ROYAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER

ROYAL ARCHAEOLOG IC ALINST I TUTE NEWSLETTERNo. 5 2 AUGUST 2 016

In this issue Our President • Grants and Awards • Dates for your Diary • RAI Annual Conference 2016 • Meetings Notes • Lecture Programme • Miscellany

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EDITORIAL Katherine Barclay

Since the referendum, there have been many statements by representative bodies, anddiscussions among people who share our interests, about the potential impact of Brexit onarchaeological fieldwork, research and scholarship. Much depends on uncertain legal out -comes, because so many policies relevant to our spheres of activity depend on EU legislation,treaties and conventions that the UK has signed and ratified. Here are some links:

RESCUE affirm that they ‘will continue to hold the Government to account in matters ofheritage protection, and will work to ensure that [Brexit] isn’t a covert opportunity to dissolveor downgrade the hard-earned positive maintenance and enhancement principles that existto protect our precious heritage resources’: rescue-archaeology.org.uk/2016/06/29/brexit/

At the end of the special edition of Salon, the Antiquaries’ newsletter, are links to state mentsby the Archaeology Forum and the Heritage Alliance. us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5557bc147d34993782f185bde&id=c23c32dfe1

e Queen’s Speech (18 May) announced Government proposals in the NeighbourhoodPlanning and Infrastructure Bill to ‘ensure that pre-commencement planning conditions areonly imposed by local planning authorities where they are absolutely necessary’. Although notnamed, archaeologists felt they were being made scapegoats. RESCUE rejected ‘the idea thatpre-commencement archaeological conditions are a major cause of delay in housing develop -ments. … Conditions are only applied when regarded as necessary by the professionalarchaeologist advising the local planning authority. One English county estimates that lessthan 1% of applications are subject to an archaeological condition. e suggestion that thismay be a misuse of planning conditions is immensely damaging and could move us rapidlyback to the days when developers regarded archaeology as an unquantifiable risk that shouldbe destroyed before anyone noticed it.’. Richard Hebditch (National Trust) said ‘Concernsabout wildlife, archaeology, landscape and impact on communities will always have to beconsidered … that is what we have a planning system for. e best place to do this is as partof a planning application, rather than through using conditions. Government should be clearthat if developers cannot address concerns about impacts on nature, heritage and green spaces,councils will be able to refuse applications. We’re worried that planning is becoming a servicefor developers rather than a balanced, independent process.’

Within days, an online petition to the Government to ‘Stop Destruction of BritishArchaeology, Neighbourhood and Infra structure Bill’ had been started; it soon gained the10,000 signatures required for the govern ment to respond. Until 19 November you can signat petition.parliament.uk/petitions/130783 and read the full response, which, notably, includesthis re-statement from the National Planning Policy Framework, requiring developers ‘torecord and advance understanding of the significance of any heritage assets to be lost (whollyor in part) in a manner proportionate to their importance and the impact, and to make thisevidence (and any archive generated) publicly accessible.’

Meanwhile, Duncan Wilson (Historic England) said there weren’t enough archaeologiststo meet demand. Over 40 major infrastructure projects are planned before 2033, at a cost of£465 billion; most are to be completed within five years. eir survey puts the under-provisionfor fieldwork near 70% and for analysis (surely an essential consequence of fieldwork) at 56%.More archaeology field schools, apprenticeships and vocational training opportunities areneeded.

Hook, Bob, 2016, National Infrastructure Development and Historic Environment Skills and Capacity2015–33: An Assessment, Historic England

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OUR PRESIDENT

Professor Timothy Champion, who was elected President of the Institute at the 2015 AGM, isEmeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton. He is a specialist in thelater prehistory of Europe, with a particular focus on the Iron Age of Britain and Ireland. Hepreviously taught at the National University of Ireland, Galway where he gained a wideknowledge of Irish archaeology of all periods. Tim has also held Visiting Professorships at theUniversities of Michigan and Zimbabwe.

Tim is a former editor of the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society and served as Vice-President and then President of the Prehistoric Society. He has also been a member of variouscommittees for English Heritage (now Historic England), including its main AdvisoryCommittee.

He is author, co-author or editor of numerous books and academic papers, mostly on laterprehistoric Britain, especially Kent. ese include a section on Prehistoric Kent in eArchaeology of Kent, (ed. Williams), and as a co-author of On Track, the final publication ofthe archaeology of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now HS1). His other research interestsinclude the history and social context of archaeology, and he has written on the history ofancient monuments legislation in Britain and the relationship of archaeology to nationalistand imperialist ideologies.

Tim has kindly agreed to be interviewed by Angela Wardle for the Newsletter.What drew you to Archaeology and in particular to the study of the Iron Age?At school, in the 1960s, I heard an inspiring talk on the archaeological excavations atWinchester. is sparked my interest in the subject and I started digging there in the holidays.At the time I thought of archaeology as an interesting hobby, with no idea that it could be acareer. I read classics at the University of Oxford and started to think about archaeology inmy final year, staying on to do a post-graduate qualification and eventually a doctorate on theIron Age of South East England, with an emphasis on Kent. As a student of Roman Britain Ibecame fascinated by the problems of interpreting the relatively neglected Iron Age and thechallenge of working out what went on before the Romans.What are your primary research interests?My major research interest is in the archaeology of the later Bronze Age from about 1500 BCuntil the Late Iron Age, roughly the final 1500 years of prehistory in Britain.

I also have an interest in the history and social context of archaeological thought, howcontemporary events have influenced archaeological interpretation, particularly earlierconcepts of the Iron Age. Some of my earlier work was on the historical fascination withEgyptian civilisation and how this influenced interpretations of British prehistory. e studyof how the perception of historical events or periods can penetrate popular culture leads tosome fascinating byways in archaeology.What developments have you seen in archaeology during your time at Southampton and whatare your hopes for the future?My university career has afforded the opportunity of working with other areas of the archaeo -logical profession, from English Heritage’s committees to commercial companies, thusbridging the gap between the university and commercial sectors. Since 1990 there has been amassive growth of professional archaeological organisations outside university and govern -ment organisations, resulting in the recovery of a vast quantity of high quality information,

Our President, Tim Champion, inside a conjectural reconstruction of a hut at Stonehenge (CvP)

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which has the potential to transform our interpretation of many aspects of British prehistory.ere are now great opportunities for collaborative research, led by the academic sector, toexploit this material, which requires analysis and synthesis, in order to rewrite the story ofprehistoric Britain. How do you hope to see the Institute develop over the next years?I have a great interest in the history of the Institute. Although its origins are well known, littlehas been written on the later years of the nineteenth century and how the Institute changedover time as the archaeological profession developed. is is well illustrated by looking at thechanging role of the President, and indeed the identities of presidents, through time.

For the future, the Archaeological Journal has now been brought into the modern era and itis essential that we continue to promote this, inviting a wide range of authors and a variety ofpapers to make this the journal of first choice for British and Irish archaeology. e publishingworld will continue to change and we will change with it.

We should try to expand our membership, and should continue to make efforts to encourageyounger members. Conferences and meetings held in collaboration with other national orlocal groups would publicise our activities to a wider audience and might well attract newmembers.

Lastly, we should continue to manage our finances effectively, with rigorous housekeepingand cost-effective administration, to ensure that members receive good value for their sub -scrip tions and to enable us to maximise our charitable activities through the Research Fund. Booth, P., Champion, T., Foreman, S., Garwood, P., Glass, H., Munby, J., Reynolds, A. 2011, On track:the archaeology of High Speed 1 Section 1 in Kent. Oxford: Oxford Wessex Archaeology.

Champion, T. C. 2007, ‘Prehistoric Kent’, in J. H. Williams (ed.) e Archaeology of Kent to AD 800, 67–132. Woodbridge: Boydell.

British Archaeological Awards2016is year’s awards were announced by JulianRichards and Bettany Hughes at the BritishMuseum on July 9, once again as the opening

event of the CBA’s Festival of British Archaeology.Some videos about entrants’ projects can be seenat http://www.archaeologicalawards.com/2016-winners

Awards were made for:

GRANTS AND AWARDS

Best Archaeological Project: Westgate Oxford, Oxford Archaeology SouthCommunity Engagement: ‘Battles, Bricks and Bridges’, Cleenish Community Association and KillesherCommunity Development AssociationArchaeological Book: Welsh Slate: Archaeology and History of an Industry by David Gwyn. RoyalCommission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of WalesPublic Presentation: Under London, National GeographicInnovation: Postglacial Project: A unique engraved shale pendant from the site of Star Carr, InternetArchaeology 40, University of York and for a discovery which advances understanding and stimulates public imagination of the past: MustFarm Project. e award for Outstanding Achievement went to Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe. e next awards will be made in 2018.

ROYAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTERESEARCH GRANTSe Institute awards the following grants annually:

Tony Clark Fund Up to £500 for archaeological work and dating

Bunnell Lewis Fund Up to £750 towards archaeology of the Roman period in the UK

RAI Award Up to £5000 towards archaeological work in the UK

Please write to the Administrator, RAI, c/o Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House,London, w1j 0be for an application form or visit our website, www.royalarchinst.org

Closing date for applications : 11 December 2016. Awards announced in April 2017.

