LWDadmin, Author at HADAS

Sep 15

0

newsletter-426-september-2006 – HADAS Newsletter Archive

By LWDadmin | Past Newsletters, Volume 8 : 2005 - 2009 | No Comments

Newsletter

Page 1

HADAS DIARY — Forthcoming Events and Lectures in 2006/7

Wednesday 30th August — Sunday September 2nd: Annual HADAS Long Weekend Devon and Cornwall, staying at Plymouth University. Now fully booked, with a small waiting list. For more information phone Jackie Brookes

Tuesday 10th October: Nadia Durrani Assistant Editor Current Archaeology The Queen of Sheba

Tuesday 14th November: Barry Taylor and Steve Ellwood (both of English Heritage) “The Sites and Monuments Records for Barnet”

December: Christmas Dinner Date and time to be announced

Tuesday 9th January 2007: Stephen Knight (Curator, Colne Valley Postal Museum, Essex) “British Post Box Design and Use — The First 150 Years”

Tuesday 13th February: Dr Andrew Gardner (Lecturer, Archaeology of the Roman Empire, Institute of Archaeology) “The End of Roman Britain”

Tuesday 13th March: Eileen Bowlt (Chairman, LAMAS) “The London & Middlesex Archaeological Society (LAMAS) in the Early Days”

Tuesday 10th April: Dennis Smith (Lecturer & Industrial Archaeologist) — title to be announced

Lectures take place at 8pm at Avenue House, 17 East End Rd. Finchley N3 3QE. 15-min walk, Finchley Central tube station. Buses 82, 143, 260, 326 & 460 pass close by. Parking very limited directly outside, plentiful nearby (Non-members £1, tea, coffee, biscuits 70p)

Membership Matters by Mary Rawitzer

This will be the last Newsletter sent to the few people who have not paid their 2006/7 subscriptions, due last April. Those we think this will effect will find a note in with this newsletter, just to make sure that no subscription went astray. If you have any concerns, please contact me (see Membership Secretary details on the back page)

Barry Reilly remembered

With regret we have to inform the Society of the death of Barry Reilly. Barry, a HADAS member for many years, collapsed and died suddenly from heart failure at a family event on Saturday 5th August. Barry was a friendly, easy-going member who keenly participated in lecture meetings, outings and excavation. His profession was as a graphic and commercial artist in which capacity he helped design displays for HADAS exhibitions as well lending his drawing and photography skills to this Newsletter. In recent years Barry was a partner to Jean Bayne, a fellow HADAS member, and our sympathy goes to her and to her family. His passing was a great shock and he will be very badly missed by everyone who knew him

More Course Information: 1066 and All That

WEA are running a course “Archaeology: Medieval England (1066 to 1485)” in Mill Hill on Friday mornings, from 10am to 12 noon, beginning on 29th September. The course will examine the development of mediaeval England by studying themes such as royalty, fortifications, architecture, churches and monasteries, and urban and rural settlement. Further details are in WEA booklets (under Mill Hill & Edgware Branch) available in local libraries or from Peter Nicholson

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First Code of Practice on Responsible Metal Detecting by Peter Pickering

An historic agreement on a first code of practice for metal detecting in England and Wales has been agreed by all the key archaeological bodies, metal detecting and landowners’ organisations. This is the first time that these bodies have joined together to define responsible metal detecting and provide a clear and unambiguous definition of what constitutes good practice. The signatories are the National Council of Metal Detecting, the Federation of Independent Detectorists, the Country Land and Business Association, the National Farmers Union, the Council of British Archaeology, English Heritage, National Museums and Galleries of Wales, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, The British Museum, the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the Society of Museum Archaeologists and the Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. The agreement is voluntary, but has the full endorsement of the signatories and all parties are committed to ensuring their members abide by the advice set out in the document. The agreement covers three aspects of metal detecting. The first section, Before you go metal-detecting, states you must obtain permission to search from the landowner, adhere to laws concerning protected sites, join an official metal-detecting club and follow conservation advice. Whilst you are detecting states that find-spots should be recorded as accurately as possible, that ground disturbance should be minimal and that the Country Code should be respected. Finally, it offers advice on procedures after you have been detecting. Any and all finds should be reported to the landowner and the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Detectorists must abide by the provisions of the Treasure Act and must seek expert help if they find something large or made from an unusual material, and they must call the police if they discover any human remains. Dr Mike Heyworth, Director, British Council for Archaeology, commented: “This Code represents a major step forward. It builds on earlier efforts to provide guidance to all users of metal detectors. It emphasises the positive contributions that responsible metal detectorists can make to the study of the past through the knowledge we can obtain from finds and their archaeological contexts. The Code also serves to emphasis the distinction between responsible metal detectorists and the minority of irresponsible individuals who use their equipment for personal gain”. The Code is available on-line at http://www.finds.org.uk/documents/CofPl.pdf

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Hadley Woods clay pipe bowls — an update A Message from Stephen Brunning

As Graham Javes mentioned in the July newsletter, I was hoping to compile a full report of the 100 clay pipes found at Hadley Woods. Unfortunately, as some readers will know, I broke my arm whilst on holiday. My arm is healing quite nicely, but it will take longer than usual to be back to normal as the bone was badly broken in two places. It has therefore not been possible to complete the report. To all those people expecting to read the article in August’s newsletter, my sincere apologies. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their kind wishes on my recovery.

