Past Newsletters

No: 291 JUNE 1995 Edited by MICKY WATKINS

DIARY

Sunday, June 4 HADAS Car Boot Sale Stall at Spur Rd. School, Edgware.

Early morning till lunch-time. Members welcome to help or buy.(958 9159)

Saturday, June 17 Outing to Yatesbury, Avebury and Malmesbury

(Application form and details enclosed)

Saturday, July 15 Outing to Colchester with Tessa Smith and Sheila Woodward

Saturday, August 19 Outing to Silchester with Bill Bass and Vikki O’Connor

September Weekend away in Durham (Application form and details enclosed)

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT FROM ANDREW SELKIRK

At our last AGM we said farewell to our previous president Ralph Merrifield and welcomed our new President Michael Robbins, who we are delighted to see with us this evening. Sadly Ralph Merrifield died earlier this year and a memorial service for him will be held on Tuesday May 16th at St Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, at 3.00. This is the day on which we are also having our outing to the House of Commons and so for those of us who wish to celebrate the life of Ralph Merrifield and all that he did for the archaeology of London there is an opportunity to combine this with our visit to the House of Commons.

The last year has been a quiet year. Our lectures and visits continued unabated and the newsletter continued to appear regularly. In all these activities Dorothy Newbury played a significant role at least behind the scenes. Many of the outings have been franchised out to various other members of the society. A major part has been played by Mary O’Connell who led many of the excursions herself; the highlight was the visit to the Isle of Man. The lectures too have come under new management and we are very grateful to June Porges who has taken over the role of lecture secretary.

The major change has been the transfer of the lectures from the Hendon Library to Avenue House where we are now meeting. The main motive was to reduce costs, but it also helps that we meet in the same house where we have our library so that members can make better use of the facilities. Nevertheless it must be recorded that the cost of the facilities and that of renting rooms in Avenue House remains a burden and although we have negotiated a reduced rate with Barnet Borough Council it is only possible to meet this high rental through the activities of the Minimart and we are no longer able to put money aside for our research activities. If the society is to continue to flourish we need a more sympathetic attitude from the Borough Council, either in the form of a reduced rent or in the form of a grant to reduce our costs.

The digging team continues to be active in a small way. No major excavations have been carried out in the past year though there were several watching briefs and the team continued the task of writing up the previous excavations. The society and indeed archaeology in North London as a whole needs to look for a major research excavation which can be carried out over a number of years and we hope that the revived Research Committee will be able to produce such a project.

May I conclude my thanks to all the other members of the committee – the Secretary Liz Holliday, Brian Wrigley, Vikki O’Connor the Membership Secretary, and above all to Dorothy Newbury. We look forward to a successful year ahead.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM was held at Avenue House on Tuesday, 2nd May, 1995. President R.Michael Robbins CBE. FSA. DLitt. was in the Chair and 34 members attended. Andrew Selkirk gave his Annual Report, which is printed in this Newsletter. The Hon Treasurer, Will Parnaby presented his financial statement and Brian McCarthy was elected as Auditor.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Our Vice-Presidents were confirmed in office: John Enderby, Miss D.P.Hill, Brian Jarman, Daphne Lorimer, Mary Phillips, Edward Sammes and Andrew Saunders.

Officers were re-elected: Andrew Selkirk as Chairman, Brian Wrigley as Vice-Chairman, Liz Holliday as Hon. Secretary, Will Parnaby as Hon. Treasurer.

A Committee was also elected: Bill Bass, Micky Cohen, Victor Jones, Dorothy Newbury, Vikki O’Connor, Peter Pickering, Edward Sammes, Andy Simpson, Myfanwy Stewart, Roy Walker, Micky Watkins.

MEMBERS’ NEWS

Christine Arnott had heart surgery last Autumn, and it is good to see her walking – and driving – round the Suburb again. We hope she will soon be able to come to HADAS meetings.

Miss Ningo. We are very sorry to report that Miss Ningo died on 9th April, 1995. A refugee from Hitler’s Germany, she had lost all her relatives. She lectured at the Belsize Park Synagogue and worked for a publishing firm. She had an alert and critical mind and enjoyed a good discussion. She was active in local societies and was a member of HADAS for many years.

THE HOME FRONT IN BARNET IN WORLD WAR 11 GERRARD ROOTS

An Exhibition at Church Farmhouse Museum (3rd May – 3rd September, 1995 )

Between 1939 and 1945 Britain was introduced to the concept of ‘total war’ in which the population at home was as directly threatened by hostilities as troops in battle. Of the total British war dead, over one-fifth were civilians.

Old men and young boys in the Home Guard; women in the Land Army and in factories; children from the cities evacuated to the countryside – for these and many more the war front was not delineated any more by a line on the map of some faraway country, but marked by the pile of sandbags at your front door, the barrage balloon above your school, the ranks of sleeping families sheltered from the bombs in a tube station..

Daily life became extraordinary, but then the extraordinary – inevitably – became itself ordinary: if it had not, no-one could have carried on. There was the black-out, but people still went to pubs, dances and the cinema; there was rationing, but people ate (indeed, thanks to rationing many were better fed during the war than before it ); there was the constant presence of death, but the essential services, though sometimes stretched virtually to breaking point, continued to work, and, indeed, the necessary central planning of hospital care in World War II laid the foundations of the NHS that came in the Peace.

Times were hard – the crime rate rose, as did the number of illegitimate births – and the effects of the War on separated families lasted long after the celebrations of VE and VJ Day were over. But life – poorer and less comfortable for everyone; more liberated for some (especially young single women ) – continued.

( Do go to this Exhibition. As an oldie, I find it very evocative, but young people and grand-children also are intrigued by war-time rations, the air-raid shelter, and the paraphernalia of Dad’s Army. – Ed.)

Windmills – Talk by Ted Sammes following the business of the AGM

Ted once more dipped into his Aladdin’s cave of slides and illustrated his talk with both picturesque and technical shots. In fact, it was so interesting it sent me scurrying to the architecture section at the library (windmills 725.4) to fill the gaps in my notes!

The earliest milling was done by hand on saddle querns, and statuettes depicting this activity have been found in Egyptian tombs. Rotary hand querns developed from this, and, from the Roman period larger commercial versions, which turned on a conical stone base and were operated by asses or slaves, have been found at many sites including Pompeii. Water mills were the next development and Ted mentioned a water supply gully for such a mill which was found at Chesters, Hadrian’s Wall. Horizontal water wheels developed from the earlier vertical type and probably led to the development of the primitive wind mills known to have existed in Persia in the 10th century. The early Persian and Chinese windmills were used for drainage.

However, windmills as we know and love them are recorded in England from the 12th century – an 1185 reference refers to one at Weedley, Yorkshire with an annual rent of 8s. Ted did mention that millers were wealthy folk. Originally, milling was governed by milling sake where every mill was the property of the lord of the manor, regardless of who had built it. This worked for the mutual benefit of lord and population – he got their business but also had an obligation to provide and maintain mills. This monolopy was eventually broken when some estates became very large and their mills were tenanted, also, technology improved, and the population chose to use mills other than on their home estates.

The earliest type of windmill was the timber post mill comprising a body (buck), canvas sails, and central post (supported by cross timbers) on which the buck revolved. Although the bottom was subject to rotting many remained operational for several centuries. Access was gained by hinged ladder to the buck, which could be raised, and the structure was turned by walking round, pushing the timber tail pole. The earliest post mills had pitched roofs which evolved into a rounded shape to better accommodate the brake wheel – the large cog wheel which drives the millstone machinery. The brake wheel in fact has an iron band or wooden shoe to slow it down, also to hold the sails steady when they are being worked on. The speed of the sails is crucial – if it is too fast this stresses the machinery and could start a fire. Although the ‘norm’ is four sails, the addition of a cast-iron cross poll attached to the windshaft and sail backs enabled between five and eight sails to be fixed; this became popular in the east Midlands. William Cubitt’s patent sail (1807) has shutters which are controlled by an automatic striking gear and can be adjusted without stopping the mill. We saw the aptly-named spider which lives on the cross of the sails “the cruciform linkage at the centre of the patent sail assembly, connecting the striking rod to the shutter bars Some mills, however, found it useful to employ two common sails and two patent sails as at Chillenden, Kent.

From the 18th century the post and trestles were enclosed by a round house for protection from the weather and additional room for storage or machinery. This could also raise the height of the mill, to catch the wind. A variant of the post mill is the Dutch wip mill which has a hollow pole to accommodate the drive shaft, giving additional room within the buck.

Smock mills and tower mills differ from post mills – the sails are fixed to a revolving cap which is turned by a fantail. Although operating on the same principle, the smock mill is built of timber and boarded, either vertically or horizontally, painted or tarred, and the tower mill is built of brick or stone. Tower mills first appeared in Europe in the 15th century. Earlier tower mills had a basic design fault -the windows were aligned vertically and the stresses the structures were subjected to sometimes led to their collapse. These did not replace post mills which continued to be built.

Mill stones had to be of a high quality as changing them and re-dressing the stones was an awkward and time-consuming job. Millers would have had more than one pair of stones. The best quality stone came from Germany and France, the French burr stone was only available in small lumps and a patchwork stone was made by cleverly shaping these, cementing and binding them with iron hoops. The millstone grooves were pecked with a tool called a mill bill and the quality of this important tool depended on the skill of the blacksmith. The clearance between the mill stones was adjusted by a regulator (governor) to suit the speed of the wind.

Although steam engines gradually took trade away from windmills, according to Suzanne Beedell in her book “Windmills” (David & Charles, 1975), windmills were finally put out of business by the Milling Standards set in World War I.

For a reason Ted could not explain, Milton Keynes has a modern, totally decorative modern windmill. Perhaps one of our members knows the answer to this one?

Hilaire Belloc apparently had a love for mills, apart from writing a poem “Hannaker Mill” about Halnaker Mill, Sussex, he bought Shipley (smock) Mill in Sussex in 1906.

Ted – if I’ve got any facts wrong, could you write to the next newsletter editor? Thanks for stimulating talk! Vicki O’Connor

Visit to the Houses of Parliament by Micky Watkins

Mr John Marshall MP kindly invited HADAS to a visit and reception on Tuesday, 16th May 1995.

Seventy two members and friends passed through the security guards at the St Stephen’s entrance and in true HADAS style started wandering off to the Lobby admiring the paintings and statues. However we were soon assembled in the Jubilee Room where we had a most sumptuous supper. The Jubilee Room, cosy under its panelled and embossed ceiling, was just the right size for our party and there was a buzz of conversation – meanwhile the TV monitor showed us that the Gas Bill was being debated in the Commons.

Mr Marshall was in sparkling form. He told us that the Commons now is in many ways more orderly than in the nineteenth century. Then proceedings were often suspended in the summer because of the stench of the River, while now the Thames is the cleanest metropolitan river in western Europe. Proceedings were frequently interrupted and delayed by the Irish Nationalists – at one time twenty of them were suspended in one day. I particularly enjoyed Mr Marshall’s story of Lady Astor and Churchill: when Lady Astor got especially cross with Churchill she was heard to say, “If I were married to you , I would be tempted to put poison in your tea”, to which Churchill replied “If I were married to you, I would be tempted to drink it.”

After supper we walked the great length of Westminster Hall to the Crypt Chapel. This Chapel is used as the Members’ church for services, christenings and weddings It was built about 1300, but little of the original decoration remains. During the Interregnum Cromwell had the walls whitewashed and stalled the horses there, and it was thoroughly redecorated in the 19th century. Almost every nook and cranny of our Houses of Parliament can tell us something of our history. Mr Marshall told us that in 1911 a suffragette spent a night in the Chapel broom cupboard in order to get returned in the Census as residing in Parliament!

Visitors are only allowed to enter the Crypt Chapel if guided by a Member, so this part of our visit was a special privilege. Mr Marshall had to dash off to attend the very last meeting of the Hendon South Conservative Party Executive. ( In the next election Hendon South will have been divided between Hendon and Finchley & Golders Green).

Rosie Daniels, Mr Marshall’s Secretary, guided us for the rest of our tour. Westminster Hall has been twice saved from fire. In 1834 most of the Palace of Westminster was burnt down and in 1941 the Commons’ Chamber was bombed and burnt, but on both occasions Westminster Hall was saved. The Hall was built by William Rufus, son of William the Conqueror, and at that time was the largest hall in Europe. Three hundred years later in Richard II’s time the very fine hammer beam roof was added. The timber came from southern England and it was shaped – ‘prefabricated’ – to reduce the weight to be transported and then floated down the Thames to Westminster. Until the reign of Henry VIII the Palace of Westminster was a royal residence and the Hall was used for the King’s Council, and for great feasts. The Hall was then used for law courts until the late 19th century. King Charles I was tried here, as was Guy Fawkes. It is now used for ceremonial occasions such as Churchill’s lying-in-state and the VE celebrations.

St Stephen’s Hall was a chapel and was the home of the House of Commons from 1550 to 1834. After the fire, the present Hall was built and Barry retained the shape of the previous Chapel, while around the walls were placed statues of great politicians. Meanwhile Barry chose a similar rectangular design for the new Commons Chamber, so the structure of the Chamber with two rows of seats facing each other is derived from the medieval Chapel, and perhaps has tended to encourage our two party system.

As proceedings in the Commons had finished early, we wound our way up to the House of Lords visitors gallery. The red seats and newly renovated golden throne provided a colourful background to the rather sparsely attended debate on the Jobseekers Bill. It was at the Report stage when detailed amendments can be made, and Earl Russell (son of Bertrand Russell), together with Baroness Dean of Fulton le Fylde (better known as Brenda Dean of the Printworkers) were trying to lessen the severity of benefit reductions on the job-shy and improve the job-search facilities for disabled people. It was by no means a scintillating debate, but it did show the House of Lords doing useful work in scrutinising the details of legislation and making small changes.

Andrew Selkirk, our Chairman, thanked John Marshall for hosting this excellent visit, and also thanked Rosie Daniels for all the preparatory work she has done for us. HADAS members heartily endorse this vote of thanks.

By the time we left the Houses of Parliament the rain was pouring down, but, as the Lords would say, we were “content”, indeed very content.

EXCAVATION REPORT: ST. MARTHA’S CONVENT SCHOOL, MONKEN HADLEY FROM ROY WALKER

Work has now commenced at St. Martha’s Convent School, Monken Hadley, with a HADAS attendance of 11 enthusiastic diggers on the first working day.

In the pre-excavation period, however, we were given access to a 1.5 metre wide trench running n/s specially dug for us within the footprint of the new classroom, that is, on the site of the demolished classroom. Unfortunately, this trench had to be backfilled the same day but we were able to sketch a side section which showed three features, probably post medieval. One feature, a rubbish pit, had a back fill with oyster shells, bone fragments and fragments of crockery – two plates marked “Doric Star”.

We are still waiting for the contractors to dig foundation trenches in readiness for the new classrooms, but as preliminary piling work has been delayed we have had to concentrate on the area of the former mound in front of Mount House. A resistivity survey of the lawn which covers the area of the mound was inconclusive – higher readings may have reflected the root systems of two elderly trees in the centre and south of the site. However, the probes revealed the presence in places of a harder layer and this is now being investigated by further probing with a view to the excavation of a trial trench to ascertain the nature of this layer.

At the same time, a 3 metre by 3 metre area which covered the junction of the lawn and surrounding gravel path was pegged out for excavation. Only the path area within this square has so far been dug (in order to minimise damage to the grass area!). Our first discovery was a rectangular board lying e/w across the trench leading onto the grass. The eastern half of the excavated area was covered by a compacted pebble layer which has been interpreted as an earlier pathway. This pebble layer was remove to reveal the base of a ‘wall’ about 40cm wide comprising tumbled bricks and stone, including some moulded stone. Its depth has yet to be ascertained. The pebbles to the west of the wall overlay a clay base; to the east (where they were shallower) was a more humic mixture, probably a cultivated layer. The area to the east of the wall is now being removed down to natural.

In summary, we have a ‘wall’, path to one side, cultivation to the other side. There is little positive dating evidence, being mainly modern pottery, some fragments of glass, clay pipe stems and clay pipe bowl, tentatively dated to about 1750.

The dig continues. We welcome assistance, although at weekends we cannot guarantee there will not be some standing around due to the restricted area being worked at present. Please phone me on 0181-361 1350 if you would like to join in

NEWS OF COURSES

Birkbeck College is organising Training Excavations at Southwark, each lasting one week, and starting on 3rd, 10th, and 24th July 1995. The courses will provide appropriate field experience for students undertaking Extra-Mural Certificate and Diploma Courses. Apply to Lesley Hannigan, Birkbeck College.

The Museum of London. Archaeology Seminars at 5.00pm on 14th June -“Roman Cullet Dump from Guildhall Yard”, 12th July -“Use of Geographic Information Systems”. Others on 9th August, 6th September.

Butser Ancient Farm, Waterlooville, Hants. has Sunday Workshops on flint technology, woodlands and archaeology for children. Tel. 01705 598838.

MAP OF MIDDLESEX

Though Middlesex County Council was abolished in 1965 the County still exists. Now a large map of the County is available, 37″x 33″, laminated. From Map Marketing, 921104 Carnwath Rd., SW6 3HW

YATESBURY

Our outing on 17th June will start with a visit to Yatesbury. This very small hamlet must be known by thousands of ex-servicemen Stella Greenall tells me that her late husband, Philip Greenall, was posted there as a Squadron Leader in World War 11. There was a huge camp of Training Command at Yatesbury with over 3000 men. We wonder whether the medieval village patterns have been overlaid by runways and lost NAAFI cutlery?

HELPING HADAS

Vikki O’Connor has worked hard for our Society this month. Besides her usual tasks as Membership Secretary, she has written the report on Ted Sammes talk on Windmills which is printed in this Newsletter. She also looked after our HADAS bookstall at the Finchley Festival in Avenue House grounds on 7th May. Thank you, Vikki.

NEWS OF OTHER SOCIETIES

Hornsey Historical Society has an Exhibition on William Heath Robinson (1872-1944), the famous illustrator and humourist who was born in Stroud Green and spent the last 15 years of his life in Highgate. The Exhibition is at the HHS headquarters – The Old Schoolhouse, 136 Tottenham Lane, London N8 7EL. It is open Thursday and Friday morning from 10 to 12 noon and on Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. Buses W3, 91,41.

“Highgate and Muswell Hill”, by Joan Schwitzer and Ken Gay has just been published. This is an historical account of the area, illustrated with over 230 photographs and pictures from private collections as well as from major London archives. Chalford Publishing Co. Price £8.99.

Barnet and District Local History Society has an outing to Ironbridge on Sunday llth June. Price £14.50. contact Mrs G.Gear, Barnet Museum, 31 Wood St., Barnet for details.

“Barnet’s History in its Street Names”, by Doreen Willcocks is on sale at Barnet Museum_ Price £3_50.

Burgh House, New End Square, Hampstead, NW3.

“The London of John Keats”, lecture by Dr Ann Saunders, on Friday 23 June at 7.30pm.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

American archaeologists have found in Zaire what may be the oldest bone tools fashioned by man.The tools include harpoon tips and a flat dagger. Dating techniques suggest they may be 90,000 years old! This makes them about twice as old as the earliest tools from Europe. If this find is corroborated the history of human culture may need rewriting. Times 1.5.1995

In the Valley of the Kings in Egypt,a vast royal tomb has been found. It contains at least 67 chambers and it is believed that 50 of Rameses 11’s sons may have been buried there 3,000 years ago. It is situated close to the tomb of Rameses 11, but hitherto the entrance to most of the chambers has been blocked by debris. Times. 16.5.1995.

No: 289 APRIL 1995 Edited by VIKKI O’CONNOR
DIARY
Remember – meetings venue for 1995 – Stephenson Room, (1st floor), Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley, N3 – starting at 8pm for 8.30pm.

Tuesday 4th April Lecture: Excavation at Folly Lane, St Albans by Simon West, Field Archaeologist, St Albans Museums Service.
Late Iron Age ditch enclosure with ritual deposits and a timber-lined sunken shaft which was later recut and reused by the Romans.
Tuesday 2nd May Annual General Meeting.
Tuesday 16th May Evening visit to the House of Commons with John Marshall, MP. Date now confirmed. Application form enclosed.
Saturday 17th June Outing: Malmesbury and Compton Bassett with Micky Watkins and Micky Cohen.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
To all Members: The Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held at Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley, N3 on Tuesday 2 May 1995. Coffee will be available before the meeting from 8.00 – 8.15pm.
Nominations for the Officers and Members of the Committee must be submitted to me at the address below. The consent of your nominees must be obtained in writing before submitting their name/s, Nominations must be received by me not later than one week before the date of the Annual General Meeting.
Resolutions submitted by members for consideration at the Annual General Meeting must be received by me not later than three weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting.

