Issue 3 June 2010

Welcome!
The new format of the Newsletter seems to have found favour with our readers, and - even more
to the point - so has the content. To take just one example, a number of readers of Issue 2 were
quick to get in touch with Stuart Brookes about the Landscapes of Governance project, and four
groups are now trialling his recording kit in order to put forward possible assembly sites in the
South West. Stuart has promised to keep us informed of their progress, thereby providing the
perfect example of how we want the Newsletter to operate: firstly by bringing new techniques,
projects and findings to the attention of the wider archaeological community across the region;
secondly by increasing the number of people actively involved in archaeological activities, and
thirdly by providing feed-back, and thus reducing the isolation of individual projects within the
extensive area that we cover. Our hope is that the Newsletter will become a clearing house for
news, information, ideas and opportunities of interest to anyone in the South West with an in­
terest in archaeology in its broadest definition. That is why we devote so much space to contact
details, not least our own – see the back page for more, or visit our website at www.britarch.
ac.uk/cbasw/.

THE FESTIVAL OF BRITISH their local heritage, to see archaeology in ac­

ARCHAEOLOGY 2010 tion, and to get involved.

Every year, the Council for British Archaeol­

ogy organises an “annual extravaganza of
heritage events” to showcase the very best
of British archaeology. The Festival brings
together hundreds of special activities, which
are organised and hosted by museums, lo­
cal societies, national and countryside parks,
universities, and heritage organisations across
the UK. The individual items include excava­
tion open days, behind-the-scenes tours, fam­
ily fun days, hands-on activities, guided walks,
talks and finds identification, all of which
share the overall objective of presenting ev­
eryone with the opportunity to learn about
1
The Festival of British Archaeology 2010 is
being held from Saturday 17th July to Sun­
day 1st August, and the CBA is determined
to make it the biggest celebration of archae­
ology yet - and that means getting as many
people involved as possible. In 2009 over
650 events were held by archaeological and
heritage organisations and societies across
the UK, and we in the South West need to be
thinking about how we can take part, both as
the organisers of events and as visitors to one
of the hundreds of happenings that are taking
place during the Festival fortnight.
Although the Festival is coordinated by the
Council for British Archaeology, it is entirely
reliant on the participation and support of
local heritage groups, societies and organi­
sations. Holding events during the Festival
presents an excellent opportunity to promote
the work of local societies and organisations,
to engage with local communities and to
help members of the wider public to become
involved in archaeology and the historic envi­
ronment as a whole.
Anyone interested in organising an event
as part of the Festival 2010 should start by
visiting the dedicated website set up by the
CBA at http://festival.britarch.ac.uk/. On
the website one can see the events that
have been registered so far this year, review
those that took place in 2009, and consult
the section for event organisers (accessible
direct at http://festival.britarch.ac.uk/organ­
iser). This provides guidance on vital topics
such as marketing, insurance, managing the
media and keeping a record of your activi­
ties. Sample publicity materials for the 2010
events will be available shortly. This area of
the site also provides guidance on registering
an activity, complete with a downloadable
form. The deadline for inclusion in the printed
booklet has passed, but organisers are urged
to complete and return the registration form
by email as soon as possible, to ensure their
events are listed on the website in good time.
for further information on the Festival of
Archaeology:
contact CBA
web http://festival.britarch.ac.uk
AN EXAMPLE FROM THE SOUTH WEST:
THE MENDIP HILLS FESTIVAL OF
ARCHAEOLOGY
Wells and Mendip Museum and the Mendip
Hills AONB were quick off the mark with their
contribution to the Festival, and have already
appointed Jane Hill as the Coordinator of the
Mendip Hills Festival of Archaeology. Jane
has worked as Archaeology Curator for North
Somerset in Weston-super-Mare for the last
15 years, having previously worked for the
Museums Association and the Royal Commis-
2
sion for the Historical Monuments of England,
as well as excavating Roman and medieval
sites in Hampshire.
A vital part of Jane’s new role is to encour­
age local people and organisations with an
interest in archaeology to organise events as
a way of sharing their passion with residents
and tourists alike. She will then organise a
joint publicity campaign by means of a single
leaflet covering all the events in the area. All
kinds of activities have already been pencilled
in, both indoors and out, ranging from a finds
identification session at Wells Museum, to
caving trips, guided walks and excavations in
the surrounding countryside and villages.
Talking about her new role, Jane said “The