LAMAS CONFERENCE: Excavations at Springhead, Kent Andy Simpson

Andy was asked to write up two among many excellent papers presented at the 43rd Annual Conference of London Archaeologists on March 25th this year. His first report appeared in the last Newsletter (No. 425, August 2006). His second, on the review by Phil Andrews of the substantial Wessex Archaeology excavations at Springhead, Kent, follows. Located on Watling St, south-east of London, the excavation between 2000 and 2003 studied lkm of the Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent, on the route of work on the new Channel Tunnel rail link line which involved an entire hillside being dug away. Around 10 hectares of land was stripped and excavated, with every square metre of the site archaeologically metal-detected and the overburden stripped off in spits, before being dug out for the new rail line. Other areas were quarried out and backfilled prior to being covered in new housing. The Ebbsfleet is now just a tiny stream; originally spring-fed it became almost dry when pumping for water extraction started in the 1930s with further drying when local quarries began pumping in 1937. But it was navigable into the Roman period, and part of the Roman waterfront was found and the Roman riverbed revealed, in places having been consolidated by a flint layer, with likely evidence of Roman canalisation. In 1799 a large walled Roman cemetery had been uncovered in this area, with stone and lead coffins containing items such as gold arm rings; some of these finds are now in the British Museum. Then archaeological excavations in the 1950s found a major group of Roman Temples, now preserved within a scheduled ancient monument area. These most recent excavations greatly widened the spread of sites with evidence of activity from the Palaeolithic through to the Medieval periods. There was pre-Roman activity around the springs, including Middle Bronze Age features, and Neolithic and Bronze Age remains were located further down the valley. The Romans had levelled out an earlier burnt mound as part of a road and then there was also evidence of 5th-6th C Saxon occupation of the area, with brooches and Visigothic pottery. Late Iron Age activity included a processional way and a 150m long ditch enclosing the end of the spring site, with more Iron Age features outside the ditch, as well as at the previously discovered temple complex. Late Iron Age settlement was also found, on the south side of the current A2 road, with pits containing broken pottery. The earliest Roman activity focussed on the springs too and it is possible that a temporary early Roman supply base, strategically placed alongside Watling St, underlies the later temple complex. Early Roman deposits alongside the road included cremation burials, one of which was boxed. This early toad was covered by one metre of Roman deposits, on top of which was a sanctuary sequence, the central building possibly being of timber with a stone-footed facade and wall, perhaps a portico. There were lines and groups of pits containing pottery and animal bone. After two phases of timber building, it was replaced by a stone-based structure with cobble-filled foundation trenches and traces of monumental stonework, now displayed at Springhead Nurseries. Several clay-lined circular structures were found, possibly ovens, but no portholes. The northern line of the sanctuary was marked by very deep pits, one with nine dog skeletons buried in it. Others contained a clay slab with a pot placed on top. At the base of one large pit was the skeleton of a large dog and a human skull, and 11 dogs, a pig, and a calf 4.5m down, suggesting a `ritual shaft’ similar to examples found at other Roman sites. Large terraces possible feasting terraces — were also found, in which were 4-5 human neonate burials. One part of the site yielded over 230 brooches, mostly of Colchester type of lst-2nd C date. The spring- head may have functioned as a healing centre, with five or six temples nearby. In the second area dug another temple was found, west of the Ebbsfleet road junction, with 4th-5th C coins — very late — with ragstone steps, tiled porch, traces of wall painting on inner walls, a huge post hole,possibly for some sort of totem, over 35 neonate burials, sometimes in a pot — on one occasion, two in one pot. These temples are to be preserved in situ. Other discoveries included the vestigial remains of a bath house with tiled floor, an aisled barn building, a bakery/smithy with in situ pots and hearths, a Roman sunken-featured building and evidence of lead working, giving a picture of a patchwork of small craftsmen’s workshops providing pilgrims with souvenirs and votive offerings as they approached the sacred sanctuary or passed along Watling St, with settlement and 10 or 11 temples flanking both sides of that road, but with no identified town houses. Public cemeteries have been found, including one which was also of late date, and there was the odd prone burial in a ditch. Over 112,000 Roman period pottery sherds were recovered, of which few were finewares and only 4% Samian. Following the site work there came a two-year lull until post-excavation work could be started in 2005. This is scheduled to run for 2 years and has yet to be completed so that we will still have to wait 2 — 3 years for publication of this exciting site.

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REPORT ON OUTING TO LEICESTER

HADAS’ second day trip of 2006, on Saturday July 22nd, was to Leicester. Three of the participants have compiled a report on the day:

Part 1 Sheila Woodward

We had another wet start for the day, but a trouble-free journey to Leicester where coffee awaited us at the Holiday Inn. Our 10 minute walk to the Vine St excavation was a trifle damp and a sudden downpour as we reached the site kept us huddled under the temporary entry-shelter. After that we had sunshine as we toured the site under the expert guidance of Tim Higgins, the site director, and his 3 site supervisors. And what an impressive site it is. Multi-period and therefore complex, the Roman levels now revealed are of particular interest. Central to the site are the remains of a large and substantial apsidal building (the size of the foundations suggests 2 storeys) opening onto a pebbled courtyard. Rooms on either side of the apse had hypocaust heating. From the apse there would have been a good view, across the court¬yard and down to the main gateway, of anyone entering or leaving the building. Was this just the palatial home of a wealthy citizen, or was it the residence of a high official with business to transact perhaps a magistrate or an army officer? Roman Leicester (RATAE CORIELTAUVORUM) was on the Fosse Way and of strategic importance. It was one of the 14 tribal capitals set up by the Romans to administer the territory they had conquered. Finds in rooms adjacent to the courtyard have included a copper coin hoard (Constantine period) in a wooden box, only the nails of which survived, and a large, roughly shaped, lead ingot. Remains of slate roofing may indicate that the coins and ingot were placed in some sort of “safe”. This site is in the northeast quarter of the Roman town, away from both the administrative centre of the basilica and forum and the social centre of the public baths, making the location of the courtyard house the more surprising. Earlier Roman buildings on this site had been of wood, as were those on adjacent insulars. Later in the Roman period the small rooms around the courtyard house became shops and workrooms, linked by a narrow corridor. On the edge of the site a baths complex has been partially excavated to reveal a hypocaust and plunge pool. Finds of Roman pottery have not been plentiful and the dating of various phases of occupation has not been easy. It has been further complicated by the re-use of earlier building material. One recent find has caused some amusement: a typical Roman “curse”, but the aggrieved was so unsure of his victim, or so misanthropic, that he has included 14 names in his malediction! Above the Roman levels on which we tended to concentrate the site also revealed later occupation levels: not much evidence of the Vikings or the Mercians, but a few traces of mediaeval Leicester, especially in rubbish pits, and the excavators are still hoping to find the remains of St Michael’s Church, which sur¬vived the sack of Leicester by Henry II in 1173, but soon afterwards disappeared “due to depopulation” Later problems have included Victorian burials associated with the Methodist Chapel for which re-burial had to be arranged. The wholesale modernisation of Leicester continues and is gathering pace. Its hosiery and boot and shoe industry have disappeared almost completely, together with their buildings and the homes of their workers. Excavation ahead of each redevelopment phase has so far been possible. By October this year a shopping mall and office complex will cover the fascinating site we had visited.

Part 2: JEWRY WALL MUSEUM by Tessa Smith

The east wall of the Roman Civic Bath is called Jewry Wall and is one of the largest examples of a Roman masonry building left in Britain. The reason that it survived when most of Roman Leicester was destroyed may have been that for a time it formed the west wall of a Saxon church. The origin of the name Jewry Wall is entirely unknown as there is no evidence of a Jewish quarter with which the name might be associated. Viewed from the large modern windows of the museum this is a powerful and impressive structure and it overlooks the foundations of the rest of the baths. While we were there a thunderstorm swept into the area, adding to the drama of the setting. The museum is a long, low, grey concrete slab built in the “brutal” style of the 60’s. However, the inside feels quite open, with windows along the whole of one side of the building. The exhibits are displayed chronologically and spaciously, Neolithic hand-axes and flints, Bronze Age and Iron Age daggers and spears, and the Welby Cup, a masterpiece of late Bronze Age metalwork. The Roman gallery is really exciting, displaying some enormous-sized finds. One area depicting a very large Roman room displays not only the Blue Boar Lane wall paintings and a ten foot square of painted wall plaster from the Norfolk Street Roman Villa, but also magnificent Roman mosaic pavements. The Peacock mosaic is particularly attractive. It was made about 150 AD and the feathers of the central peacock motif are highlighted by the use of twinkling blue glass. For many years, for one penny, it could be viewed in the basement of a corset shop. As well as statue heads, and examples of columns from the forum, a large milestone from Thurmaston, originally set up by the Fosse Way and found 200 years ago, is important because it gives the Roman name for Leicester, RATAE xxxxx (Ratae Corieltauvorum), for the very first time. Smaller items are fascinating too. A fragment of red pottery inscribed as a love token between Verecunda the actress and Lucius the gladiator, and the Mountsonal bucket clasp, which shows how Iron Age decorative techniques survived into Roman times, are two examples. A display of cremations and burials is always popular and this one included a collection of beautifully decorated urns, a skeleton body and a small, deep “leaden cist” containing calcined bones. A modern aspect of the museum is a photographic display of “chance finds”, a late Bronze Age spearhead, early Bronze Age Beaker ornaments and the glowing red Anglo-Saxon pendant from Sapcote. One section of this display was devoted to the Code of Practice for responsible metal detecting [Page 2 of this Newsletter has more details of the Code]. Some “hands-on” activities were toyed with by our members, having fun with the computers and digging for finds. I was invited behind the scenes and saw the roller racking units holding a huge number of items, many waiting to be researched. I loved the trays of tile fragments from Leicester Abbey, hand-painted with “King and Queen” portraits. A favourite of the student who showed me round was a tiny tablet that she was researching showing Cuneiform writing, in a Babylonian trade language. Then the very rare Egyptian mummy of PENPI, an official of the priesthood of the god Amon Ra, dating from 700-600 BC. Finally, and right up-to-date, was a copy of the Leicester Mercury dated January 24th 2006: HUGE GRAVE SITE FOUND. THE DISCOVERY OF SKELETONS OF 1300 PEOPLE IN A MEDIEVAL CEMETERY BY RICHARD BUCKLEY. THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND OUTSIDE LONDON. The museum is attempting to get finding in order to keep the work going and was collecting signatures and remarks from the public to back up its case. HADAS was happy to help. However, the property developers have invaded Leicester and roadworks, cranes and building sites cover the area. Tim Higgins’s archaeological dig finally comes to an end in October. Then the builders take over.