E A Holliday, Hon Secretary
Gorse Cottage, The Common, Chipperfield, Herts, WD4 9EL

MEMBERS’ NEWS
TAMARA BAKER
We are sad to report the death of Tamara in March this year. She and Julius have been regular attenders at lectures over the years, joining us on outings and weekends away. She was ill a year or so ago, but, apart from having to give up driving, was back amongst us last year and was her old self again at our Christmas dinner in December. Sadly, her illness suddenly returned soon after. She died peacefully at home with Julius at her side, and our thoughts and sympathy go out to him.
TRUDI PULFER
Another member of long-standing died in February, For many years she assisted Irene Frauchiger in producing a newsletter on a very aged Gestetner. Between them they ran off, collated, stuffed and dispatched them, until Irene moved to Radlett. Both have remained keen members, and many of us will remember them on outings and on our memorable weekend to Hadrians Wall.
Trudi Pulfer was German-born and had few relatives in this country, and Irene Frauchiger cared for her over the last few years. Mrs Puffer had always expressed her wish for many items to go to HADAS on her death. Her niece came over from Germany, and, confirming this request, has donated them to HADAS.
On the clearance of the house she has also given us further contributions for our Minimart to help HADAS funds. We are grateful to Trudi for this and also to her niece for her generosity.
Dorothy Newbury
Andrew Selkirk has received the following note from Ralph Merrifield’s widow:
“Dear Andrew, Thank you very much for your kind letter, I know that Ralph much enjoyed his presidency of HADAS and greatly regretted it when he found it increasingly difficult to make the journey to attend meetings and other functions. I think he always felt he was returning to his roots, though of course he did not remember the area at all But he felt it was a very fitting rounding off to his connection with the district. With, again, many thanks. Yours very sincerely, Lysbeth,”
NEWS FROM NORTH WEST LONDON Frances Radford
A new Conservation Area has come into being. It is centred on West End Lane and West End Green, NW6. The hamlet of West End, as it was known, dates back to medieval times and, as Christopher Wade says in his book “The Streets of West Hampstead”, it “was held of the Abbot of Westminster by the Prioress of Kilburn. In the reign of Henry VIII its estimated area was eighteen acres.” Population growth was slow so that as late as 1841 the census recorded only eight households. It is interesting to note that during the Great Plague a report of 1665 stated that though there had been over two hundred deaths in Hampstead only a quarter of a mile away at West End none had died.

A three-day fair used to be held annually on the Green until it became so riotous that local residents had it suppressed in 1821. Even in the 1860s maps show a relatively rural area with a few large houses but before long the railway brought with it a rapid development of housing. Now, because of its medieval history, it has been designated as an Archaeological Priority area.
THE MARCH LECTURE TESSA SMITH
Our second lecture at Avenue House was well attended, for Andrew Reynolds’ lecture entitled “Landscape Archaeology in North Wiltshire”, He began by comparing a range of rural settlement patterns, where he has been surveying and excavating – Compton Bassett, a roadside development; Yatesbury – a cluster of houses and church; and Cherhill, built on a Roman site, with manor and church.
He explained his research into old documents, maps, aerial photos, and charters from before the Viking invasion, Sites & Monuments Records, and field name maps. It was interesting to hear the meanings of certain place-names, Burr, Bailey and Bury relating to a fortified enclosure, Yatesbury meaning ‘Entrance gate of a fortified place’. It was here at Yatesbury that Andrew Reynolds concentrated his excavations, where a `barrow way’, a half-forgotten road, ran right through the middle of an early earthwork enclosure, on its way to Avebury. He dug trenches at intervals in the area of the church and earthwork enclosure, apparently sometimes helped by sheep! His finds included barbed and tonged arrowheads, unexpected evidence of Bronze Age, and medieval, including a late medieval wolfhound skeleton and rubbish pits which revealed pottery of a high status. Finally, a medieval manorial site and fishpond were identified close to the present church, apparently church and manor are often developed close together in Wiltshire.
Finally, Andrew linked his excavation area to wider administrative centres and old army routes of communication, explaining how the barrow way had sunk into the almost forgotten past, as the modern Yatesbury road system and the major Bath to London road evolved.
We are looking forward to our summer outing to Avebury, and thank Andrew Reynolds for highlighting this particular area and current excavation.
PS It was good to have a preview of the HADAS display boards for the March LAMAS conference. This is a bonus for our new venue at Avenue House. Thank you to those concerned.
EVEN BETTER THAN LASCAUX Stuart Wild
Last December a group of covers exploring in the remote Ardeche region of southern France noticed a draught of air coming from a recent rock slide. They spent a day clearing a narrow shaft to what they hoped would be a new cave to explore.
A week later, last Christmas Eve, they descended into it by rope. What their lamps illuminated was stunning – the most significant trove of prehistoric art to be discovered in the last half-century. Four chambers, the largest 210 feet long, contained more than 300 paintings of rhinos, lions, oxen, mammoths, a rare red hyena and the only panther and owl images ever recorded. Most of the amazingly clear pictures are rendered in yellow ochre, charcoal or iron oxide. The paintings, believed to be 20,000 years old, are accompanied by sketches of a human hand, possibly that of the artist.
The cavern, near the little town of Combe D’Arc, rivals Lascaux in the Dordogne and
Altamira in northern Spain, and is likely to transform most of what little we know about
palaeolithic man. Unlike those at other sites, the Ardeche paintings depict mostly

beasts that humans didn’t hunt, suggesting they were painted for religious or purely decorative reasons. Many of them are extinct European cousins of African animals, lending weight to the theory that a land bridge once connected the two continents.
Suggestions that the paintings may be a hoax have been dismissed. Researchers say that the virgin state of the cave’s floor guarantees that nobody’s been there for centuries. And few people will be stopping by now. The French Ministry of Culture plans to buy the cave from its private owner, and for the foreseeable future, only experts will get access.
Abridged from an article in Newsweek, 30 January 1995.
KEEPING TIME IN BARNET Rick Gibson
(How Rick Gibson found his place in time)
One of Barnet’s landmarks is the clocktower at Golders Green, but how many of us knew that it had stopped, or why, and that it had subsequently been repaired, and by whom? NADAS member Rick Gibson reveals all..
In 1993 June phoned the Council to ask why the clock hadn’t worked for the last 5 or
years, to be told that it was due to a severe fault, and to problems with the firm contracted to maintain the public clocks in Barnet. They said it couldn’t be fixed without enormous expense, so, being familiar with tower clock mechanisms, I volunteered to look at it, and the Council duly delivered the key. Opening the door for the first time I was presented with a fairly standard tower clock mechanism – the sort supplied to the Admiralty and the War Office. Sitting about 3′ from the bottom of the tower on an iron frame, it was covered in a mixture of pigeon guano, brickdust, rust and water, because the roof had been leaking for several years. 1 told the Contracts Dept and as soon as I had fixed the clock they not only repaired the roof but also put floodlighting on the four faces of the clock because I had told them wanted to get the clock going and chiming for Remembrance Day.
The first thing 1 had to do was clean the clock, which was quite ❑ palaver, then, when I tried to get it going for the first time I realised there was something severely wrong with the auto-wind mechanism. It has two electric motors, fitted to it after the last war, and, although the weights only descend two feet, as soon as they reach the bottom of their travel they are re-wound. The problem was serious because ❑ slightly longer pendulum had been fitted and when the weights descended the pendulum fouled the weights and stopped the clock. (This hadn’t been realized by the maintenance team). I realigned the motor-driven rewinding chains so the pendulum could swing and miss the weights when they descended. Even then I had problems because, when the motor suddenly galvanised into action to raise the weights again, they swung slightly and, once again, the pendulum hit them – so I had further work there to realign the chains on the other side of their idler gears.
So, the clock was ticking at last. I cleaned and oiled the mechanism and it merrily went for four hours then jammed up solidly! This was due to the striking rack which had been re-made by the contractors – the teeth had been cut very inaccurately, so as it descended it jammed on its drive pull. It was rather a long-winded business re-cutting several teeth on the rack. Then, the clock was working again, and for the next four weeks, once a week, I adjusted the clock. It is now at its best accuracy – to within 5 minutes per fortnight and I adjust it once a fortnight and oil it once a month, There is so much wear in the mechanism due to lack of lubrication through the years, with brick dust etc getting into the gears, that there is sufficient play in the escarpment. Also, it has an uncompensated pendulum so when the weather is hot it slows down, and when it’s cold it speeds up, but 5 minutes a fortnight isn’t bad for a 1923 tower clock mechanism.

The Mechanism
There are two motors, the left one winds the chiming mechanism weight and the right one winds clock drive weight.
The wooden pendulum shaft descends in centre, and ❑ chain runs over pulley on right. The pendulum can easily swing, hit and foul the chain which used to run on the right side of the pulley, so that the pendulum could easily catch the chains and weights which were correspondingly closer during its operation. Looking straight at the clock mechanism, the vertical shaft goes up to a quadral gear mechanism that drives the four faces of the clock at the top of the tower.
Everything on the right hand side is connected with the clock and the escapement, and everything on the left hand side is connected with the chiming mechanism, A large fan regulates the chiming speed. A lever, below the wire, goes up to the bell, where it’s disconnected so it doesn’t pull on the wire and chime on the bell. It has an anchor escapement, also known as a recoil escapement, What we are looking at is a good quality turret clock mechanism which can be mounted in the top of towers or, in this case, low down, providing there is automatic winding. I don’t know whether it has always been in this position but, judging by the flooring which is halfway up the tower, I should imagine it has because it is original flooring with one single hole going up through the centre for the drive shaft.
The nameplates are visible – the date is on the centre dialled wheel which is turned with ❑ brass key to adjust the hands of the clock. Just behind that is a cam which operates the chiming mechanism. The electrical switch on the right in the tower operates the lights which are behind the dials of the clock. Originally the dials were of an opal glass so that when they were illuminated from within all four faces were lit. Some bright spark came along and covered them with blue paint – probably just thinking they would look reasonably attractive –
but of course it is peeling off, and no light gets out, although the facility for lighting the clock internally is still there. Up on top of the tower is a trap door, and you can actually climb a metal ladder (which you can’t see very well but is on the immediate right just behind the door jamb) and get out on to the roof of the clock. Barnet Council did a bit of re¬wiring during the Remembrance period; I was very pleased because it meant that they were paying some care ana attention to it.
The History
The date on the clock mechanism, which I presume also relates to the tower, is 1923. It was built by subscription as a memorial to the 1914-18 war. Barnet Council couldn’t tell us who subscribed, or how much it cost. I’m not sure who owns it now, but presumably the responsibility lies with Barnet Council. The clockmaker is J W Benson of Ludgate Hill, clockmakers to the Admiralty, War Office and the India Office.
After WWII they also carved on the monument “1939-45”. The book of honour on it has people from Golders Green and Hampstead Garden Suburb -there are some interesting names and would like to look into this and see if there are any surviving relatives who maybe I could talk to.

There was an annoying incident when some mindless yobbos daubed graffiti on the clocktower and the door; I managed to get the Council to sandblast that off, but I daresay it will happen again.
One other thing I should mention is that the gears on the clock in the early stages of the escapement mechanism are terribly worn. They consist of thin steel shafts mounted like a squirrel cage. Some of them are worn nearly halfway through due to the diet of brickdust, water, and no lubricant for many years. I think that within the next two years I will have to stop the clock, strip it down and do a considerable amount of work to stop these gears snapping. Unfortunately, if they break on this type of clock with autowind, they can go into self-destruct. You probably know that the clock mechanism in Big Ben actually exploded when the shaft on the fan controlling the chiming mechanism snapped due to a gear failure, and the clock just whirred out of control. It actually snapped in half the main frame that held the clock. £1.5 million were spent on it and even now it is a patched up job. To actually see Big Ben and go up the tower is quite an experience, but if anyone had been in the vicinity when that exploded they would certainly have been killed because there were gears and fragments of metal everywhere.
Time past
When I was working at DoIlis Hill Research Station, two colleagues and myself volunteered to try and sort out the clock at the ancient church of St Mary’s, Willesden – the site of the Black Madonna. The stairs going up to the clock tower were extremely unsafe, and the clock had to be wound constantly. We managed to get a large geared electric motor and we actually coupled this up to the clock in the top of the tower. This was another clock that had given intermittent trouble due to lack of maintenance through the years, and pigeon droppings had fouled between the hands, the hour and the second hand – it was a solid lump. The work also involved us stripping out the gearing to the four faces of the tower itself, and people having to go outside of the tower, which isn’t for me because I suffer from vertigo!
As the weights of the clock descended the tower they came to a hinged platform which operated a micro switch (this is all stuff built by us) which operated a large relay. This in turn switched the motor on, and the weight steadily rose up the tower. At the top it operated another micro switch that turned it off again, We had a lot of fun with this because the actual weight of the clock descended into the church itself and could be viewed by the congregation, so we made a lovely golden cardboard angel and fitted it to the clock weight so that it actually disappeared into a pit in the floor of the church. When the mechanism operated you suddenly heard the whirring noise and this golden cardboard angel steadily rose up the wall and disappeared into the clocktower, (The Reverend there was a friend of ours!) Everyone loved it, but it was only a short-term thing to amuse the congregation. We did that work nearly twenty years ago and it’s still going beautifully. There are other clocks in my life, but that certainly was one of the most rewarding one,
Footnote.’ The Golders Green project took Rick about three weeks to sort out the mechanical problems, with a further couple of weeks regulating the clock. Asked if he had his eye on any other public clocks Rick stated a preference for “a long-term project in my workshop – something I can fiddle with”.
As a matter of interest, how many public clocks in the Borough aren’t working? (Clockhouse Parade, East Barnet Village, for one,..)
The Society for Medieval Archaeology and the Medieval Settlement Research Group held a conference at the British Museum in March entitled Recent Work in the Archaeology of Medieval Rural Settlement. Maurice Beresford, vintage archaeologist of Wharram Percy fame responded to Prof Christopher Dyer’s open invitation to the

audience to nominate a new Wharram for the next millenium. Mr Beresford, rather than predict another site, is rather hoping for the National Lottery or a friendly millionaire to provide the wherewithall to re-open the Wharram project.
SURFIN’ in the 1990’s doesn’t require much physical energy, just a computer and a modem. Members having access to the Internet might like to check out the LAMAS information pages which have just been set up by their Secretary, Malcolm Harden. He lists their current activities and has impressively scanned their logo into the document. To view, the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for LAMAS is
http://www.unl.ac.uk/nfstest/arch/lamhome.htm
Distance is no barrier to the Internet; one can browse documents world-wide on virtually any subject, including information from archaeological institutions, for example, interim excavation reports. Looking ahead, communications are evolving so rapidly that we can expect to see not just pages of information on digs but video shots of sites, finds, etc. on the Internet by the end of this century – the technology for this already exists in the form of CD ROM, now entering the classroom as a teaching aid. Programs are being fine-tuned at an ever-increasing rate to make the Internet faster, easier to use, cheaper, and available for most home computers. Maybe HADAS could put up info pages in the not too distant future? Our Chairman is into electronic mail and the information superhighway, but are other HADAS members on¬line? Membership queries by e-mail? v.oconnor@unl.ac.uk If anyone didn’t quite understand what this is all about, I’m sure Andrew can explain!!
BIRKBECK have just published their 1995-96 extra-mural part-time course prospectus. Certificate courses span 3 years with a fourth year available to convert the qualification to a Diploma. Of possible interest to HADAS members: Archaeology; Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology; Egyptology; Field Archaeology; Industrial Archaeology; Prehistoric Archaeology; Garden History; Genealogy & the History of the Family; History; Local History; History of London; Medieval History; History of Art; Islamic Studies; Victorian Studies, Required course work: 4 written pieces, carrying 100% of the marks. Details of fees, enrolment, etc, will be published mid-June, phone the Centre for Extra-Mural Studies on: 0171- 631 6687 for a free copy of either document.
LAMAS Conference of London Archaeologists
The Conference Chairman, John Kent, advised us that Harvey Sheldon couldn’t attend as he was “undergoing routine conservation”. Harvey has been in hospital for an eye operation – HADAS wishes him a full and speedy recovery. It was especially noticeable this year that each speaker thanked the several funding bodies contributing to the excavations, in a manner reminiscent of the ‘Oscar award ceremonies. Several of the sites were on brickearth and after a couple of hours we wondered if they were re-cycling the slides. It seems unlikely though – we understand that the first four speakers had never met before the conference – even though their areas are interrelated. (Report on the conference will be in the May newsletter).
In our February newsletter Andy Simpson advised that a leaflet entitled ‘Sites to See -Northern & Eastern Herts’ can be obtained by phoning Hertfordshire Environmental Information Service. We took up the offer and were pleased to receive, not one, but three leaflets! The other two are entitled: Sites to See – Southern & Western Herts; and Mooted sites. Apparently, there are over 200 hundred mooted sites in Hertfordshire -not all are accessible to the public, but the Hells Environment Info Service will provide further details on request – tel: 01992-555244 / 5. (Revised number with the extra digit, necessary after ‘phone day’ on April 16). We understand that one of our members, Norma King, had difficulty getting through to the right department. We re-checked the number and they helpfully promised to send a copy of the leaflet to Ms King, We trust other members haven’t stumbled on the same problem?

NEIGHBOURING SOCIETIES
BARNET & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY – Wed. 26th April 8pm for 8.30pm The Hyde Room, Chipping Barnet Library, Staplyton Rd, Barnet
Beating the Bounds- talk by Peter Willcocks
ENFIELD ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY – 21 April 8pm Jubilee Hall, Parsonage Lone, Enfield
Invasion 1940 – Operation Sea-Lion – talk by Geoffrey Gillam
THE FINCHLEY SOCIETY – Fri. 27th April at 7.45pm Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley, N3
The Regents Canal System – talk by Dr M Essex-Lopresti
AN OPEN INVITATION has been received, from the Finchley Society for HADAS members, to attend their National Trust Centenary Meeting on Thursday 29th June at Christ Church C School, Hilton AvenuelWarnham Road, North Finchley at 7.45. Peter Clayton, Chairman of the Octavio Hill Society, Wisbech, will talk about ‘Octavio Hill’s Childhood in Finchley` She was a great social reformer and a co-founder of the National Trust. Admission is free, and to help them estimate how many to cater for we have been asked to advise the Finchley Society how many HADAS members expect to attend. Anyone who plans to accept, please contact Vikki O’Connor (0181-361 1350) so we can respond to them by the end of May. Thanks!
NATIONAL TRUST ARCHAEOLOGY CENTENARY CONFERENCE
Another NT centenary event, scheduled for 18/19 May in London, will include some of the Trust’s archaeological activities: gardens and designed landscapes, historic buildings, industrial archaeology, and historic ecology. Further details are available from Archaeology Conference Co-ordinator, The National Trust, 33 Sheep Street, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 1QW. Telephone 01 285 651818.
MORE MEMBERS’ NEWS…
Our congratulations to Daphne Lorimer – she has been made Chairman of the Orkney Heritage Society.
STOP PRESS: it is likely that building works at St Martha’s Convent School, Monken Hadley, will commence at the end of April – those interested in participating in archaeological excavation should contact Brian Wrigley (0181-959 5982) or Roy Walker (0181-361 1350) after 15th April when further details should be available.

No. 288 Edited by Liz Sagues MARCH 1995

Diary
Remember: New meeting venue for 1995. HADAS now gathers in the Stephens Room (first floor) at Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley, N3, starting at 8pm for for 8.30pm. The HADAS library, also located at Avenue House, should be open before the meetings.
Tuesday March 7: Landscape Archaeology in North Wiltshire —
Lecture by Andrew Reynolds, from the Institute of Archaeology.
This lecture will give some recent results from the Compton Bassett Area Research Project. An outing has been arranged to this site, on June 17 this year.
Tuesday April 4: Excavation at Folly Lane, St Albans — Lecture by Simon West.
Tuesday May 2: Annual General Meeting
Please phone June Porges on 0181-346 5078 or Dorothy Newbury on 0181-203 0950 if you have slides on any HADAS activities over the past year for showing at the AGM.
Tuesday May 16 (to be confirmed, alternative dates Monday 15 or Wednesday 17):
Evening visit and supper at the House of Commons with John Marshall MP
The uncertainty is because definite dates cannot be fixed more than two months ahead. A firm date and application form will be with the April Newsletter. In the meantime, please phone Dorothy (0181- 203 0950) if you would like your name added to the list.
A Programme Card for 1995 is enclosed with this Newsletter.

Chosen for the nation’s archives
Membership secretary Vikki O’Connor was some¬what surprised to receive a request from the British Library for back numbers of the Newsletter. Had we been remiss in not — as all commercial publishers are obliged to — giving the Library a copy of every¬thing we bring out, she worried.
Not so, came the charming explanation, it was simply that the Library’s “selector” had felt the copies would be an appropriate addition to the collection. Could this be a result of the enthusiasm shown by members during the excellent HADAS guided tour of the BL Newspaper Library at Colindale last year?
Not all quiet on the excavation front
Rather than cavorting in the mud, the excavation team is hard at work tying up loose ends in the publications department, including reports on the Golders Green 1991 and the Barnet High Street 1992 excavations.
Do you want to be on the list?
Following several requests, the Committee proposes issuing an updated membership list to all members. HADAS used to distribute such a list, comprising members’ names, addresses and telephone numbers, to members on a regular basis.
However, as some time has now elapsed since the last issue, we may well have new members who would not wish this information to be made avail¬able to all members. This could apply especially those whose numbers are ex-directory. The informa¬tion is currently available only to Committee mem¬bers, for administrative purposes.
Any members who would like their names/ addresses/phone numbers, or any combination of these, omitted from the new list, should advise Vikki O’Connor, 2a Dene Road, London N11 lES (tel: 0181¬361 1350) by April 15th. If we have received no objection to listing your above details by that date, we will issue the list as it stands. Please note that the list will be purely for internal distribution within the Society and must not be passed to anyone outside it.