Mendip Hills are rich in archaeological re­
mains, ranging from the famous caves of
Cheddar and Wookey, to the Neolithic henge
monuments of Priddy circles, traces of a Ro­
man fort and amphitheatre at Charterhouse,
and medieval field systems at Westbury-sub-
Mendip. The built heritage is also fascinating.
Axbridge was a fortified town or burgh in the
10th century and went on to become an im­
portant medieval market town. Walk around
Axbridge today and you can see timber-
framed 15th century houses, including King
John’s Hunting Lodge, which houses a mu­
seum that is well worth visiting.”
Asked about her favourite sites, Jane men­
tioned two, both dating from the Iron Age.
The first is Dolebury hillfort at Churchill,
where a steep climb to the top is rewarded
by magnificent views taking in other hillforts,
as well as Brean Down and the North Somer­
set coast. Another is nearby Read’s Cavern,
which remained undiscovered for many years.
When cavers did find it, they uncovered skel­
etons, pottery, a set of iron shackles, a latch
lifter, textile implements and - most impor­
tantly - a brooch, which helped to date the
whole assemblage to the late Iron Age. The
cave had a series of hearths, suggesting that
the inhabitants had been using it for metal­
working. Unfortunately a rock fall, which may
have been due to an earthquake, caused the
entrance to become blocked up, thus trapping
3
the inhabitants, until their fate was revealed
two thousand years later! It is stories like
this one, which the festival will bring alive to
people of all ages and walks of life.
for further information about the Mendip Hills
Festival of Archaeology:
contact Jane Hill
address The Nook, 23 Coombe Road, Weston-
super-Mare, North Somerset BS23 2QR
email janehill1@sky.com
phone 01934 643022
MORE CBA NEWS: THE 2010 WEEKEND
EVENT IN CORNWALL, FROM 15th TO
17th OCTOBER
Each year the CBA holds a Weekend Event in a
different part of the UK, and which in the past
has coincided with the Council’s Annual Gen­
eral Meeting. The Weekend draws together
CBA members, trustees, staff and others, plus
experts on the archaeology of the chosen
region.
In previous years the Weekend has been
based in Belfast, Liverpool, Leicester, Salis­
bury, York, London and Shropshire, and the
CBA is pleased to announce that this year’s
event will take place in Cornwall in mid Octo-
ber 2010.
The focus will be on the county’s unique
archaeological heritage, from the prehistoric
landscapes of Bodmin Moor, to the mining
industry of the 18th-20th centuries. There
will be a series of guided site visits, talks and
presentations from members of the Cornish
archaeological community, who will be pro­
viding details of the latest research and the
most recent insights into Cornwall’s past.
The programme starts on Friday afternoon
with a choice between a tour of Georgian
Truro and a visit to the Royal Cornwall Muse­
um, followed by a reception at Truro College
and then the Beatrice de Cardi lecture in the
evening. On Saturday the focus is on Bodmin
Moor, with a succession of walking tours,
exhibitions and presentations, while on Sun­
day the emphasis is on various aspects of the
World Heritage Site Mining Landscape.
Places are limited, so you are advised to book
early. CBA members are entitled to a spe­
cial discounted rate of £110, which includes
lunches on Saturday and Sunday and a buffet
meal (featuring Cornish pasties and local ale!)
on Saturday evening. Accommodation is not
being arranged by CBA, but a wide range of
options is displayed on the county’s official
tourism website at www.visitcornwall.com,
and also on the CBA’s dedicated site www.
4
britarch.ac.uk/cba/weekend.
A booking form can be downloaded from the
same site, or alternatively bookings can be
made direct through the CBA’s secure on-line
shop at www.britarch.ac.uk/shop
for further information about the CBA Weekend in
Cornwall:
phone 01904 671417
address CBA, St Mary’s House, 66 Bootham,
York YO30 7BZ
email marketing@britarch.ac.uk
web www.britarch.ac.uk/cba/weekend
UNCOVERED: A NEW GALLERY OF
ARCHAEOLOGY IN PLYMOUTH
‘Uncovered’ is a new facility at Plymouth City
Museum & Art Gallery, dedicated to display­
ing and interpreting the archaeology of Plym­
outh and its surrounding area.
There are around 500 finds on display, rang­
ing from palaeolithic flints to a pre-World War
II compact face-powder container, excavated
from the basement of a blitzed building in
Plymouth. Many finds which have been pub­
lished in various archeology books on the
South West and Dartmoor are on display for
the first time in many years. These include
Bronze Age urns from Raddick Hill and Fern­
worthy, together with the Fernworthy Bronze
Age jet button. Also making its debut is the
amazingly complete Cattewater gun, recov­
ered from a wreck and dating to around AD
1450-1520. Since its recovery in the 1970s the
gun has been preserved in liquid and is now
on display in a specially constructed tank.
The gallery also offers opportunities to inter­
act with the exhibits. A large case contains a
‘stratigraphy’ of over 150 artefacts. These are
divided into ten separate time periods, up­
wards from the palaeolithic to modern times.
Visitors can choose an object via a touch
screen, and then find out more about the

