⇐ Sussex Past & Present, nos. 120-122, 2010Sussex Past & Present, nos. 126-128, 2012 ⇒
Sussex Past & Present: The Sussex Archaeological Society Newsletter No. 123, edited by Wendy Muriel, published April 2011 (Sussex Archæological Collections, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Garden Make-Over at Michelham: Medieval monastic gardens recreated at Michelham Priory, by Stuart Reid, published April 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 123, article, pp.4-5, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:Since joining the staff as head gardener in September of 2007, I have been conducting research into medieval gardens as part of an ongoing programme of refurbishment and improvement of the gardens at Michelham Priory. This research has focussed on the relationship between the Monastic life of the Augustinian Canons (the Priory's original inhabitants), and the developing horticultural practices of the period. It has been undertaken with a view to improve the way the history of the Priory gardens is explained to the visiting public, and aims to appeal to the more dedicated horticulturist as well as someone looking for an interesting day out in beautiful surroundings. The intended outcome is to include more of the gardens' story as part of the planned reinterpretation of the Priory.
Romano-British Hanging Lamp: Rare lamp unearthed at Culver Farm, Barcombe, by David H. Millum, M.A., published April 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 123, article, p.6, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:The Culver Archaeological Project, under director Rob Wallace, has been investigating the wider archaeological landscape surrounding the Roman villa estate at Barcombe. After exposing a 40m section of unknown Roman road in Courthouse Field during 2009, they concentrated in 2010 on a 40 x 20m open area excavation in the adjacent Pond Field. This exposed an area of industrial pits and ditches to the south side of the road where a corroded iron artefact with a 100mm diameter bowl at the end of a dog-legged bar was uncovered. The item was fractured into three pieces and had a large headed rivet/bolt adjacent.
What Future for the Past? Conserving cultural heritage within the SDNP, by Paul Roberts, published April 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 123, article, p.7, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:Finally after over 50 years of campaigning and a decade of negotiation, the new South Downs National Park will become operational on 1st April 2011. This is a major achievement, and one which will do much to protect the archaeology and heritage of this exceptional landscape.
What's Going On in Sussex? A round-up of local excavations, by Luke Barber, published April 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 123, article, p.8, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Roman Baths at Barcombe: Complex Roman bathing arrangements revealed, by Chris Butler and David Rudling, published April 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 123, article, p.9, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:Since 2008 we have been investigating a large Roman bath house located in Church Field, which lies between the villa site and St Mary's Church, Barcombe. The excavations in 2008, 2009 and 2010 revealed a structure in excess of 20 m long and 6 m wide and orientated north-east to south-west.
At the northern end of the complex is a rectangular furnace room (praefurnium) with walls made of mortared flints. This room had a Y-shaped linear cut at floor level, which ran from the furnace through its south wall, and continued outside the building as a 'ditch' to the main drain running along the south side of the baths. This cut had been blocked at the furnace end and could be either an air vent or more likely a drain, perhaps indicating that this room was not fully roofed.
At the northern end of the complex is a rectangular furnace room (praefurnium) with walls made of mortared flints. This room had a Y-shaped linear cut at floor level, which ran from the furnace through its south wall, and continued outside the building as a 'ditch' to the main drain running along the south side of the baths. This cut had been blocked at the furnace end and could be either an air vent or more likely a drain, perhaps indicating that this room was not fully roofed.
Bardown Iron Working Site: Find of rare medallion initiates founding of research group, by Robin Hodgkinson, published April 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 123, article, pp.10-11, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:The Independent Historical Research Group (IHRG) started from small beginnings when four close friends expressed an interest in examining the known Romano-British iron industry site at Bardown, near Ticehurst in East Sussex. A metal detecting find in 2006 of a rare medallion of Antoninus Pius, which the British Museum thought could have been presented to "someone of importance", posed questions over the significance of the site. This developed into a project which proved to be an adventure in the study of the landscape over an area of six square miles with discovery following discovery, attracting the interest of both local people and those from further afield.