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RAI Dissertation Prizese RAI awards prizes for dissertations on asubject concerned with the archaeology or archi -tectural history of Britain, Ireland and adjacentareas of Europe. In odd-numbered years, thecompetition is for the best dissertation submittedby a Master’s student. In even-numbered years, theTony Baggs Award is given to the best dissertationsubmitted by an undergraduate in full-timeeducation. Nominations are made by University

and College Departments. e winner will receive£500 and the opportunity for a paper based on thedissertation to be published in the ArchaeologicalJournal. e chief criteria considered are (a)quality of work and (b) appropriateness to theinterests of the RAI as reflected in the journal.

RAI Cheney BursariesAs a result of a bequest le by Frank Cheney, theInstitute has a small fund of money to enablestudents to attend conferences or RAI meetings.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

2016Autumn Day Meeting 1 October, Knole Houseand Park, led by Nathalie Cohen (details in thismailing)Annual Conference 2016 ‘e Neolithic of North -ern England’, 21–23 October, to be held at Carlisle(see below, and details in this mailing)Forthcoming in 2017Please check our website for news and early details,at www.royalarchinst.org/eventsSpring Meeting ursday 11 – Sunday 14 May atWhitby, led by Pete Wilson, Steven Sherlock,Blaise Vyner and Julian Litten (details to beconfirmed)Summer Meeting 1–8 July to Cork and environs,led by Hedley Swain (details to be confirmed)

As soon as they are confirmed, full details and booking forms for Meetings will be madeavailable on the Meetings Programme webpagehttp://www.royalarchinst.org/meetings. Places arelimited, so please book promptly. If you would likefurther details of any of these meetings sent to you,please send your e-mail or postal details to theAdministrator, RAI, c/o Society of Antiquaries ofLondon, Burlington House, London, 1 0 [email protected] or to Caroline Raison,RAI Assistant Meetings Secretary, e Firs, 2 MainStreet, Houghton on the Hill, Leics. 7 9, [email protected].

ROYAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE ANNUALCONFERENCE 2016

is conference has been organised by the Insti -tute, in association with the Prehistoric Society andthe Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarianand Archaeology Society. e open ing keynotelecture, ‘Axes and Images’, will be given byProfessor Richard Bradley. e pro gramme

includes lectures by leading professionals in thefield as well as short presentations by postgraduatestudents and early-career archae ologists. N.b. isis a non-residential conference (details in thismailing).

The Neolithic of Northern England 21–23 October, Tullie House Museum, Carlisle

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An allocation is available annually from whichindividuals can apply for a maximum sum of £200.Please check with the Administrator that moneyremains in the yearly fund before you apply.Students who wish to apply for a bursary shoulde-mail [email protected] or write to theAdministrator, RAI, c/o Society of Antiquaries,Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, 1 0,at least six weeks before the event they wish toattend, stating: the institution in which they study,

the event they wish to attend, the sum of moneyrequested, a breakdown of how the money wouldbe spent and a summary (up to 250 words) of whythey would like to attend the event and in whatway this would be useful to them. Successfulapplicants may be asked to produce a brief reportof the event for the Institute. In 2015, two studentsreceived sums to support their attendance at theAnnual Conference.

MEETINGS NOTES

Spring Meeting to South Glamorgan, 13–15 May 2016ALISON RUSSELL

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One of the many reasons I enjoy RAI meetings somuch is the opportunity to be delighted, aston -ished, informed or challenged by visits to sites andareas that are quite new to me. e Vale of Glam -organ was such a place, and we saw the Vale insunshine, in full leaf and with lots of blossom.

We met on Friday aernoon at Newport station,and the coach drove us forty minutes north, withJeremy Knight our guide. Blaenavon is an out -standing and remarkably complete example of anineteenth-century industrial landscape, of about7 square miles, with blast furnaces, coal and oremines, quarries, railways and the houses ofworkers, from a time when South Wales was theworld’s largest producer of coal and iron. Our visitbegan in the Blaenavon World Heritage Centre,based in two former industrial schools. en justdown the hill to St Peter’s Church, 1805, where weheard more about the connection with the westMidlands and the stories of the men involved insetting up the Iron works, home of the ‘Basic’Bessemer steel-making process. e church hasiron columns and an elegant iron font with abaluster stem.

Outside, in the churchyard which swept aroundfrom south to west, wild and totally unkempt, fullof graves and mature trees, we saw a number ofcast iron grave-covers made in the works in theWest Midlands tradition. We went then to theIronworks proper, and we walked all over the site,exploring the blast furnaces, the casting houses, thecalcining kilns and the impressive water balancetower, used to li finished products up to therailways and off to canals and further afield.

e workers’ cottages in Stack Square, only amatter of yards from the roar and turmoil of theprocesses, had featured in the TV programme‘Coal House’. An evocative Son et Lumière put onin one of the furnaces gave us an inkling of thenoise of the dreadful working conditions. is is aUNESCO World Heritage Site, and yet, surpris -ingly, we were almost the only people visiting atthe time.

Saturday began at Llantwit Major, walkingthrough the lovely town to reach the biggest parish

church in Glamorgan, St Illtud’s, where a largegroup of friendly, informed and be-ribboned localchurch volunteers were ready to greet us and makeus welcome, and give us a brief introduction. SianRees was our guide in this remarkable site. Inabout 500 AD, St Illtud founded what is thought tobe the oldest seat of learning in Britain, withperhaps 1000 pupils at the monastic school. Fromhere missionaries travelled throughout the Celticworld spreading Christianity. Constructed in theeleventh century, the current building wasdescribed by John Wesley as ‘the most beautifulchurch in Wales’. ere is a thirteenth-centuryJesse niche, a great treasure.

In the West Church, the Galilee Chapel, a ruinfor 400 years, was recently reconstructed withsupport from the Heritage Lottery Fund to form avisitor centre, which explores the origins of CelticChristianity and houses the most important collec -tion of Celtic crosses in the UK. A very successfulrebuild, the sense of ‘ruin’ is retained and muchnatural light afforded the stones.

We drove north-west to Ewenny Priory, themost complete and impressive Norman church inSouth Wales, and one of the finest examples of afortified church building in Europe. It was com -pleted in 1126; in 1141 it became a Priory of theBenedictine Abbey of St Peter, Gloucester. Now, amodern glazed screen divides the church, with thenave in use as the Parish church, while the easternor monastic end contains the tombs of the deLondres family, and a medieval altar. is remark -able and sophisticated building caught Turner’seye: a copy of his watercolour of the vast churchinterior is on the wall. We walked through thestable yard to the front of the House, on the southside of the church, to the sound of screamingpeacocks, and statues of griffins on the steps to thedrawing room as we gazed onto the Deer Park.

Next to Ogmore Castle, a twelh-century ruinon the banks of the River Ewenny. We wereencouraged to think on the theme of Decorations,and this was not hard, as there were lots ofwallflowers in exuberant yellow in the walls of the tower. And sheep in the meadow, thatched

Ewenny Priory: the twelfth- to thirteenth-century North gatehouse (RA)

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cottages, and at the ford across the river, visitorsof all ages dancing on the stepping stones. Andsunshine. en we had lunch in the upstairs diningroom at e Bryn Owain pub, which overlooks thesite of the Battle of Stalling Down (1403).

On to Llancarfan, and the Norman church of St Cadoc, built aer 1090, with magnificent wallpaintings from before 1450. Ann Ballantyne setsthe scene; ‘By the nineteenth century the churchhad become so dilapidated that a public appeal forfunds was made by the vicar. e restoration of1877–8 included the removal of ‘watercolour wash’from the internal walls, which were ‘found to bestencilled with stars’. In 1890 the tower and bellswere restored. In 1907 further restoration wasneeded to weatherproof the building. Towards theend of the twentieth century, a proposal to removethe roof and let the church become a romanticruin, spurred members of the parish into raising

funds to have the roof repaired. During work tointernal timbers in 2007, traces of colour wereobserved below the wall-plate in the south aisle,which led to the recent discovery of wall paintings.’

Jane Rutherford, conservator, who had spokento the RAI in March 2014, showed us the latestdiscoveries in the ‘Corporeal Works of Mercy’ andthe ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ on the south-west walls ofthe church. is was the last area to be painted,others having better light. Well, what exuberance!What colour! What speed of execution! Whatfashion detail! e huge figure of St George, on awhite steed, against a wall ‘stencilled with stars’,literally bursts out of the space available, with thehorse’s tail being painted right into the angles ofthe door frame.

We arrived at the atmospheric Castel Coch viaa slow winding climb in the bus from the tree-linedvillage at the bottom of the hill, with lots of wild

Caerwent: looking south-west across the late Roman temple (RA)

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garlic all around. Earl Gilbert de Clare built theoriginal in the thirteenth century; now, the castleis a Late Victorian Fantasy, with High Gothicinsertions, built as a summer retreat by the irdMarquess of Bute and his architect WilliamBurges. Amazing, and so gloriously over the top.

e end of the aernoon saw us striding outacross the fields, as the RAI do so well, (some ofour party taking the opportunity to use the kissinggates in the appropriate manner) to explore twoNeolithic long cairns. Tinkinswood, a chamberedburial tomb from about 4000 BC, has the largestcapstone in Britain, at 7.4 m by 4.5 m, and a weightof around 40 tons. It is estimated that 200 peoplewould have been required to move it. e secondtomb, St Lythans, stands alone in the middle of anotherwise empty field, and legend has it that onMidsummer’s Eve the stones can go bathing in theriver.