A collection of
collections…
Liz Sagues finds nostalgia, and more, at Church Farmhouse Museum.
Do you remember a poster? It was used for the poster publicising Chinese Papercuts from the Cultural Revolution, a display of intricate scissor-work at Church Farmhouse Museum back in the ’80s. Like so many other of the papercuts shown, it had a caption as naive as its execution was sophis-ticated: “Sending grain to the state”.
The original is back at the museum, one among many hundreds of objects in Collectomania!, an ex¬hibition in which curator Gerrard Roots has brought together a synthesis of displays past. Some 20-plus collections are represented, from limited edition prints to paperclips, from trolleybus tickets to Victo¬rian cartes de visite, from English cottage glass to models made of matchsticks.
As Gerrard points out, they serve splendidly to illustrate the variety of exhibitions which have been seen at Church Farmhouse over three decades. Most archaeological is the mineral display from Clement Krysler, which includes fossil-bearing rocks and three neolithic flints alongside Victorian coral and jet jewellery, Florentine inlaid stone pendants and a lot more besides.
Among the souvenir silver spoons is a shovel-shaped reproduction Roman spoon, designed to prise open oysters and scoop out their flesh. Given the Roman Londoners’ propensity for consuming oysters, surely there’s the possibility of an original turning up sometime, somewhere in Barnet.
Many memories will be evoked by the writing equipment collected by not-quite-retired stationer Philip Poole, who, at the age of 85, still plies his trade, supplying old steel nibs to artists. Centrepiece of the showcase is a monitor’s ink tray, full of those ceramic wells which slotted into the desks of so many of our childhoods. Beside the tray, ready to pour, is a quart jar of Stephens (yes, ‘Inky’ Stephens, of Avenue House) Blue Black Writing Fluid.
Then there are the headlines of 40 years ago. 1955 was the year when Eden became Prime Minis-ter, a Comet flew from London to Sydney in a day and Princess Margaret declared that her romance with Group Captain Peter Townsend was over — the papers are on show, to prove them all.
But what prompts people to gather together so much, so specialised? One answer comes from the enthusiast of anything to do with piers — for him, the spark was buying a plate decorated with Colwyn Bay’s.
And why, sometimes, such horrible objects? For the answer to that, look no further than HADAS member Percy Reboul. “You can become very at¬tached to some of the more exotic items of bad taste,” he explains of his repulsive plastic pieces. Really? To the banana harmonica, or the Highland piper backscratcher? Beware, however: “Be prepared for the seminal moment when you conclude that what you thought was an example of bad taste is now rather artistic and something to be admired.”
Collectomania! continues at Church Farmhouse Museum, Greyhound Hill, Hendon, until April 9.

Major find in the spoil heap!
Some embarrassing typing errors crept into the last issue of the Newsletter. Apologies for them all:
Page 1: The 32nd LAMAS Conference is, of course, on Saturday March 18, not 20 as printed.
Page 3. The OS grid reference for the Brockley Hill reference should be TQ, not TZ.
Page 6: St Martha’s Convent: Jennie Cobban has helped (not hoped) to produced a detailed re-search design, visiting the site mid January to get the lie of the land, paying particular attention to the site of a now levelled mound.
Spellcheck corner
Clearly, computer programmers have not yet caught up with archaeology. For fun, here’s a selection of suggestions from the spellchecker of the desktop publishing program on which this issue of the News¬letter was produced.
HADAS:Hades; Brockley: broccoli; Cistercians: sisters-in-law; mesolithic: measliest; microburins: macrobiotics; microliths: humiliators; mortaria: mortuary; neolithic: inelastic; tranchet: turncoat. Palaeolithic, however, foxed the system completely! The editor just hopes none of them have crept in..,

London’s other mesolithic site

The first lecture of 1995 had a new organiser of meetings (everything went very smoothly, thank you, June) and a new venue. The Stephens’ Room in Avenue House, Finchley, was warm and comfort¬able and the admirable signposting ensured that we didn’t get lost.
HADAS claims a vested interest in the mesolithic of the London area, and it was good to see so many of the West Heath digging team at this lecture. John Lewis compared and contrasted West Heath with his own more recently excavated site at Three Ways Wharf, Uxbridge.
He commented first on the general scarcity of mesolithic material from London where, for obvious reasons, urban archaeology has been the priority. The sensational discoveries at Star Carr in 1954, and even earlier at Broxbourne in 1934, had no parallel in London. Scattered finds from the Colne and Lea Valleys and the Thames flood plain were published in the early 1960s, and suggested the presence of itinerant hunting groups. It was only recent heavy gravel-extraction from these valleys and the conse¬quent archaeological watching briefs which led to more extensive finds and the Uxbridge excavations from 1986 to 1988.
Unlike West Heath, there were buildings above the Uxbridge site, which lies alongside the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne. The remains of a twin-turreted Tudor gatehouse had to be removed, and a medieval ditch (which produced 13th century pottery) had cut through the earlier levels, river gravels laid down in about 10,000 or 11,000 BE
The two main flint scatters have been labelled A and C. Scatter A, which appeared to be mainly in situ, included microliths, largish crested blades with heavy edge-damage and opposed-platform cores.
Originally thought to be mesolithic, this flint-scatter is now identified as a late palaeolithic long-blade culture not unlike the Ahrensburgian. Faunal remains are of horse and reindeer, characteristic of the late glacial tundra of about 10,000 BE Similar artefacts and fauna have been found on several French sites; at that period there would still have been a land-bridge between Britain and the Conti¬nent. The flint artefacts at Uxbridge tend to be smaller than their counterparts elsewhere, due to the use of poor river-gravel flint.
Flint-scatter C represents the mesolithic phase of the site, though Dr RogerJacobi has suggested that half of that scatter may date from the late glacial.

The illustration from Animal Bones by James Rackham (British Museum Press) was used by John Lewis to illustrate how the discarded bones found on an archaeological site can indicate whether it was a kill site (black bones, top skeleton) or a temporary hunting camp (black bones, bottom skeleton). The Uxbridge bones, toes apart, fitted well with the lower skeleton.
Indeed, some horse and reindeer bone has been found there. But the rest of the bone is mainly red and roe deer, species associated with the woodland which replaced tundra as the climate warmed up between 10,500 and 9,500 BE
Many of the artefacts are typical of the early mesolithic as people adapted to a forest environ¬ment and different hunting quarry: tranchet axes (sharpened by a transversely-struck blow), micro¬liths, microburins and obliquely blunted points. Scrapers and burins are also present, and unlike those in scatter A they have been retouched.
The flint-scatters sit on the ground surface ad¬jacent to the contemporary water channel but high enough to escape flooding. Scatter C is much denser than scatter A. Areas of flint knapping can be iden¬tified by the distribution of waste-products and hammer-stones, and concentrations of burnt flint suggest activity round a camp fire. John Lewis showed some eye-dazzling computer graphics to illustrate this data!
Refitting of flakes/ tools to cores has confirmed
their manufacture on site, but cortex is missing so

the flint nodules were rough-trimmed elsewhere. The bone surfaces have been eroded and butchering cuts are seldom visible.
A “reconstruction” of the mesolithic way of life suggests there were three types of camp: a base camp, with some hunting nearby; a temporary camp set up on larger hunting trips away from base; and a kill site where initial butchering was carried out and some parts of the animals discarded. Red deer, like those from the Uxbridge site, might weigh up to 6001b, so carving up before carrying made sense.
Analysis of bone and antler remains gives clues to the use of the site. At Uxbridge there were no ribs or vertebrae, but legs (toeless!) and parts of skulls are found, and the tines only of antlers. This suggests a temporary hunting camp, not a kill site. No bone or antler tools have been found, nor any evidence of vegetable or plant processing as would be expected at a base camp. (How sad that the West Heath soil was too acid to preserve bone and antler.)
Pollen analysis at Uxbridge reveals arboreal vegetation typical of Zones V and VI (hazel, birch and pine). Large-scale burning, presumably to open up the forest, is indicated by bands of charcoal. This modification of the environment may well have contributed to the subsequent waterlogging of the site and its abandonment. The effect of human activities on the natural habitat is nothing new!
This was a most interesting lecture. It is to be hoped that more mesolithic sites will rapidly be¬come available for excavation in the London area. We need them!
.

Liz Sagues follows up February’s lecture with a visit to the Museum of London.

A gallery of sights, sounds, but no smells
You’ve heard the lecture (or even if you haven’t), now see the finds… The Uxbridge material is used to illustrate mesolithic life in the newly revamped prehistoric gallery at the Museum of London, an exercise in modern display techniques which aims to slow down visitors’ urgent progress to the Roman section.
The showcase — complete with the gory out¬come of a successful hunt comes at the end of the chilliest part of the gallery, as the tundra landscape depicted on the backdrop changes to open wood¬land, and the recorded birdsong moves on from arctic geese to the familiar British blackbird. Even the lighting changes, as visitors move through 500,000 years of London’s past. The aim, says curator Jon Cotton — HADAS members will remember him as a lecturer to the Society — is to appeal to the five senses. Touch is there (come on, urge the captions, tap these pots, stroke these textiles, feel the cutting edge of this flint blade) as well as sight and hearing. But taste and smell? Those would be intriguing…
There’s a great deal of emphasis on reconstruc¬tions and models, on trying to set finds in context, on explaining technology and on interpretation (politi¬cally correct, with a place for prehistoric woman, and environmentally conscious).
Large-type titles, in newspaper headline style, catch the attention, and more detail comes in smaller print. A time-tine provides the chronological se¬quence, linking events in prehistoric London to those in the rest of the world: the building of the Pyramids, for example, or the first Olympic Games.

But do not despair that nothing conventional remains. There are a lot of objects on show, there are some typological displays, there are cases full of treasures, there is room for new finds, there are groups of material from specific sites.
Three Ways Wharf is one of those featured sites, but West Heath — largely because the finds are not at the Museum — is not. The elm bark beetle find does get a mention, however, and the prehistoric bibliog¬raphy refers to the HADAS report. Sadly, north west London as a whole can contribute little to knowledge of other prehistoric periods in the capital, as the sites map makes clear.
But the display is well worth far more than a passing visit. And let me share with you one advan-tage of being shown round by an insider: the acqui¬sition of snippets of information that never reach the general public. Take the problem of moth, for exam¬ple — yes, the common clothes moth. However hard you seal a display, it gets in, admits Jon Cotton. Which is why there is nothing made of wool — spot the Indian cotton, instead — in the iron age hut, and everything in it was fumigated before display .

Specialisation and experimentation
Tessa Smith reports on a student survey which provides new insights on Brockley Hill.

Did you come to the one-day exhibition of Brockley Hill pottery held at St Mary’s Church Hall, Hendon, in 1993? Two young archaeology students, Fiona Seeley and Cheryl Thorogood, were busy taking measurements of a large selection of the Roman pottery, which is in our safe keeping. This activity was, for them, part of a master’s degree.
They compared pottery from sites at Brockley Hill, one on the east side excavated by Stephen Castle, and one on the west side, a kiln of the Roman potter Doinus. They also used Brockley Hill pottery which is kept at the Museum of London — 174 boxes to choose from! (Several members of HADAS visited the museum some time ago for a “hands-on” display of some of that pottery.) Seeley and Thorogood were also able to use Brockley Hill pot¬tery which had been excavated from Leadenhall Court and Newgate Street.
The results of the research have been published in the London Archaeologist (Autumn 1994, Vol.7 No.9) with a splendid photo on the front cover of the archaeologist Phillip Suggett, who excavated at
Brockley Hill between 1951 and 1954. He is examin¬ing the handle-less flagon which imitates a metal form, found at the café site there.
Seeley and Thorogood give an up-to-date resume on Brockley Hill production types, includ¬ing wine amphorae, and a clear diagram shows the results of their quantifying and comparing the pot¬tery at four different locations.
Their conclusions are that certain kilns seemed to specialise, e.g. mortaria at one kiln, flagons at another, and that the Roman potters did not only produce a limited range of vessels but were also keen to experiment.
This report is well worth reading, comprehen¬sive and concise. Our congratulations to its authors.
Follow-up note: Bearing out their conclusion re experimenting — we have in the Moxom collection at Church Farmhouse Museum the square-sided flagon which is an exact copy of a Roman glass form. Nobody in archaeological circles has ever seen any¬thing similar in pottery. It is clearly a “one-off” experiment.

The Iceman herdeth
HADAS vice-chairman Brian Wrigley has been in correspondence with the distinguished German academic Professor Andreas Lippert, following the latter ‘s lecture at the Prehistoric Society before Christmas and the subsequent letter in the Times in which Dr Michael Ryder argued that the Iceman was no mountain herdsman, but a hunter.
Professor Lippert confirms his thesis, though acknowledges that “some quite critical investigations are as yet far from completed”.
He continues: “We do not yet know the true cause of death, albeit freezing to death is the most likely. This could, however, be recognised from changes in the stomach lining.” Knowledge, too, of the Iceman’s last meal could offer indications of his occupation.
Professor Lippert tells Brian of a symposium in Vienna where results of la test research were reported. It is now clear, he says, that no bone fractures hin¬dered the Iceman in his journey, and previous sug¬gestions that the exhausted man slipped into an ice channel have been discounted. “In my view, Otzi deliberately sought out the rock hollow, in some¬what finer weather, and laid himself down to sleep, whereby in a cold snap in the following hours he was frozen to death.”
Neighbourly business
The Finchley Society: March 30 — The North Circular Road Project in Finchley. A talk by Mr J. Dodman, resident engineer of the project engineers/ constructors, at Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley, starting at 7.45pm. Numbers are limited, so check with hon sec Eileen Cox on 0181-445 8422.
Barnet & District Local History Society: March 22 — Victorian Table Glass. A talk by Beryl Clarkson, in the Hyde Room, Chipping Barnet Library, Stapylton Road, 8pm for 8.15pm.

Enfield Archaeological Society: March17—Annual General Meeting, followed by reports of excavations, fieldwork and research. At the Jubilee Hall, Parson¬age Lane, Enfield, starting at 8pm.

Last month, Pamela Taylor investigated the early history of Monken Hadley. Here, Jennie Cobban concentrates on its early religious community.
Who, and where, were the Hadley hermits?

During on-going research into the origins of Monken Hadley, a document of apparently unrecognised significance recently came to my notice in records relating to Hurley Priory, Berkshire.
It takes the form of a letter, dated before 1141, from Geoffrey de Mandeville II to King Stephen, in which he informs the king that he is exchanging the tithes which Hurley Priory receives from Edmonton, Enfield and South Mimms churches, for 100 shillings of his own rents. So, prior to Geoffrey’s grant of these churches to Walden Priory circa 1140, the monks of Hurley received the tithes from these churches, and Geoffrey’s thus returning the income to the churches concerned, “so that each church may have its abso¬lute freedom for the support of the priests there serving God”, while compensating Hurley by grant¬ing alternative income in the form of rents.
Geoffrey continues: “…and regarding anything left over (from the tithe income) it is to go for provid¬ing support and clothing for the brethren of Adlege, who are living according to rule.” “Adlege” can with confidence be identified with Hadley. (Dugdale, Monasticon (III), p. 434, gives “Adlege” (Wethered’s rendition) as “Hadlega”.).’
This is significant, as the document confirms that an unknown group of religious personnel was present in Hadley before 1141 and, therefore, that a chapel of some sort for the brothers’ use is almost certain to have been present at this time. Previously, our earliest documentary evidence for a church at Hadley dates from 1163-68. The document also tells us that this religious settlement, presumably the hermitage of Hadley, had, at least at this time, no independent income.
Geoffrey’s motives for this reorganisation are unknown, but it may be commented that at this period a religious house which had received the gift of a church was free to dispose of its income from tithes however it wished, and the bishops constantly made it part of their duty to see that the owner of a church made proper provision for the priest. Possi¬bly, therefore, by restoring the tithes for the benefit of the local priests, Geoffrey was making it known to the king (and through him the church authorities) that he was being a responsible lay patron in that he was aware of current concern in these matters.
However, also around the year 1140, Geoffrey granted the same churches removed from Hurley’s control, along with Hadley hermitage, to his new foundation of Walden Priory. The priests of Edmon¬ton, Enfield and South Mimms cannot have felt the full benefit of their restored tithes for very long! At this point we can only wish for a tighter chronology
The identity of the religious brethren, living together in what we must assume to be the hermit¬age of Hadley, is unknown. Likely candidates would be members of a house of canons who followed the Rule of St Augustine and some of whom continued the hermit tradition. Many of these houses were founded in the post-Conquest period. A completely independent settlement of monks, which had bro¬ken away from a mother house in order to follow a more spiritual path, is also, of course, a possibility.
The relationship between the canons of the hermitage and its new Benedictine owners remains anyone’s guess at present. As the brothers of Hadley were to be maintained by any surplus of tithes, it is possible that Walden decided that there was no surplus, and that the hermitage ceased to exist as such. We know, at any rate, that Walden itself was maintaining a small cell at Hadley in 1144. How long this cell endured is also unknown.
We remain in the dark, therefore, as to the chronological relationship between the hermitage and Walden’s cell, and we are equally in the dark concerning the location of these religious sites.
The archaeological implications of the above are interesting. I would suggest that the site of the hermitage should, on balance, be sought in the vicin¬ity of Monken Hadley church.”2 While it is always possible that the Benedictines chose an entirely new site in Hadley for their church and cell, it would surely have been more sensible for them to utilise and adapt the existing hermitage for their own pur¬poses in order to maximise the potential of this grant from Geoffrey de Mandeville.

The high plateau of land on which the church stands, with water readily accessible, would have been recognised as a suitable site to settle by hermit and Benedictine alike. The wilds of the heathland
clearing of Hadley would especially appeal to the hermits, as a perfect “desert” environment where they could emulate the privations of the Desert Fathers of the fourth century. At the risk of piling
speculation upon speculation, there is also the former presence of a mound at St Martha’s School (just north of the church) to consider. Apparently isolated mounds with a good water supply nearby are one of
the hallmarks for sites selected by groups of hermits. Hermits were living in the wilder parts of Brit- ain in the early 12th century and this may have been the case since the Conquest:3 It became quite com-
mon for the great monastic houses to take over the sites of these isolated settlements. It may also be significant that in 1582, when William Kympton, Lord of the Manor of Monken Hadley, was squab-ling with the Duchy of Lancaster over his rights in Enfield Chase, he based his claims on the fact that “the Manor or Lordship of Hadley in auncient tyme was knowen by the name of the heremytage of Hadley and was sometime cell of the possessions of the late dissolved monastery of Walden”. This could suggest that the hermitage and cell were thought of as one and the same shortly after the Reformation.
It seems probable, therefore, that the hermitage site lies near to Monken Hadley Church, although it is interesting that no artefacts of the medieval period seem ever to have been found in the village.
Precincts of the canons varied enormously both in size and style in the early medieval period. Many sites were similar to those of the Cistercians, in secluded situations, with surrounding defences and with great attention being paid to the management of local water supplies. Bearing this in mind, a survey of the various banks and ditches observed in the vicinity of Hadley church may pay dividends, although many of these probably represent the south¬ern boundary between Enfield Chase and Monken Hadley, and others may be C18 or C19 drainage ditches. A study of the old Monken Mead stream (see the 1777 survey of Enfield Chase) whose course is now difficult to trace on the ground due to residen¬tial development, may also be in order, when consid¬ering possible monastic water management.
*1 Pam Taylor is engaged in studying the original documents which pertain to this article and will no doubt comment on the above in due course.
*2 Another favoured location for the hermitage is within Wrotham Park, citing as evidence a 1606 survey of the Manor of South Mimms which makes mention of “the herrnytage”. How¬ever, the wording suggests that the writer was in fact referring merely to a cottage of that name. This site cannot be ruled out as the early medieval extent of the Hadley boundaries is uncertain. As to other suggested locations, another C 17 cottage named “the Hermitage” was present in Monken Hadley village until 1872. This lay very close to Hadley Lodge, where a Saxon village apparently awaits Bill Bass under the garage (according to the Barnet Press). Can’t wait, Bill! There is a modern house, “The Hermitage”, in the village at present.
’13 It is possible that the monks of Hurley had been supporting a hermitage at Hadley since 1086-7, as Hurley Priory was a foundation of Geoffrey de Mandeville I, who inherited vast land holdings around Hurley from Ansgar after the Conquest. The lands around Hadley also, it might be remembered, were part of Ansgar’s estates in pre-Conquest times.
Selection of source material
F.T. Wetherell, St Mary’s Hurley in the Middle Ages: Based on Hurley Charters and Deeds 1898, p228
M. Aston, Know the Landscape: Monasteries, 1993
R. Morris, Churches in the Landscape, 1989
D.M. Stenton. English Society in the Early Middle Ages, 1951 F. Cass, Monken Hadley, 1880
N. Clark, Hadley Wood, (Map of Enfield Chase 1777)
Personal communications: Dr. Pamela Taylor
P.S. Readers of the Barnet Press last month may have read the startling news: “Jenny Cobban has come up with documentary evidence of a Saxon village in the area.” This surprised me immensely. It probably sur-prised Pam Taylor, too!
A sight of the Abbey’s hidden history
Deidre L. Barrie reports on a rare privilege.
The “Great Pavement” of Westminster Abbey was shown to the public for five days in February for the first time in three years. This Abbey treasure dates back to 1268 when King Henry III and Richard de Ware, Abbot of Westminster, caused one Petrus Odericus to assemble the mosaic, “these porphyry stones”.
The pavement is usually covered to protect it from further erosion. The general effect of the design is of an ancient, valuable but tattered carpet pattern in stone — a complex design of whorls and roundels in porphyry, marble and glass tesserae.
It is (says the Abbey’s useful guide sheet) “the finest example of so-called ‘Cosmati work’ north of the Alps”. There is apparently similar work on St Edward the Confessor’s shrine and the tomb of Henry III. Experts say the style of the pavement is not the Gothic one would expect from its date but that it is “more akin to Roman or Renaissance work”.
The Abbey leaflet gives scholar Stephen Wan¬der’s translation of one of the pavement’s mysterious Latin inscriptions. To my inexpert ear this has the ring of alchemical writings, an ancient riddle, or even an obscure board game!
The pavement is some 24ft square and is in the sanctuary, before the high altar. During my lunch-hour visit a dozen or so awed visitors gazed down over the surrounding rails at the complex and still colourful pattern being revealed for so short a time. A gaggle of academics conferred. A young woman examined the stones through a special magnifying eyeglass. I felt very privileged to have seen this mysterious, battered masterpiece unveiled.
No further Roman finds
HADAS held a watching brief for English Heritage’s London Sites and Monuments Record on work at Annunciation Infants’ School, Thirleby Road, Burnt Oak — opposite the site where in 1971 the Society excavated pits containing Roman pottery — for the first ten days of February.
Brian Wrigley reports that observation of foun¬dation trenches dug at the rear of the school showed much disturbance of clay sub-soil by previous build¬ings, drains and concrete and tarmac surfacing. Two or three modern fence postholes were seen, on the line of the present garden boundary. No artefacts were found, apart from modern building material.
One feature was noticed — a chalk lump de¬posit with a humic rectilinear patch directly above it. This possibly could be a remnant of a footing for an early timber-framed building.