Obituary: Martin Welch FSA, 1947-2011, by Peter Drewett, published April 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 123, obituary, p.12, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Sussex Past & Present: The Sussex Archaeological Society Newsletter No. 124, edited by Wendy Muriel, published August 2011 (Sussex Archæological Collections, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Anne of Cleves Re-opens: Official Re-opening of Museum on 7th May 2011, by Isobel Roberts, published August 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 124, article, pp.4-5, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Obituary: John Roland Magilton BA MPhil FSA MIfA, 1951-2011, by James Kenny, published August 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 124, obituary, p.5, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Fine Dining at Earlier AGMs?: Old journal reveals accusations of neglect and excess!, by Janet Pennington, published August 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 124, article, pp.6-7, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:Mr Leslie Stevens of Upper Beeding contacted me in January 2011. He owns a bound copy of The Building News, 22, (Jan-June 1872), and on page 152 of the 23 February 1872 issue there is a drawing of an 'Oak Bench, Steyning, Sussex'.
. . .
A further search in The Building News reveals an indignant reply in the March 1st issue, page 184, the writer berating the Sussex Archaeological Society in fulsome terms:-Ancient Oak Furniture.
Sir, I quite agree with your correspondent, Mr M. B. Adams, in his remarks on the Oak Bench, Steyning, Sussex, accompanying his illustration in your last week's number, that "it is worthy of a better place" than being stored away in the church tower. Sussex, I believe, boasts of an Archaeological Society, but the chief use of it seems to consist in occasionally going to look at antiquities and eating a good dinner. Sussex is rich in antiquities - no county is more so - and to this circumstance we must account the fact that familiarity breeds its contempt for them, for no county in England treats its ancient treasures with more indifference and neglect than does Sussex - Hastings Castle to-wit.
. . .
A further search in The Building News reveals an indignant reply in the March 1st issue, page 184, the writer berating the Sussex Archaeological Society in fulsome terms:-Ancient Oak Furniture.
Sir, I quite agree with your correspondent, Mr M. B. Adams, in his remarks on the Oak Bench, Steyning, Sussex, accompanying his illustration in your last week's number, that "it is worthy of a better place" than being stored away in the church tower. Sussex, I believe, boasts of an Archaeological Society, but the chief use of it seems to consist in occasionally going to look at antiquities and eating a good dinner. Sussex is rich in antiquities - no county is more so - and to this circumstance we must account the fact that familiarity breeds its contempt for them, for no county in England treats its ancient treasures with more indifference and neglect than does Sussex - Hastings Castle to-wit.
The Battle of Lewes Project: Outlining plans to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the Battle, by Edwina Livesey, published August 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 124, article, p.8, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Tidemills Farmyard: "and on that farm he had some pigs", by Luke Barber, published August 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 124, article, pp.10-11, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:The 2010 season proved a busy one again with a mixture of vegetation clearance, standing structure recording and excavation. Most work concentrated on the farmyard area situated to the north of the main village, but to the south of the stationmaster's cottage (see SPP No. 118). The historic maps showed two main buildings in this area. The largest, a barn, was situated next to the road with a long building to the south-east. The latter is shown with pens along part of its south-eastern side and was thought to be an animal shed.
The Civic Insignia of Lewes: Revealing Lewes town's hidden treasures, by Dr. Michael Turner and Michael Chartier, B.A., published August 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 124, article, p.13, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Sussex Past & Present: The Sussex Archaeological Society Newsletter No. 125, edited by Wendy Muriel, published December 2011 (Sussex Archæological Collections, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
The South Downs Conference: The shaping of a landscape, by Janet Pennington, published December 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 125, article, pp.10-11, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Steyning Bench Update, by Janet Pennington, published December 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 125, article, p.16, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
The Millers' Tale: Keeping the Priory's watermill working, by Jim Bolter and Wendy Muriel, published December 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 125, article, pp.4-5, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:Water power was first harnessed to grind corn in the first century AD. The earliest water wheels were laid horizontally in the bed of a stream and turned a shaft to which a grindstone was attached. The speed of the stone was limited by the speed of the water. The Romans introduced the vertical wheel turned by paddles and gears were used to alter the speed of the stones. This basic design remained in use for centuries.