On Saturday night our hotel, on Barry Island,was very busy and we had to wait our turn forsupper. Caroline’s generous and assiduous hand -ling of the wine situation meant that few felt anypain in the waiting. On Sunday morning we werestill able to enjoy a brief tour of the Old and NewHarbour, beach huts and pagodas, and a glimpseof the 1920s Leaping Horse design on the panels ofthe Barry Island Pleasure Park, before being sweptoff for our Roman Day. Mark Lewis, Senior Cura -tor, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon,was our guide for the morning.

First, to Caerwent, the Roman Town, 7 mileseast of Newport. is was once the largest centre

of civilian population in Roman Wales, but now isa quiet village bypassed by the A48. We walkedaround the Forum-Basilica, and the Romano-Celtic temple, and along Pound Lane to see theexcavated shops and courtyard house. en wewalked down to, and along, the southern defensivewall; in places, this is still intact to a height of 5 metres.

en on to our last stop, Caerleon, close to theRiver Usk. is Roman Fortress and Baths, in anenclosed, defended area of about 50 acres, was theheadquarters of the Second Augustan Legion, andcan lay just claim to being one of the largest andmost important Roman military sites in Europe.We parked the coach beside the Amphitheatre,and (most of us) walked directly to the FortressBaths, where now the remains of the swimmingpool (formerly outdoors) and part of the cold bathsuite reside beneath a modern protective cover.Here, we enjoyed the lighting effects and sound -track of water and of swimmers, which remindedme of La Piscine, near Lille (visited by the RAI in2008). In 1979 excavation of the Fortress drainsrevealed 88 engraved gemstones of the first to earlythird centuries. But in exploring here, sadly we hadno time for the Museum, or the Barracks, or theAmphitheatre, before leaving for Newport andhome.

What riches were packed into this short week -end visit. Our grateful thanks go, as ever, toCaroline Raison, to our leaders Sian Rees and AnnBallantyne, and to all those who worked to makethis another memorable Meeting.

162nd Summer Meeting 3–10 July 2016: Wiltshire R. ARNOPP, K . BARCLAY, M. EFSTATHIOU, L . PARTRIDGE, A. SCOTT,

K . STUBBS, I . THOMPSON, R . TULLOCH, P. WILSON

The former Deanery in Salisbury Close (ME)

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SundayIn Salisbury, most of us stayed at Sarum College ine Close. e front and oldest part, built in 1677,is attributed to Sir Christopher Wren; it facesdirectly down Bishop’s Walk to the Bishop’sPalace, now the Cathedral School. In 1860 itbecame a theological college, which now runstraining courses for ministry and houses the RoyalSchool of Church Music’s administration.

Our first walk was led by Tim Tatton-Brownwho described the building of the cathedral fromthe late twelh century and summarised recentunpublished dendrochrological research includingan ‘earliest felling date’ of 1222. Aer a brief lookat other parts of the Close, David Hinton led us outof the fortified North Gate, along High Street andinto the town. We visualised open channels forwater management; traces remain, especially in thelie of the land. A tall tale was told of John Halle (d. 1479), alderman, constable, mayor, member ofparliament, who quarreled with the bishop and

was imprisoned for a while in London. ough thecorporation was ordered to elect a new mayor,they refused. e hall of a house Halle built stillremains, restored by Pugin in 1834. Now it formsthe entrance to the cinema, whose auditoriumGaumont ‘sensitively’ designed with a Tudortheme. Before dinner, John Hare gave us an illus -trated introduction to Wiltshire’s history, geo -graphy, and economy.

MondayFirst to Old Sarum. David Hinton had hoped thatbefore our visit geophysical survey would havetested Langlands’s theory that the late Saxonborough lay on its south-western slopes. Butweather having frustrated the survey, we concen -trated on the Norman Castle with its royal andepiscopal residences, and from the ramparts,discussed the cathedral and its precinct withBishop Jocelin’s palace — a lively discussion, TimTatton-Brown being unafraid of controversy.

New King Barrows (ME)

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Old Sarum overlooks converging routes andvalleys and the sites of Clarendon Palace, hillfortsat the nodes of linear earthwork systems, and thetwentieth-century Boscombe Down and OldSarum Airfields and Porton Down. We drove toAmesbury past some of these landmarks andwalked through its park to Amesbury Abbey, agrand Palladian replacement, started in 1834, of anearlier Palladian mansion on the site of a Font -evraltine priory. Now an up-market care home, ithospitably plied us with coffee near a fine displayof flints from nearby Mesolithic Blick Mead, withsome, from the Avon, dyed bright pink byHildebrandia rivularis algae.

Tim led us outside where he believed, byanalogy with chantries at Salisbury Cathedral, wasthe site of the lost tomb of Eleanor of Provence,Queen of Henry III. ence through the (largelyBridgeman) gardens to the handsome bridge overthe Avon. We dragged ourselves away from PoohSticks to seek a view of the ‘Vespasian’s Camp’Iron Age hillfort. Frustrated by fence and boskage,we returned via Amesbury’s parish church (some -times confusingly called Amesbury Abbey), of St Mary and St Melor, with Romanesque traces,early Purbeck marble font, a very early clock andtwo late Saxon cross heads.

Next, Tim Darvill graphically talked us throughenigmatic Durrington Walls, for which it is hardto get a feel without walking the whole site. Butwhy an occupation site should be surrounded by asubstantial earth bank on its abandonment isincomprehensible without access to the beliefsystems of those who did it. At nearby Wood -henge, the concrete markers in the six rings of

post-holes are colour coded to assist interpreta -tion. Whether the posts were roof supports or free-standing totem poles is still unclear. e isolatedsarsen, Cuckoo Stone, seems to be where it wasfound by our ancestors. Clearly at various periodsthey invested it with cult significance.

e track of a dismantled artillery-supplyrailway took us to a view down the StonehengeCursus. Again, it was not immediately evidentfrom eye level. Five and a half thousand years oferosion and the plough had pretty well levelled it.is crest of one of the undulations of SalisburyPlain, like others overlooking Stonehenge, waslined with tumuli. Having passed several variantsof the round barrow, we stood on a long barrow,much reduced by ploughing. ere were moretumuli along the ridge but the row called NewKing Barrows, protected by being in a wood, mostnearly approached their original condition.

e Stonehenge Avenue — again undetectableat ground level — took us into low ground, thenturned onto the solstitial axis, gradually bringingthe stones into view. Outside the fence but withoutthe distraction of the now-diverted road, weviewed the familiar stones before taking the shuttlebus to the Visitor Centre and its museum. erewe rejoined those who had separated aer Wood -henge to see Larkhill First World War monumentsand another part of the Cursus. Tim Darvill’sexcellent summary had brought us up to date withthe current thinking on Stonehenge and its enig -matic landscape setting but, for me, no amount ofspeculation satisfactorily elucidates what was inthe minds of those who invested gargantuan effortsin their construction.

Susan Greaney described the development ofthe Visitor Centre and the man age ment of visitorsto the Stones. e replica huts had been built,using ‘Neolithic techniques’, by volunteers (includ -ing Richard Haes, one of our number).

at evening, Tim Tatton-Brown expatiated onthe system of artificial flooding to encourage earlygrowth of grass in Harnham water meadows. Wewalked to the handsome Tudor Old Mill Hotel atHarnham, built, according to Tim, as one ofEngland’s first paper mills. Whatever it had beenbuilt for, we used it to refresh ourselves.

TuesdayAt Salisbury Museum, David Hinton described thebuilding and we passed through the fine fieenth-century porch. Director Adrian Green talkedbriefly on his museum’s history; it was founded inthe 1860s. An extended medieval building was notideal. A joint bid had been made to HLF withDevizes Museum and English Heritage (for Stone -henge), for funds to reinterpret displays of Wilt -shire’s archaeology. e Wessex Gallery, showingthe archaeology of South Wiltshire, opened in2014; it begins with Old Sarum and covers 500,000years. Wall displays explain the history of thearchae ology, while central displays focus on inter -pretation. We moved from Old Sarum to theAmesbury Archer, one of the highlights. erichest Beaker burial yet, with five beakers wherethere is usually one, it contains the earliest goldobjects found in Britain. Adrian thought themprobably hair braids, rather than gold earrings asusually identified. Despite his flint arrowheads andstone wrist guards, he was unlikely to have been anarcher, as his skeleton shows no sign of archerystresses. He was probably a travelling metalworker; isotope analysis suggests from near theAlps, and they are trying to extract his DNA forfurther insights.

