remote sensing transects, important new details were added about the internal arrangements of this wing.

The western room was found to be a large well-proportioned rectangular room with a fireplace centrally at the south end. Access to it from the main house was through two intervening smaller rooms, the eastern and the central rooms (see plan, Figure 3). Two internal doorways were identified, between the eastern and central, and central and western rooms respectively.

The eastern room was 4.1 m x 3.0 m. Its eastern and northern walls had been totally robbed. It, like the western room, had a fireplace, also in the south wall, but not centrally placed. Its position well into the south west comer indicates that the room was not a formal entertaining room. The wall dividing it from the central room was of samel brick, with a doorway towards its northern end.

The central room was of the same size and appearance as the eastern room, its north wall also entirely robbed. All internal wall surfaces in this room, as in the other two, were plastered, as were the ceilings. Floors, which would have been of timber, were entirely missing throughout all rooms, except for evidence of a rotted joist running east-west against the southern wall of this room. A door, in line with that further east, led from the central room into the western room.

The western room had been built on a grand scale. All the excavated walls were of stone although the western half remains to be excavated. There were finely dressed massive blocks along the north face of the north wall. Large quantities of plaster fallen from walls and ceiling were found in this room, the grey-blue wall plaster being distinguishable from the pinkish ceiling plaster. Many fragments of ceiling plaster retained heavy beads, and the cornice moulding can be partially restored. Grey-white mortar used between the stones was a dominant feature of the room fill .

An interesting and unexpected feature of Area 4 was the continuation of the east wall of the western room south towards the line of the courtyard drain. A mass of rubble adjacent to it to the west may have been from the fallen chimney stack. Alternatively it may suggest some unsuspected structure here perhaps connected with the adjacent drain. It was not possible to complete the excavation of this unexpected feature satisfactorily before the dig closed, and this was a major factor in the decision to return to the site for a final season.

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Area4

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Area 5

Figure2 Schematic Plan of the Regentville mansion showing the location of excavated areas. Areas 4 and 5, excavated in 1990, are indicated by shading. Solid lines show structures revealed by excavation, open lines indicate the location of walls supported by other evidence gathered during the investigation.

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Figure3

Western Room

Central Room

Courtyard Surface

Eastern Room

Schematic Plan of the Area 4 excavation, showing the internal divisions referred to in the text. The western room is now identified as the billiard room referred to in the 1848 Sale Notice.

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The courtyard, parts of which had been investigated in previous seasons, was investigated over a large expanse. Its surface was originally red lateritic gravel which survived over much of it under the top soil towards the south and east, and under the rubble closer to the west wing structure. Nearer the buildings the surface was more characteristically smarr river pebbles, and tpe red lateritic gravel may have been washed away in that area.~

Use and Occupation

Because of the circumstances of Jamison's bankruptcy, the family withdrawal from the house, its change of use to a family hotel and its ftnal slow destruction, artefacts bearing upon the Jamison period are neither commonplace nor are they necessarily easily identified as such.

The 1990 season was distinguished by the abundance of occupational evidence found in one specific provenance, namely scattered directly onto the surface of the courtyard. These included many sherds of both Jamison's Mason's Ironstone service of the 1820s, and the 1860s green Chevy Chase transfer printed service found and discussed in previous seasons' reports, in addition to other ceramics, glass and architectural items. See Figure 4.

This set of material can convincingly be assumed to have covered the full occupation of the building from 1824 to 1869. Its distribution in a mixed scatter over a wide external area under most of the demolition rubble is better explained in relation to the destruction than to the occupation of the house. All the evidence so far recovered indicates that the household was scrupulously maintained during its primary phase of use, so that a scatter of rubbish, especially of this extent, is best explained as evidence of events after that period.

Objects from within the western wing were not numerous, other than the ftne range of wall and ceiling plaster with various coloured washes which is now being studied.

Demolition

Much of the 1990 season was occupied by the removal and study of demolition rubble both within and outside the structures. Within the structures this comprised a mix of stone, brick, mortar and plaster, with a high proportion of the latter especially towards the former floor levels. In the courtyard there was little plaster except close to walls: weathered stone and brick were more characteristic, massed where there had been chimneys and fanning out from the house walls to thin dramatically towards the courtyard drain. See Figure 5.