Glass fit for a Queen…
A celebration of the stained glass of Crathie Church on Deeside — where Queen Victoria was a frequent worshipper — will published on April 3 by long¬standing HADAS member Douglas Morgan.
The glossy 72-page A4-size softback (printed, incidentally, by the Newbury family’s Hillary Press) contains detailed text and fine colour photos of the windows, the work of designer-craftsmen who both followed the Gothic revivalist tradition and looked forward to a more modern, original style. Robert Anning Bell was one of the noted artists involved; another was George Daniels, from the workshop of John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell.
The church was designed in Gothic style by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie (known for, among other buildings, the Waldorf Hotel in London’s Aldwych). Queen Victoria approved of the plans and laid the foundation stone in 1893.
DouglasMorgan is offeringthebook to HADAS members at a special pre-publication price of £6.50 including p&p (a £3 reduction). Cheques to Ara¬besque Publications, 12 Wildwood Grove, NW3 7HU.
… and grist for mill enthusiasts
Another forthcomingbook which may interest mem¬bers is an historical survey of Windmills & Watermills of Middlesex, written by Guy Blythman and with some 75 illustrations. It is planned by Quotes Ltd, a Northants-based publisher, which is inviting sub¬scribers to reserve numbered copies in advance, as 500 reservations are needed to justify publication.
The price will be £15.95, a £2 saving on the post-publication price. If any member wants an order form, please ring Liz Sagues, 0181-868 8431.
Time to pay up
Subscriptions will be due on April 1. A payment slip is enclosed with this Newsletter. Please complete it and send it back to Vikki O’Connor, Hon Member¬ship Secretary, as soon as possible.
More about mortars
Further to my recent article (Newsletter 286) and Roy Allen’s interesting letter and photos about domestic mortars in the following issue, while wandering around the Museum of London’s medieval section I noticed two mortars there, writes Bill Bass.
One, dated to the late 13th century, was roughly shaped from Purbeck marble. It is attributed to Crutched Friars, in the City of London, and looks very similar to the types in Roy’s photo, confirming his medieval date.
The example found in Edgware appears to have a finer fabric, being from a different marble. In general, mortars of this type were used from the 13th to the 18th centuries.
The past and the future
Current thoughts and ideas on London’s prehistory and problems associated with its interpretation were aired at the Standing Conference on London Archae¬ology at the Museum of London at the end of January. Ways were suggested to find out more, and, hope¬fully, to conserve evidence for the future.
The conference was well attended, including by HADAS members. We also put on a small exhibition of West Heath material and set up a bookstall, from which we sold £103 of publications — a successful weekend.
Topics included the history of prehistory in London, by Nick Merriman; the Thames Valley before and after Swanscombe, by John Wymer, who discussed the gravel terraces and their associated palaeolithic industries; the early mesolithic, from John Lewis (who covered some of the same ground in the HADAS February lecture, see report on p.3); environmental evidence, from _lames Rackham, who mentioned glaciation, pollen and bone evidence between 20,000 and 3,000 years BR
Other papers covered aspects of the neolithic, bronze age wetland use of the Thames flood plain, and the iron age.

No: 287 FEBRUARY 1995 Edited by ANDY SIMPSON
DIARY
Remember – new meetings venue for 1995 – Stephens Room, (1st floor), Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley, N3 – starting at 8pm for 8.30pm.

Tuesday 7th February Lecture: Mesolithic Sites in London – John Lewis from MOLAS describes some of the other sites in the London area contemporary with West Heath

Tuesday 7th March Lecture: Landscape Archaeology in North Wiltshire,
Andrew Reynolds from the Institute of Archaeology gives some recent results from the Compton Bassett Area Research Project. (We hope to be able to arrange a visit to Wiltshire this summer).

HADAS Outing dates for your diaries this year will be: Sat. June 17th, Sat. July 15th, Sat. August 19th. Details of locations in next newsletter.
Dorothy Newbury writes – As always with change, the new venue (Avenue House) suits some and not others. This is a three-month trial period, mainly brought about by the escalating costs at Hendon Library. But have we jumped out of the frying pan into the fire? The Hendon Times (12 January) reports that Avenue House has an annual deficit in running costs of some £13,000 and Councillors have been proposing to use the building as a venue for wedding services. Local residents are objecting on grounds of noise and traffic congestion, claiming the plan breaches the spirit of ”Inky” Stephens’ bequest to the borough. The Land and Buildings Committee are to consult with the Charity Commission to ensure the proposal complies with the Trust’s deeds.
(The Council stress that Avenue House must break even to ensure its future, and that if what the Council want is unacceptable to residents they will have to come up with alternative revenue-earning ideas. – Ed.)
We have received no backing for changing the meetings date to the second Tuesday in the month. In fact, some years ago we changed to the first Wednesday following a few requests but it didn’t work out. Unfortunately, whatever we choose will inevitably not please everybody.

The 32nd LAMAS Conference of London Archaeologists – Saturday 20th March 1995. Advance notice of the above conference, at which HADAS will have their usual display. It will be held at the Lecture Theatre, Museum of London, commencing at 11 am and finishing at 5.30pm. Tickets at (members), £4.00 (non-members) are available from Jon Cotton, Early Dept., Museum of London, London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN.

DR. RALPH MERRIFIELD, B.A., D.LITT, F.S.A., F.M.A.

HADAS members and all those involved in London’s archaeology will have been saddened to learn of the death of our past president, Dr. Ralph Merrifield, Ted Sammes provides an appreciation of this eminent archaeologist.

The London archaeological scene will be saddened at the death of Ralph Merrifield at the age of 82. To many, myself included, he was regarded as Mister Roman London. I first met him when the London Borough Secretaries,designed to bring together representatives of all London areas engaged in archaeology (mostly non-professional), was started in the 1960s , There were few professional units operating at that time,
He was of great help to us in looking at Brockley Hill material and my few Roman finds from the Church Terrace, Hendon dig of 1972-73. He was our third President, elected in 1989, and he retired at the 1994 AGM at his own request.
He was born in Brighton, and at the age of 17 worked in Brighton Museum. Always having a calm and critical eye for detail, his wartime service was in the Intelligence section of the RAF. After the war he returned to Brighton Museum but by 1950 he was Assistant Keeper of the Brighton Museum, London. On the combining of the London and Guildhall Museums in 1975 he was actively engaged in designing the Roman Galleries. He retired in 1978 as Deputy Director of the Museum of London. A few years later he was honoured by the University of London with a Doctorate for his historical contribution to London’s past history.
I never saw him really agitated and he always took time before he replied to any question or brick-batl His two books, The Roman City of London (1965) and London, City of the Romans (1983) are essential reading for anyone deeply interested in Roman London. He plotted all Roman find spots, walls included, a feat which greatly added to our knowledge of the shape of Roman London within the walls.
I will always remember him at the Bristol Conference of the Prehistoric Society, trying to interest us also in the Roman remains. Another memory is of his interest in the supernatural, witch bottles and walled-up cats and shoes near fireplaces. On this subject his book The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic (1987) is also interesting reading. His publications in Transactions of LAMAS and other journals are too numerous to list.
Yes, he will be sadly missed by all of us and I for one will be eternally grateful for the unselfish support and advice he gave to all. Museums, and what they can convey, were his life blood.

TIME TEAM
In case you hadn’t noticed, a new series of Time Team started three weeks ago, 7pm, Sundays on Channel 4. So far, they have investigated sites at Islay (Western Scotland), a ruined castle in Sunderland and a hitherto unknown Roman villa site in Dorset. Although the programme format may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is worth watching for the computer graphics alone, and the HADAS digging team are drooling over the expensive geophysical equipment used. Somebody – please win the lottery!

Bill Bass’s report on `The Thing’ (possibly a chemist’s mortar) in the January newsletter has prompted a reply from Roy Allen:
Support for identification of ‘the thing’ as a mortar comes from the church of St Enodoc in North Cornwall, nowadays best known as the last resting place of Sir John Betjeman. The path to the entrance is lined with similar receptacles and most of these are believed to be domestic mortars, once used for grinding corn; they are said to be medieval but this appears to be conjecture. A lady recalls that it was her grandfather who collected the relics and presented them to the church, holes were later drilled for drainage.
(Mr Allen sent photos of the St. Enodoc specimens, taken in 1977 and 7982, Ed.)
Further to the note asking for information on medieval bronze cooking pots and skillets and their foundries, also in the January newsletter, Peter Keeley has been contacted by John Enderby who has a skillette. Peter then put him in touch with his friend researching such items, who lives in Devon, This particular skillette was made by a founder in Bristol called ‘Rice’ who was one of the few founders who applied his name to some of his products, which makes him ideal to study. An article on this founder is planned for the next Metalware Journal. Peter would appreciate any further information on foundries or founders of medieval bronzeware and can be contacted on 0181-959 2864 (evenings),

NEWS FROM BROCKLEY HILL
Tessa Smith reports:
Walking along Spur Road, Brockley Hill, I noticed that the corner field had been trenched, all round the edges, to a depth of one metre, being half a metre wide.
I examined the trench for its entire length, approximately 200 metres, and found it to be pure loam and clay, with a short layer of pebble which could have been natural. However, this small patch of pebble lay on the line of a ‘buried’ road, the gravel layer of which was in evidence when excavated by Philip Suggett and Professor Grimes in 1954, and by Gillian Braithwaite (HADAS) in 1988.

PLANNING APPLICATIONS IN THE NORTHERN AREA
English Heritage have recommended archaeological conditions on the following sites:
• Land rear of 26 Kings Road, Barnet – a watching brief on any earthmoving.
• Part of Park Road Industrial Estate, Park Road, Barnet – an assessment of the archaeological implications.
• 58 High Street, Barnet – field evaluation and mitigation strategy (ways to avoid damaging any archaeology).
Applications for Planning permission have also been made for the following sites, reports Tessa:
Brockley Hill Area, Edgware:
• Brockley House • No 1 Brockley Hill
• No 17 Brockley Ave. • No 5 Newlands Close.
All the above lie close to the area of Pipers Green Lane where 2nd century AD cremation burials were found in 1953.
Annunciation Infants School – Thirleby Road, Burnt Oak
Work is due to start here shortly and HADAS members hope to observe the trenches and spoil heaps during demolition and rebuilding work, In 1971 HADAS dug at 33 Thirleby Road opposite the school and found two Roman pits with 52 sherds of late 3rd-early 4th century pottery and a radiate coin of 270-300. So this site will be worth monitoring.
15-17 Sunningfields Road Hendon Construction of fifteen 2-bed flats.
Please keep your eyes open and report any activities.

THE EARLY HISTORY OF MONKEN HADLEY Pamela Taylor
A recent enquiry concerning Monken Hadley’s early history set me checking the standard authorities, the parish histories by Cass and Lysons, the Victoria County History of Middlesex (VCH) vol. 5, and behind them Dugdale’s Monasticon and the original manuscripts in the British Library. It was all very enjoyable, but the main result was to confirm the reliability of previous accounts rather than to uncover much that was new. Unless new sources are discovered – and no medieval manorial records have ever been found – our knowledge will always remain distinctly sketchy. It nevertheless seems worthwhile to put down a few slightly new points, which may help to amplify answers to the basic questions: when did Hadley originate; was it originally part of Edmonton or of Enfield; and what is the history of its church?
The first question is the only one for which new evidence has recently emerged. The recently discovered 1005 boundary description of the woodland which later became the manor of Barnet names Hadley along its circuit, and thus shows that there was at least a clearing and quite probably some sort of habitation well before Hadley was acquired by Geoffrey de Mandeville in the wake of the Norman Conquest, or transferred to Walden Abbey c.1136.

Domesday Book shows Geoffrey de Mandeville holding both Edmonton and Enfield, with the former including an outlier called (South) Mimms. Since the survey deals only with administrative units, the failure to mention Hadley is not remarkable, and it must be included within either South Mimms/Edmonton or Enfield. There has, however, been some uncertainty as to which, Geoffrey de Mandeville’s charter of c. 1136 stated that the hermitage at Hadley lay within his park (see below). Unsurprisingly, this has created a presumption that Hadley was within Enfield (e.g. David Pam, The Story of Enfield Chase ( 1984), p. 10). Cass kept an open mind, citing on the other hand Lysons’ reference to a list of the possessions of Walden Abbey which places the hermitage of Hadley within the parish of Edmonton. (P.37; Lysons’ source, BL MS Cotton Vespasian E vi, f 56, is a poorly written post-medieval copy; Cass makes a small mistake in transcribing ‘in hominibus’ for ‘cum hominibus’.) The VCH places Hadley unequivocally within Edmonton, and this is almost certainly correct. One of the best pieces of evidence comes in the Quo Warrant enquiries of 1294, in which the crown was challenging manorial lords’ titles to various legal jurisdictions over their tenants. The abbot of Walden was summoned to prove his right to hold view of francpledge and the assize of bread and ale in Edmonton, Enfield, Mimms and Hadley. He did very badly, first claiming that he had always exercised these rights, and then that he only claimed them in Enfield. Even here the local jury reported that he only exercised the assize of bread and ale (which checked that full measures were sold), and that even for this did not have the necessary scales. Fascinating as the detail is, the key point in this context is that Hadley is firmly placed with Mimms and Edmonton rather than with Enfield. In addition, areas of jurisdictional rights were fixed very early and not altered without good reason, so that the 1294 division probably echoes the Norman and Anglo-Saxon one. The connexion of Hadley to South Mimms and Edmonton might have been more obvious if its ecclesiastical history had been more normal. Geoffrey de Mandeville’s foundation endowment to Walden Abbey (Essex), given c,1136, included 18 churches, among them Enfield, Edmonton and South Mimms. In a later section of the same grant, after giving some land and mills, he gave ‘the hermitage of Hadley, with all things pertaining to that place, entry, and exit, and common pasture for their herds in my park, in which the hermitage is situated.’ It is unknown whether the hermitage already contained some sort of chapel or oratory, or what the arrangements made between the monks and hermit were. There was certainly some sort of church by the time of bishop Gilbert Foliot (1163-87), who included Hadley in list of 12 churches within his diocese which he confirmed to the abbey. The deed, found like the foundation charter in a Walden cartulary, BL Harleian MS 3697, is transcribed by Cass, p.38. (The revised edition of Le Neve alters Foliot’s death date from February 1188 to 1187.) Cass is also correct in stating that three later bishops of London (William, 1199-1221; Eustace, 1221-8; Roger, 1229-41) gave similar confirmations. He then moves directly on to provide a complete transcript of the 15 later medieval lay deeds concerning Hadley to be found in the cartulary. (His interleaved copy of his book, Barnet Museum SJ36, as well as his interleaved copy of his article on the parish in Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Association, SJ35, contain additional material, mostly 17th-18th century wills, genealogies and some 19th century press cuttings, but no further information on the topics under consideration here.)
Cass did however skate over some interesting aspects of the episcopal section of the cartulary. First, bishop Foliot gave three other confirmations, covering 7, 11 and 15 churches respectively, in none of which is Hadley mentioned. Secondly, under dean Geoffrey de Lucy (1231-41) the dean and chapter of St Pauls gave a differently worded confirmation, which separates Geoffrey de Mandeville’s foundation grant from later acquisitions, and finishes its list of the former’s grant of parish churches ‘Enfield, Edmonton and Mimms with the chapel of Hadley’ (ecclesias parochiales de…cum capella de Hadlele). The distinction between churches (ecclesiae) and chapels was always of considerable importance and, despite the inconsistency, almost certainly explains Hadley’s non-appearance in 3 out of bishop Foliot’s 4 confirmations. The confirmation of the 15, for instance, itemises the ‘churches’ but concludes generally with chapels, lands…,’ Presumably because of its distinct origin, the chapel of Hadley does not seem to have been attached to a parish church.
Hadley seems to have remained a chapel until after the Reformation. As Cass notes (p.47) the grant of Walden in 1549 to Sir Thomas Audley includes ‘our manor of Hadley in the county of Middlesex with its appurtenances in the county of Middlesex and the rectories and churches of Edmonton, Enfield and South Mimms’, Equally telling is the entry for Walden in the Valor Ecclesiasticus, which was made shortly before the Dissolution and distinguishes incomes from temporal (i.e. secular), and spiritual (le ecclesiastical), sources. Walden’s spiritualities include Edmonton, Enfield and South Mimms rectories, but Hadley appears only among the temporalities, as a manor. As an interesting addendum, in terms of actual value Hadley was assessed in the Valor at 2 10sAd, while the values of Edmonton, Enfield and South Mimms rectories were respectively 20 3s.0d, 28 Os.Od, and 7 Os .0d. Either this is a relative fall, or Hadley had had an atypical period of higher value in the late 13th century, The Walden return for the Taxation of Pope Nicholas of 1291, which does not mention South Mimms and fails in Middlesex to distinguish between temporalities and spiritualities, gives incomes from: ‘Edmonton from land, rent and meadow 2 4s,2d; Enfield from land rent and meadow 3 I Is.8d; Hadley from land, rent, coppice wood and produce (silva cedua et foetu) 3 10s.2d’.
There is a famous 12th-century phrase comparing contemporary scholars to dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants. This exercise has felt remarkably similar, but I hope the view has been at least slightly extended. A file of notes is stored at the Archives and Local Studies Centre.

ST. MARTHA’S CONVENT (The Moat House), Camlet Way, Monken Hadley
Jennie Cobban has been studying the Monken Hadley area, and possible forthcoming classroom rebuilding at the school at St Martha’s – a grade II listed building within Monkey Hadley Conservation Area, may permit site observation at this important site.
Jennie has hoped to produce a detailed research design, and the HADAS excavation team made a preliminary site visit in mid-January to ‘see the lie of the land’, paying particular attention to the site of a new levelled mound within the school grounds that may have been a medieval windmill mound. There is also a legend that the Battle of Barnet Chantry Chapel stood on the present site of Mount House. The chapel was already ruined by the sixteenth century, and exact proof of its location has yet to be found.
Following last month’s mention of the ‘Museums on the Northern Line’ leaflet comes a reminder of another useful London Transport publication:
The official London Transport guide to all LONDON’S MUSEUMS, 5th edition 1993
This invaluable 80-page guide lists all the museums in Greater London, includes comprehensive travel information and uses clear symbols to indicate admission charges, refreshment facilities, etc. Main entries are listed alphabetically by name but there are also listings by borough and by subject, plus the address of a further 77 galleries, archives and other useful institutions and organisations. Available from London Transport Information Centres and Church Farmhouse Museum shop, price £3.50.