Our next stop was through a fire door at theback of the museum! Tim Tatton-Brown intro -duced us to the medieval hall, built for MasterRobert of Wykehampton, Dean in 1258. He le itto the Cathedral as the Deanery, which it remaineduntil 1922. To have been demolished in 1959, it was‘saved’ by the Royal Commission and restored,with reconstruction of the front, the gables on theback, and unblocking of the fieenth-centurywindows. e largely original cruck-beam roof

dates from the thirteenth century. Although thescreens passage has now disappeared, doors tobuttery and pantry remain. John Waddington,who runs the Hall as a concert venue, bought ittwenty years ago. It is proving difficult to sell, andit may have to be turned back into a house.

en off to Clarendon Palace and its huntingpark. Mary South was to guide us in a crocodilethrough waist-high barley, then up a steep uneventrack and through woods. Mary warned us aboutthe llamas which are harmless, but inquisitive; theykeep the weeds down.

Mandy Richardson described the remains: theextensive twelh- to thirteenth-century Palacewould have been impressive from the road toWinchester. e Great Hall was built by Henry IIand enlarged by Henry III. A once fine stonethreshold led down to Henry II’s wine cellar, LaRoche, the only surviving example from this datein the UK. e Deer park remained in royal handsuntil c. 1600 and is probably the best preservedmedieval example in Europe. It is the only majormedieval English palace to remain in its originallandscape setting

Tancred Borenius excavated in the 1930s; thereis a fragment of the railway line for moving theirspoil. In the 1980s the site was further investigated

The remains of Clarendon’s wine cellar (AW)

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by T. B. James and consolidated. A memorialplaque to the Constitution of Clarendon, whereHenry II and Becket clashed, was put up in thenineteenth century linking it with the Reforma tion!

On to Downton, a new town laid out for theBishop of Winchester as a rival to Salisbury. elong village street was the site for a market place asbig as Salisbury’s, however it was unsuccessful. Westopped at Downton Moot, founded around atwelh-century motte, possibly by Bishop Robertof Blois. In the seventeenth century it became agarden feature for Downton House. e gardenwas bought and restored by the Moot Trust in the1980s. e Motte was invisible in the trees, as wewalked down a steep path through the garden tothe lake. Opposite was grass seating, mistakenly setout on the supposed site of an Anglo-Saxon moot,hence the name. Examination of the seventeenth-or eighteenth-century knucklebone pavement,under the stage, established that they were pebbles,named for the pattern.

John Hare introduced St Laurence’s Churchwhich William of Wykeham had given to Win -chester College. Of Anglo-Saxon origin, it ismainly fourteenth century.

Evident throughout the day was the importanceof volunteers and societies such as the Friends ofClarendon and the Downton Moot Trust, to themaintenance of our heritage.

WednesdayInside the StonesPresident Obama is the only recent visitor invitedinside the Stonehenge circles during openinghours. Out of hours English Heritage allows occa -sional access, and four of us were barmy enoughto take up this worthwhile extra, leaving Salisburybefore breakfast. Briefly held in deference to a crewfilming a documentary, we were given a specialpermit to drive along the closed A344; seeing theold speed-derestricted sign, for fun our driverzoomed to the monument. ere, a smilingGurkha ex-soldier (security) read extracts from a‘little red book’ of rules, mostly predictable thoughthey didn’t include keeping on our clothes. And inbeautiful, clear weather we were set free to roam.On Monday’s walk there, I had realised that whatfrom afar seemed to be a hedge was a constantstream of people on the path outside the monu -ment. It was intriguing to look at the wider

landscape from within the circles. We enjoyed thepeace, with no other visitors and little passingtraffic, and of course being among and exploringdetails of the stones; eighteenth- and nineteenth-century graffiti were far easier to spot than BronzeAge carvings. We were impressed with effects ofthe changing light. We even made it back in timefor breakfast. And as for the mystical, one of uscoined the phrase from Vegas, ‘What happens inStonehenge, stays in Stonehenge’.

Vale of Pewsey and Savernake

For those of us who didn’t get up early to enjoy‘privileged’ access at Stonehenge, the day startedwith a visit to Ludgersall Castle with John Hare asour guide. Despite John’s erudition the site issome what difficult to understand on several levels,in part because over half of the site is inaccessiblelying within a farmyard and the grounds of amodern house. A more intriguing challenge is thesite’s low-lying ‘non-defensive’ location. It hasbeen proposed that the larger southern element ofthe ‘8-shaped’ earthworks may have originated asan earlier, presumably Iron Age, ‘hillfort’, althoughthis suggestion is not borne out by any features orfinds from the extensive 1964–72 excavations byPeter Addyman. ough the site functioned as acastle during the ‘Anarchy’ of the mid-twelhcentury, John was persuasive in arguing that itrepresented, in essence, a high-status residencethat reached its zenith under Henry III when itwas, despite the impressive earthworks, more aroyal residence and centre for the enjoyment of thetwo hunting parks associated with the ‘castle’.

roughout the day we benefitted from DavidHinton’s intimate knowledge of the area, itsarchaeology and history, as we travelled through alandscape populated with sites ranging fromCissbury and Chisbury hillforts, and the kilns ofthe Savernake Roman pottery industry, to Croonwhere a steam-driven engine still operates ‘inanger’, pumping water into the Kennet and Avoncanal to maintain its level. e access to Chisburyproved ‘a lane too narrow’, despite the skill andconfidence of Jamie our driver, and our proposedvisit to the hillfort, Alfredian burg and thirteenth-century chapel had to be abandoned. Equallyfrustrating, but this time expected, was the invisi -bility of Roman Cunetio (Mildenhall), which bythe later Roman period was heavily fortified and

may have been a base for the late Roman field army(comitatenses), but today is invisible from groundor coach level.

Aer a lunchtime at liberty in Marlborough wedrove east along the Kennet Valley to Ramsbury.John Hare was our guide to Holy Cross church andthe wonderful collection of Anglo-Saxon cross-shas reflecting Ramsbury’s onetime importanceas the site of a cathedral from 909–1058. e pres -ence of part of a Ringerike-style grave slab demon -strated the extent of Anglo-Scandinavian influencein the late tenth and early eleventh centuries.

From Ramsbury we went to Littlecote where wewere shown around the visible remains of the well-known Roman villa by the excavator Bryn Walters.While the publication of the excavations is still tobe achieved, progress is being made with the post-excavation programme and Bryn was able to giveus an insightful and fascinating account of theexcavations that he led from 1978–91. He coverednot only the core of the villa complex and thefamous Orpheus mosaic, but also was able tosummarise the important later deposits associatedwith the deserted medieval village and post-medieval hunting lodge that overlay the Romansite. Time prevented any detailed discussion of the

more contentious aspects of the interpretationoffered for later Roman phases of the site as partof a ‘Bacchic-collegium’. Despite that, Bryn wasable to demonstrate the visible evidence for thearchitectural embellishment that occurred throughthe fourth century, such as the insertion of a twin-towered gatehouse and, around AD 360, of thetriconch (three-lobed) chamber containing theOrpheus mosaic. e site tour was followed by amost welcome opportunity for tea and cake in thepublic rooms of what is now Littlecote HouseHotel, where we were also able to explore thoserooms of the fine Jacobean mansion that are opento the public.ThursdayAnother day of contrasts, ‘on the move’ betweenSalisbury and Marlborough and from the Neolithicto the eighteenth century. It brought us to the Valeof Pewsey, and this season’s excavations by theUniversity of Reading at Marden henge. Despitethe enormous Hatfield Barrow surviving here untilthe early nineteenth century, within the largesthenge in the country, Marden’s relevance to thegreat monuments on the chalk downs is only nowbeing explored. e Avon has a similar relation -ship to Marden as to Durrington Walls, but beingon fertile greensand, this land between Aveburyand Stonehenge has always been ploughed andupstanding earthworks are few. e sequence hereis still uncertain but it may be that as at Durringtonthe henge itself came last. An inner henge exploredby William Cunnington is being reinvestigated.e most informative area has been the site’ssouth-east entrance, where Grooved Ware potteryhas been found in postholes and pits. One pityielded tools of fine translucent flint which mayhave come from Grimes Graves. Interestingly,periglacial stripes here produce the same bizarreeffect in vegetation as they do at Grimes Graves.Neolithic chalk floors have been found here andbeneath the bank of the inner henge, and analysisof samples may yield information on their func -tion. Martin Bell is also systematically auguringalong the riverbank. Finds last year included themissing long tail of the distinctly non-functionalarrowhead found in 2010. is year was not beingso productive, but our visit was auspicious: abarbed and tanged arrowhead was found while wewere there.

Ninth- or tenth-century coped grave cover,Ramsbury (CvP)

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Marden Henge: Jim Leary explaining the south-east entrance (CvP)

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Stopping in Devizes (with its curious town plan)for lunch, we then walked past St John’s churchwith its twelh-century tower, to the WiltshireMuseum. David Hinton thinks St John’s mustalways have been a parish church like St Mary’s,not a chapel attached to the castle. e Devizesmuseum is the third member of the fundingpartnership with Salisbury Museum and theStonehenge Visitor Centre, and its new archae -ology gallery is designed to complement that atSalisbury, presenting material from the periodwhen Stonehenge was in use. e best and largestBronze Age collection in the country, much of it isfrom William Cunnington’s excavations, andincludes objects of gold, amber, shale, and bronzefrom the long period of barrow burial; and theregalia of the Upton Lovell ‘shaman’, festoonedwith animal tusks and Neolithic axeheads (already1,500 years old when he wore them) which musthave clanked when he walked.