This situation provided a good contrast to excavation in earlier seasons further east, where one or more subsequent phases of robbing, especially of the main back wall of the house, obscured the patterning of the original collapse. The western room especially, with its walls and primary demolition debris intact, yielded massive lumps of wall and ceiling plaster, often moulded, while overlapping slabs of wall plaster fallen from the upper walls were found where they had slid to the floor.

Subsequent Use of Site

After the major demolition the stone from the north and east walls of the east and central rooms was robbed, as was the southwestern corn.er of the main house block. Probably later again, the robbing of the cap stones of the courtyard drain caused increased run off from the adjacent edges of the courtyard. In the final phase, the area was mechanically levelled. Soil was imported and a semicircular garden bed was laid out in the north eastern corner of the area.

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Figure 4 Detail of the scatter of artefacts on the courtyard surface outside the south-eastern corner of the eastern room. The scatter covered the whole of the exposed courtyard surface and included architectural items such as nails and keys as well as domestic glass and ceramics. Among the ceramics were several pieces of the Mason's Ironstone Japan pattern dinner service thought to have been imported by Sir John to furnish the mansion in the mid 1820s.

Scales: lm in lOOmm divisions

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Figure 5 Area 4, looking west, after the removal of the topsoil showing the distribution of the demolition rubble. The rubble within the structures comprised a mix of stone, brick, mortar and plaster, with a high proportion of the latter especially towards the former t1oor levels. In the courtyard there was little plaster except close to wall : weathered stone and brick were more characteristic, massed where there had been chimneys and fanning out from the house walls to thin dramatically towards the courtyard drain to the left of the picture. ·

Scales: lm in lOOmm divisions

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4.2 Area 5 Excavation

An area 10 m x 13 m was laid out in the middle of the row of olives marking the former stable block. This had been indicated in 1977 by the slit trench, which revealed a small section of a floor cobbled with large river pebbles. The area selected for excavation lay just to the west of the main north-south axis of the house and kitchen block. Surface topography suggested there were two blocks of structures along the south courtyard wall with a depression between them. The 1848 house Sale Notice also listed two blocks of stables.

Accordingly the cutting was sited both to avoid the worst of the olive roots and to include the major features of the western block.

Construction

A massive construction trench excavated on the north side was the first indication of the substantial character and exceptional quality of the structure Jamison had built to house his best horses. The construction trench was at least 1.1 m wide, and packed with a heavy stone fill to carry a stone wall of 0.5 m width which survived to floor level. The south wall had also survived to floor level.

One of the many dramatic finds in this ares was a cobbled ramp 3 m wide and of the same length, up and down which the horses were led in and out of the stable.

The stable block itself comprised a substantial clay packing between the two exterior walls forming a level platform on which the internal partitions and hard flooring of the stable were constructed. Six identifiable compartments were found during excavation, of which at least five appear to have functioned as stalls. All these had cobbled floors, of river pebbles patched here and there with soft bricks on edge, and all the stable partitions were of wood, on the evidence from the remains of decaying sleeper beams which survived. See Figure 6.

There is historical reference to the loft above the stables, probably with openings at each end for ventilation, and evidence for the material of the superstructure was found in a heap of timber slabs fallen on the east side of the horses' entry ramp.

Also found in this area were the remains of the stable door with the heavy ferrous hinges (gudgeons) still attached to the wooden frame of the door.

There would also have been openings along the south side, and possibly on the north too, although here they would have been much higher, since the feed troughs and hay racks had to have been on this side. No window glass was found, confirming comparative studies that suggest stable windows of this date are unlikely to have had glass to avoid the possibility of injury to horses.

Use and Occupation

The major confirmation that this was the stable block, apart from the stall partitions and cobbled floors, was the marked lack of other forms of artefactual evidence. Virtually no fragments of glass or tablewares were found within the stables walls or on the cobbled floors.

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Figure 6 Area 5, looking south-west, showing the surviving floor surface of the stables building. The original cobble surface is clearly visible, as are the wooden stall divisions. Evidence of the constant use of the stables is seen in the patching of the cobble surface with a variety on materials including bricks and stone flagging.

Scales: lm in lOOmm divisions

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Evidence that it was used was made clear by the constant repairs to the original cobbles which had been patched with brick and occasionally with flagstones. These areas of patching corresponded to areas of constant attrition.