OTHER EVENTS
Members will remember the recent review of David Sullivan’s book The Westminster Corridor’, in which Hendon figures frequently, Until March 26th, Hampstead Museum, Burgh House, New End Square, NW3 1LT (0171-431 0144) are hosting an exhibition ‘The Westminster Corridor and the Medieval Manor of Hampstead’ featuring the book and David Sullivan’s associated research, HADAS hope to be involved in fieldwork on Hampstead Heath connected with establishing boundaries described in the book.

NEIGHBOURING SOCIETIES
Barnet & District Local History Society – Mon. 20th February 245pm for 3,00pm The Hyde Room, Chipping Barnet Library, Staplyton Rd, Barnet
Costume – talk by Sandra Hildreth-Brown
Enfield Archaeological Society – Fri. 17th February at 8.00pm Jubilee Hall, Parsonage Lane, Enfield
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta – a talk by Stephen Gilburt
Oxford University summer school for adults
5-12 Aug. The Anglo-Saxon Church David Beard
The Glorious Age of Egypt (Tutankhamen & 18th Dynasty) Annette Depla
Place-Names and Landscape Margaret Gelling
The Census & 19th Century Local History Edward Higgs
Archaeological Excavation Gary Lock
12-19 Aug, Environmental Archaeology Gill Campbell
Archaeological Excavation Gary Lock
The Crusades Colin Paine
The View from the Vicarage: Rural England 1750-1850 Kate Tiller
Domestic Industries in England Barrie Trinder
Further details from Hon.Secretary or for prospectus phone: 01865 270396
Byzantium – the new exhibition at the British Museum which opened on 9 December, features treasures of Byzantine art and culture in the context of 1,000 years of history. This stunning exhibition is on show until 23 April.
Museum of London – Events in February
Gallery talk – 2,30pm Thursday 2nd February
Knitting Nettles – Prehistoric Clothing by Barbara Wood (40 minutes)
Gallery Workshop – Conservation Matters 2pm & 3,15pm Sunday 5th and Sunday 12th February.

Tour of new Resource Centre at Eagle Wharf Road, Hackney
2,30pm – Wednesday 15th February. Tickets (including tea) £4.20, concessions £2.10.

Sites to See in Northern and Eastern Herts – this useful leaflet produced by Herts County Council is available from Herts Environmental Information Service (0992 555244/5) gives brief descriptions of 18 sites, most privately owned, and includes clear instructions on how to find them together with National Grid References.

GENEALOGY – A recent publication ‘London & Middlesex – A Genealogical Bibliography’ by Stuart A. Raymond, published by the Federation of Family History Societies will be useful to those studying family links in the London area. Price £7.00, available from S.A. & M.J. Raymond, Genealogical Bibliographers, 6 Russett Avenue, Exeter, Devon, EX1 3QB.

ANOTHER NIGHT TO REMEMBER…
The New Year Dinner at the Old Bank of England attracted another 30 members and friends. It was unfortunate that the room was not big enough to hold all of us in one go but the New Year group were able to enjoy the ambience of the building and bar as it was so much less crowded than before Christmas.
Our thanks to Mary O’Connell for making the second trip to guide us round the Temple Church and tell us the history of Fleet Street.
Our thanks also to our Vice-Chairman Brian Wrigley who, at a moment’s notice, drew the raffle and gave us a few witty words at the end of the evening. We were pleased to have Joan Wrigley with us now that she is up and about again.
Bearing in mind that prices are escalating – any ideas for next December?

A FOOTNOTE TO THE CHRISTMAS OUTINGS Roy Walker
It was noted in the last Newsletter that The Cock and The Haunch of Venison pubs were demolished in the 1880s to make way for the Bank of England office recently converted into our Christmas venue. Relics of The Cock, including an inn sign claimed to be by Grinling Gibbons, were transferred into a new public house on the south side of Fleet Street now called Ye Olde Cock Tavern which is still standing but unfortunately suffered a tragic fire in 1990 which destroyed some of the old furnishings. In the 17th century there was another Cock Tavern on the south side which is the subject of a pottery report in the LAMAS Transactions, Vol 37, 1986, as pottery from the Fulham Potteries was evidently made especially marked with a cockerel and the initials of the then landlord, Henry Crosse.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS Vikki O’Connor
Our membership year ends on 31st March – renewal forms will be sent out with the March newsletter, except to those members with Standing Orders.
We notice that Bill Bass gets a mention in the 25 January edition of the Barnet & Finchley Press – the Barnet Planning Sub-Committee have agreed an application to build a swimming pool at Hadley Lodge “on the proviso that Hendon & Barnet Archaeological Society member Bill Bass inspects the site”. It seems they have overcome the problem of re-naming the Society!
The Committee will be considering the re-establishment of the HADAS Research Committee in a new format; details to follow shortly.

Issue no 286 January 1995 Edited by Liz Holiday

Diary
No meeting this month
Tuesday 3 January New Year Dinner at The Old Bank of England. There may be a few places left (or late cancellations). Contact Dorothy Newbury on 0181-203 0950.FINCHLEY
New meeting venue for 1995
AVENUE HOUSE, EAST END ROAD, 141NCHLEY, N3
Tuesday 7 February Mesolithic Sites in London. John Lewis from MOLAS describes some of the other sites in the London area contemporary with West Heath.
Tuesday 7 March Landscape Archaeology in North Wiltshire. Andrew Reynolds from the Institute of Archaeology, gives some recent results from the Compton Bassett Area Research Project. (We hope to be able to arrange a visit to Wiltshire this summer).
Finchley member, Miss A M Large, is delighted that HADAS will be meeting at Avenue House and points out that buses 143 and 326 will be particularly useful for members travelling from Hendon. Both stop in Gravel Hill, only a short distance from our new venue. Another member has written welcoming the change of venue and suggesting that perhaps the day could also be changed as some members cannot come on the first Tuesday each month. The second Tuesday has been suggested. Any support for this idea?
CHRISTMAS DINNER Bill Firth reports
This year’s dinner was held in The Old Bank of England, a Grade I listed building in Fleet Street on the corner of Bell Yard. Two earlier pubs, The Cock and The Haunch of Venison, were demolished in 1888 to make way for a new branch of the Bank of England which was set up to cater for the administration depart-ment of the Royal Courts of Justice_ The Bank occupied the building until 1975 when it was let to the Bristol & West Building Society and in 1994 the brewers, Fuller, Smith and Turner, took over the lease. Although it is now a pub, great care has been taken to retain and enhance the splendid features of the building.
The evening began with a visit to the Temple Church led by Mary O’Connell. We had a quick look at Brick Court, where Oliver
Goldsmith lived and died, Fountain Court (which by the time you read this will have featured in the last episode of Martin Chuzzelwit on TV) and the outside of both Middle Temple and Inner Temple Halls before entering the church.

Mary gave us an account of the history and the monuments in the church and then left us to wander round at our own pace admiring the various features. For anyone not familiar with the church, the original “round”, seriously damaged in 1941 but well restored, dates from 1185 and is in Transitional style. A small chancel was enlarged in Early English style to become “oblong” in 1240. The round is reminiscent of a chapter house and is decorated with “grotesques”. Most of them might be described as “mason’s naive” art, but among them are four kings. On the floor are recumbent figures, badly damaged in 1941, of Knights Templar. There are two fine monuments and a host of commemorative tablets in the “oblong”. There is lots more but not enough space to describe it …
From the church we crossed Fleet Street to The Old Bank of England where our dinner was served in a cosy room. It was all very friendly and I cannot do better than quote Dorothy from the menu:
” Our thanks to lain and Karen Anderson, managers, and to Xanthe in charge of banqueting, for receiving Mary and I in such a friendly and helpful manner in the first instance”
Our thanks go beyond the “first instance” to the occasion itself and must be extended to include Dorothy and Mary who arranged it all. Those who are going in January have a treat in store!

MEDIEVAL LIFE, a quarterly magazine of the Middle Ages, is due this year. Supported by the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York, this new publication will concentrate on the period between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. Although it will be for sale at selected museums and historic houses, it will primarily be available by subscription, price £8.50. Cheques, payable to Medieval Life should be sent to C J R Pickles, Rectory End, Gilling East, York, YO6 4JQ with your name, address and postcode.
On Thursday 17 November 1995, Edward Sammes, Vice President of HADAS, was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
The Antiquaries are the oldest of our archaeological societies and claim to he the most prestigious – the members, who call themselves Fellows, are encouraged to display their prestige by putting the letters FSA after their names. Thus Ted Sammes will in future be known as Edward Sammes, FSA.
The Antiquaries were founded in 1707 and met at the Young Divel Tavern; Stukeley soon became their first secretary and the driving force, and after various ups and downs, they acquired a Royal Charter in 1752. Today it occupies prestigious grace and favour premises at Burlington House in Picadilly, next door to the Royal Academy. It boasts one of the finest archaeological libraries in London and it holds meetings every Thursday evening at 5 o’clock in the winter months, preceded by the best archaeological tea in London.
Election is by ballot. Ballots are held three times a year: there are mahogany ballot boxes where you insert your hand, and nobody can tell whether you are voting aye or nay, and the officers distribute one cork ball per fellow per candidate. One black ball in four excludes: noes are counted first. Academics and professionals sail smoothly through, but anyone suspected of being an amateur, or of being in trade, or right wing in politics is always suspect. Ted, being an amateur, described on the ballot paper as being “Retired Assistant Chief Scientist, Western Research Labs Ltd” was inevitably in the suspect area.
After the votes have been cast, the counting of the ballots always takes place in very public view, the President counting the balls as he drops them into a glass howl. Barry Cunliffe, the President, was unable to be present and his place was taken by one of the Vice Presidents, Sheridan Bowman of the British Museum Research Lab, surely the youngest and most glamorous Vice President to preside at an Antiquaries ballot.
When the name Edward Sammes was called out we all held our breath. Postal votes: no
noes. The ballot box was opened: the ‘no’ box was empty! There were no noes at all: Ted was through! The rest was a formality, as the President counted the ayes – first those on blue paper, then the postal votes, then the little cork balls, till eventually it came to a grand total of 41.
Only one question then remained: was no-one going to be blackballed? An Antiquaries ballot is like a public hanging, and the Fellows always expect to have a least one good hanging per ballot. A Tudor historian came near. Apparently he is a star of the telly, and was therefore suspect. He duly received 11 noes: But alas! he received 49 ayes, so he too was through, despite the telly. (One fears that many Fellows do not actually watch the box and were therefore unaware of his heinous crime).
Afterwards the Sammes supporters gathered round and we mutually congratulated ourselves – Lady Hanworth, Ann Saunders and others -each hoping to be the first to telephone Ted with the good news. We then went to the Fellows room on the top floor for some sherry commiserating with each other over the lack of hanging and vowing that next time we would do better.
The next week Ted duly completed the process, appearing in his best suit to be formally admitted, signing the ‘Book’ and shaking hands with the President – Barry Cunliffe in person – and graciously accepting our plaudits. So the next time you see Edward Sammes, FSA bow low …
(Contributed by our Chairman, a fellow Fellow)
SHEILA KELLAWAY applied to join Mary O’Connell’s City Walk in October but instead of becoming a member of the group, found herself inveigled into leading part of it to help Mary cope with the large number of members who turned up!
GRAHAM JAVES has recently succeeded Arthur Jones as Hon.Editor of Hertfordshire Publications, the imprint of Hertfordshire Libraries, Arts and Information, in association with Herts Association for Local History.
DIERDRE BARRIE is happy and settled in her new home in Enfield and has been busy researching the area with a view to a HADAS visit.

THE ” THING ” Bill Bass investigates
A couple of months ago a stone bowl-shaped object was handed in to Gerrard Roots at Church Farmhouse Museum. It had been dug up from a garden in Hillside Gardens, Edgware. Gerrard then asked HADAS if we could identify the “thing”.
Its dimensions are 20cm diameter (top), 10cm (base),12.5cm (tall) and weighed a hefty 10 lbs with walls 2.5cm thick. Around the opening are four rounded lugs. The fabric appears to be an unpolished marble-type stone.
The object lived in the boot of my car for several weeks as it was shown to various people including HADAS members, Barnet Museum and the Rector of Monken Hadley. To some it suggested a garden ornament (bird bath), others thought maybe a stoop which held holy water or perhaps some other piece of church architecture.
Finally, I took it to the British Museum. They said it was a mortar, possibly used by an apothecary or chemist to grind medicine. Dating was difficult – perhaps 19th century -and it may have come from Italy.
Gerrard suggested a mortar in the first place -so back to you Gerrard!
If you need something identified, it can be taken to the BM Department of Medieval & Later Antiquities on weekdays between 2 and 4.40pm – go to the information desk first.
INFORMATION WANTED – CAN YOU HELP ?
A friend of Peter Keeley is researching medieval bronze cooking pots and skillets. Bronze cooking pots with three legs come in all sizes; skillets are usually saucepan-size with
long handles, sometimes with names and dates cast into the handle. Peter’s friend is looking particularly for information concerning the foundries, as some of these pots appear to have similar marks to those found on local church hells. Any information would he appreciated to Peter Keeley, 9 Parkside, Mill Hill, NW7 211 : 0181-959 2864 (evenings).

SITE WATCHING with Bill Bass
In 1990 and 92 HADAS excavated 19-29 Barnet High Street This site is now being fully developed. Whilst the foundations were being dug a substantial “well”-type structure appeared which would have been behind Guyscliffe House, a now demolished Victorian building. The feature was 230cm diameter, made with frogged bricks laid in English bond fashion and double brick wide. Its inner face was completely mortared. A depth of approximately 3 metres was visible, beginning 1 metre below the present (car park) surface. Although described as a “well”, it could have been a sump of some kind or a cistern.
HADAS members have been watching tree planting at Mill Hill Park (between Dawes Lane and A41). The holes did not reveal any obvious archaeology but this area was once a Victorian rubbish dump, so several sherds of 19th century and later date pottery were found.
Last month when mentioning closure of the Passmore Edwards Museum, 1 also referred to Harlow Museum. To put the record straight, Harlow Museum is still open for business.

CHURCH FARMHOUSE MUSEUM
The current exhibition Synagogue in a Suburb illustrates the history of the Jewish community in Hendon and includes personal memorabilia as well as religious artefacts. On show until 15 January; but note, closed on Monday 2 January.

Book review
Barnet, Edgware, Hadley & Totteridge by Pamela Taylor and Joanna Corden was published on 9 December by Phillimore, price £12.95. It completes the trilogy of pictorial histories covering the Borough, (Finchley & Friern Barnet was published in 1992 and Hendon, Childs Hill, Golders Green and Mill Hill in 1993).
This volume covers the north part of the Borough and as with it companion volumes, is prefaced by an excellent, although necessarily brief, introduction to the history of the area. There are 162 illustrations selected from Barnet Libraries’ own collection, together with material from Barnet Museum, Enfield’s Local History Unit and a number of other individuals and institutions. Dates range from a manorial map of Edgware dated 1597 to a photograph taken in 1994 of the old Regal Cinema in New Barnet. Some pictures of East Barnet, New Barnet, New Southgate and Osidge are included but by keeping to the present Borough boundaries, the authors have had to exclude much interesting material from the “wrong” side of the Edgware Road and in the Cockfosters area.
I did find the arrangement of material rather confusing (dodging from Barnet to Edgware and back) but this was more than compensated for by the quality of the reproductions and the excellent captions. Besides – it kept me alert from beginning to end! Copies are for sale in all Barnet Libraries, at Church Farmhouse Museum and from Archives and Local Studies in Egerton Gardens. The earlier volumes are also still available.

A NEW FREE LEAFLET Museums on the Northern Line is a pocket-size guide
produced by London Museum Service supported by London Underground’s Northern Line. Lists 19 museums all within easy reach of the tube, giving opening times and brief details of material on show. Copies from all libraries and museums in the Borough.

Issue No 285 DECEMBER 1994 Edited by Reva Brown

DIARY
Tuesday, 6 December: Christmas dinner at “The Old Bank of England” – a Grade 1 listed building -opened as a hostelry in August this year. This date is full, BUT, as anticipated, we have a large overflow for the New Year dinner.
Tuesday, 3 January: New Year dinner. We have booked this second date, but have a few places
left. Late applications would be welcome. Price £23.00, includes coach out and return, a tour of the Temple Church opposite before the meal, dinner including a glass of wine (further drinks available at the bar) and a free raffle. If you would like to join us, please send a cheque for £23.00 (or £22.00 without transport) to Dorothy Newbury, 55 Sunningfields Road, Hendon NW4 0181 203 0950.
Our 1995 lecture and outing programme is well under way. Full details will follow later.
The LECTURE VENUE is changing for 1995, starting in February.

REPORT OF THE CITY WALK ON 29 OCTOBER Richard Nichols
It is remarkable what Londoners born and bred do not know about their own city, which is one of the joys of discovering more about it under the expert guidance of Mary O’Connell. Those members who attended this walk certainly found out some interesting items. Firstly, the pub at the corner of Cowcross Street and Turnmill Street, which has the pawnbroker’s sign of the three brass balls outside, as well as its pub sign. This is a reminder of an occasion when the Prince Regent ran out of cash when gambling nearby, and knocked up the publican to lend him five pounds, leaving his gold watch as surety. An equerry redeemed it the next morning.
The next stop was Clerkenwell Green with the former Sessions House on one side and the house where Lenin lodged on the other. This is now a museum to display his writings and other memorabilia. We looked in at the Clerken Well, which is still bubbling up ‘fresh’ water as it has for hundreds of years.
The highlight of the afternoon’s visit was the House of Correction. We entered the precincts through a doorway labelled ‘Girls’ Cookery’, or some such title, but the secret was soon revealed by the turnkey dressed in period costume of the mid-19th century. He first led us across what was later the boys’ playground to show us a 20 foot wall, which surrounded the former prison exercise yard. The former boys’ toilet had the most unusual memorial to be found in any convenience – a plaque
commemorating the attempt by Michael Barrett, a Fenian, to blow a hole through the wall and allow some of his fellow Fenians in gaol to escape. He rolled a large barrel filled with explosives up against the wall, but then realised that he hadn’t a match. He saw a young lad having a quiet smoke nearby, so asked him for a light. He then lit the fuse and retired to a safe distance. The explosion blew a hole in the wall, demolished a row of houses and injured the young lad. He lived until 1937, earning his living by selling matches, but Barrett was caught, tried and sentenced at the Old Bailey, and was the last person publicly hanged at Newgate.
This set the scene for our exploration of the former House of Correction, with its many passageways, cells, baths etc., all hidden since 1876, when it was flattened, and the Hugh Myddelton School built above it. The cells and passageways were used as air raid shelters during 1939-1945, but as the
warder informed us, there was only a two-foot layer of soil above those thinking they were safe from harm.
The original House of Correction was built in 1616, and underwent many changes during its existence. Once can read some of the records of those detained there, and their manner of incarceration. At one time, several were in one cell, but in Victorian times, they were in single cells and wearing hoods to prevent them knowing who their fellow prisoners were, or speaking to them.
It was a remarkable experience and well worth another visit.

NOVEMBER LECTURE: THE HOXNE HOARD Sheila Woodward
“Bootyful! Eric finds £10m Booty” screamed the Sun headline on what was allegedly the first occasion it had featured archaeology on its front page. Of course, the newly-found hoard had not then been valued and when it was, it achieved a mere eighth of the Sun’s estimate. But it deserved that sensational headline. What a find!
Using rather more measured tones than the Sun, Catherine Johns of the British Museum nevertheless conveyed the excitement created by the discovery and examination of this hoard. As a late-Roman treasure-hoard from East Anglia, it is not unique, but its apparent completeness and the opportunity for careful excavation enhance its importance. The sheer volume of some items is staggering: 15,000 (yes, thousand) coins, 29 pieces of jewellery, and 78 silver spoons, nearly doubling the total number of late-Roman silver spoons known from Britain.
It was on 16 November, 1992 that Eric Lawes, searching with his metal detector for a farmer friend’s lost hammer in a field at Hoxne, Suffolk, came upon the hoard. Most finders of gold and silver “go mad” and dig frantically on and on, destroying archaeological evidence wholesale. Mr Lawes kept his cool. He gathered up the first handful of coins, covered the site, and went home to lunch to think about it. He notified the farmer, and together they notified the landowners, the Suffolk County Council. The Council has its own archaeological tern, and the following day, the hoard was completely excavated. Speed was essential because of press coverage, so many items were lifted en bloc, detailed excavation and recording being completed by the British Museum.
This detailed work, made possible by Mr Lawes’ honesty and good sense, has produced fascinating information about the packing of the valuables. A large wooden box, 60 by 40 by 30 cms with iron fittings, contained smaller boxes, decorated with bone inlay and tiny silver padlocks, very modern in appearance. This was no panic-packing; items were wrapped in cloth, with hay used as packing between vessels. Perhaps a wealthy family, moving to another residence for a spell, stowed its valuables underground during its absence.
Most of the items in the hoard are beautiful as well as valuable, as Ms Johns’ excellent slides illustrated. The silver bust of a Roman Empress is a pepperpot with an ingenious rotating disc on the base to allow the pot to be filled and the pepper sprinkled. There are three more pepperpots in the hoard of similar construction. a 15 cms long prancing silver tigress with inlaid niello stripes is a handle from a large vase. Two tiny silver vases have raised leafy designs. The splendid array of spoons and ladles includes matching sets. The ladles with their deep round bowls and gracefully-wrought handles decorated with engraved scrolls are particularly satisfying. Some of the spoons are delightfully adorned with gilded dolphins and other sea creatures. A set of ten spoons engraved with the name Aurelius Ursicinus will enable research to be undertaken into the ownership of the hoard. The use of the Chi-Rho monogram and the monogram cross indicate Christian worship.
Personal belongings include silver toilet utensils and some very covetable jewellery. Of the 19 gold bracelets, the matching pair worked in reposse with hunting scenes were my favourite, but others of grooved and corrugated sheet-gold or fine pierced-work in geometric or foliate patterns are most attractive. One pierced-work bracelet incorporates in its design the message “Utere Felix Domina Juliane” (use this happily, Lady Juliana). The necklaces of fine chain have animal-head or monogram-cross terminals, but their pendants were not buried with them. The longest and most elaborate chain would have been worn as a body-harness, a fashion illustrated by clay statuettes of the period. It is a very rare find. The 3 finger-rings in the hoard had their glass or gem-stones removed before burial.
The coins (565 gold, 14,191 silver and 24 bronze) include two siliquae of the usurper Constantine Ill which can be dated to 407-8 AD, so the hoard was buried after that date. Much work remains to be done on the coins. and indeed, on other items in the hoard. Such work cannot be rushed nor can it be undertaken while the material remains on display. (It can currently be seen at Ipswich Museum.) We may have to resign ourselves to losing sight of it for a period. When it reappears, fully cleaned and restored, and properly displayed, our appreciation will be the keener, thanks to Ms Johns’ lively, informative and thoroughly enjoyable lecture.