A detour to a picnic spot between Devizes andCalne allowed a pleasant walk along a hollow wayon the course of the Roman road to Bath, with fine

views to the north. At Morgan’s Hill NatureReserve (thick with pyramid orchids) the roadpasses the western end of East Wansdyke, wellpreserved on the hillside.

We then travelled north-east to BeckhamptonCross, meeting the same Roman road as it passesSilbury Hill, and into Marlborough for three nightsat Marlborough College. In the middle of theschool buildings is Marlborough Castle, the mottewhich coring has shown to be Neolithic in originand contemporary with Silbury Hill. Silbury islarger, but Marlborough appears bigger as it is soout of scale with its surroundings, looming vastlythrough the dining-hall windows. We were givenspecial permission to climb it, at our own risk —who could resist? In the early eighteenth centuryit became a gigantic prospect mound withinformal gardens, with a shell grotto at the base, anda spiral path up to a pavilion on the top; only thepavilion has gone.

Fridaye attractive town of Bradford-on-Avon isfocused on its river. A compact sequence of

houses, of local honey coloured limestone, climbthe steep hill above the river and invite explora -tion. Our visit started at Barton Farm, a well-preserved survival of a monastic grange ofShaesbury Abbey, close to the river and one ofthe town’s two bridges. It was a good introductionto the history of the town and the main sources ofits prosperity; wool, agriculture and the stoneindustry.

e farm house is now two separate dwellings,divided in the nineteenth century. We werepleased to meet and be shown round by one of theresidents who answered our questions and let ustake photographs. e houses each have a largeliving room on the ground and first floors, thesewere originally part of an open hall, which wasaltered following the Dissolution. We were able tosee the earliest part, the north wing which hadbeen part of a solar, with a cruck roof, and thepigeon lo, now part of a bathroom.

e spectacular Great Barn is larger than manychurches; one side of the courtyard, it dominatesthe farm complex. A magnificent cruck roof,dendro-dated 1334–1379 has an harmoniousappear ance which with careful study we could seewas made of three patterns to make maximum useof different lengths of timber.

In the late nineteenth century the Great Barnwas dilapidated. Saved from demolition, it wasrepaired by the architect Harold Brakspear and isone of three barns managed by the Bradford-on-Avon Preservation Trust. Aer welcome refresh -ments and the opportunity to buy books in therestored West Barn, we visited the town.

e Saxon minster is thought to be beneathHoly Trinity Church and any evidence may havebeen lost in church construction. Our visitcoincided with excavations being carried out byWessex Archaeology. Bruce Easton explained thearchaeological findings, including a sequence ofburials, some of which pre-date the nave; somefollow a different alignment. We could have onlya brief glimpse in the church due to the work beingcarried out, but were able to see the recording ofhuman remains taking place before reburial in thechurchyard.

Opposite is the Anglo-Saxon Chapel of St Laurence. e nave is high in relation to itswidth, emphasised by a steeply pitched roof givingthe building a striking appearance, emphasised by

its hillside position. Once used as a schoolhouse,its appearance owes much to restoration andremoval of surrounding buildings. Excavation byDavid Hinton has helped understand its history,and building recording has led to differing theoriesof its construction, for whom and why. Inside, weadmired a pair of carved stone angels, high on thechancel arch, which had been part of a crucifixionscene. We then had time to explore; some followedthe Town Trail.

As oen with Institute visits a reluctance toleave one place is mixed with anticipation of thenext. We were amply rewarded by arrival at GreatChalfield, a medieval moated manor house andchurch.

e owner, Robert Floyd is the third generationto live here and he explained how his grandfatherhad restored the dilapidated house aided by

Barton Farmhouse: the roof of the smaller wing (ME)

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Harold Brakspear. ey sometimes differed on theapproach to take — resulting in an interminglingof medieval restoration and a comfortableEdward ian country house. e medieval hall has arebuilt minstrel’s gallery and unusual squintwindows — masks including a bishop and devil,with open mouths and eyes — who would wish tospy unseen? e Great Chamber was recently seenby viewers of Wolf Hall — occupied by the actorMark Rylance — and also featured in the film Tessof the D’Urbervilles. A more modern touch is theadjacent room with its Edwardian bathroom fit -tings. e Elizabethan plaster ceiling of the diningroom survives, as does a wall painting of a pros -perous man — perhaps the first owner, omasTropenall.

Following dinner, David Hinton guided theenergetic around Marlborough. e town has twocentres linked by a wide main street. At the oppo -site end to the College is St Mary’s Church, on thesite of a Norman and possibly Saxon church. Weadmired the eighteenth- and nineteenth-centuryhouses facing e Green — one once occupied byWilliam Golding — before returning through thewater meadows.

SaturdayAveburyAs usual with this diverse group, activities startedwell before our departure from our lodgings. Sucha grey, overcast day invited a Neolithic-type ofbreakfast — porridge! Getting ourselves into theprehistoric swing of things led some to considerwhen cheese was originally discovered. Unfortun -ately on the day there was no answer to whethersalt was required . . .

Before our coach had even driven away a smallgang of bemused scaffolders was given absolutelyno option to refuse a gi of packets of crisps andslightly out-of-date sandwiches by Caroline. Shedeclared that they were ‘delighted’ and apparentlyhad admitted to being ‘human dustbins’. estorage area of the coach had been tidied up, sowin-win all round.

Our short journey took us past the Ridgewayand the Sanctuary to a National Trust car parksatisfyingly empty of vehicles, and we walked theshort distance into Avebury to meet our guide JoshPollard outside the Red Lion.

A squint at Great Chalfield Manor (ME)

Avebury museum: how to erecta monolith (ME)

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As we gathered in the southern part of thehenge, Josh asked us to consider the broadersetting of the monument. It is likely that the sourceof the River Kennet and the intersection of twomajor ancient route-ways afforded the area anobvious significance. We were encouraged to lookaround the landscape and to try to orient ourselveswithin it. Our walk along a large part of the bankgave us fantastic views of the stones, the outlyingavenues and the entrances to the Avebury monu -ment. Sadly some of our party were less thanimpressed by the presence of a modern ‘wor -shipper’ sat under a tree by one of the entrancesplaying a hypnotic medley on a steel drum!

Josh shared his extensive knowledge, not just ofthe archaeology of the monument and his owncurrent research, but also of the ‘history ofinvestigation’ led by antiquarians like Stukely andAubrey. All in all it was an absolutely fascinatingwalk led by a really engaging guide. (Our walk wasmeasured by my app as 4.30 miles, being approxi -mately 9100 steps. Isn’t technology wonderful?)

Malmesbury

e fair weather held for our visit to Malmesburyon Saturday aernoon. It was the surviving frag -ments of Romanesque arcading at the Abbey’struncated west end and the miraculous tympanumand sculpture in the south porch that first capturedthe Institute’s attention. However, we also learnedof Maeldubh the Celtic saint who gave Malmes -bury its name; of its early abbot Aldhelm; ofAthelstan, king from 925 but memorialised by afourteenth-century effigy; and of twelh-centurychronicler, William of Malmesbury.

In the graveyard Members were deeply affected(with unseemly mirth!) by the unfortunatelydoggerel epitaph on the tombstone of HannahTwynnoy, who died in 1703 at the paws of anescaped tiger. Half the group were then themselves‘snatchd from hence’ by an urgent desire to seeAbbey House Gardens, its copious blooms andingenious layout unalarmed by any glimpse ofnaked gardener.

e remainder, led by David Hinton with EdMcSloy of Cotswold Archaeology, made a briefperambulation of the town, taking in its fieenth-century market cross, the spire of St Paul’s belltower and — with just a hint of trespass — a peekat the impressive arch-braced roof of a fieenth-

century house, swallowed by a Victorian work -house with a rather odd tower. is group thenvisited the compact but attractively laid outMuseum on Cross Hayes, with welcoming staff onreception and much about that c. 1010 aviator,Brother Eilmer. Another local boy, omasHobbes (born 1588), is also celebrated.

Aer comment from David, Malmesbury’s oldclaim to be the most ancient borough in Englandcollapsed faster than a hang-gliding monk, butinvestigations by Cotswold Archaeology have nowshown that the site of the upper town was an IronAge fort. From a terrace just behind Cross Hayes,Ed McSloy showed us the dramatic fall of landdown to the water meadows: a real hill fort.

On Saturday evening, as an unscheduled treat,the loy and sumptuously fitted MarlboroughCollege Chapel (Bodley and Garner, 1886) wasopened up for us. e Chapel is celebrated in JohnBetjeman’s Summoned by Bells (John MurrayLondon, 1960), and its story told in chapter 18 ofMichael Hall’s George Frederick Bodley and theLater Gothic Revival in Britain and America (YaleUniversity Press, 2014). We were very taken by thesweet Pre-Raphaelite murals by Spencer Stanhopeand the panels to distinguished Old Boys (witheven a few archaeologists). But alas, Betjeman’sgeneric Old Marlburian bishop was not on handto thunder ‘Do nothing that would make yourmother blush!’.