The first mention of a watermill at Michelham Priory is in 1255 when a lawsuit took place between the Abbott of Battle and the Priory of Michelham about water levels for the mill here. This rumbled on until 1434 when the Prior agreed to pay the Abbot four shillings annually for the right to extract water. Earlier mills are recorded but may not have been located on the exact same site.
The first mention of a watermill at Michelham Priory is in 1255 when a lawsuit took place between the Abbott of Battle and the Priory of Michelham about water levels for the mill here. This rumbled on until 1434 when the Prior agreed to pay the Abbot four shillings annually for the right to extract water. Earlier mills are recorded but may not have been located on the exact same site.
Prehistoric Wetlands Discovery: A new Middle Bronze Age waterlogged site in Sussex, by Michael J. Allen, published December 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 125, article, pp.6-7, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:As part of the geoarchaeological and hydrological study by Mike Allen, funded by a Margary grant from Sussex Archaeological Society, of the environs of Barcombe villa and bathhouse (see previous issues of SP&P for details of these excavations), a preliminary investigation was undertaken in a former tributary valley of the river Ouse at 'The Wilderness'. This steep-sided broad flat-bottomed valley is now heavily wooded but in the past was an important tributary of the Ouse that may have allowed access to the Roman bathhouse and villa by shallow-draught boats or barges.
Preliminary augering in November 2009 with assistance from archaeology students John Kane and Philippa Whitehall of Sussex University, indicated the presence of alluvium over rare important prehistoric waterlogged peats in the former channel. In November 2010, with the permission of the land owner through the kind auspices of Rob Wallace, Mike Allen directed a further group of Sussex University students (Andy Bradshaw, John Kane, David Millum and Jan Oldham) during the excavation of a small test pit (1.2m x 1.2m) to examine and sample the site. This revealed 70cm of alluvium over a 40cm thick peat deposit with hazelnuts, twigs and preserved leaves. The most astonishing discovery, however, was a large waterlogged oak stake over 0.5m long and more than 20cm in diameter and clearly cut into a point (Fig. 2) with adze marks clearly visible. We assume it formed part of a trackway or platform over the peat-filled channel, later buried under nearly 1m of Roman and medieval alluvium.
Preliminary augering in November 2009 with assistance from archaeology students John Kane and Philippa Whitehall of Sussex University, indicated the presence of alluvium over rare important prehistoric waterlogged peats in the former channel. In November 2010, with the permission of the land owner through the kind auspices of Rob Wallace, Mike Allen directed a further group of Sussex University students (Andy Bradshaw, John Kane, David Millum and Jan Oldham) during the excavation of a small test pit (1.2m x 1.2m) to examine and sample the site. This revealed 70cm of alluvium over a 40cm thick peat deposit with hazelnuts, twigs and preserved leaves. The most astonishing discovery, however, was a large waterlogged oak stake over 0.5m long and more than 20cm in diameter and clearly cut into a point (Fig. 2) with adze marks clearly visible. We assume it formed part of a trackway or platform over the peat-filled channel, later buried under nearly 1m of Roman and medieval alluvium.
Sussex in a Wider Context - some recent publications for the local historian, by Sue Berry, published December 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 125, article, p.9, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Best Finds of This Year: The Finds Liaison Officer reports on significant finds, by Stephanie Smith, published December 2011 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 125, article, p.13, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
⇐ Sussex Past & Present, nos. 120-122, 2010Sussex Past & Present, nos. 126-128, 2012 ⇒