artefact itself, and about the time period it
represents. A virtual magnifying glass is on
hand, so that visitors can look at the objects
in greater detail.
Overall, the gallery seeks to encourage people
to gain a fuller understanding of what archae­
ology is, as well as appreciate the local ar­
chaeology on Plymouth’s doorstep. Important
local sites such as Mount Batten, Bantham
Sands and Castle Street are therefore ex­
plored in some detail.
As well as exhibiting finds from the museum’s
permanent collections, the displays are sup­
plemented by loans from Torquay Museum
(Roman finds from Stoke Gabriel), the Royal
Albert Memorial Museum (examples of
Bronze Age axes from the Plymstock Hoard)
and the British Museum (Bronze Age finds
from off the coast of Salcombe, recovered
by the South West Maritime Archaeology
Group), as well as from private lenders.
5
for further information about the ‘Uncovered’
Gallery in Plymouth:
contact Fiona Pitt
email Fiona.Pitt@Plymouth.gov.uk
web http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/
homepage/creativityandculture/muse­
ums/museumpcmag/museumgaller­ies/
museumsplymouthuncovered.htm
DRINK TEA. EAT CAKE. SAVE HISTORIC
CHURCHES.
England has some 14,500 listed places of
worship, of which 85% are Church of Eng­
land churches. English Heritage has recently
extended its Heritage at Risk programme to
focus specifically on places of worship, in or­
der to establish how many are at risk of falling
into serious disrepair. They have conducted a
sample survey to establish the extent of the
problem, and to discover what help congrega­
tions need with the huge responsibility they
bear in looking after these buildings. For more
information go to www.english-heritage.org.
uk/server/show/nav.21499.
Coincidentally, the Churches Conservation
Trust are holding their first ever national
fund raising event - a Midsummer Tea Party.
During the weekend of 18th to 21st June
they will be opening up churches across
the country, many of which have become
redundant, and offering tea and cake in
return for a small fee. For a full listing of times
and places go to www.visitchurches.org.uk/
teaparty.
MARITIME AND MARINE
ARCHAEOLOGY