Sunday En route to the Salisbury Plain training area, wesaw terraced lynchets; were they Iron Age, Roman,or perhaps a product of later land hunger? Owingto its military use from about 1900, the area wasagriculturally undeveloped, and rarely ploughed.Apart from having more woodland in laterprehistory, the landscape had probably changedlittle in millennia.

David Field, our guide, said that Salisbury Plainis the largest expanse of chalk grassland in Europe,of archaeological significance, and a valuable con -servation habitat. ere was excellent survival ofearthworks. Military activities had, on balance,been far less damaging than modern agriculturewould have been.

We walked around Chisenbury Warren a linearsettlement of about twenty houses, one of a dozenRomano-British settlements in the survey area.

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Superficially, the surviving earthworks resembledeserted mediaeval villages. Morphologically, thesettlements were varied, some nucleated, somelinear. One had over 200 houses with larger oneson the outskirts and row houses in the centre, anddiffering distributions of pottery types.

A small terrace scooped from the hillside was aroughly rectangular house platform, one ofperhaps twenty similar sites along a roadwayroughly parallel to the valley bottom. e originalhouses — perhaps of late Iron Age date — fell intodisuse. Replacement structures in larger visiblescoops seemed to respect existing boundaries,which appeared horticultural. e later, Roman-era structures mostly had un-mortared walls andsandstone slates. One house had window glass, butoverall the settlement was not very high status. Wesaw one of the best preserved houses, with someprobably earlier, ancillary buildings.

e settlement was one of twelve identified.Only one showed continuity into the Anglo-Saxonperiod; why was not altogether clear, though eco -nomic factors for more intensive occupation ofmarginal land may no longer have applied. DavidField said that, based on residual finds presumablyderived from manuring, the lynchets on the far hillhad been produced by Roman ploughing but in alandscape which had been laid out much earlier.

Before artesian wells, Salisbury Plain lackedsurface water. e valley below may have beendammed, or ponds constructed for seasonal rain -water So why were there Roman-era settlementshere at all? David Field said that agriculturalproduction in Britain had been greatly expandedduring the Roman period, with grain beingexported on a significant scale. He replied to DavidHinton that grain dryers had been found locally.And that the picture revealed by archaeology wasof mixed farming with lots of animal bone foundin the Salisbury Plain settlements. Who was con -trolling the local agricultural economy? HadSalisbury Plain been an imperial estate? ere werecertainly no villas in the immediate area, but therewere potential estate centres in the valleys.

ere was a mediaeval warren up the slope, withan enclosure bank but no evidence of pillowmounds. Leading us eastwards, he pointed out thatthe earthworks were less regular and more amor -phous, and probably earlier. Some evidence ofindustrial activity had been found. In the valley

bottom, undulations might be from past quarryingfor clay.

ere was discussion of woodland cover onSalisbury Plain over time. Tim Champion said thatpaleo-environmental evidence suggested the land -scape had been much more open, for longer, thanonce believed. Woodland management from thefourth millennium BC suggested there had neverbeen an unlimited supply of usable wood.

e East Chisenbury midden, surviving to some3 m height, with a diameter of 200 m. is more than2.5 ha in area. Its northern side has been truncatedby a later field system and ploughing has scarredthe entire area. It partly overlay the bank and ditchof an earlier enclosure noted by Colt-Hoare.

It was discovered by a resident of the nearbyvillage, who reported Iron Age pottery erodingfrom a lynchet and in a short time David Field hadcollected more than a bin bag full. Recognising thatthe pottery was from a man-made mound, he putin a trench and cores. ese produced a range ofhuman residue, 2.5 m in depth, including pottery,spindle-whorls, cattle and sheep bone, as well as animal and human coprolite. Dating suggestsuse for some 50–100 years, between 800 and 600 BC.

Its structure includes a number of apparentlychalk platforms interleaved with layers of debris.ey were not large enough for living sites, butmight be elements of superstructure built to getmaterial from the outside of the midden into itscentre.

Assuming the composition of the entire middenwas consistent with the areas which had beensurveyed, it could include the remains of some250,000 sheep and 20,000 cattle. A scatter ofhuman remains had also been discovered, whichif extrapolated similarly, could potentially accountfor thousands of people. How and where the deadwere disposed of then is an enduring mystery, sothis is an intriguing discovery. ere was dis -cussion of the purpose of such ‘midden monu -ments’. Did they mark the presence of a ‘centralarea’ other than a defended enclosure? Were theyfeasting sites? is midden was on a ridge andwould have been visible for a long distance, inter -visible with other prehistoric sites. Several linearditches approached the area.

Tim Champion said that more than twenty suchstructures had now been identified in the region.

A Sculpture in All Saints Church,Great Chalfield, Wiltshire DAVID A. HINTON

e Institute’s Summer Meeting this year included avisit to Great Chalfield, a wonderful moated manorsite with the parish church just inside the grounds.Difficult to see behind the pulpit is a carved slab, serv -ing as a window-sill; although usually thoughtNorman, it might be earlier.

e slab is in two pieces, so the leaf pattern on theright is separate from its longer neighbour. Set at 90°,the larger piece appears to be a column, with thebegin nings of an arch, and a leaf sprouting above. esmaller piece can then be seen as a fragment of theopposite side, with a similar leaf and a segment ofarch.

Arches and columns in medieval art oen enclosefigures, such as King David in an eighth-centurymanu script painted in Canterbury. at picture alsohas the running key pattern that in the sculptureseems to be in the arch and central field of the col -umn. e leaf looks a bit later, perhaps ninth century.

Great Chalfield is close to Bradford-on-Avon,where members saw the late seventh- to eighth-century screen in the chapel. It needs a geologist tosay whether they are of the same stone, but thesculpture deserves further consideration.

(With many thanks for photographs to RichardArnopp, Mike Efstathiou and especially Chris vonPatzelt who returned to the church to take more.)R

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with similar characteristics, and dating fromaround the same period of no more than 150 years.ey had not been much investigated. He observedthat in parts of Africa people actively collectedmidden material, as the size of a household’smidden indicated status. Similar, though smaller,

midden monuments were sometimes observed onlate Bronze Age sites.

is was an exceptional site at which to end theSummer Meeting. Our thanks go to David Hintonand Caroline Raison for their excellent organiza -tion.

LECTURES

Access to Lectures OnlineTo view the Institute’s lectures online you willneed to log in to our members’ area. If you haven’tyet got a username and password to log in, pleasecontact the Administrator with your e-mailaddress at [email protected].

Some of the Society of Antiquaries’ lectures areavailable to all and can be viewed atwww.sal.org.uk, under News and Events.

Presentations by Early Career ArchaeologistsOnce again, in addition to our usual programmeof lectures there will be short presentations byarchaeologists starting their careers. For the thirdyear running, in addition to our usual programmeof lectures there will again be presentations byarchaeologists starting their careers. e first trio,on 9 November 2016, will be given by post -

graduates and post-doctoral fellows from theUniversity of York. e second set of presentationswill be given on 12 April 2017, by archaeologistsfrom Archaeology South-East/UCL Centre forApplied Archaeology.

ese talks will start at 3.00 pm, to be followedby tea and the main lecture of the day.

Battle Abbey gatehouse: conjectural reconstruction c.1100 (© Phil James)

Royal Archaeological Institute Lecture Programme and Abstracts:2016/17Meetings are held from October to May, on thesecond Wednesday of the month, at 5.00 pm in theRooms of the Society of Antiquaries, BurlingtonHouse, Piccadilly, London 1 0. In Novemberand April, the lecture will be preceded at 3.00 pm

by a presentation by new archaeologists. Tea willbe served at 4.30 pm. Non-members are welcomebut should make themselves known to theSecretary and sign the visitors’ book.

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201612 October

Portals to the Past. Controlling risk andmaximising benefit on the Crossrail Archae -ology Programme Jay Carvere Crossrail Archaeology Programme is con -sidered one of the most complex archaeologyprogrammes ever undertaken in the UK. A projectspanning over 100 kilometres with more than fortyconstruction sites has the potential to uncovermany finds from many periods, right across theLondon region. is paper will describe some ofthe key discoveries of the last five years’ work, andexplore some of the key methods needed to inte -grate the delicate work of archaeological investiga -tion with an unforgiving construction programme,and the needs and desires of a huge number ofstakeholders from the local community to nationalagencies and the international media. Whatemerges is a major-project case study that hope -fully demonstrates that the historic environmenthas so much more to offer the construction anddevelopment sector than delays and cost overruns.

9 November

3.00 pm: Presentations by early careerarchaeologists from the University of York

Fabrizio Galeazzi: Web-based 3 visualisa -tion of archaeological excavation data: com -bining traditional and innovative methodsthrough collaborative platformsMore than thirty years aer the introduction ofdigital technologies to archaeological workflow, weare still looking for shareable methodologies thatallow the integration of innovative digital practicesfor fieldwork data recording, management anddissemination.