Part 3:Leicester Cathedral by Micky Watkins

LEICESTER CATHEDRAL This is a surprise cathedral. There is no cathedral green, just an entry from a small lane. There is no vast space and lengthy aisle, indeed this cathedral is as wide as it is long. St Martin’s was just a parish church until 1927 when it was made a cathedral, and then only after a bitter struggle, in Trollopian style, with the supporters of St Margaret’s down the road. Canon Payne for St Margaret’s was determined to win, but Archdeacon Macnutt triumphed and the Bishop’s throne was built in St. Martin’s. The architecture is mainly Early English, but most of the church was rebuilt in that style by Raphael Brandon in the 19th century. He added a very tall spire which can be seen from the town square. Inside is a beautiful screen, hand carved and painted in black and gold. The magnificent South Aisle was built by the Corpus Christi Guild and the roof is painted gold, red and green and held up by grotesque carvings, almost life size. A small chapel to the north of the altar has numerous grave stones for members of the Herrick family and the chapel has been renovated in memory of Robert Herrick by the American branch of the family. “Cherry ripe” and “Gather ye rosebuds” are among the poet’s popular lyrics. There is a rather quaint little memorial, carved into black marble — James Andrewe Anagram Reede I was a man There is also a memorial slab to King Richard III, killed in 1485 in the Battle of Bosworth which took place near Leicester. Another interesting feature of the Cathedral is the font: hexagonal with eight heads sculpted in stone round it. These distinctive heads are crying out for identification, but as this Cathedral has no guide book they must remain anonymous. THE GUILDHALL This is a medieval building which we all found delightful. Built round a courtyard, the rooms are panelled or have plasterwork and timbers. The Great Hall was built for the Corpus Christi Guild in 1343, but in tilt 16Lin centuiy it became the property of Leicester Corporation and for rriany centuries it was used as a court room. We saw the cells below, where the unfortunate prisoners were kept. The Town Library, kept in an upper room, is the third oldest public library in the country and the ancient leather- bound volumes can still be consulted by appointment. The Mayor’s Parlour is a beautiful room with a fine fireplace and painted overmantel. The whole day was very interesting and enjoyable and we all felt grateful to Tessa and Sheila for organising it.

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The Minoan Palace of Zakros by Fran Martell

Every year I try to return to the island of Crete, a place I have fallen in love with, always in May/June when it is not yet too hot. This time of year also coincides with the anniversary of the battle of Crete when many memorial services are held and this year 1 was fortunate to be present at the very moving ceremony at the Souda Bay cemetery, attended by some of the veterans. On our latest trip we drove to the far eastern end of the island to revisit the village of Kato Zakros with its Minoan Palace complex, and to walk the gorge there. The day after our arrival, we caught the local bus to Ano Zakros, the village at the top of the gorge, and walked the “Valley of the Dead”, the name given the gorge due to the caves high in the cliff walls, used as tombs by the Minoans among others. When we finally emerged at the bottom of the gorge, having taken rather longer than the two hours my guidebook suggested, the route back to Kato Zakros village took us directly past the palace site. But, feeling a little footsore, and badly in need of a beer, I decided to leave my visit until the next day. Refreshed the next morning, I retraced my steps back up the red dirt road, armed with a large bottle of water and my camera. The original excavations were carried out in the early 1900s, at the same time as many of the other Minoan sites, by David Hogarth, but he found very little and the site was abandoned. However, in 1961 the Cretan archaeologist Nikolaos Platon began digging, and within a very short space of time, discovered the predicted palace very near to where Hogarth’s trenches had finished. During the period between the two digs, the site had been for the most part forgotten, so there had been no looting. Platon found storerooms with huge pithoi still in situ and the religious treasury contained a huge number of artefacts. In total, more than 10,000 items have been found, and the excavations still continue. These finds are all in the Iraklion and Sitia museums. Only the palace from the second period, (1600 — 1450 BC), has been unearthed. An earlier one, of around 1900 BC, will probably never be found as this end of the island is gradually sinking and the entire complex may be under water. The ground is often swampy, especially early in the year, and terrapins live in the ancient wells and cistern. The area of the site is approximately 10,000 square metres, and as well as being the royal residence, it housed the administrative, commercial and religious centre for the whole area. Finds such as elephant tusks from Syria and many items from Cyprus, Egypt and other areas are evidence that this must have been a major trading port. The present day entrance to the site is from the south. However, the original approach would have been made along the road from the harbour to the east. These harbour installations have not been explored as these too are now under water, but a section of the road itself has now been reconstructed. Although it is marked as the exit this is where I would recommend visitors to start and then climb to the buildings in the upper town from where you can clearly discern all the areas which make up the palace complex – a great vantage point from which to orientate yourself before you begin a detailed visit. The Palace itself was quite a small one; the central court measures approximately 30 metres x 12 metres, or roughly l/3 the size of the one at Knossos. There is an area of workshops and to the south-east the main cistern and well which still flows with drinkable water today. The light well to the west, was where one of the most important finds was made, the Peak Sanctuary Rhyton, a stone vase showing a peak sanctuary with wild goats. The central shrine, now under a canopy, is similar to the one at Gournia. There is a lustral basin and next to it the Treasury, adjacent to the palace archive where hundreds of Linear A tablets were found, only a few of which survived clearly, due to water damage. The palace kitchen area was positively identified by the large number of pots, utensils and animal bones found strewn around. As far as I know, there are no organised tours to the Zakros site so if, like me, you would like to have a Minoan Palace complex virtually to yourself, it is well worth the effort of making your own way there if you ever plan a holiday in Crete.