Given the length of the coastline of the South

West Peninsula, it is only right that our focus
should occasionally shift away from fields and
settlements. Certainly it is both significant
and fitting that the Centre for Maritime Ar­
chaeology at the University of Southampton
has been commissioned by English Heritage
to co-ordinate the development of a research
framework for the maritime, marine and
coastal archaeology of England. images from the CBA’s Community Archaeology web pages
The framework is designed to provide a co­
herent overview of previous research into this
for further information about the Maritime and
aspect of the historic environment of England, Marine Historic Environment Research
and then to use the outcomes to promote Framework
long-term strategic planning, inform policy, contact Dr Jesse Ransley
and devise agreed priorities within which email framework@soton.ac.uk
researchers can shape and seek funding for phone 02380 599284
projects. fax 02380 593032
Leading academics and practitioners have address Archaeology, University of Southamp­
been appointed to chair working parties with ton, Avenue Campus, Highfield, South­
responsibility for one of nine different time ampton SO17 1BF
periods, from the palaeolithic to the present web www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeol­ogy/
day. Their first task has been to undertake an research/projects/maritime_re­search_
framework.html
assessment of the state of current knowledge
of the marine historic environment, and the
results were presented to a Project Confer­
ence on 1 May. The next stage is for these to MASSIVE GROWTH IN COMMUNITY
be drawn together into a single Maritime and ARCHAEOLOGY
Marine Historic Environment Resource As­
A new report from the CBA highlights the
sessment and Research Agenda for England,
enormous scale of voluntary archaeology in
ready for publication in July 2010.
the UK, and makes important recommenda­
tions about how such activities should be
supported in future.
6
Nowadays over 200,000 individuals are in­
volved in a community archaeology group
or local society, are carrying out activities as
diverse as excavation and marine archaeol­
ogy, are recording a historic building or are
volunteering for a Young Archaeologists’ Club
Branch. This figure has more than doubled
since a similar survey was carried out in 1987.
The reasons for this increase are varied. Inter­
est in archaeology is widening, with a greater
range of television programmes, websites
and publications available than ever before. It
may also relate to a real expansion in volun­
tary activity of all kinds, with a recent report
indicating that 43% of adults had volunteered
formally within the last 12 months. Certainly
it is significant that increased funding op­
portunities for local archaeology groups have
become available over the past decade, espe­
cially from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
for further information about the CBA report on
community archaeology:
contact Suzie Thomas, CBA
email suziethomas@britarch.ac.uk
web http://britarch.ac.uk/news/100430-
community
In the second edition of this newsletter we
reported on the fascinating project being un­
dertaken by the Gloucestershire and District
Archaeological Research Group (GADARG)
7
to investigate the application of cutting edge
technology to the identification of hitherto
undetected archaeological features in the lo­
cal countryside.
The technique in question is LIDAR, which
uses short laser pulses from an aircraft, which
penetrate the woodland canopy and provide
measurements which are then used to build
up accurate maps of the underlying terrain.
It can reveal archaeological remains in excep­
tional detail, but - not surprisingly - a clear un­
derstanding of the strengths and limitations
of the technique is required before it can be
used to full effect.
The Forest of Dean. Photograph © Forestry Commission
It is therefore pleasing to report that the For­
estry Commission and Gloucestershire County
Council are supporting a one day confer­
ence to explore the technical uses of LIDAR
in woodlands, and its application alongside
other, more traditional, research methods.
The conference will also consider its use in
support of mapping and, in turn, its direct rel­
evance to heritage and forest management.
The conference chair is Jan Wills, County Ar­
chaeologist, and it is taking place on Wednes­
day 8th September 2010, from 10 am to 4.30
pm, at the Park Campus of the University of
Gloucestershire in Cheltenham.
Case studies in the historic forests of
Wyre, Dean and Savernake will be used to
demonstrate how LIDAR is being employed to
reveal the development of past landscapes.­
The confirmed conference speakers already
include many colleagues at the forefront of
the application of LIDAR techniques, and it
will therefore be of relevance to professional
archaeological practitioners, woodland man­
agers, advisors, academics and students.
The cost of the conference is £45, including
coffee, lunch and parking, and the closing
date for booking is 31 July 2010.
for further information about the Forestry
Commission/Gloucestershire County Council
conference on LIDAR in woodland:
phone 01594 833057
email dean@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
web www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.
cfm?articleID=1949/
A SECOND CITY REMEMBERED:
RETHINKING BRISTOL’S HISTORY,
1200-2000
Temple Street Bristol, Courtesy of antiqueprints.com, taken
from the Regional History Centre’s web site at humanities.uwe.
ac.uk/regionhistory
As the new Museum of Bristol prepares to
open its doors in 2011, a conference is being
8
held to reconsider the history of the city from
the 13th century to the present. In the pro­
cess the conference is intended to invite fresh
interpretations of all aspects of Bristol’s past
and to reflect upon the uses and abuses of
history in the making of urban identity.
As the organisers say, Bristol has had a com­
plex and sometimes difficult relationship with
its own past. Traditionally, Bristolians have
been proud to be citizens of the empire’s
second city, a status based in equal measures
on industry, charity and culture; at the same
time, however, they have been haunted by
‘memories of slavery, fears of comparative
decline and accusations of philistinism’.
The conference is being organised by the
Regional History Centre at the University of
the West of England, in partnership with the
Museum of Bristol, and is being held at the
St Matthias Campus of the University in Fish­
ponds, Bristol from 23-24 July 2010. Mem­
bers of the public and students are being
charged £10 per day, including refreshments
and lunch. The programme and a booking
form can be found via the Regional History
Centre’s website at http://humanities.uwe.
ac.uk/regionhistory/rhcnew/
for further information about the rethinking of
Bristol’s history:
contact
EITHER Pat Diango
email rhc@uwe.ac.uk
OR Dr Steve Poole
email steve.poole@uwe.ac.uk
phone 0117 3284437
COME ALONG TO THE CBA SW
SUMMER TRIP!
All readers of this Newsletter are invited to
take part in the regional group’s summer trip,
on Saturday 22 July 2010, starting at 12 noon.
to page 10
British Archaeology magazine