Starting from experience acquired during thedevelopment of the ADS 3 Viewer — a web-based visualisation platform for the analysis andarchiving of 3 data — this presentation willdiscuss the impact that this kind of infrastructurecan have on archaeological practice. e use ofweb-based collaborative platforms that enable 3 exploration of archaeological stratigraphicsequences and associated datasets is proposed as

one possible way to combine traditional andinnovative methods.

Web-based 3 platforms allow those unable toparticipate in the fieldwork itself to access andconduct post-excavation analysis remotely, hencepromoting interdisciplinary and ‘at-distance’collaborative workflows in archaeology.

Dr Aimée Little: e making and meaning ofthings: an integrated approach to the studyof hunter-gatherer material cultureUsing a combination of technological analysis,experimental archaeology and use-wear studies,alongside laser imaging techniques, it has beenpossible to gain new insights into the making andmeaning of some of the most enigmatic artefactsdating to the Mesolithic period. is paper willdiscuss this recent research, focusing on two EarlyMesolithic sites: Hermitage, a cremation burial(Co. Limerick, Ireland) and the lakeside settlementof Star Carr (Vale of Pickering, Yorkshire, UK).

James Taylor: Making Time for Space atÇatalhöyük: GIS as a tool for exploringintra-site spatiotemporality within complexstratigraphic sequenceis talk explores the inherent temporality of thestratigraphic sequence of the Neolithic tell site ofÇatalhöyük, Turkey. Conventional approaches tostratigraphic analysis, particularly phasing, can beperceived as static as a mode of temporal model -ling. At Çatalhöyük, with such a complicatedsequence of deposition and truncation, and thegenerally slow transition of its material culturethrough time, phasing can be even more prob -lematic; many relationships and notions of strati -graphic contemporaneity can be ambiguous. isresearch seeks to embed a more nuanced temp -orality within the site’s existing spatial dataset,exploiting the capabilities of ArcGIS 10 to generatean intra-site spatiotemporal model. e aim hasbeen both to visualize the stratigraphic sequencein a more dynamic and intuitive way, and todevelop a model that is robust enough to supportfully integrated spatiotemporal analysis of theexcavation data and associated material culture, inorder to answer broader questions about the socialdevelopment of the Neolithic occupants ofÇatalhöyük.

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5.00 pm lecture: e Trojan Horseman: eMyth and Reality of the Crosby GarrettHelmetDr Mike BishopIn 2010, two men metal-detecting in Cumbriafound one of the most interesting, and contro -versial, Roman helmets from the Roman Empire.It tested English treasure legislation (and arguablyfound it wanting) and teased specialists with itsseemingly unique nature. e find-spot was exca -vated in an attempt to understand its originalcontext. Hauntingly beautiful, the helmet wasrestored and auctioned, and bought anonymouslyfor more than £2 million. With wide press cover -age and vilificatory postings in the blogosphere,the helmet never ceased to court controversy. isis the story of its discovery, restoration, andeventual public display; a glimpse into the worldof the hippika gymnasia, a ritualised trainingundergone by Roman auxiliary cavalry; and anexploration of details of helmet manufacture,decoration, and ownership, recovered under diffi -cult circumstances. Research would show howsignificant the helmet was, but le more questionsunanswered than it addressed and we can onlyguess at how it came to be buried where it was.

14 December

Dacre, Cumbria — the early medievalmonas tery described by the Venerable Bede? Rachel NewmanDacre is rare in the world of early medievalarchaeology in being referenced in a contemporaryhistorical source. In c. 731, the Venerable Bedewrote that a miracle had taken place in a mon -astery by the river Dacore; the existence locally ofhigh-quality stone sculpture, dating to the ninthand tenth centuries, adds empirical evidence. Inthe 1980s, excavations to the west of the church -yard, and in its northern extension, found evidenceof early medieval activity, and a cemetery of at least230 graves was recorded, along with at least twobuildings. Whilst almost no human bone survivedthe aggressively acidic soil conditions, the orienta -tion of the graves, and the lack of finds, indicateda Christian population. Evidence of wooden‘chests’, with fine iron fittings, suggested a ritepeculiar to high-status burials in the Angliankingdom of Northumbria. Window glass, similar

to that from Jarrow, and an assemblage of metal -work, including a gold ring and a stylus, addweight to Dacre’s importance.

201711 January

e rise and fall of the late Iron Age royalsite at Stanwick, North YorkshireProfessor Colin Haselgrovee earthwork complex at Stanwick west ofDarlington enclosing nearly 3 sq km is one of thelargest prehistoric fortifications in Europe. efirst occupation dates to around 80 BC and thesettlement soon developed into a regional centre,characterised by its monumental timber buildingsand far-flung contacts. In the mid first century AD,the 7 km-long perimeter earthwork was con -structed, which together with the unusual Romanimports from this phase, indicates that the com -plex was probably the seat of Cartimandua, theclient ruler of the Brigantes in the period followingthe Claudian invasion. Stanwick itself was aban -doned before the Roman army occupied northernEngland, but over the last twenty years newdiscoveries on other Iron Age sites in the environshave begun to provide an unexpected picture ofconquest period activity in the area and of the realnature of the extended settlement complex.

8 February

e East Coast War Channels in the FirstWorld WarDr Antony FirthA fierce battle was fought on the east coast ofEngland throughout the First World War, oenwithin just a few miles of the shore. e battle wasconducted principally between German U-boatsand Allied merchant ships, supported by minorwarships such as requisitioned trawlers. eremains of the battle still stand: there are perhapsa thousand shipwrecks from the First World Warsurviving on the seabed between the ames andthe border with Scotland. is presentation setsout the results of work by Fjordr Ltd funded byHistoric England to investigate this forgottenbattle, highlighting new data on the wrecksthemselves and outlining some of the insights they

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provide into the conduct of the First World Warat sea.

8 March

New Routes to the Past: discoveries by roadand light rail scheme archaeology in IrelandRónán SwanIn the past sixteen years, Ireland has undergonesignificant and transformative growth with thedevelopment of a new motorway network, with theconstruction and expansion of its motorway andprimary road network, and with the constructionand development of a new light rail system withinDublin city. More than 2500 archaeological siteshave been excavated, relating to all periods sincethe Mesolithic and from all parts of the country.While some sites excavated were previouslyknown, the vast majority were unknown or for -gotten. As a result of this work, not only have newsite types been discovered but this work hasprovided the opportunity to test and explore manyhypotheses and models of past settlement andactivity. is paper will reflect on how major infra -structural development can contribute to theunderstanding and appreciation of our archaeol -ogical heritage.

12 April

3.00 pm: Presentations by early careerarchaeologists

Dr Michael Shapland: e origins and sym -bolism of the Great Gatehouse at BattleAbbeyRecent recording work at the Great Gatehouse ofBattle Abbey, East Sussex, represented the firstthorough investigation of this famous building. Itbegan in the Norman period as part of a complexof prominent structures marking the mainentrance to the abbey precinct, including agateway-chapel dedicated to St John and a possiblecourthouse. e original gatehouse was remodel -led on a grand scale c. 1338, and the present civiccourthouse constructed in the late sixteenthcentury. e gatehouse and its attendant suite ofentrance structures to the abbey were inter -preted as a complex symbolic of martial power andtemporal lordship which doubled as a metaphorfor the entrance to heaven.

Dr Elena Baldi: e online catalogue ofOstrogothic coinageanks to their quite sophisticated culture that hadbeen long in contact with the Roman world, theOstrogoths’ monetary system was the mostelaborate amongst those introduced by theGermanic kingdoms that settled within the regionsle aer the collapse of the Roman Empire.Drawing from the British Museum’s online workcarried out in 2010, this project aspires at creatinga Europe-wide database, aiming to record all thecoins that are documented within museumcollections throughout Europe, but also to includethe numerous finds from the archaeologicalrecord. e project will create a comprehensiveonline catalogue that will be available for scholarsand public outreach. More importantly, this workwill also enable in-depth analysis and interpreta -tion of some specific issues that are not fullyunderstood, in a comprehensive study of the coinsof the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths (493–554).

5.00 pm lecture: e lost twelh-centurychoir of York Minster reconstructedDr Stuart HarrisonFor many years the lost twelh-century choir ofYork Minster has been seen as a possible keybuilding in the development of the Early Gothic inthe north of England. Recently a new study of theevidence from excavations, the standing fabric anddetached architectural fragments has enabled abetter understanding of this complex building. eplan of the choir has been established for the firsttime and can be shown to derive from that of theabbey of St Bertin in St Omer. e crypt and mainelevations have now been reconstructed and showthat the choir incorporated some of the latestGothic detailing deriving from north-west Franceand Flanders. Its use of Purbeck Marble for shasand piers and the design of the high vaulting withquadripartite and sexpartite designs parallels thatof Canterbury some twenty years later. It wasclearly one of the earliest buildings in England touse Gothic design and detailing.

British Archaeological Association Programme of Meetings 2016/17RAI members are invited to attend the meetings of the British Archaeological Association.

e first, on 5 October, will be ‘Miraculous groundplans and the liturgy of building sites in late medi -eval Italy’ by Dr Lucy Donkin.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of themonth from October to May, at 5.00 pm in the

rooms of the Society of Antiquaries, BurlingtonHouse, Piccadilly, London. Tea will be servedbefore each meeting at 4.30 pm. Non-members areasked to make themselves known to the Hon.Director on arrival and to sign the visitors’ book.