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Other Societies’ September Events by Eric Morgan

5th (Tuesday) &7th (Thursday) & 12th Tuesdays Da Vinci Code? Discover the true history of the Templars (Mike Howgate, City of London Guide) leads 11/2 hr tour of Temple Church & area.Amateur Geological Society. Meet Temple Tube. £5 (Also August 31) 2pm 6th Wed. The Blue Plaques of London (Howard Spencer) Stanmore & Harrow Historical Soc., Wealdstone Baptist Church Hall, Wealdstone High St 8pm 9th Sat. Enfield Town Show Local archaeol. & preservation societies among many 10th Sun. other stallholders. Enfield Town Park, Cecil Rd 12 – 6pm

10th Sun. Garden Party, the Bothy, Avenue House: fund-raising for the Bothy’s planned restoration 3 – 5pm

10th Sun. London’s Local — Discover London’s Local History through some exciting artefacts from LAARC. Museum of London 12.30 – 4.30pm

11th Mon. Grandma’s London (John Neal) Barnet & District Local History Soc.Church House, Wood St (opp. Barnet Museum) 3pm

15th Friday Finds from the foreshore (Hazel Forsyth, MOL) COLAS, St Olave’s Parish Hall, Mark Lane EC3 (foreshore finds in Natl. Arch. Week, July) 7pm

15th Friday Enfield Palace Exchange — The Archaeology (Jon Butler, PCA) Enfield Archaeology Soc. Jubilee Hall, junction Chase Side/Parsonage Lane 8pm

Aug 15

0

newsletter-425-august-2006 – HADAS Newsletter Archive

By LWDadmin | Past Newsletters, Volume 8 : 2005 - 2009 | No Comments

Newsletter

Page 1

The Birkbeck/HADAS Course – Do come and join us!! by Don Cooper

It’s that time again! The task of processing the Ted Sammes archives of the HADAS excavations from the 70s continues anew this Autumn. As usual the course is being run at Avenue House by Jacqui Pearce (see details below reproduced from the Birkbeck website). This is your chance to learn how to identify artefacts found in excavations, research the sites, write up the results and publish as well as all the techniques of post-excavation processing at a local venue and in a very friendly environment. So do come and join us! To apply write, phone or e-mail for an application form quoting the course code below to: Archaeology FCE Birkbeck 26 Russell Square London WC I B 5DQ Tel: 020 7631 6627 e-mail: archaeology@fce.bbk.ac.uk Course title and description: Course code is FFAR015UACP After the Excavation: Archaeology from Procession to Publication The module will run as a workshop, providing a model for post- excavation procedures based on current practice, covering finds procession, identification, recording and analysis leading to publica¬tion and archive deposition. Amateur groups and local societies are encouraged to bring along material from excavations to be used in practical sessions, with teaching and supervision by specialists.

Wednesday, 20th 2006, 6.30pm-8.30pm – 26 meetings including visits. £215 (£105 for concessions) Jacqui Pearce, BA, FSA, Avenue House, 15-17 East End Road, Finchley N3. (30 CATS points at Level 2).

HADAS DIARY – Forthcoming Lectures and Events in 2006

Wednesday August 30th – Sunday September 3rd 2006: Annual HADAS Long Weekend Devon and Cornwall, staying at Plymouth University. Now fully booked, with a small waiting list.

Tuesday, 10th October 2006 – Nadia Durrani (Assistant Editor, Current Archaeology) “The Queen of Sheba”

Tuesday le November 2006 – Barry Taylor and Steve Ellwood (both of English Heritage) “The Sites and Monuments Records for Barnet”.

Tuesday 9th January 2007 – Stephen Knight (Curator, Colne Valley Postal Museum, Essex) “British Post Box Design and Use – the First 150 Years”.

Tuesday 13th February 2007 – TBA.

Tuesday 13th March 2007 – Eileen Bowlt (Chairman, LAMAS) “The London and Middlesex Archaeological Society (LAMAS) in the Early Days”.

Tuesday 10th April 2007 Denis Smith (Lecturer, Industrial Archaeologist) – Title TBA.

Lectures take place at 8pm at Avenue house, 17 East End Road, Finchley, N3 3QE. (Non-members £1. Tea, coffee and biscuits 70p). Fifteen-minute walk from Finchley Central tube station. Nos. 82, 143, 260 , 326 and 460 buses pass close by. Limited parking.

Page 2

AN OUTING TO THE COTSWOLDS WITH JUNE AND STEWART

It was an unexpectedly rainy start to the early morning as we set off for the Cotswolds, but soon the clouds lifted, the road works ended and we then had a clear, fast and comfortable run to Minster Lovell in the beautiful valley of the River Windrush. Our coffee stop was in the picturesque 15th century “Olde Swan” Inn, where once a year a game of skittles used to be played in the “Swan’s” skittle alley for the prize of a goose. From the inn we walked up to St Kenelm’s Church and the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall, past glowing Cotswold stone cottages, Old Bake House, Lavender Cottage and the Post House, set about with roses, hollyhocks and elderflower. And the sun shone on one and all. Now to the archaeology! The Church of St Kenelm was built in 1450, and the alabaster tomb in the Lady Chapel is believed to be that of William 7th Baron Lovell, who built the Manor house, the ruins of which lie immediately behind the church. His grandson Francis the 9th Baron rose to high favour with Richard III and fought at Bosworth Field, but was later accused of treason and his lands given to the Crown. In 1747 the buildings were dismantled – an engraving of 1775 shows the ruins in very much the same state as today. The buildings surround a quadrangle, the southwest tower being the most impressive, built with four storeys. On the turret, which runs from a finely carved corbel, the battlements still survive. The whole tower is built solidly but precariously near to the river. When we were there, wall plaster was being repaired to prevent erosion. The stables, kitchen and bake house areas are mainly only foundations, but the northwest buildings show the structure of the Hall: windows, gables, a fine vaulted hall entrance porch, fireplaces, doorways and chimneys. This part of Minster Lovell Hall was occupied until the 19th century. Nearby an attractive medieval dovecot has been carefully renovated, its internal walls lined with nesting boxes – pigeons come in through a special hole in the roof. Our next stop was at the mysterious Bronze Age Rollright Stones. These famous Stones were one of the monuments included in the first Ancient Monuments Acts of 1882. In the centenary of the Act, a detailed review and survey was commissioned, and by comparing 17th century and later drawings, and also noting the degree of lichen on the stones, the thinking now is that only 23 are still in their original upright position (2500-2000 BC), others are thought to be Victorian “improvements” to the circle known as the King’s Men. HADAS members were drawn to circle the Stones, some counting, some chanting “widdershins turned we, keeping it low,” “64 66 69” as folk must have done since ancient times. There are actually thought to be over 70 stones. A short distance away, three tall stones lean towards each other conspiratorially. The Whispering Knights are remains of a portal dolmen burial chamber erected long before the stone circle, approximately 3800-3000 BC. Across the road stands a single standing stone, the King Stone, marking a Bronze Age cemetery. Excavations in the 1980s identified a previously unknown burial cairn next to the King Stone. It had a central burial chamber and several human cremations. Another burial mound nearby contained an upturned urn with cremated bones of a child. The question is, where are the settlements of these late Neolithic and Bronze Age people? Large scatters of flints indicate only temporary occupation.