Keeping you informed

Keep up to date with the latest discoveries in archaeology. Each
68 page issue is packed with discoveries, news, features, reviews and opinion.
Written by archaeologists, it is the most talked about UK archaeology magazine.
Support the CBA and help safeguard the future of Britain’s archaeology

Subscribe today for just £21 a year*

Magazine also available to full CBA members from £29 a year.
CBA membership also includes CBA regional group membership.

Visit www.britarch.ac.uk/subscribe or call 01904 671417.

*New subscribers only

9
from page 8

This year we will be visiting the exciting THE YOUNG ARCHAEOLOGISTS OF THE
‘Blacklands’ Project, an excavated late Bronze SOUTH WEST
Age to Roman site at Upper Row Farm, Laver­ It may come as news
ton near Frome in Somerset. There will also to some readers that
be an opportunity to see the current excava­ the CBA has a separate
tions of a possible medieval mill at Homefield membership category
nearby.
for young people aged
The tour will be led by archaeologists Bill Ad­ up to 17. This has its
ams & Robin Holly, and osteo-archaeologist own section of the
Dawn Hodgson. Because of the narrow coun­ CBA website, at www.
try lanes, the plan is to meet at The George britarch.ac.uk/yac/,
Inn, Norton St Philip, Somerset BA2 7LH and its own magazine,
then to share transport to the site. Parking
Archaeology for you,
will be available at the Inn, provided you pur­
chase lunch. The pub itself is Grade I Listed and its own Honorary
and is reputed to be the oldest continually President, Tony
licensed inn in the country (see http://www. Robinson. He, along
georgeinnnsp.co.uk/home.php). Places will with the rest of the Time
be limited, so prior booking is essential. Team, regularly meet
members when they
give talks to local YAC Branches, schools and
for further information about the CBA SW visit to
the Blacklands Project: universities, and during public excavations.
contact John Keenan The Time Team has a regular page in the
phone 01179 687850
Young Archaeologist magazine which provides
information about their latest digs, what they
email keenan23@btinternet.com
have discovered and what they’re going to do
web www.bacas.org.uk
next.
Even more importantly, YAC has a strong