I felt quite nostalgic on my first ever visit toClarendon Palace on the Royal ArchaeologicalInstitute’s summer meeting in Wiltshire. ere,just inside the gateway, still in pristine condition,was an old Ministry cast metal sign with thefollowing wording:ANCIENT MONUMENTS ACTS 1913 AND 1931ANY PERSON INJURING OR DEFACING THIS MONUMENT WILL BE LIABLE TOPROSECUTION ACCORDING TO LAW

MINISTRY OF WORKSese were the type of signs to be found on ancientmonuments when I first joined the Ministry ofPublic Building and Works, used not only as awarning like this one but also to inform visitorsabout parts of monuments. ey survived in useuntil about the time of the creation of EnglishHeritage in 1986, when they were graduallyreplaced by less durable signs made of modernmaterials, but with more information and con -sidered more visitor-friendly. Today, a keen eye ona guardianship site might still spot an old Ministry

sign such as dorter or frater, fixed to the wall of themonument, unpainted to blend in with themasonry, but there for the Ministry’s visitors toorientate themselves while walking round with ablue guide. e signs were oen painted: greenlettering on a cream-coloured background inEngland and Wales, and blue on cream in Scot -land. (e sign on the fence around the remains ofFotheringhay Castle, Northants, where MaryQueen of Scots spent her last year imprisoned, alsodisplayed the Scottish colours).

On the Clarendon sign, in the apparently blankarea at the bottom, are the words of the manufac -turer, Royal Label Factory, just slightly raised so asnot to be obvious. Some other cast metal signshave simply RLF. is factory, according toGrace’s Guide to British Industrial History on theweb, was established in 1874 to make labels forQueen Victoria’s gardens at Sandringham. Aerthe passing of the 1913 Ancient Monuments Actthe RLF supplied signs to the Ministry of Worksand its successors, the Ministry of Public Building

THE ROYAL LABEL FACTORY David Sherlock (SometimeInspector of ancient monuments, MPBW, DoE and EH)

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10 May: the President’s lecture

A brief history of RAI PresidentsProfessor Timothy ChampionSince its emergence as a separate organisation in1845, the Institute has had thirty-five Presidents.e changing identity and role of successivePresidents serve as important evidence for thechanging nature of archaeology over the past twocenturies, as it developed from a fashionablepastime to an academic discipline and an area ofprofessional expertise and practice. For the firsteighty years the presidents were all amateurs: allbut one were members of the aristocracy, and most

were very active in Tory politics; some were highlyknowledgeable about archaeology, others appearto have had little interest or understanding. Fromthe 1920s, Presidents were increasingly drawnfrom the academic world, though not all wouldnow be recognised as archaeologists. Since the1940s, Presidents have come from the ranks ofprofessional archaeologists, mostly from theuniversity, museum and government servicesectors; but there have been only two femalePresidents. e lecture will also explore thechanging role of the President over this period.

& Works and the Department of the Environment.It was sold off by the government in the 1990s.Some of the firm’s equipment was bought byInternational Road Signs (IRS) of Swaam,Norfolk. A non-conformist chapel near its factoryhas or had a cast metal sign advertising times of itsservices. I like to think someone working for IRSmade it for the chapel, having a belief in thepermanence of non-conformity. e signs arevirtually indestructible, except by a very deter -mined vandal, and certainly do not weather.

I doubt if anyone has ever been prosecuted fordamaging the ruins of Clarendon Palace, so itwould seem still to be serving its purpose as adeterrent. ere is a similar but more Draconiansign on the fence around another scheduledancient monument of national importance,Bungay Castle, Suffolk. It reads:ANCIENT MONUMENTS ACTS 1913 AND 1931ANY PERSON WHO INJURES OR DEFACESTHIS MONUMENT MAY BE FINED ANDORDERED TO PAY THE COSTS OF REPAIRSOR BE IMPRISONEDis sign is also unpainted but the numerals arenot quite in the same font as Clarendon’s and thereis no mention of the Ministry of Works. It too, onehopes, is serving its purpose, though attempts have

been made to prize it off its fixing. Which wouldbe the worse punishment — cost of repairs orimprisonment?

I regret the passing of RLF signs. When Iworked in English Heritage North Region Ipersuaded the area superintendent of works toorder RLF signs from IRS Swaam for labellingsome of the more remote turrets of Hadrian’sWall, although they were banned by head office.eir classic lettering in Trajan Bold has an air ofpermanence which seemed to me to be appro -priate to an ancient monument of any period. I betthey are still there!

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Bungay Castle: the sign made at the Royal LabelFactory (DS)

MISCELLANYBook NewsBearsden: A Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall byDavid Breeze (2016)e report on ten seasons of excavation at theRoman fort at Bearsden has been published by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 440 pages, 270 illustrations, hardback, ISBN 9781908332080.Price £30 (plus £3.95 P&P), from http://www.socantscot.org/product/bearsden

Blaenavon: from Iron Town to World Heritage Siteby Jeremy Knight (2016)is is a history of ironmaking in the Blaenavonarea from medieval times onwards. e ironworksis a unique survivor of the developing industry —experiments at Blaenavon created the BasicBessemer process, opening the way for the bulksteel industries of America and Germany todevelop. 208 pages with over 90 illustrations,

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OUR PATRON’S LUNCH

On Sunday 12 June 2016, 10,000 guests attended astreet party on e Mall to celebrate Her Majestye Queen’s patronage of over 600 charities andorganisations, on the occasion of her 90thbirthday.

Four of us were honoured to represent theInstitute (Chair of Audit committee, MaureenAmory, former President David Breeze, Council

and committee member Sian Rees and youreditor). Like many guests I was delayed by a cranefallen on a railway station, and before I arrived therelentless rain had set in. Luckily as we joined thequeue for security, posh ponchos were handed out,for it took nearly two hours to process the plane-load ahead of me. Everyone was, of course, chattyand good-natured — the weather was trumped by

Guests taking their places for the Patron's Lunch © 2016 GettyImages

paperback, ISBN 9781910839010. Price £12.95 fromLogaston Press.

RAI publications for saleSome back issues of the Archaeological Journal,cumulative indexes to the journal, SummerMeeting Reports, and selected off-prints andmonographs are available in limited numbers. Tosee the list of volumes and to place your order,

contact the Administrator for a faxed or postedcopy of the Back Issue Order Form, or find it onour website http://www.royalarchinst.org on thePublications page

Subscriptionse current rates by direct debit are: Ordinarymember, £35, Associate £15 or Student, £20; Lifemember, £750 or £525 if aged over 60. Lifemembership represents good value for both themember and the Institute and it shows a member’scommitment to the Institute. Pease see the letterfrom the Administrator in this mailing.

The RAI officee direct telephone number for theAdministrator is 07847 600756, the e-mail [email protected] and the postal address isRAI, c/o Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House,London, 1 0. e RAI has no office inLondon, but the Administrator will usually be atthis address on the second Wednesday of eachmonth from October to May, in the aernoon.

Blaenavon: furnaces 4 and 5, with cast house andfoundry (JK)

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16the British-ness of the occasion. Inside, the scenereminded me of something I couldn’t place, untilSian suggested a religious gathering: thousands inmatching milky white robes (those ponchos), allfairly orderly and mostly doing much the samething. As we found our places at one of 1,700trestle tables crammed into e Mall, we spottedcolleagues from related societies nearby. Wefetched hot drinks and collected our posh picnics,including a tin of Pimm’s and a teeny chocolatepud topped with a golden crown; we each had ourown beautifully appointed hamper (before theaernoon was out, some were being offered oneBay for £200).

ere was a spectacular parade which wentround twice, the first time with many performersalso wearing those ponchos. Colourful signs, toshow the scope of the Patron’s Organisations, wereled by dancers and marching bands. e paradewas designed by decade to encapsulate memories,and to recognise ‘the unrelenting support andservice our Monarch has given to the communityover her 63-year reign’.

Just before the Royal party set out from BuckHouse, the sun returned, and ponchos wereremoved to reveal an imaginative array of patrioticattire, especially headgear. Many members of theRoyal Family including the Duke and Duchess ofCambridge and Prince Harry, chatted with guestsas they walked the length of e Mall to the stage;Her Majesty e Queen and the Duke of Edin -burgh drove sedately along in their pope-mobilefor speeches and the birthday song.

We had a very good position, near the stage andbig screen and got the essence of the day which we

all enjoyed immensely. Involving many volunteers,many from businesses with a royal warrant, it wasa true feat of logistics.

ROYAL ARCHAEOLOG IC AL INST I TUTE NEWSLETTER

editor Katherine Barclay, Williamsgate, Governor’s Green, Pembroke Road,Portsmouth, Hants. po1 2ns. Email: [email protected]

next issue Copy for the next issue must reach the editor by the end of January 2017 forpublication in April 2017.

this issue’s cover picture: Fifteenth-century buildings in St John’s Alley, Devizes, taken during theWiltshire summer meeting (ME)

visit our web site at www.royalarchinst.org

Sian in full fig, after the sun came out (MA)

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ROYAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER

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