So on to the secluded Cotswold setting of St Mary of the Hailes (1245-1538). In 1242 Richard, Earl of Cornwall was saved from drowning at sea, and vowed to found a religious house. His brother, King Henry III, gave him the Manor of Hailes so that he could keep his pledge, and the Abbey was built. In 1270, Richard’s son Edmund gave the Cistercian monks a phial of what was said to be the Holy Blood of Christ, and to house this previous object a shrine was built. The east end of the church was extended into an apse with several vaulted chapels included to surround this shrine. As a result of having this image of great worship, Hailes Abbey became a place of faithful pilgrimage, and over the years thrived greatly. Today a square plinth and foundation stones mark the shrine, and it was near here that several HADAS members enjoyed their picnic in glorious sunshine. In 1539 the monastery was dissolved, and by the 17th century, rather like Minster Lovell Hall, only one wing survived as an elegant country house. A small modern museum contains exhibits of the vaulting bosses, .very _fine early, floor tiles and a 13th century effigy of a knight, possibly Edmund Earl of Cornwall, and several fragments of finely carved stone from the Shrine of the Holy Blood. Close to the Fosse Way, Chedworth Roman Villa is set on a steep slope overlooking the valley of the River Coln. It is one of the most important Romano-British villas in the UK, and dates from 120 AD. Exciting finds have been excavated recently, including a ring with an intaglio of Minerva, 3 silver denarii, a 2nd century forgery, mosaics attached to their cloth backing made in Cirencester, and boxes of unused hobnails. Recent excavations have shown continuation of the south wing with a shallow 4th century hypocaust which heated a long corridor, used well into the 5th century. The north wing, near where the Nymphaeum water shrine rises, had rainwater problems, and excavations here have discovered beyond the original wall of the villa, an outer pathway with cement tracking, which was possibly used as a service road to bring in building materials from the Fosse Way. At the end of the north wing, a six-foot deep furnace has been found, which provided heat for the two-story dining room which overlooked the valley below. Finally, we ended this amazing trip to the Cotswolds at the stunning town of Burford, where some members still had energy to follow the town trail, and admire and identify the wonderful old buildings. Others only reached as far as a delicious cream tea! Our admiration and thanks to June and Stewart for organising such a delightful day out, where everything ran so smoothly and covered such a rich diversity of archaeological heritage. A 15th century riverside hall, a Bronze Age monument, a medieval abbey, a Roman villa and a 17th century town!

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RECENT FIELDWORK SNIPPETS by Bill Bass/Don Cooper

Hendon School -Under the government’s “Widening participation scheme”, UCL/HADAS, having carried out a resistivity survey and archive search, excavated a number of trenches in the playing fields of Hendon School under the project management of Gabe Moshenska. He will submit a report for our Newsletter in due course.

Kingsbury Old Church – Following up on Andy Agate’s lecture on the above, a team from UCL and HADAS dug a number of trenching looking for archaeological evidence for the age of Church etc. Andy will submit a report in due course.

Pinner Golf course – Between July 4th-6th 2006 HADAS dug a further trench at the Tudor mansion site at Pinner following the trial trench of last year. More brickwork was found including a possible doorway to a cellar, it was hoped to find a floor associated with the cellar but none was found in the time allowed on the dig.

Kingsbury School – Andy Agate was back there again this year for the third year carrying out training digs with the 6th form pupils. HADAS members assisted his team.

Battle of Barnet Working Group – The group is to undertake a survey on the possible site of the Chantry Chapel associated with the battle.

Garden Room Work has very nearly finished on the resorting/boxing of the West Heath flints, next will be the archive, photos etc.

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THE ORIGINS OF THE PLACE-NAME WHETSTONE (continued) ) by Philip Bailey

I would like to try and answer some of the questions raised by the letter sent to the editor (July newsletter) by John Heathfield, Percy Reboul and Pamela Taylor regarding my article about the place-name Whetstone. Firstly I would like to point out that I have been a member of the English Place-Name Society for over five years now and have a keen interest in the subject of English place-names. I am thus aware of the many pitfalls that lie in the path of someone searching for the meaning of a place-name. In my article I was trying to understand what sort of settlement might have given rise to the name Whetstone. I felt that Westen had probably derived from two Anglo-Saxon words which meant ‘western estate or farm’ giving a correct spelling ‘Weston’. Place-names ending in ‘ton’ seem to often be derived from farms with a large holding of enclosed farmland. I felt that with the presence of a medieval hall in Whetstone, that this was quite plausibly the type of estate which could give rise to a `-ton’ name. Secondly, although I know of West End Lane, I have never known anyone to show that West End either as a place-name or a settlement has any antiquity to it. As West End Lane protrudes on to Barnet Common, which seems to have been known as ‘the Lord’s wood’ or `Suthawe’ in medieval times, it is hard to understand why the authors of this letter find West End such an attractive proposition for the place-name Weston. In addition to this, whilst at the Barnet Archive recently I came upon an 18th or early 19th century (pre 1817) map which seems to be a survey of Barnet Common as it was first enclosed and which clearly shows that West End Lane did not exist at that time and that there are no houses in the area. The map also labels that area as ‘West Hook End’ which as a place-name doesn’t indicate a settlement at all. Thirdly, to say that ‘absolutely no weight’ can be placed on whether a settlement such as Weston was exactly west of another seems to me to be overstating things a bit. Unless the authors have consulted a study of compass points in relation to place-names, I can’t see that they are in a position to make such a statement. In my article I was trying to point out that there may well have been an Anglo-Saxon settlement in East Barnet and since it is my understanding that place-names derived from ‘-tun’ were laid down predominantly in the Anglo-Saxon period, I felt that this was relevant. If Weston was laid down in this period as most other such names were, then it would have existed before St. James’s church was even built in the late 12th century (see A Place In Time). So my point about Whetstone being due west of East Barnet was only one of several reasons why Whetstone’s name may have derived from being west of East Barnet. In order for me to tackle the issue of whether the spelling of Bywesten is reliable or not I must first point out that there is no doubt that it is spelt this way in the original text as I have looked at a facsimile of the original and seen it for myself. As for the system of recording manor court meetings I have no doubt that the authors of the letter are right in this. However I think we must remember that by 1246 the Norman French had been running the country for 180 years and it seems to me that just because the person recording the court’s proceedings spoke and wrote in Norman French doesn’t mean that he couldn’t also speak and understand a certain amount of English. It is true that there was no agreed-spelling in 1246, and the authors of the letter list several spellings: Weston, Westen, Westun, which would all sound much the same. It is worth pointing out that according to Journal 36 (Baker, 2004) of the English Place-name Society ‘tun’ is the most common of all English habitation place-name elements. This means that when a place-name ends in either -ton, -ten or -tun the first element that one considers as the origin for it is ‘tun’. Only if this element does not fit with other relevant information is there really any need to consider other possiblilites. As I made clear in my article I considered Whetstone a very good candidate for a name derived from ‘tun’.

One of the reasons why I felt Whetstone was a good candidate for Westen which I didn’t mention in my article was that Whetstone was conspicuous by its absence from the rolls. I had already come across Edmonton, Enfield, Hendon, Mimms, Old Fold, and Southgate, and felt that Whetstone should be mentioned as it is literally next to East Barnet. When I saw the name Bywesten I felt and still feel that this name is Whetstone. Whilst researching this response I came across the name Gilbert de Eston in the court rolls. However I also found that there is a Weston and an Aston [ie. Eston] in Hertfordshire. Since individuals from Hertford, Oakhurst [Okers], Sandridge [Sandrugge], and Hexton [Hexteneston] (all in Hertfordshire), and Winslow in Buckinghamshire are all mentioned in the court rolls it has to be considered that Westen could be Weston in Herts. I think that the prefix ‘By’ and the fact that East Barnet is next to Whetstone, gives Whetstone the edge as the best candidate for being Westen. Also in the reference in the court rolls Richard is mentioned as the father of Ailward whereas all the individuals from Hertfordshire are only mentioned in their own right or with their wives. This may also point to Richard Bywesten being a local man. Although Aston in Herts. may not seem to be the same place-name as Eston, the two spellings were largely interchangeable in the medieval period. Also the fact that Gilbert was said to be ‘of Eston means there is nothing that specifically points to him being a local man, and so he may well have been from Aston. I hope I have made it clear why I felt that Whetstone was such a strong candidate for Weston, although while there is only one example of this name known, one can never be sure. Hopefully further examples will come to light in the future. This of course is just my interpretation, and I am sure that there are people with other views, which I look forward to hearing.