BOOK REVIEWS
THE DIARIES OF ROBERT HOOKE: The Leonardo of London 1635-1703 by Richard Nichols, published by The Book Guild Ltd, Lewes, £15.00
Richard Nichols’ celebration of the life of Robert Hooke is the result of years of study of the man’s diaries and painstaking background research. The result is a long-overdue recognition of a fascinating man. Without the publication of these diaries, Hooke might only be known for his classic illustration of the structure of a snowflake which was used on a postage stamp, and his picture of a flea used by London Transport in a campaign against fare-dodgers! His unique contributions to scientific development are all around us today; the universal joint, kitchen scales and the iris diaphragm in cameras – to name but a few.
A friend and colleague of Pepys and Wren, over the years Hooke embarked on an astonishing diversity of ingenious experiments, ranging from brick-making to blood transfusion; from meteorology to medicine. These simple experiments led directly to many of the scientific advances of this period. Not only did Hooke directly inspire many of Isaac Newton’s scientific breakthroughs, but he also devised the means by which Christopher Wren could build the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. Richard Nichols’ book, with its striking reproductions of Hooke’s own illustrations and carefully selected diary extracts is a vivid evocation of domestic, social and scientific life in 17th century England.
Signed copies of the book are available direct from the author: 29 Maxwelton Avenue, Mill Hill, London NW7 3NB

The Westminster Corridor: The Anglo-Saxon story of Westminster Abbey and its lands in Middlesex by David Sullivan, published by Historical Publications, £17.00 Malcolm Stokes
As a visitor to Burgh House over the years, I have been aware that there have been among the permanent exhibits, items from the HADAS West Heath dig and a display about mediaeval Hampstead by David Sullivan. He has now published his findings, not only for Hampstead, but the whole corridor, in a well-presented book of 191 pages with 18 plates and 16 maps in colour, drawn by the author, and these alone provide a new and rich resource for those interested in the history of the area before the Norman Conquest and after. Indeed, the author pledges another volume cover another 350 years to the end of the 14th century. As the corridor includes Hampstead, Hendon, the West End, Westminster, Holborn, Soho, Covent Garden, the Strand, Pimlico, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Paddington, the author presents himself with a challenging task.
It is the maps which first attract the reader, and these are based on the earliest known sources whether charter or parish boundaries, estate maps or the Victoria County History of Middlesex. These have limitations and the author makes clear to the reader where there are deficiencies in records or unreliable claims from earlier local historians. The author states that he aims to present a straightforward story in the main text and at the same time provides ‘detailed supporting footnotes, with appropriate explanations of issues, points of evidence and details of the sources relied on’ He succeeds in this twofold aim. While many do not like footnotes, I find them most valuable as they not only indicate the strength, or weakness, of specific points, but allow one to follow up references when wanting to pursue one’s own interest in a particular period or place. The first chapter deals with the settlement of Germanic tribes in Middlesex. This is a difficult subject and may lead to some critical examination. However, the author invites a dialogue and provides the opportunity to think and question in an area where few to tread. For example, earlier eminent local historians, such as Madge in 1939, have suggested that the church estates formed a continuous belt around London as deliberate policy by the king. These theories were offered to be questioned then, and are re-examined. It is in the questioning and thought that we are able to increase our awareness and knowledge of this challenging period. Similarly, the often repeated references in our local histories to the forest of Middlesex, so often taken for granted, are here questioned and re-examined.
In a chapter entitled Earth, Wood and Water, the author looks at the geology of the area, the evidence (where it exists) for woodland, and the streams. He traces the courses of the Holeboume or Fleet, the Tyburn and Westbourne and how they were exploited. The administration of the County of Middlesex is considered with an examination of the shire and hundred courts. Then the foundation of the Abbey with its charters, and the question of their being described as forgeries is re-examined.
The use of the Abbey’s Middlesex estates as a source of income as well as their boundaries are described before focussing on Hendon, of which Hampstead then formed a part. The questioning continues with the possible Saxon settlement of Bleccanham, which with Codahhlaw, appears to be ‘lost’ in Hendon.
The authors central interest in Hampstead leads to a re-examination of its charters which have been well publicised over the years in Park’s Topography of Hampstead in 1814 and Barratt’s Annals of Hampstead (1912). The charter boundaries of Hampstead have provided generations of Hampstead historians food for thought and rightly so. David Sullivan is pressing HADAS and English Heritage to investigate the ditch along the boundary of Kenwood and across the Heath and to attempt to date it to these early documents, as the ditch is referred to not only in the Anglo-Saxon charter of AD 986, granting Hampstead to Westminster Abbey, but again on 6 February, 1227, when the estate, now occupied by Kenwood and beyond, was granted to Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate. Then it was described as ‘wood and heath enclosed on all sides with a ditch in the parish of St Pancras of “Kentisseton”, next the park of the Lord Bishop of London’. Traces of the ditch bounding the park may be seen outside the toilets at the stable block marked by parish boundary stones; two placed in the ditch which has since filled so that only their tops may be seen by English Heritage dog dirt bins. The author develops the story after the Conquest with the early mediaeval history of Hampstead, its demesne farm and land use, and then extends the area to include the whole corridor. The appendices, bibliography and index provide a good working tool for anyone wishing to research the area before the 14th century, and if that is your interest, this is an essential read.

TEMPLES OF SOUTHERN INDIA Peter Pickering
We have just returned from a trip to South-eastern India, led by Richard Blurton of the British
Museum, to see the amazing temples there. The architecture of Hindu temples is very strange to •••
Western eyes. The towers (gopuras) over the entrances to the temple complexes are much the
tallest constructions, those to inner enclosures being smaller than the outer ones; the vimana over the central shrine is lower still, though golden in the richest temples. Walls and pillars are covered with sculpture, sometimes painted with colours that seem garish when new, though they quickly fade in the sun and the monsoon rains. The iconography was very unfamiliar to start with (even though we had read some of the books suggested to us, and had visited the Hindu exhibition in the British Museum earlier in the year), but we came to recognise some of the main deities and the various manifestations of Shiva and of Vishnu, whether on buildings or on the beautiful bronzes in the museums of Madras and Tanjore.
The monuments in the area we visited start with the Pallava period in the 7th century AD, and reach their apogee in the 10th and 11th centuries under the Cholas, whose empire extended as far as Indonesia. Later came the Vijayanagaras, under whom the decoration really exploded, and the Nayaks. Temples are, however, still being built, and are very much in use – one vast pilgrimage centre we visited gets 40.00 a day – and even those which are preserved as ancient monuments often have a few Brahmins to tend the central shrine. Not all temples are grand. There are many naive village shrines, and simple stones striped rd and white mark sacred spots.
We did not see much secular architecture – South India had few maharajas. Most interesting was the palace at Tanjore which housed the library of a ruler at the beginning of the last century, who was very pro-Western and a patron of learning. There, in Dickensian circumstances, were Sanskrit pandits working on palm-leaf manuscripts; it was gratifying to see that they had a microfilm machine to help with their editions. Madras itself has many good buildings of the British period, including various churches like St Martin’s-in-the-Fields. Since you as, it was very hot; we enjoyed the food and did not get ill; and you Cannot catch the plague from reading something written by a person who has been to India.
PASSMORE EDWARDS MUSEUM AND HARLOW MUSEUM Bill Bass
For those members who were thinking of visiting the Passmore Edwards Museum and Harlow Museum in the near future, think again. Passmore Edwards closed (ironically) on National Archaeology Day (10th September). The Victorian building (leaky roof and all) and its collections now have a very uncertain future. Some of the archaeological displays will go to the Museum of London, the rest of it, together with their natural and local history collection, may be bought up by other boroughs. The museum’s archaeological section will now have to become a fully independent, self-financing unit, now known as the Newham Museum Service. It is hoped that they can carry on important work, including various excavations of Bronze/Iron Age brushwood trackways at Beckton, Rainham and Barking (see Newsletter 277), Neolithic sites and the St Mary’s Abbey site (founded 1135) at Stratford Langthorne, which has recently produced many burials, thought to be of monks.
It’s a great shame that a body of important research material (pottery etc) is to be split up, also that Passmore Edwards used to be one of the few units to involve volunteers – this had died the death as well.

Mystery Vault
Members of HADAS and Barnet Museum inspected a ‘vault’ at Monken Hadley Church. It had probably been rebuilt in the Victorian era as part of a heating system. Although this room was known, three were four graveslabs which had gone unobserved because they were reused for the vault ceiling, another was seen near to the bottom of a wall and may have been the original floor level. These were all duly recorded by members of the museum, some having evidence for brass attachments.

PLANNING APPLICATIONS IN THE NORTHERN AREA Bill Bass
English Heritage have indicated the following sites may be of possible archaeological interest: Hillcrest, Totteridge Village, N20 – near to medieval area
Church Farm, Church Hill Road, East Barnet – near medieval church
162 High Street, Barnet – near to medieval town
Other sites which may be of interest include 10-12 Tapster Street, Barnet and St Martha’s School, Camlet Way, Hadley.
The owner of Pymlico House on Hadley Green, Barnet has asked us to investigate a small mound in his back garden. The main building dates from c1740 and incorporates remains of an earlier structure. A resistance survey will be the first priority, then, depending on the results, perhaps a small excavation.

MORE MEMBER NEWS Vikki O’Connor
As part of the recent Barnet Libraries Week, Mary O’Connell gave a slide-talk at Osidge Library on London Oddities, conducting an armchair tour of the familiar sights – Marble Arch, Trafalgar Square, Lambeth, Westminster, the Tower of London, and (of course!) Clerkenwell. Mary’s ‘oddities’ included the man who used to walk Oxford Street denouncing protein, a Pearly Queen whose mother posed for an inn sign at the Lambeth Walk public house, and Dennis, the wandering cat who belongs to the Dean of St Paul’s. On a local note, Henry Croft, who first had the idea for Pearly Kings and Queens costumes, has a memorial at East Finchley. As for the rest of the talk, it was packed with facts which would make a superb London Quiz – any offers?

LECTURES – CHANGE OF VENUE
For a long time now, the Committee has been considering the high cost of hiring the Hendon Library lecture room. The charge has risen again, with a possible further increase in April. It is a splendid venue, but regrettably the cost forces us to try an alternative. We have booked the Stephens Room at Avenue House, Finchley for our February, March and April lectures, and we will see if it is a viable change.
The hire cost for one lecture at Hendon library is over £50.00 – the hire cost for three lectures at Avenue House will be £57.00. This figure includes a 40% concession reduction, available because of the nature of our society. For some reason, this concession is not applicable to Hendon library hire, though both venues are administered by Barnet Council.
We already rent the small garden room at Avenue House for our library and archives, which absorbs the whole of our fundraising effort at the minimart, plus a further few hundred pounds from subscriptions. The total garden room rent and service charge at present is approximately £1,600 per year. If any member knows of a suitable empty room/rooms or church, shop, industrial, school, social or domestic premises at a lower rent, will they please let us know?

THE SECOND WORLD WAR: SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS IN 1995 IN BARNET AND HENDON Liz Holliday
To mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War next year, Church Farmhouse Museum and Bamet Museum plan to hold special exhibitions to show how local people lived during the war years. The exhibitions will not be “celebrating” the War in any way – the aim is to show the impact it had on everyday life in the home and garden, at work and school, on travel and entertainment. Both museums will be showing material from their own collections, but if you have anything tucked away – photographs, ration books, cutlery, crockery, posters, booklets, packets, tins, etc – and would be prepared to lend them for display, please contact John Heathfield at Barnet Museum (0181 440 8066) or Gerrard Roots at Church Farmhouse Museum (0180 203 0130).

12th LOCAL HISTORY CONFERENCE, 1995
The theme is Families: People – great and small. The venue is the Winston Churchill Hall, Ruislip. The date is 25 February, 1995. And the tickets cost £4.00. Send a s.a.e to Geoff Saul, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 2EN (I don’t have more details of the address – he’ll be in the phone book, no doubt (ed) and make the cheques payable to “Rickmansworth Historical Society”.
HAMTUNSCIR Andree Price-Davies
Further to the deritavation of hamtun, “A Natural History of Britain” by M.J. Fleure and M. Davies states that ‘Groups of Anglo-Saxon families often gave their chief’s name to their cluster of farmsteads, its fields and pastureland.” The authors also state that “Ingham and later -ington – “the homestead of the people of” are common names of Anglo-Saxon settlements. Ham went out of use in later centuries. … The commonest Anglo-Saxon suffix came to be -ton. It is possible that – and -ham were used by kinship groups who immigrated together and that -ton was used to describe the neighbourhood unit of less closely related families as settlement expanded and the population increased.” In view of this explanation, that -ham is the family or related group and that -ton is the groups of such families, could the modern derivation of hamtun be “hometown”?

Comments

HADAS DIARY

Tuesday 1st November

Lecture: “The Hoxne Hoard and others: late treasures from Britain” by Dr Catherine Johns (curator in the Department of Prehistoric and Romano-British antiquities at the British Museum) who will indicate the relationship of the Hoxne finds with earlier Roman discoveries. This will be an excellent conclusion to our 1994 lecture season. Lecture at Hendon Library, The Burroughs, 8.00 pm for 8.15 pm.

Tuesday 6th December

Christmas Dinner at “The Old Bank of England”. This is a recently opened Fuller’s hostelry in Fleet Street which was previously the site of two earlier pubs, and one of the earliest buildings in Fleet Street. Before our meal we will visit the Temple Church opposite. The original church was built in 1185 by the Order of the Knights Templers on their return from the Crusades, and is said to have been modelled on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Details and application form enclosed.

HIDDEN FEATURE UNCOVERED AT BARNET CHURCH

In September, this year, HADAS was asked to observe building works at St John the Baptist, Chipping Barnet (TQ 24559645). The church was first referred to in 1361 (given WI- for works at the chapel) , it was rebuilt 1420, in 1875 the structure was enlarged. “At a cost of £14,000 the architect, Butterfield, did the job so thoroughly that little remains of the original church”. In this year’s works, a doorway was to be inserted through the east wall of the 15th century (north) aisle
leading into a more recent brick built privy-cum-storage area. Initial appearances of the wall were of

dressed flint outside with plaster rendering inside. When this internal plaster was removed, a dressed sandstone architectural feature was revealed. This stonework was recessed to a depth of 23cm, a skim (5mm) of plaster covering the rear of the recess, the whole having been later infilled with brick, chalk and stone rubble. Surrounding areas of the wall were also of a flint/brick mortared rubble with slight variations as indicated on the drawing. The intact bricks had shallow frogs and were late Victorian/modern in date although a brick of the Arkley type, early 19th century, was noticed in the spoil. A stone lintel seen behind the sill of the present (?Victorian) window may further indicate the presence of a similar early feature. Unfortunately, due to previous rebuilds and repairs it is difficult to give an exact date to the stonework. If it is contemporary with the surrounding brick rubble then it is likely to be post-medieval. However, if it is associated with the more consistent flint/chalk mortared wall it may be a survival from the 1 5th century. Site watching was carried out by Bill Bass, Arthur Till and Roy Walker. Thanks are given to Adrian Bream, builder; Jenny Renfrey & Robin Marsden, churchwardens; and to Barnet Museum.

MINIMART

The sun shone on this year’s extravaganza, attracting over 130 paying public, plus HADAS members. This despite a large looking German shepherd dog which had been left at the front door for safe-keeping! Dorothy reports on another successful day:

I was hopelessly behind in minimart preparations this year and had the feeling we were not going to do so well financially – but in those last two weeks several members rallied round, frantically sorting and pricing the sudden avalanche of contributions of all kinds which threatened to fill every room in my house. Members assisted Alex Jeakins to erect rails and tables beforehand and they and many others lugged the boxes into the hall. A total of 54 members helped in so many ways on the day (too many to name) and I think the rest of the Society owes them a big thank you for raising the magnificent sum of f 1,164 clear profit. We took f790 on the day, the rest was an accumulation of income from our monthly sales and wants slips, bead stringing, prior minimart sales, car boot sales and donations.

And of course, all this would not have been possible without the jam-making and baking by members and their attendance at the sale itself.

Some members ask what happens to the stuff we have over. Well, in the past John Enderby and others have ventured into the realms of car boot sales and now Gill Baker, Gwen and Tessa are carrying that on. Another member gathers surplus warm clothing for dispatch to Poland and gives us a donation in return. Other surplus goes to Father de Mello in Hackney who runs a charity shop for the needy. So rest assured, nothing is wasted.

Further donations have been gratefully received from Myfanwy Stewart, Shirley Korn and Mrs Banham who were unable to attend the minimart.

Dorothy Newbury also deserves the thanks of the Society for generously organising this event and motivating the helpers.

MEMBERS’ NEWS

· Andy Simpson made a brief appearance on the local BBC 6.30 pm news programme on 29th September. He had attended the penultimate day of operation on the Central Line branch between Epping and Ongar and was asked by the film crew for his comments on the closure.

· Brian McCarthy was lucky enough to dig with Martin Biddle at St Albans Abbey during the summer.

· And another examination success: Malcolm Stokes has passed his first year, prehistory, for the certificate of Field Archaeology.

· Richard Nichols, NADAS member and Secretary of the Mill Hill Historical Society, has written an interesting new book entitled “The Diaries of Robert Hooke, the Leonardo of London, 1635 – 1703. A short review is on page 4.

· Miss M. E. Johns, has kindly donated a much-appreciated set of Journals of the Society for Medieval Archaeology covering the years 1961-1992, fully indexed from 1957-1991. These volumes will be a very useful means of research for Society members and complement our sets of other journals such as the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, London Archaeologist and the LAMAS Transactions.

CHURCH FARM HOUSE MUSEUM, POST EXCAVATION

As mentioned in the post-interim report it was suggested that a contour plan of the whole of the garden area would help in establishing movement and landscaping of the extent of the surviving old (medieval) land surface. It has been no surprise then to find that a few members of the HADAS excavation team have been carrying out a contour survey in the Museum’s garden. This is being done by laying out a grid, taking readings with a dumpy level at 1m intervals, these readings (hundreds of them) are reduced onto a plan. Now the fun and games begin – some poor soul has to work out by mathematical calculation, each level to produce a given contour. This heroic devotion to duty has already enabled us to see some subtle changes in the landscape not noticeable by eye.

We are also using this exercise as training for when we have to tackle the Anglo-Saxon boundary ditch on Hampstead Heath. Unfortunately, as we are restricted to using just one level , it has not been possible to call for volunteers – four being a suitable team size.

In a process known as arm-twisting we are now trying to get this business computerised by a member who knows about these things, so that we can spend more time in the pub, sorry, the field.

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AT THE HADAS BOOKSHOP

The Society has a well-stocked (too well-stocked!) bookshop containing several titles of relevance to the archaeology and history of the area which are sure to be of interest to new members especially as they also provide a background to work undertaken by HADAS. Not-so-new members may wish to replace their old dog-eared copies or treat a friend or neighbour to a “localised” Christmas present such as “A Place in Time” or “The West Heath Report”!

A Place in Time

£4.50

The Blue Plaques of Barnet

£ 0.50

Chroniclers of the Battle of Barnet

£0.50

Those Were the Days

£ 1.00

Victorian Jubilees

£0.50

Pinning Down the Past

£ 1.50

GO Years of Local History

£1.50

While stocks last, a set of the above seven titles can be purchased
at the discounted price of £8.00, a saving of £2.00.