10
branch structure across the South West, de­
tails of which are accessible via the YAC web­
site mentioned above.
In this edition we focus, by way of example,
on the work of the West Wiltshire Branch, led
by Louise Mansbridge. In March 2010 they
celebrated their first birthday in the company
of a very special guest, when twenty young
members were joined by archaeologist Julian
Richards, best known as TV presenter of Meet
the Ancestors.
Julian’s challenge to the young members
was to film their own TV documentary about
archaeology. First he helped the children to
understand what sort of artefacts might sur­
vive, using a very smelly way of explaining this
by sharing the contents of what looked like a
forgotten pack lunch from a few weeks ago,
complete with mouldy bread and a revolting
rotten banana skin.
Photograph © West Wilts YAC
The young archaeologists split up into groups,
each with a specific role such as researchers,
cameramen, directors, archaeologists and sci­
entific experts. They then filmed themselves
discovering the remains of a burial near a
round house and uncovering a skeleton. Vari­
ous ‘scientists’ then examined the skeleton to
11
find out it’s possible age and whether it was
a male or a female. Another group of experts
carried out facial reconstruction on the skull
using clay to build up a picture of what the
person might have looked like.
Since their anniversary meeting the group
has held a Roman Session, involving a chariot
race, the creation of mosaics, and the prepa­
ration of authentic Roman dishes; this will be
followed in the coming months by an intro­
duction to underwater archaeology, a number
of site visits and some hands-on excavation.
Full details are available from their website
(see below), which also offers a gallery of pic­
tures of their various events and a very useful
and impressive list of links to other sites of
interest to young people.
for further information about the West Wiltshire
YAC:
contact Louise Mansbridge
email louise.mansbridge@gmail.com
web http://wwayac.googlepages.com
A SURVEY OF TREVONE QUARRY
BLACKSMITH’S WORKSHOP,
CORNWALL
Earlier this year, Archaeological Consultancy
Ltd carried out a standing buildings survey on
a small, almost forgotten building in the par­
ish of Mabe, Cornwall, and the team are now
hoping that their work will help to bring back
memories for local residents who were em­
ployed there during its heyday.
Wedge marks on split granite blocks in the
area, suggest that quarrying was underway
on the site before 1800, while sizeable tare
and feather split marks suggest continuing ex­
traction in the early part of the 19th century.
The first edition of the OS 6 inch map from
around 1880 shows the working and appar­ent
spoil tipping; the fact that it marks the site as
“Quarry” suggests that it was active at
 for further information about the Trevone
Workshop, and similar studies by the consultancy:
contact Tim Carter
email enquiries@archaeologicalconsultancy.
com
web www.archaeologicalconsultancy.com

FISH AND SHIPS CONFERENCE,

10th-12th SEPTEMBER 2010
this stage, and possibly using a another black­
smith’s workshop in the vicinity for its needs. The Severn Estuary Levels Research Commit­
The second edition OS map of around 1907 tee is celebrating its 20th anniversary with
shows a considerably expanded quarry pit, a major conference entitled Fish and Ships,
with additional spoil heaps, but names it as arranged jointly with Amgueddfa Cymru - Na­
“Old Quarry”, suggesting that at this point the tional Museum, Wales and the SELRC.
site had gone out of use. The conference focuses on shipping and fish­
ing within the Severn Estuary and beyond,
It is likely that the building was constructed and will be held over three days, from Friday
early in the 20th century, since a 1962 OS 10th September to Sunday 12th September
map shows the blacksmith’s workshop build­ 2010. The venue is the Reardon Smith Lecture
ing with largely unaltered quarry workings Theatre, National Museum Cardiff, Cathays
beside it. Local sources relate that Trevone Park, Cardiff.
quarry was worked up until the late 1970s,
with all blasting and pumping ceasing be­
tween 1979 and 1980 when the crane was
hauled out.
It seems that the building may not originally
have been a blacksmith’s workshop, though it
was certainly equipped with a fireplace from
the outset. The first workshop was inserted
crudely into the structure, probably in the
earlier part of the 20th century. It comprised
a corner forge; dual quenching troughs for oil
and water; a concrete base for a Blacker-style
power hammer with electric supply, and the
cast iron bellows attachment, together with
iron racking for tools and presumably raw ma­
terials. A concrete extension to the South was
later fitted with a second set-up for the same
use. Excitingly, the blacksmith’s workshop is
now back in active use as Smythick Forge.

The Magor Pill boat, as excavated, and as reconstructed. Im­

ages from SELRC and S4C websites, respectively.