A note from the Chairman

I am concerned by the tone and content of the letter in last month’s Newsletter in response to Philip Bailey’s speculative article on the origin of the place-name Whetstone in the June Newsletter. The HADAS newsletter is not a journal of record, it is a newsletter (as its title proclaims!) for the information and entertainment of its readers. Articles, as opposed to information, should be vaguely relevant and obviously not libellous etc. however, I and the Committee do believe that speculative articles should be encouraged as should responses to these articles. By all means let’s have a healthy debate.

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SECRETARY’S CORNER by Denis Ross

The Society’s Annual General Meeting was held on 13 June 2006, with the President, Harvey Sheldon, in the Chair. 25 members were present. The various resolutions in the Notice of Meeting were duly passed including, in particular, approval of the Annual Report and Accounts and the Resolution that the Membership Secretary for the time being should be a standing Officer of the Society. The Officers elected for the current year are: Chairman: Don Cooper; Vice-Chairman: Peter Pickering; Hon. Treasurer: Jim Nelhams; Hon. Secretary: Denis Ross; Hon Memberships Secretary: Mary Rawitzer. The following were elected as other members of the Society’s Committee: Christian Allen, Bill Bass, Jackie Brookes, Stephen Brunning, Andrew Coulson, Eric Morgan, Dorothy Newbury, June Porges, Andrew Selkirk and Tim Wilkins.

The formal Meeting was followed by the display of Bill Bass of slides of photographs taken in the past year of some of the Society’s activities; by a short talk by Don Cooper accompanied by slides on some of the activities, and by an update from Andrew Coulson, also included by slides, on the investigations into the Battle of Barnet.

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A NEW PUBLICATION FROM AVENUE HOUSE by Don Cooper

Avenue House have launched a new version of the booklet on the trees of the estate. Not surprisingly it is called “Avenue House Estate: discover our unique species of trees”. This well-produced booklet describes many of the specimen trees on the estate and is accompanied by excellent photographs and an insert map of where they are. The map also shows the paths on the estate and can be used to create an enjoyable walk to admire and locate the trees. The booklet is priced at £5 and can be obtained from Avenue House, 17 East End Road, Finchley, N3 3QE. The gardens at Avenue House, which the estate is trying to restore to their former glory, are important. They were designed by Robert Marnock, said to be the best landscape gardener of his time. Marnock, a Scotsman, was born in 1800 and moved to Yorkshire in 1825. He was head gardener at Bretton Hall in West Yorkshire and then became the designer and curator of the Botanic Gardens in Sheffield and later the Royal Botanic Society’s gardens in Regent’s Park. He is also associated, for example, with the Cleveden estate in Buckinghamshire, Eynsham Hall in Oxfordshire, Warwick Castle and a great many other great estates as well as undertaking private commissions in Italy, for instance, at Villa San Donato in Florence. He also wrote and edited a great many gardening journals. Avenue House was one of his last commissions and he died in 1889. Many of the original features in his design still exist as do many of the trees both rare and unusual that he included. We are fortunate to have this example of his work on our doorstep, so speak.

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LAMAS CONFERENCE report by Andy Simpson

43rd Annual Conference of London Archaeologists Saturday 25 March 2006 An excellent collection of papers, as ever. These included one each from the morning and afternoon sessions I was asked to write up for the CoLAS journal ‘Context ‘ [Andy Simpson] `A Later bronze Age Site at Oliver Close, Leyton’ (Barry Bishop, Pre Construct Archaeology) The East London landscape is rich in prehistory. The Oliver Close Estate, Leyton is on the edge of the River Lea gravel terraces, now much covered by industrial and residential development. The site was originally on a slight rise next to a knoll in the Lea Valley. There has been much archaeological work in the area, demonstrating widespread and dense late Bronze Age occupation. Early work by the Passmore Edwards Museum just to the south of this site found a ring ditch with nine structures and much Bronze Age pottery a series of settlements are indicated. In 2001 PCA found evidence of more occupation, which was duly excavated. The site was severely truncated by Victorian pits and drainage ditches, and a wartime Anderson shelter right over the Bronze Age ditch. Most features found were of late Bronze Age date, with a small area of Mesolithic/Neolithic flint. The main Bronze Age occupation featured a large circular ditched enclosure, first located in 1992, the ditch being

1.5m wide and lm deep, surrounding an internal space 35m across with a tiny west facing entrance, a second entrance possibly not yet located. Complex ditch fills, mostly gravel, with evidence that the ditch was recut at least once, and possibly had an internal bank. Postholes either side of the gate — four in all — suggest a gate tower or revetted bank. 40-50 features were found west of the enclosure, including a palisade line and fire pit. The palisade was next to a different enclosure, circular and of similar diameter to the first, possibly clipping this earlier enclosure with its ditches, or they may have co-existed in the early phases, if contemporary. The second palisaded enclosure may have been a stock coral or enclosure; a four or six post grain store was also located. The fire pit was 2m in diameter and contained 14kg of burnt flint and 7kg of pottery, and a cylindrical weight, with an associated row of stakeholes, possibly a windbreak. It may have been used in ceremonial feasting. Inside the enclosure were over 300 features, very close packed and truncated, including a curved possible feature dividing the enclosure, perhaps an internal screen, with a possible round house adjacent, being a fairly curving post hole feature. 14kg of late Bronze Age pottery were recovered from 3-4 pits and the enclosure ditch, consisting of coarseware jars and bowls, with few decorated pieces. One outstanding find was of a dainty 9-10cent. BC cup, complete with contents, of which the results of environmental sampling are awaited. Clay pedestals found may indicate salt manufacture. Notable is the absence of perforated clay slabs, of indeterminate use, found on other Thames Valley sites. Occupation of the Bronze Age Lea Valley appears to have been quite dense, with complex agricultural settlements on well-drained gravel terraces, with numerous metalwork finds. Marshy areas in the valley were exploited, for instance for seasonal pastoral use, and roundhouses were even built on islands. There was less occupation on the heavier clays, which were perhaps too heavily wooded for much settlement to occur Similar Bronze Age enclosures have been found in SE Britain perhaps suggesting a regional pattern, for instance that at South Hornchurch being of similar shape and size, with two entrances including a possible gate structure and centrally placed round house, but with no dividing palisade lying in a complex of drove ways, fields, roundhouses as part of a system of organised agricultural production. Reconstructions show very substantial ditched/banked enclosures with gatehouses and central round houses, sometimes screened. At Mucking, Essex, 15km away, there were two enclosures 1km apart, slightly larger than those at Leyton, with a series of round houses screened by a palisade. Others have been located in Essex/Thames Valley, facing into the Thames Estuary/English Channel or into major tributaries, perhaps suggesting a maritime aspect to local Bronze Age trade. There may also be links with ritual metalwork deposits in adjacent rivers and marshy areas, giving overall links with the late Bronze Age landscape both east and west of London. (The second of these papers, will appear in the HADAS September newsletter)

BATTLE OF BARNET WORKING GROUP

These selected highlights of the Battle of Barnet Working Group’s activities during the last year formed the basis of a talk given at the AGM, and are neither inclusive nor in order of importance. The Group produced a map based on Jennie Cobban’s researches into local traditions, projectile find spots from Barnet Museum and other sources. The object was to locate centres and patterns of activity relating to the battle. Whilst none of the locations or finds have as yet been authenticated, and some of course can never be, the patterns produced are significant and provide ample food for speculation. Indeed, I am told that the map aroused considerable excitement when it was presented at a meeting at RUSI. (Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies).