West Heath Report

£ 7.00

Barnet in Old Photographs

£7.99

Georgian Hadley

£ 5.00

SHIRE ARCHAEOLOGY: The following are earlier editions, which might have been revised, but nonetheless are suitable for reference purposes and ideal as an introduction to archaeology for the younger reader. Later Stone Implements (f 1.50); Flint Implements of the Old Stone Age (L1.50); Romano-British Mosaics (f1.95); Barrows in England and Wales (f1.95); Bronze Age Metalwork (f1.95); Archaeology of Gardens (f1.95); Animal Remains in Archaeology (L1.95); Wood in Archaeology (L1.95); Roman Military Tombstones (f1.95); Egyptian Mummies (f2.50).

These books will be on sale at our monthly meetings or can be purchased by arrangement with Victor Jones (087-458 6780), Alan Lawson (087-458 3827) or Roy Walker (081-367 7350).

if you are friendly with your local bookshop owner or manager, it will be very helpful to the Society if you could suggest that our books are stocked in the local history section. Please contact one of the above who will be pleased to let you have some samples, if needed, and provide details of the terms of sale.

“THE WESTMINSTER CORRIDOR” by DAVID SULLIVAN

David’s book has now been published and will be reviewed fully in the next Newsletter. Published at £17.00 by Historical Publications, this 190 page volume with 16 pages of hand-drawn colour maps examines the development of what was to become Westminster Abbey and looks closely at the charters and boundaries of the Abbey’s estates. Of interest to HADAS will be references to the Anglo-Saxon boundary ditch on Hampstead Heath which we will be surveying and which was brought to our attention by David through his researches for the book. Hendon and Hampstead have their own chapters in this Anglo Saxon history. A second volume taking the story on to AD 1400 is currently being researched.

“THE DIARIES OF ROBERT HOOKE, THE LEONARDO OF LONDON 1635 – 1703” by RICHARD NICHOLS Without the publication of these diaries Hooke might only be known for his classic illustration of the structure of a snowflake which was used on a postage stamp, and his picture of a flea used by London Transport in a campaign against fare-dodgers! However, his unique contributions to scientific development are all around us today: the universal joint, kitchen scales and the iris diaphragm in cameras – to name but a few. A friend and colleague of Pepys and Wren, over the years Hooke embarked on an astonishing diversity of ingenious experiments, ranging from brick making to blood transfusion; from meteorology to medicine. These simple experiments led directly to many of the scientific advances of this period. Not only did Hooke directly inspire many of Isaac Newton’s scientific breakthroughs, but he also devised the means by which Christopher Wren could build the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Richard Nichol’s book with its striking reproductions of Hooke’s own illustrations and carefully selected diary extracts is a vivid evocation of domestic, social and scientific life in 17th century England.

Signed copies of this 184 page hardback are obtainable from the author at 29 Maxwelton Avenue, Mill Hill, London, NW7 3NB, price £15.00.

THE PROPOSED REGISTER OF HISTORIC BATTLEFIELDS

As members may have seen in the media, English Heritage have drawn up a provisional register of 56 battle sites to improve awareness and conservation. This may have been prompted when a dual carriageway was driven through, near to the Northamptonshire site at Naseby (1 645) in 1989.

The role of the register is for information purposes only, setting out maps which identify the most visually sensitive areas and making clear the extent of current public access, also to highlight features for understanding the battle. Text includes the location and description of sites, sources and interpretation of the battle, guidelines for conservation.

HADAS has received a consultation draft of the Battle of Barnet entry to the register, this gives a useful summary of the various accounts of the conflict ranging from contemporary chronicles (1471), to Frederick Charles Cass, Rector of Monken Hadley (LAMAS Transactions 1882), and more recently P W Hammond – The Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury (1990).

The present and past topography is discussed with a suggestion that public access could be improved with the provision of a ‘trail’ and interpretive boards at suitable viewpoints eg the public footpath on Old Ford Golf Course. Barnet battlefield is still open to interpretation, the exact location is not clearly known, the number of dead and where they were buried is open to question. So it is important that the site is kept well intact, protected by Green Belt (hopefully).

“The Chroniclers of the Battle of Barnet” is available from the HADAS bookshop, price f 0.50p. see above.

THE SEARCH FOR ST ALBAN

Martin Biddle has renewed his effort to find the original shrine of St Albans (see Current Archaeology 130 and Newsletter 274). After excavating beneath the Shrine of St Albans and a site 50m south of the present cathedral nave in previous years to no avail, he has this year been digging close to the south wall of the nave. Several impressive fragments of the conventual building attached to the abbey church have been uncovered. These include the north-east angle of a `cellarium’ discovered a decade ago and now known to cover some 4,000 sq. ft. with a vaulted roof found collapsed on the floor and decorated tiles from an upper floor scattered over the remains. Part of the pillared hall for receiving guests has also been found.

Unfortunately, no sign of either Saxon or earlier buildings has appeared, nor have the densely clustered burials that might indicate a desire to be buried close to the martyr’s tomb.

“There is no evidence that either a Roman or Saxon church stood here, nor is one likely to have been located under the present nave of the abbey.” He said. “When Paul of Caen, the first post-Conquest abbot, rebuilt the church between 1077 and 1088, he seems to have done so on a green-field site”. (Abridged from a report in The Times)

ST ALBANS MUSEUM SERVICE Bill Bass

As part of the 1994 National Archaeology Day, the field archaeology section had an open day at their premises in lnkerman Road, St Albans. Upstairs they had displays and exhibitions of current work with staff on hand to show people around. Featured sites included the Celtic Warrior Tomb at Folly Lane and a Roman cremation cemetery from Harpenden. Visitors were allowed to inspect and handle various finds such as pottery, bone, etc. Downstairs there was a tour of the storage area where finds and so forth are kept on a rotatary cabinet/shelfing system. And then back to the main department where children were reassembling vessels (broken flower pots) and doing unspeakable things in the environmental section.

SEPTEMBER OUTING – HAMPSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS Sheila Woodward

Hampshire teems with places of interest and associated “famous names”. This outing concentrated on just a few – but what a splendid few! The first, our coffee stop, was Selborne, known to all nature lovers as the home of Gilbert White, 18th century author of “The Natural History of Selborne”. In 1801 it had a population of 762; by 1901 it was 7,915. Despite such growth it still has considerable charm and the National Trust cares for its adjacent countryside. Our stop was brief but we caught a glimpse of “The Wakes”, the house in which White lived for almost 70 years. It is now a museum.

En route to Alton we passed Chawton where Jane Austen lived and wrote, and Alresford immortalised by Miss Mitford’s “Our Village” and now the terminus of the Watercress Line steam railway. Alton itself is a sturdy little town with a history of occupation stretching back into prehistory. It still seems to be thriving and has not yet been completely ruined by its modern development. It is fortunate in having two excellent museums. The Allen Gallery where we began our tour is housed in 15th and 18th century buildings with an enchanting little garden where delicate sculptures of flora and fauna mingle with trees and flowers. Inside is a fine collection of pottery, paintings and silver, including ceramics ranging from a fragile porcelain teapot-cover from China to stout white salt glazeware from Germany and a good display of English tin-glazed tiles. A temporary and very entertaining exhibition featured the vagaries of beachwear during the last 100 years.

Our guide, Nicholas Riall, gave us a brief introduction to Alton: prehistoric settlements in the surrounding countryside, its heyday as a Roman town (it was probably Vindomis mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary), its re-emergence as the late Saxon market centre of Neatham (= cattlemarket), and the growth of prosperous medieval Alton, many buildings of which survive. This “Story of Alton” is admirably displayed in the Curtis Museum. Never a large town, Alton was always important as a centre of communication as its mansio and coaching inns indicate, and as a market town for Roman pottery (the Alice Holt kilns were nearby) and later for locally produced paper and beer. All this and more is covered by the Museum exhibition. the loveliest exhibit is the magnificent Saxon Alton buckle, comparable to the British Museum’s Taplow buckle. The Gallery of Childhood is delightful but there is a poignant reminder of Alton’s most famous child, 8 years old Sweet Fanny Adams, hideously murdered in 1867. With no time to do justice to the fine church of St Lawrence (Saxon font and unique Norman carvings) we sped onwards to Old Winchester Hill where Dr Peter Reynolds was waiting to give us one of his lively talks and lead us on a very wet walk round this impressive promontory fort. Views of the Isle of Wight were invisible, though the enveloping mist produced a suitably sinister prehistoric atmosphere. But Dr Reynolds will have no truck with theories of tribal warfare. Peaceful farming and harmonious relationships typify his Iron Age! The newly-sited Butser Ancient farm in Bascombe Copse continues Dr Reynolds experiments in Iron Age agriculture and animal husbandry, familiar from the old site. Old breeds of animals and fowl are kept; early types of cereals and legumes are grown, as is woad. Various types of Iron Age structures have been built and there are areas for corn grinding, pottery-making, metalworking, spinning and weaving. It is all as fascinating as ever.

Our last stop was in Petersfield where we all enjoyed tea and scones at “Fanny Anny’s” and where the more-resilient fitted in a tour of St Peter’s Church with its great Norman chancel arch. A truly splendid day, thanks to the organisation of Bill Bass and Vikki O’Connor. And congratulations and special thanks for the magnificent programme – guide – a great help in compiling this report!

TRANSLATION OF HAMPSHIRE: In the Hampshire outing programme, Vikki mentioned that according to John Barton’s “Visitors’ Guide to Hampshire”, the county was first referred to by name in 757 as “Hamtunscir” (shire of Hamtun). She asked if any member could offer any further translation.

Audree Price-Davies writes that in Anglo-Saxon “Hamtun” could mean a Chief’s town or area. Audree also wrote to the Archives assistant (R.G. Watts) at Hampshire County Council who replied: “According to ‘The Place Names of Hampshire’ by Richard Coates (Batsford, 1989), the Old English term ‘ham’ is a habitative term meaning ‘an inhabited place’, whilst ‘tun’ originally denoted ‘fence’ or ‘enclosure’, but developed to the meaning ‘enclosure round a house’. It is, however, difficult to distinguish ‘ham’ from Ihamm’ which was a topographical term denoting ‘an enclosed plot’. According to Coates, ‘Fareham’ derived from `Fearnham’ or `Fernham’, in Old English ‘bracken estate’. ‘Alton’ derived from ‘Auueltona’ or ‘Awelton’, in Old English ‘Spring Farm’.”

We seem to be left with an “enclosed inhabited place” either one or more dwellings.

It was good to see a turnout of over 50 members for the first of HADAS’s lecture evenings; Daphne Lorimer (Vice President) gladly chaired the proceedings.

As well as giving the vote of thanks, Peter Pickering also sends this report.

The 1994/5 lecture season began on October 4th with a personal view of excavating in Egypt by Dr Patricia Spencer, the Secretary of the Egypt Exploration Society. She is currently excavating a site in the Delta called Tel El Balamun, having previously been working at El Ashmuneim in Middle Egypt. At El Balamun the excavation, on behalf of the British Museum, is concentrating on a temple complex of the 25th and 30th dynasties, searching successfully for foundation deposits amid fluctuations of the water table. Finds made include a small plaque inscribed in incompetent hieroglyphs; the techniques of the ancients were not always perfect!

Dr Spencer’s lecture was entitled ‘Excavating in Egypt”, not Excavations in Egypt”. She ranged widely on her theme. She showed truly delightful slides of 19th century excavations with hordes of native labourers being supervised by the archaeologist standing on a little mound, like Napoleon on a field of battle; another slide of the same period showed an archaeologist making his home in an unexcavated tomb near the one he was excavating. Slides showing modern excavations and the home of today’s archaeologist were more striking in their resemblance to the past than in the differences, though the ratio of labourers to professionals is now lower, and there are more women among both groups actively working rather than reclining gracefully.

Relations between archaeologists and the locals now seem much closer than they were, and wedding parties provide a diversion from scraping, brushing and photographing for all. Not that Egyptology started in the 19th century; we were reminded of the interest that some later ancient Egyptians took in their early past, and of the tales they told Greek and Roman visitors, who were as struck by the grandeur of the pyramids as we are today.

Dr Spencer took a balanced view of the present state of the monuments in Egypt, accepting that modernisation, particularly of agriculture, which is so necessary for improving the lot of those who now live in Egypt, will damage monuments, and that recording is essential as the water table rises.

THE MANSHEAD ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, DUNSTABLE Vikki O’Connor

On the overcast afternoon of Saturday 30th September, four HADAS members and Andrew and Wendy Selkirk took advantage of an invitation, circulated by Andrew, from the Manshead Archaeological Society of Dunstable to attend the opening of the Les Matthews Archaeology Centre. We were welcomed by Committee Member Joan Schneider, then joined a small party of their members in a walk on Dunstable Downs, led by Renny Hudspith. He explained that the Manshead group were formed in 1951 by local people in response to threats to sites from chalk quarrying and new housing estates, taking their name from the Manshead Hundred. Renny and Ron Fowler (their President) then pointed out the quarry, Roman villa and Matte & Bailey at Totternhoe and many other features on the misty horizon, which disappeared and reappeared as the rain clouds drifted across the Downs (thankfully passing us by).

We walked to Five Knolls, a group of seven bell & bowl barrows. It took a few minutes to work out ‘Five Knolls’, seven barrows, but nine in total! Numbers 2, 3 & 4 are bell barrows, joined by a ditch to form a `triple barrow’. There have been unrecorded excavations of numbers 3 and 4, but numbers 3 has been dug on two further occasions in 1850 and 1922 – empty grave cists and secondary cremations are recorded. R E M (Sir Mortimer) Wheeler was one of the site directors on the 1926-9 excavation of barrow number 5 by the University College Society. This revealed a late neolithic primary burial – now displayed at Luton museum; secondary cremations; and 98 other burials – thought to be gallows ‘victims’. Barrows 6 & 7 are possible pond barrows. Two further barrows numbers 8 and 9 lay within 200m of Five Knolls, on the present golf course, and were partially excavated in 1887 shortly before their destruction. Each comprised an empty central grave and 6/7 satellite graves. Beaker pottery was found in number 8.

On our way back, the Visitor Centre on the Downs with historical and natural history displays (and tea stall) was especially opened for us. We had to hurry back to Dunstable for the official opening of the Matthews Centre – named after the group’s late founder, Les Matthews. Andrew Selkirk, (a Manshead Vice-President), made a speech to the Mayor, officials, Society members and visitors who had gathered in the street, all warily eying the heavens – but the rain still held off. Andrew cut the tape and all trooped inside for refreshments and a tour of the Centre. Manshead have purchased their own premises – a two storey house which they used to rent from the council – largely thanks to a bequest from the late Les Matthews. The upstairs rooms are used for finds processing, storage, meetings, and the inevitable

administration work. Downstairs is used for larger meetings and exhibitions. The society has undertaken an impressive range of projects, including systematically fieldwalking the area around Dunstable. They regularly publish their work in the Manshead Journal, and meet two or three times a week. If we find ourselves with a lull in HADAS activities, we have an open invitation to contact Manshead and join them fieldwalking. We enjoyed the archaeology, but the welcome we received from this society made it an afternoon to remember!

A note of interest: Whilst admiring the photographic display, we met John Hyde-Trutch who repairs

and restores timber frame buildings, and who works at the Chiltern Open Air Museum, whose buildings range from an Edwardian Public Convenience to an iron Age House. Athough their season runs from March to October, there is a Victorian Christmas Celebration on 3-4th December 7 0.30am – 3pm, with Father Christmas in the Toll House, carols, hand bells, nativity play, mulled wine, roast chestnuts etc. Their full address is: Chiltern Open Air Museum, Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, HP8 4AD. Information telehone line: 0494 872163.

OLDEST ENGLISH WHEEL, BRITAIN’S OLDEST PLOUGH AND A NEW METHOD OF PRESERVATION

Dr Francis Pryor and his team at Bronze Age Flag Fen, Cambridgeshire, have unearthed the earliest prehistoric wheel ever found in England. The wheel, made of alder, is 800mm in diameter, 65mm thick and held together with two oak rivets. It is 3,300 years old, predating the Holme Pierrepont, Nottinghamshire, spoked-wheel by some 400 years.

From the Neolithic henge monument at Pict’s Knowe, near Dumfries. comes another wooden object – a perfectly preserved ard. This simple plough, provisionally dated to between 4,000 and 5,000 years old, is the first wooden artifact to have been found in the ditch of a henge anywhere in Britain. Preservation of organic deposits was ensured by the waterlogged deposits which yielded perfectly preserved leaves, turves, seeds and fragments of wood. Chips cut from large timbers indicated wood-working had taken place on site and examples of wickerwork hurdles with associated postholes showed that areas of the monument had been screened perhaps to preserve the secrecy of the rituals that took place there. The ard, which has yet to be

radiocarbon dated, is believed to be earlier than other British or north European examples. Lack of wear shows that it was never used and it may have been taken to the henge specifically for deposition. Finally, as a timely aid to the above discoveries comes news of a wood-drying process from the University of St Andrews which is claimed to be an advance on the usual method which involves impregnating wooden objects with polyethyleneglycol (PEG). The new process, “supercritical drying”, requires the replacement of the water in the wood with methanol. The artifact is then placed in a chamber with carbon dioxide in the form of dry ice which when warmed becomes a supercritical fluid and dissolves out the methanol. The wood is not subjected to drying stresses under this treatment nor are associated metal components adversely affected as they would be by the use of PEG.

AUSTRALOPITHICUS RAMIDENS1S – THE MISSING LINK? Roy Walker

The discovery of the fossilised bones of one of Man’s ancestors was widely reported in the press in September usually with the cliche “missing link” somewhere in the headlines. This expression is so dated and imprecise that it detracts from the facts. For instance, the Evening Standard on 21st September has the headline “Ape to man: 4m-year-old missing link is discovered”. The article starts “What may be the `missing link’ between man and the apes has been discovered…” But when you read on it says “the scientists themselves stop just short of claiming the discovery of the missing link probably because the scientific world is already saying that this is just one creature in the long process of evolution.” So why do journalists insist on calling it the “missing link”? Let’s give the newspaper the benefit of the doubt, after all “scientists stop just short of claiming the discovery of the missing link”. However, the same item further on quotes one scientist as saying “this is not the missing link because there is no such thing….really, if you are going to make claims about the missing link, you need a whole population, not just an individual or two”. It appears the only link missing is that between the headline and the reported story.

FURTHER DIARY DATES

Museum of London, Friday lunchtime lectures, 1.10 pm – 1.50 pm

Reports on new findings from current excavations in London. 11th November: The Rose and Globe theatres

1 8th November: London’s prehistoric environment 25th November: East London Roman cemeteries

2nd December: The Jubilee Line extension – recent investigations

9th December: Archaeology at Albion Place, Clerkenwell 16th December: Recent finds research from MoLAS

Exhibition of Glass and Ceramics from the site of Henry Great Palace of Nonsuch.

At Jonathan Horne, 66c Kensington Church Street, London, W8 4BY

10.00 am – 5.30 pm, admission free. Exhibition ends on 20th December.

Essex Archaeological Symposium

To be held at Southend-on-Sea Central Library, Saturday 5th November, 10.00 am – 4.30 pm. Talks on the latest excavations and archaeological research in Essex. Tickets at f4.50 and further details from Pamela Greenwood, Newham Museum Service, Archaeology and Local History Centre, 31 Stock Street, Plaistow, London, E13 08X, telephone 081-472 4785.

Exhibitions at the British Museum

Until 21st January, 1995 (room 69A): Money under the Microscope: the application to numismatics.

This joint exhibition between the Department of Coins & Medals and Scientific Research shows how the earliest coins were made, the ingenious methods used by forgers ancient and modern, and how coins can tell us about early metal production.

Until 30th November (room 338): 16th century Chinese Porcelain, a small display of superb pieces.

LAMAS Local History Conference

“London’s Poor 1700 to 1900” Museum of London lecture theatre, Saturday 19th November at 10.00 am. See last Newsletter for details.

SCOLA Seminar

“The Prehistory of London” Saturday/Sunday 28-29th January, 1995 at the Museum of London. Further details available from Patricia Wilkinson, 081-472 4785

Training with the Compton Bassett Area Research Project

The summer courses run under the auspices of the Research Project have been publicised in previous newsletters. Andrew Reynolds, the Field Survey Director, has now sent details of the following two-day practical courses in archaeology being carried out in Wiltshire this winter. The team now has use of a disused dairy so there will be some haven from the elements.

10-11 December, 1994: An introduction to landscape archaeology.

14-15 January, 1995: Elementary archaeological surveying.

11-12 February,1995: Recording an archaeological site.

11-12 March, 1995: Archaeological illustration.

Further details from Archaeological Resources, Compton Bassett Area Research Project, The Old Dairy, Street Farm, Compton Bassett, Wiltshire, SN7 I 8SW (telephone 07249 760433).

Issue No. 283 OCTOBER 1994 EDITED by Micky COHEN

DIARY

Tuesday, 4th October Lecture : “Excavating in Egypt” by Dr Patricia Spencer.