12
In addition to a packed and wide-ranging pro­ cific technical questions or to test reconstruc­
gramme of lectures, the conference will in­ tions of particular medieval or post-medieval
clude visits to the Newport Ship Centre, a ride kilns excavated by archaeologists in Britain.
on the Newport transporter bridge, a visit to By way of contrast, bonfire-firings have also
Goldcliffe fishery and a tour of the fishing col­ being explored.
lections of the National History Museum at St
Fagans. It will then close with a round-up of
the last 20 years of archaeology in the Severn
Estuary presented by Nigel Nayling.
Full details of the programme, the conference
fees, the B&B accommodation and the excur­
sions are available from the website at www.
selrc.org.uk, from where a booking form can
also be downloaded.

for further information about the SELRC Fish and

Ships conference:
contact Elizabeth Walker
address SELRC Conference, Amgueddfa Cym­
ru - National Museum Wales, Cathys
Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP
email Elizabeth.Walker@museumwales.
ac.uk
web www.selrc.org.uk

THE BICKLEY CERAMICS PROJECT

19 - 31 JULY, 2010
In essence, the Bickley ceramics project is a
two-week event in which potters and archae­
ologists come together to make pots and fire
kilns on a farm in North Somerset. Bickley it­
self is a small farm near the village of Cleeve,
much of which is woodland and designated
as a SSSI. The project activities take place in
an orchard which overlies a small deserted
medieval settlement, as shown by the many
ditches and banks.
The project was started by Oliver Kent and
David Dawson in 1981, and grew out of an in­
terest in the history of ceramics in Britain and
Europe, and in pre-industrial technology. Its
main focus has been on wood-fired updraught
kilns for making earthenwares, with kilns be­
ing designed and built either to answer spe­
13
A second focus for the project is to persuade
those working in ceramics today to develop
an interest in these technologies and then to
gain experience and skills in their use. In this
way the project is able to test the validity of
the current understanding of pottery making
in the past, by putting it to extremely practi­
cal tests. The kiln being used at the moment
is based on a 17th century model excavated
in 1992 at Donyatt in South Somerset. This
would have been familiar to potters of the Ro­
man and medieval periods, but also has many
similarities to those used by Bernard Leach
and Hamada Shoji in the 1920s in St Ives.
The project operates on a non-profit mak­
ing basis, and makes a charge of £45 to cover
basic costs, with a reduced rate for unwaged
participants. Day visitors are asked to make a
contribution of £10.
for further information on the Bickley Ceramics
Project:
contact H. Kent
address 6 Bayswater Avenue, Westbury Park,
Bristol BS6 7NS
email bickley@kents.waitrose.com

THE KINGS WESTON ROMAN VILLA

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION
PROGRAMME
Kings Weston is Bristol’s only surviving Roman
villa. Built in the 3rd century at the centre of a
farming estate, and abandoned sometime to­
wards the end of the 4th century, the site was
re-discovered when a road was built straight
through it.
A schoolboy, George Boon, who would grow
up to be one of the world’s leading figures in
Romano-British archaeology, recognised the
significance of the site and managed to pre­ the most dedicated groups is drawn from the
vent further construction work. Boon and his Citizenship Course at the City of Bristol Col­
friend Clevedon-Brown then excavated the lege, Lawrence Weston. Once a month, no
Eastern Building between 1948-50. matter what the weather, this team works
Most of the house was destroyed by the road, with museum staff to pick up litter, weed the
but excavators nevertheless found several Roman remains and clean the information
living rooms, a portico, a gravelled courtyard, boards.
dining rooms and a bath suite. Mosaics and
the remains of a hypocaust also survived, As an unmanned site situated next to a main
along with fragments of Samian ware, domes­ road in one of the most deprived areas of
tic waste, iron tools, coins, and items of per­ the city, the villa really needs groups like this.
sonal adornment. Since the citizenship students started in Sep­
tember, the villa has been transformed. For
the first time in a very long time Kings Weston
Roman Villa is cobweb free, and ready for
summer open days, on 17 July and 11 Sep­
tember.