Brian Warren, whose researches into the locality over many years are well known, intends to publish his work on the site of the main conflict zone this Autumn. He favours the eastern approach to the escarpment as did Sir James Ramsay in the late nineteenth century. It should be explained that we have conflict zones extending from Hornsey (definite) to Salisbury Hall (possible). It is interesting to note that the topography of the presumed main conflict zone does lend itself tactically to the “swinging door” format comprising artillery infantry cavalry, in that order. This formation was used by the Duke of Burgundy at Martens in 1476, apparently in preference to existing Burgundian arrangements. The Duke, of course, was Edward’s brother-in -law and would have been familiar with his activities. It has been said that the finds left after a medieval battle are similar to those left after a rugger match. Barnet is fortunate in having cannon and handguns which produce projectiles which can be found. Barnet Museum has a large collection of “musket balls” found by an anonymous metal detectorist in the neighbourhood of Hadley Wood. Originally dismissed as being too modern, these have now been examined by Glenn Foard, the Battlefields Trust consultant archaeologist. His initial assessment is that this assemblage is quite unlike any 17th century assemblage studied so far; that whilst the possibility of a hunting connection cannot be ignored, it is significant that the focus of the collection is 17 bore which is “exactly the bore of the arquebus”. There are other assemblages available to us for which we propose the same treatment. The sources mention the presence of artillery on both sides at Barnet. We had no idea what this might consist of except the fact that Edward’s equipments must have been capable of being moved from Smithfield to Barnet in about eight hours. We know he left London at four in the afternoon and guesstimate that with an attack at first light he would have wanted to be in position by midnight. Did such guns exist? Happily, yes! In a series of battles Edward’s brother-in-law, the Duke of Burgundy, was defeated by the Swiss. They took his guns and they still have some of them. Could any of them be considered the comparatively fast moving field artillery we envisaged? Again ,yes! Working from the 556 lb pull weight per horse of Victorian gun teams, the Burgundian “two horse guns” and “three horse guns” give us an all up weight of 11121bs and 1668Ibs. The guns we have seen probably weigh less. Such guns could well have been part of the Burgundian assistance given to Edward by the Duke, and we feel they could have got to Barnet in the time allowed. It is interesting to note that some of the possible cannon shot recovered in the area correspond closely in calibre and material to the designated ammunition for these guns. We are attempting to locate possible firing positions from the shot find spots, relying initially on an estimate of the places from which the shot concerned probably could not have been fired. The technology for updateable digital maps has been obtained and is expected to be of great value. But to plot finds we need finds and it is expected that the Society’s recently acquired metal detector will, in concert with experienced metal detectorists, be very useful in this respect. We are hoping to develop a field section to exploit this technology and to act in conjunction with our existing research group.

Jun 16

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newsletter-423-june-2006

By LWDadmin | Past Newsletters, Volume 8 : 2005 - 2009 | No Comments

Newsletter

Page 1

HADAS DIARY

Tuesday 13 June — Annual General Meeting

Saturday 24 June — Outing to Minster Lovell, Rollright Stones, Hailes Abbey, and Chedworth Roman Villa with June Porges and Stuart Wild. If anyone has not received an application form please contact Dorothy Newbury

Saturday 22 July — Outing to Leicestershire with Tessa Smith and Sheila Woodward Wednesday

30 August — Sunday 3 September — HADAS Long Weekend to Devon and Cornwall, staying at Plymouth University.

Lecture programme from Stephen Brunning, Lectures Coordinator

The lecture programme for the 2005/6 season is now over. I hope you enjoyed them. Many thanks to all who attended, and I hope to see you all in November for the next season. Among the topics arranged so far, are: The queen of Sheba (postponed from March 06), The Early Days of Lamas, and The Greater London Sites and Monument Record (GLSMR) for Barnet. Please keep an eye on the website and monthly newsletters for more details. The GLSMR lecturers have asked if there is anything specific we wanted them to focus on, such as the initial creation of the SMR for Barnet, a summary of the contributions from HADAS, etc. Please let me have any suggestions by 15 August 2006, in time for the lecture content to be prepared. My telephone number is 020 8959 6419,or write to me at 1 Reddings Close, Mill Hill, London NW7 4Th.

Religious site could reveal cult secrets from Peter Pickering

By Kevin Barnes

Archaeologists hope to uncover a glimpse of the mysteries of cult worship in Roman Britain by excavating a vast religious complex in Ewell. A series of deep shafts found cut into chalk bedrock at Hatch Furlong gave researchers the clue that a ritual site existed there about 1,900 years ago. Over the next fortnight an expert team led by Harvey Sheldon of Birkbeck College, London, intends to unearth the sacred stone building lying near the Ewell bypass. Although similar temple complexes have been discovered in Britain, the dig may provide new evidence about Roman religion. Ewell was the largest Roman settlement in Surrey, divided by Stane Street, a major flint road between Chichester and London. It is believed that weary travellers would refresh their spirits at springs in Ewell before making offerings to native deities. In the 1840s evidence for a cult centre emerged as pottery vessels, wares, coins and dog bones were retrieved from the 30ft shafts. Many of the finds are exhibited now at the Museum of London. The latest project will ensure the National Trust can manage effectively land given as a wildflower area not “a lost Roman ritual site full of votive gifts”. Caroline Thackray, the trust’s territory archaeologist, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to learn more about the mysteries of this place using modern techniques. What is its meaning and importance? Who were Ewell’s earlier inhabitants? And what was the reason for the chalk shafts that seem so bizarre to us today? We look forward to sharing a greater understanding and interpretation of our site with the local and wider academic community.” The excavation is supported by Surrey County Council, Epsom & Ewell History and Archaeology Society, Surrey Archaeological Society and the Council for British Archaeology South. Local people can tour the site during two open days on May 5 and 6. Talks and an exhibition are planned at Bourne Hall Museum in Ewell later this month, from where leaflets with directions to the site are being distributed next weekend. In September, Birkbeck College will run an archaeology course at Ewell Court House. For more local news go to our website www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk and click on Epsom Guardian.

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Remembering Julius Baker (1907 — 2006)

We regret to announce the passing of HADAS’ oldest member, Julius Baker. Julius, who died aged 98 in hospital on April 20 after a fall at his Hampstead home, was well known in this country and South Africa as a staunch Communist and a leading figure in the African National Congress’s struggle to end apartheid. He was a member of HADAS for well over twenty years, and will be remembered as a fiercely independent yet very lovable friendly person who continued to participate in HADAS activities and outings well into his nineties. He was interested and knowledgeable in a great variety of subjects, was a competent violinist and very fond of classical music. He seemed to have boundless energy, and tinged his stubbornness with a great sense of humour. Julius was born in the Transvaal in 1907, one of six children. He trained as a lawyer, and became one of the most reliable volunteers of both the ANC and the South African Communist Party during the 1940s. He played an important role in the struggle against apartheid and, having participated in a number of demonstrations and liberation activities, was hunted down by the apartheid regime. In order to avoid imprisonment he fled to London with his wife Tamara and children in the late 1960s and continued his close contacts with other exiles and comrades in South Africa, fighting ceaselessly against racism and social injustice. In 1997, he was involved in an art mystery when a controversial painting banned by the South African government was recovered. Ronald Harrison’s The Black Christ, depicting ANC leader Chief Lithuli crucified, with two apartheid politicians dressed as Roman centurions guarding him, had been smuggled out of South Africa by Canon Collins and passed on to Julius for safekeeping. Many years later, after a major media appeal, Julius realised that the missing artwork was the one that had been safely housed in the basement of his home in Kidderpore Gardens. There was great media interest in its recovery and the following year Julius attended a ceremony in Cape Town when the painting was put on display. In 1962, at the age of 55, Julius gained an A-level in Russian, and in 1999, aged 92, went to the Okavango and got lost in the bush. Energetic as ever, a few days later he flew in a microlight over Victoria Falls. At the age of 96 in 2003 took part in London’s great anti-war demonstration, joining a million others as he walked from Embankment to Hyde Park. Julius is survived by his son and daughter and three grandchildren to whom we offer our sympathies. His humanist funeral took place at Golders Green Crematorium on 26 April, attended by a large congregation of family, friends and colleagues. HADAS was represented by June Porges and Stewart Wild, who jointly penned this appreciation of his long and fruitful life.