Further evidence of Jamison's management style in reference to his horses is apparent in the lack of rubbish anywhere in the vicinity of the horse stalls. In contrast to the rubbish thickly spread along the south side of the kitchen verandah comprising bone refuse, glass and ceramics the whole stable area was rubbish free. This emphasises the demarcation between the central courtyard surface and the stable block, and supports the indication given by the stable ramp on the south side of the stable block that its orientation was to the south and not north into the courtyard.

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4.3 Architectural Questions Outstanding

As previously, the results of the 1990 excavation. answered some questions, and left others outstanding. Of the questions formulated in 1988, the following were answered:

Which of the pavilions housed the billiard room and which the coachhouse?

How did the main block communicate with the pavilions?

Where was the break between the two stable buildings?

How wide was the verandah?

Was there a change in courtyard surface from gravel to flagstones?

In addition, some light has been shed on the question 'Where are the wash house and laundry?' in that the eastern room, with its asymmetrically placed frreplace and position adjacent to the massive courtyard drain may well have served as a laundry.

All these require a last stage of fine-tuned investigation in the 1991 excavation to finalise answers.

New questions arose in relation to the unexpected construction south of the western room which again from its proximity to the courtyard drain may have been a toilet block. This also needs further excavation.

In relation to the western room, now positively identified as the billiard room on the evidence of its formality, its fireplace and its decorative ceiling, further detailing of doors and windows, and any additional architectural finishes are significant for more information on how Sir John presented to his guests. This room has the most potential yet for this category of information, and it is proposed at this stage to complete its excavation.

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5. POST EXCAVATION PROGRAMS

The Finds Analysis Program also continued, with the classification and sorting of all finds from the 1990 field season. This work is completed in hard copy, as shown in Volume TI of this report, but data entry has not been possible through lack of funds. This work is essential to complete the Regentville inventory database, and make it fully accessible for further analysis and comparative work.

In addition work has continued on the Catalogue phase (formerly called Stages 4-6 analysis) of selected classes of fmds from earlier seasons. This year studies were completed on table glass, and several more categories of ceramic wares, as well as more extensive and intensive analysis of faunal remains.

A major comparative study has also been completed on the design of other stables contemporary with Jamison's property, and on a number of different aspects of the historical context of this important site. These include research reports on Jamison's other properties in NSW, the growth and dissolution of the Regentville Estate, Jamison's farming and management practices, the vineyard and winery, the contemporary design of laundries and kitchens and on the last phase of occupation of the house when it had become a Family Hotel.

A review of the project, its original research design and subsequent revisions in the light of later fmdings has been undertaken, and it is questions raised by this as well as the work necessary to complete existing initiatives that are to be settled in the final 1991 field season.

Archiving of the Regentville archaeological record is fully up to date. All excavated material is now properly boxed by material and unit in archive boxes in the Centre for Historical Archaeology. All written, photographic, electronic and graphic records are also stored there in steel cabinets.

Presentation of the Regentville program has continued at various levels. Papers on the site and its results were presented at the 1989 and 1990 Australian Society for Historical Archaeology Conferences and at the Women in Archaeology Conference in 1991. The 1990 paper presented on Auckland was a major review of the project and its results to date and will be published in the conference proceedings.

Public involvement has been encouraged in several ways. First, the volunteer digging program operated very successfully at weekends throughout July and August 1990 to follow up the main digging season.

Secondly, there has been continuing student involvement in both excavation and the finds analysis program as part of the historical archaeology teaching course, involving both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Thirdly, material from Regentville will form a major part of the archaeology weekend called Archaeology Underfoot organised for the Historic Houses Trust at Elizabeth Farm in April 1991. The aim of the weekend is to involve and educate the public in the practice and results of archaeology on historic sites.

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The 1990 excavation season saw the continuation of the volunteer register, and involved both secondary school site visitation and work experience students. Open Day on 16 July saw some 200 visitors attend and participate in a splendid day in which the archaeology students acted as hosts and guides, emphasising that public interpretation is an important component of their training. See Figure 7.

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... .... ~-'

Figure 7 Some of the two hundred visitors who were shown the site during excavation on Open Day, examining artefacts in sorting trays. Visitors were shown around the site and the remains were explained and interpreted to them. In addition, they were conducted through the whole process of the excavation, from historical research to presentation of results, which included the scale model reconstruction of the house. The archaeology students acted as hosts and guides, emphasising that public interpretation is an important part of their training.

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