for further information on the King’s Weston

Roman villa preservation project:
contact Kate Isles, Assistant Curator for British
Archaeology
Boon fought for the site to be preserved in address Bristol City Museum, Queen’s Road,
situ and managed to persuade developers to Bristol BS8 1RL
realign the proposed housing. The site is now phone 01179223459
looked after by the Archaeology Department
of Bristol’s Museums, Galleries & Archives
with help from the local community. One of
14
IRON AGE FINDS IN CORNWALL
Every year many thousands of objects are
discovered, many of these by metal-detector
users, but also by people whilst out walking,
gardening or going about their daily work.
While metal detecting in Tywardreath par­
ish in June, 2008, Jamie Holland found what
turned out to be a copper alloy foot terminal
from an Iron Age linch pin, and it is greatly to
his credit that he reported his find under the
Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Further information on all the finds men­
tioned in this article can be found on the
Scheme’s website at www.finds.org.uk, to­
gether with background information, news
articles, events listings and the full database
of objects and images.
Anna Tyacke, Cornwall’s Finds Liaison Officer,
describes Jamie’s find, (item CORN-32D017
on PAS database) as follows: the foot is in the
15
form of a bulbous cone which extends at the
apex round into a ‘button’ terminal, some­
times referred to as a ‘hoof’ type. The face
is decorated with two central circular motifs,
consisting of a pellet within a crescentic circle
on its side. The two circles mirror each other,
with the thinnest aspect on the inside edge,
and the most comparable pattern is to be
found on a linch pin head from Suffolk (see
item SF-F0F267).
Behind these raised areas of decoration, the
background is plain but would have originally
been enamelled. At the opposite attachment
end there is a ridged collar and inside this cy­
lindrical shaft there is a square socket holding
the stump of the iron pin. This terminal was
cast on to the iron pin at one end and another
copper alloy terminal, or head, was cast onto
the other end of the pin. The linch pin was
used to hold the wheel hub onto the axel, and
in this case, it was probably a chariot wheel,
as these are ostentatious pieces made for
high status vehicles.
The linch pin foot is a ‘Kirkburn’ type, named
after a chariot burial in East Yorkshire, and
dates from the Late Iron Age period, from the
1st century BC to the 1st century AD. The Kirk­
burn linch pins belong to a well-known type,
with vase-headed terminals, within the Arras
Culture of East Yorkshire, with its distinctive
Iron Age cemeteries. A similar terminal foot
(COOK-527973), was found in the Loddiswell
area of Devon in 2002 and has since been
replicated to show what the complete linch
pin with its vase-headed terminal might have
looked like. It is now on display at the Royal
Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.
Iron Age linch pins are rare finds across the
country and it is unusual to have one where
the decorative motifs have not corroded
away. Other linch pins found in Cornwall in­
clude a vase-headed terminal from St Goran
(NARC-37A496), and a complete example
from Trevelgue Head, Newquay. Both of these
examples are exhibited in the Main Gallery at
the Royal Cornwall Museum, and the Royal
Institution of Cornwall hopes to acquire this
new find to add to their Iron Age displays.
AND NOW – OVER TO YOU!
We hope that you have enjoyed this, the third edition of the CBA SW Newsletter, but – more
importantly – we hope that you will also become active contributors to it. We want the news­
letter to contain information about the full range of activities taking place in the region, and
we want to encourage comments and feedback on the articles; for example we are happy to
publicise forthcoming events, but we would very much like to include reports from members of
the archaeological community who attend these events and want to share something they have
learned that may be of general interest.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
We still need volunteers to join the CBA SW committee, which only meets three times per year.
Please get in touch via cbasw@britarch.ac.uk.

SUBSCRIBE
If you would like to receive a copy of this Newsletter regularly through the post, and become a
member of the group, please send a cheque for £6 to the Treasurer, CBA SW, Wainbridge, Ot­
terhampton, Bridgwater, TA5 2PT.

This Newsletter has been produced by the Council for British Archaeology for the South West;
independent charity no. 268532. It is published in January, June, and October each year.
Please send copy for inclusion to the Editor (contact details below): the deadline for
Issue 4 is 5 Sep­tember 2010, but it would be helpful to know well in advance
if you may have something to offer!

to provide feedback on this newsletter

and its contents, or to submit items for a
future edition:
contact Barry Lane, Chair, CBA SW
the Chair
email barry.j.lane@btopenworld.com
OR con­ Alan Lambourne, Editor, CBA
tact the SW Newsletter
Editor
email alan-lambourne@clara.co.uk
address The Old Coach House, 70 East
Street, Ashburton TQ13 7AX
phone 01364 654543

http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/
16