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The Origins of the Place-Name Whetstone by Philip Bailey

I was looking through the translation of Barnet Manorial Court Rolls in Barnet Museum recently and came across the name Richard Bywesten (1246). I had noted this name several years ago but because of the copperplate writing in which the translation is written I had mistakenly thought it said Richard Bifwesten. Apart from thinking what a strange name it was, I had thought no more about it. However by comparing it to a typed transcript of the early rolls in A.E. Levett’s book ‘Studies in Manorial History’ (1938) I saw that what I had previously thought said Bifwesten did in fact say `Bywesten’. Not long after this it dawned on me that I was probably looking at a surname containing the place-name Whetstone and that Richard had lived `by’ Whetstone. At first glance this may not seem very likely. However I had remembered reading in the introduction to `Finchley and Friern Barnet’ by Stewart Gillies and Pamela Taylor that they felt that ‘The original settlement [of Friern Barnet] was probably by the church [St James’s] but moved up to Whetstone, whose name almost certainly reflects this westward move; certainly since it is recorded by 1398 it has nothing to do with the legendary stone outside The Griffin used as a whetstone by soldiers sharpening their swords en route to the Battle of Barnet in 1471.’ The English Place-Name Society’s Survey of Middlesex (1942) explains the name as ‘at the whetstone’ from the Old English hwetstan. It notes that ‘Tradition holds that there was once a large stone here, on which the soldiers sharpened their weapons before the Battle of Barnet in 1471.’ Other books note other reasons why ‘Whetstone’ may be the correct spelling. Despite the- erroneous explanation of this name in the EPNS survey; it lists some early spellings which may support an original spelling containing ‘west’: Wheston 1417; Wheston 1486-93; Wheston 1496;Westone 1535 And some which don’t: Whetestonestret 1437; Whetstone 1492; Whetstone 1516; Whetstone 1535; Whetston Strete 1571 If the name contains the word west then it must also contain the word tun thus meaning ‘western estate or farm’. The Old English words ‘west’ and ‘tun’ would normally give a modern place-name spelt Weston as in (Weston-Super-Mare). It is tempting to think of this medieval farm being centred around the site of the Pizza Express building, part of which has been excavated by HADAS and which seems to have originally been a medieval hall occupied at least back to c.1490 (HADAS Journal Vol.I 2002). I then looked up modern surnames beginning with By… in P.H. Reaney’s ‘Dictionary of Surnames (1976). All those listed had been noted in the thirteenth century in various places around the country and the ones listed below had the prefix `by’with the meaning ‘by/alongside’: Byard (by the yard); Byatt (by the gate); Bygrave (by the grove); Byfield; Bysouth; Bywater; Bytheway; Bythesea; Bythesseashore (apparently this is pronounced Bitherseyshore with stress as in Battersea). The explanation that Whetstone got its name from being situated west of the medieval parish church in Friern Barnet Lane, seems to make sense. So given this and the survival of several examples of medieval surnames containing the prefix `by’ meaning alongside, It seems to me quite plausible that Richard Bywesten had lived alongside Weston, the western estate! Although the centre of Whetstone is west of that of Friern Barnet, it is actually distinctly north-west. It may be interesting to note given the theory that Friern Barnet and the other Barnets were once linked, that Whetstone is almost due west of the centre of East Barnet which has the oldest parish church of all the Barnets, and contains the place-names Wakeling Mor (moor/morass of the Waeclinga tribe) and Arrowes possibly denoting Anglo-Saxon hill shrines. Perhaps Weston was actually the western estate of an Anglo- Saxon settlement at East Barnet. It may be of interest to historians from Southgate that an early spelling of this place-name can also be found in Barnet Court Rolls, again in the form of a surname: John de la Suthgate (1246). Although other old versions of the name may have come to light since the 1942 EPNS survey of Middlesex, the only ones it lists are: S(o)uthgate 1370,1372 and le Southgate 1608.

Church Farm Museum’s Summer Exhibition

Church Farmhouse Museum’s Summer exhibition traces the connexions of Barnet Borough with the story of popular music since the 1950s. It includes displays on artists and bands as different as Cliff Richard, Hawkwind, George Michael, the Spice Girls, the Kinks, Marc Bolan and Fairport Convention, including material never before publicly shown, and also features a big section on our area’s major music venue – The Torrington Arms, in North Finchley – sadly, no longer with us. The exhibition ends on 10 September.

OTHER SOCIETIES’ EVENTS by Eric Morgan

Thursday 8 June 8pm. Finchley Society Local History Group, Avenue House, East End Rd, N3. EARLY FILM MAKING IN FINCHLEY talk by Gerard Turvey. Non members £1.

Monday 12 June 3pm. Barnet & District Local History Society, Church House, Wood St. THE BOYS’ FARM HOME, EAST BARNET talk by Gillian Gear . Wednesday 14 June 8pm. Hornsey Historical Society, Union Church Hall,corner of Ferme Park Rd/Weston Park, N8 THE STORY OF BARRETTS SWEET FACTORY talk by David Evans. Refreshments 7.45pm.

Wednesday 14 June 7.30pm. Camden History Society, St. Pancras Old Church, NW1 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH talk by Michael Ogden & AGM.

Friday 16 June 7pm. COLAS, St. Olave’s Parish Hall, Mark Lane EC3. BRITAIN’S ROMAN ROADS talk by Harvey Sheldon (HADAS President) £2.

Sunday 18 June 3-7pm. Finchley Society A SUMMER AFTERNOON IN THE PARK. Comedy, Jazz, Choir, Big Band, Barbeque and Drinks. £8 per family, £4 per adult – proceeds to Spike Milligan statue fund.

Sunday 25 June EAST FINCHLEY FESTIVAL Cherry Tree Wood, opp. Station, N2 Stalls, HADAS information. Street Procession, Music and Dance stages. Local Artists Exhibit at All Saints Church, Durham Rd. N2.

Tuesday 27 June 10.30am Enfield Preservation Society, Jubilee Hall, junction Chase Side/Parsonage Lane, Enfield. ENFIELD PAST talk by Stephen Sellick.

Wednesday 28 June 8pm Friern Barnet & District Local History Society, St. John’s Church Hall (next to Whetstone Police Station) Friern Barnet Lane, N20. MILESTONES talk by John Donovan. £2 +Refreshments.

Thursday 29 June 8pm. Finchley Society, Avenue House, East End Rd. N3. AGM followed by MORE FROM THE FINCHLEY SOCIETY ARCHIVES talk by Derek Warren.

Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 July 12-7pm EAST BARNET FESTIVAL Oak Hill Park, Church Hill Rd. East Barnet. Stalls, Theatre in Woodland, Music and Dance Stages & Festival of Transport.