Dr Spencer has been secretary of the Egypt Exploration Society since 1983. She has excavated with the British Museum at El – Ashmunein and Tel El – Balamun. In fact she has been excavating in Egypt for two months this year, so we can look forward to some first-hand knowledge of the subject.

Saturday, 8th October MINIM ART : Please phone if you can help unload Please phone if you can bake I Please phone if you can help man a stall ! Above all – PLEASE COME ! Telephone : 203 – 0950

Saturday, 29th October CITY WALK with Mary O’Connell. Details and application form enclosed.

Tuesday, 1st November Lecture : ” The Hoxne Hoard and others : Late Treasures from Britain ” by Dr Catherine Johns.

Saturday, 19th November LAMAS CONFERENCE at MUSEUM of LONDON – 29th

Local History Conference on the theme “London Poor – 1700 to 1900”. Lectures from 10 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. will include “Care of the Infant Poor in 18 C London”; “Victorian Poor Law”; “The Labouring Poor”; and “The London Rookeries in the 19 C”.

Tickets at 1.3.50 each can be obtained from Local History Conference, C/- 31 Lynton Road, Harrow. HA2 9NJ. Please enclose s.a.e. for reply and make cheques out to London and Middlesex Archaeological Society. Early application is advised; there is no guarantee that tickets will be available on the day.

Friday, and December Lecture at 1.10 p.m. “Development of Thorney Island and the Roman Settlement beneath Southwark” by Mike Hutchinson,at the Museum of London. Mr Hutchinson is the Archaeology Projects Manager at the Museum, concerned with London’s ‘New’ Archaeology, for example excavation at station sites prior to construction of the Jubilee Line Extension.

Tuesday, 6th December CHRISTMAS DINNER Venue to be announced a.s.a.p.

Regrettably, we have been unable to make arrangements yet for this event – everywhere is so expensive. We are currently trying the Canonbury Academy or Brentford Steam Museum.

N.B. HADAS LECTURES are held at Hendon Library, The Burroughs, Hendon. NW4, at 8 p.m. for 8.30 p.m. start.

A THOUGHT…. How about Ireland for next year’s week away ? ? ?

Our appeal for a member to take on the job of lecture organiser from Dorothy Newbury has been resolved.June forges has very kindly offered to take over from January 1995.

MEMBERS’ NEWS EXAMINATION SUCCESSES –

Bill Bass has passed his third year (Post Roman) for the Certificate in Field Archeology,

Roy Walker has also passed the third year for the Field Archaeology Certificate.

Jean Bayne has passed her second year (Roman) for the Field Archaeological Certificate.

Daphne Lorimer (one of our Vice-Presidents) We are delighted to hear that Daphne is coming down from her home in Orkney in October and will be at the Minimart to help Sheila on the cake stall. So get baking everyone, so that there is plenty for them to sell Daphne is looking forward to seeing as many old friends as possible.

Andrew and Joan Pares are both unwell just now and they are sorry to have missed all our functions this year. They hope to be fit and well in 1995.

Daisy Hill, also a Vice-President and founder member, and one of our early Newsletter Editors, writes from Chesterfield, where she now lives, to say how much she looks forward to our Newsletter every month.

Both Mr Pares and. Mrs Hill have kindly sent donations for the Minimart, as neither can attend.

Derek. Batten Our news travels far and wide. Derek, who talked to us once about his excavating in America, sent one of our Newsletters to a friend in the Dept. of Anthropology at California State University. He spotted the name of Bill. Bass, who, with Vikki, organised our Butser trip. He wanted to know if it was the same Bill Bass who was his ‘mentor and teacher from Tennessee’. Unfortunately not or is our Bill hiding something
from us?

AND ANOTHER LONDON LECTURE

Ann Saunders will be giving one of a series of lectures at the Linnean Society, Burlington House, to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Committee for Surveying the Memorials of Greater London. Her talk, at 6.30 p.m. on Monday, 17th October, will be entitled “London in Prints and Drawings : the Work of Antiquarians and Artists”. Tickets at Z5 each from the Survey of London, Newland House, 37 Berners Street, London. W1P 4BP; enclose s.a.e. Cheques payable to Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.

NEWS from ENGLISH HERITAGE from STEWART J. WILD

Many members know of my interest in research activities connected with public houses, but they may not be aware that I am as interested in the pub itself as in the beer it sells.

A new booklet has recently been published by English Heritage, entitled “PUBS -Understanding Listing”, and it is available free of charge from English Herit­age, 23 Savile Row, London W1X lAB. Telephone: 071 – 973 – 3000.

Local pubs are often part of social history, and very few remain in their original state. As the booklet explains, anyone can ask English Heritage to consider a building for official listing for architectural or historic importance, and that could be a mews pub or an Edwardian ‘gin palace’ as well as a castle or a mansion.

The booklet is well written and deals with the development of licensed premises from the early days of alehouses and taverns. I feel sure that even members who don’t share my research interests will find it interesting.

HADAS- Five days in the Isle of Man
August 9th-13th 1994

Day 1, by Tessa Smith

Another first for HADAS, all due to Dorothy Newbury’s flair and organisational skills.

A group of 28 of us flew off to the Isle of man, landing safely at Ronaldsway Airport, adjacent to, or maybe even on top of a rectangular Neolithic homestead site, which was discovered whilst lengthening the airport runway during the last war.

We met our guide, Les Quilliam. Affable, knowledgeable and handsome, with eyes as blue as the Manx blue tartan etc etc etc. Our driver, Ken, whisked us away to the excellent award-winning Manx Museum in Douglas, where we were very impressed with the well presented and wide range of displays: The archaeological gallery— the runes, the ogham. The Celtic, the Viking– What./ No Roman? The fishing, farming, mining. The costumes— military & peasant. The horse drawn tram. The exhibition of wartime internee craftsmanship “Living behind the wire”. Best of all, for me, was a Viking burial of the ‘pagan lady’ found at Peel castle in a Christian burial, but with grave goods– a cooking spit, scissors, a sewing kit and a wonderful set of polished beads.

Like Manx magic- we were transported to Braaid stone circle- a tranquil setting of sheep on a hillside with a trickle of water. Here we were introduced to the name Gerhard Bersu, a talented German internee during the last war who was able to carry out meticulous excavations on the island. This stone circle had previously been identified as a Megalithic site and the stones then erected into a vertical position to fit the theory. Gerhard Bersu noticed the alignment of the stones which suggested to him that of a Viking boat-shaped long-house. This was later confirmed. Makes you think!

One minute we were speeding over the fairy bridge saying hello to the fairies for good luck “cre’n aght to shill”, the next we were clicking our cameras at Braddon Church, capturing (for the AGM?) Celtic slab stones and Norse wheel crosses, Manx chain patterns and the Cholera stone.

At last we arrived at pretty Port Erin and a friendly welcome to our hotel- a place where time has stood still (circa 1950!). The seafront harbour has slipped slowly below the sea to become a hazard to shipping. By evening, the fairy (whoops! you must’nt say that ‘F’ word in the Isle of Man) lights of the bay shine out like the magic of the pagan lady’s beads.

Finally we negotiated the mysterious and intricate warren that was the staircase system in the hotel, and did battle with the plumbing. And so we slept in anticipation of tomorrow.

This was only day one.

Day 2. by Audree Price-Davies

Small islands reveal their history through their archaeological sites and their progression in time can be traced. Large countries have a more complicated and diffuse history. The Isle of Man shows this continuity.

The Meyall Circle has chambers arranged in a circle and each pair of compartments is approached from outside by a passage, built with two orthostats on each side. Sherds of Neolithic pottery were found here. The plan on which it is constructed came from the Mediterranean, along the western trade routes which existed during Neolithic and Bronze Age times. Such a structure exists in the shaft graves at Mycenae.

At Chapel Hill, worked flints indicate Mesolithic and Neolithic occupation, cremation burials and crouched inhumations appearing to be of Bronze Age date. A small cist with the capstone missing is seen at the surface. Postholes indicate Iron Age occupation and the entrance is marked by two pairs of massive postholes at the NE corner of the enclosure. At the eastern end, a pagan Viking boat burial was uncovered beneath a low cairn of stones. The richly adorned body of a Viking was found in the boat, together with that of a woman. She had been sacrificed along with his horse and other livestock- ox, sheep, pig, cat & dog. The grave goods included bridle mounts, four enamel discs, three buckles and strap ends, some of silver gilt. These show the wide trade contacts of the. Vikings since they indicate links with workshops in Scandinavia, Ireland and England, and also Central and Southern Europe. At the western end of this Chapel Hill enclosure are the foundation walls of a 10th or 11th century keeill. This small Celtic chapel dedicated to St. Michael is probably on the site of an earlier pre-viking keeill.

In beautiful sunshine we ate our lunch at the Sound, looking towards the bird sanctuary island of the Calf of Man, with the seagulls approaching and alighting near us for peices of bread and the sound of sea and birds in complete harmony.

Castle Rushen, in Castletown existed in Norse times and was extended in the period after the Vikings, when England and Scotland fought for control of the Isle of Man. The English finally won and installed Sir John Stanley as Governor. During the Stanley regime the castle with its garrison was the main centre of the island’s administration, and James, 7th Earl of Derby lived in it for several years, constructing Derby House within it’s walls in 1644. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the keep was used as a prison. At the present time, the castle is used for holding the fortnightly courts and new governors are installed there. Essentially the castle is a showplace- as the various rooms are explained by wall charts and sometimes furnished to illustrate the different periods. The prison with torture cells, a mediaeval banqueting room, with a page holding a peacock, a Restoration banqueting room, with be-wigged gentlemen in gilt embroidered frock coats and the audience room of the seventh Earl of Derby, a room richly hung with silk and velvet, makes this castle a living experience.

On St. Michaels Isle, near Castletown, also known as Fort Isle, a fort was built by Henry V111 in 1540 as part of the defences around Britain. It was repaired in 1645 by the Earl of Derby and this date is carved above the door. A small stone house has been built inside the fort. There are a large quantity of cannons from various parts of the Isle of Man, and the sea swirls wildly around the little islet. Nearer to the mainland is a keeill of the 11th century surrounded by an earthwork, which probably indicates earlier settlement. On the headlands facing each other are two Norse promontory forts, one is called Hango broogh. A broogh is the brink or brow of a hill in Manx Gaelic, and this was a place of execution.

Cregneash is a village folk museum of a crofting community, with houses which have exhibitionsof spinning and weaving. Harry Kelly’s house is kept as it was and the present ‘inhabitant’ in Manx dress of the 19th century invited us to taste the soda bread which she had just made on a griddle over the open hearth peat fire. There is a working farm here, a smithy and a wood turners shed. We needed more time here and were loath to leave the area.

We had reached the present day in our time journey, as we drove back to the hotel at Port

Erin.

Day 3, by Enid Hill

We drove north from Port Erin along a high moorland road with spectacular views over the island and sea until we decended via hairpin bends to Tynwald Hill. This has been used as an assembly place since the time of the of the mediaeval Norse Kingdom of Man and the Isles, and from this has come the present government of the island. The Tynwald or Parliament consists of 24 Keys (or members) now elected by universal suffrage for 5 years, a Legislative Council or upper house, and government officials, selected by the 24 Keys. It meets in Douglas, but used to meet in various places, and on July 5th, it meets on Tynwald Hill with much pomp. The members proceed from the local church to the four-tiered hill where the Governor, various officials and the Keys sit whilst new laws are read out in Manx and English according to ancient custom before they can become law. This has been happening for over a thousand years and the Tynwald has the longest continuous history of any legislature.

The other major visit of the day was to St. Patrick’s Isle off the town of Peel where there are remains of St. Germain’s Cathedral and Peel Castle. The Island was the birthplace of Christianity about 450 A.D., but a recent archaeological dig has found mesolithic flints, a pre-historic settlement of about 250 B.C., Viking burials of the 8th century, and fortification from the 11th-19th century. Many of the finds are in the Manx museum in Douglas, including a reconstruction of the ‘Lady of Peel’s’ grave and the Sitric Silkbeard hoard of coins minted about 1030 A.D.

Exhausted after these two visits we spent the rest of the day looking at Odin’s Raven, a reconstructed Viking Longship, which was sailed from Norway to the Isle of Man to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Tynwald, and moving on to a church— Kirk Michael, where a large collection of carved stone cross-slabs of the Norse period (10th-11th Century) found in the Parish is now preserved in the church. Covered in interlacing decoration with animals, people, dragons and some with Runic inscriptions on the sides, they are a magnificent collection.

Day 4, by Marjorie Searle

Friday, starting with Manx kippers for breakfast, was a perfect ending to a memorable week. One did not have to be a passionate archaeologist to respond imaginatively to the evidence of human life from neolithic cairn, Norse and Celtic crosses and the 19th century industrial achievement to the ice cream sucking tourists of today. In a few hours, our bumpy coach covered the miles and the centuries:

passing along the sea-front at Douglas, we saw the evidence of late Victorian and early Edwardian prosperity in the hotels and boarding houses, while outside Lonan Old Church, now used only once a week in summer, we stood by one of the oldest celtic crosses, leaning tipsily under the trees.

Then on to Laxey, the site of the great Victorian engineering achievment, the huge water mill built in 1854 to pump water from the lead mines below, it’s red painted wheel now a landmark and tourist attraction. The short walk into the entrance passage to the mine was disappointing, but did give us an inkling of the price paid by the miners for our past industrial prosperity. Those of us who climbed the many steps to the top platform and looked down on the heads of our lunching companions below found the effort worthwhile. Also at Laxey, we were fascinated by the skill and concentration of the weaver in the shop attached to the woollen mill founded by John Ruskin, and several of our party bought handwoven garments there.

How lucky we were that the glorious weather enabled us to take the electric train, another Victorian achievement, to the 2,036′ summit of slaty Snaefell. Very windy, and several of us were bowled over attempting the short climb from outside the hotel to the summit, where even the hardiest did not want to linger. Down again, this time to see the so called King Orry’s grave, the neolithic long cairn site which was probably split in two by the modern road.

The last major visit was to Kirk Maughold, its great churchyard overlooking the sea and its history passing through the centuries – Norse, Celtic and early Christian times, containing the sites of no less than four tiny early Christian Churches. Generations have been buried here, and what was the sad story of the 19th century family whose memorial records eight children who died in childhood? Gloomy thoughts on mortality were banished by the excellent supper we had, within sight of the sea, at the Sartfield Farm Cafe, followed by the drive in the warm evening light back “home”. A memorable day.

Day 5, by Dr. Paul O’Flynn

Saturday morning started with breakfast and the loading of the trusty old bus that had carried us all over the Isle of Man. Dorothy barked instructions at the stragglers (some with hangovers) who did not move along in a well ordered fashion. The coach departed with our luggage, and we set off on foot to the Port Erin Steam Railway Museum.

At the museum I was particularly pleased to see a royal coach with a magnificent chair inside reserved for the Surgeon!! You dont get that on B.R., in fact you don’t get trains at present (note for posterity- strike action by signal workers).

As we took our places on the steam train in our reserved carriages one member realised she had left part of her in Port Erin- namely her teeth. Not quite the same as leaving your “heart in San Francisco”! The train pulled out precicely on time at 10.15 (another novel railway experience) and we started our majestic journey to Castletown. Upon our arrival, we were again met by our guide Leslie Quilliam who pointed out some of the high spots of the town and alluded to some possible skeletons in his own ancestral cupboard relating to the extra-marital activities of one Captain Quilliam, who had served under Admiral Nelson.

Time was left over for optional tours of the Nautical museum or to watch the preparations in the port for the tin bath racing. Seeing all the baths gathering for competition explained why there were so few in the hotel.

Lunches were taken at various locations around Castletown where we could reflect upon what we had seen in the past few days: The stone circles, the neolithic chambered cairn, the great water pump, Tynwald, the impressive mediaeval castle and Chapel Hill. The Manx museum had given us a wonderful preview of what was to come archaeologically. However, nothing had prepared us for the nocturnal “goings on”:-

Young prowlers were spotted in the hotel, apparently looking for young women, it must have been dark! (sorry ladies). It was later discovered that the hotel bar had been broken into and money was missing.

Next morning HADAS members gathered to discuss the nights events. Two ladies in our group on the top floor regaled us with tales of knocks on their doors by polite young men at 3.00am!! Another member, kept awake by what she had presumed to be an all night rave, passed the top of the stairwell on her circuitous way to the nearest watercloset. On looking down, she observed the front door of the hotel open and a group of youngsters milling about in the hallway. Added to this was the mystery of the toilet seat. Dorothy and Enid shared their own private ‘out office’ on the ground floor. During their nocturnal calls of nature, both found the lavatory seat lifted on each visit- could this be a clue? (I think this was a time and motion study). Alas, the combined talents of would be Marples & Poirots were unable to secure a satisfactory conclusion. Only one member of the hotel staff slept on the premises, and he heard nothing. The mystery deepened, and the task of solving it now lies with the Isle of Man police.

Hadas members also distinguished themselves in other extra-curricular activities. I believe that we were the first HADAS team to enter a pub quiz ‘nite’. If we had only known Indonesia had such a large population, and if only our answer about germs had been accepted, then victory could have been ours. Other activities included bar football and pool. There was not much success in either.

Then homeward by Manx Air and coach. There had been many things to wonder about and be thankful for on this HADAS expedition; our driver Ken, our guide Leslie, both Manxmen born and bred, but most of all our leader Dorothy Newbury. Without Dorothy the entire project could not and would not have been conceived. Thank you Dorothy.

P:S: The author wishes to express his deep regret at any offence or embarrassment caused by this article. All persons are ficticious and bear no resemblance to anyone- unless you know differently…

further reading:

Our guide Leslie Quilliam has phoned to say that the excellent book ‘Manx Crosses’ by Kermode is now in print again- hardback £54, paperback £42. Prices during October £36 & £28 respectively.

Obtainable from the Manx Museum, Douglas.

ISSUE NO. 282 – SEPTEMBER 1994 Edited by Helen Gordon

DIARY

Tuesday 4 October –

Saturday 8 October –

Saturday 29 October –
Tuesday 1 November –

Outing to Alton, Old Winchester Hill and New Butser Excavating in Egypt Lecture by Patricia Spencer MINIMART see below

City Walk wi

The Hoxne Hoard and Others: Late Treasures from Britain Lecture by Dr Catherine Johns

THE MINIMART IS CREEPING UP ON US …S0…

Turn out your cupboards: pass on your white elephants: start cooking
and contact Dorothy to arrange for collection

STUDYING THIS WINTER? Birkbeck College’s Extra-Mural Programme 94/95 contains details

of more courses than ever before. Here are a few within reach of HADAS5 members:-

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY (Advanced class) Monday 3 October, 7.45pm – 9.45pm

lecturer: Denis Smith, PhD, CEng, Barnet WEA, Ewan Hall, Wood St, Barnet. ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SEA Tuesday 27 September 7.30pm – 9.30 pm

lecturer: B D Adams BA MPhil Elstree, Borehamwood & Radlett WEA, Borehamwood Community Centre, Allum Lane, Elstree

SOCIAL & HISTORICAL DEVEL IN ANCIENT EGYPT Tuesday 27 September 7.15 – 9.15 lecturer: Bill Manley BA, Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute

THE PEN & THE SWORD: the age of Alexander Wednesday 21 September 10 – 12

lecturer: Janet Corran MA, Watford WEA, The Stable Room, Rudolph Rd, Bushey

(advanced class)

20 YEARS BACK – NOSTALGIA 70th Anniversary of the Edgware line from Dorothy Newbury

Newsletter No.43 September 1974

SEMI-DETACHED SUBURBIA Report by Celia Gould

On August 17 a small but dedicated HADAS band, led by Alec Jeakins, met to trace the growth of suburban Edgware over the last half century. Despite the arrival of a single-track GNR line from Finsbury Park in 1867 (long since disused) and trams from Cricklewood in 1904, major development in Edgware can really be dated to the opening of the extension of the Northern Line tube from Golders Green, exactly 50 years ago – in August, 1924. Between 1921-31 the population rose from 1576 to 17500.

If one man could truly lay claim to have been the “architect” of present-day Edgware, it is George Cross, an ambitious young estate agent who sensed that the area was ripe for development as early as 1910. Expansion quickened dramatically with the arrival of the tube. In 1926 ross, in conjunction with architect A J Butcher, developed 85 acres of the Canons Park Estate, where houses, expensive for their day, ranged from £1500 to £3500 We looked too at Cross’s “Premier Parade” of shops, dating from 1924; and at the Edgware Manor Estate, also developed by Cross in the 1920s .This year, in continuance of its celebrations of 150 years in existence, the R.A.I. picked Canterbury as the centre for its 140th Summer Meeting. Accomodated in Christchurch College, we were close enough to be able to wander into the city in the little spare time available. It ran from Monday July 11th, with an extra, a visit to Faversham, on the Saturday.

It was in some ways unfortunate that the Monday, spent walking round Canterbury, was one of the hottest of the season. We looked at a minimum of 9 sites had a reception in the evening at the Woolstore, followed by a lecture in the Cathedral! The day’s highlight for me was the talk on stone carving and the application of lime water to stabilise stone surfaces.

Tuesday saw us out and about, firstly in Fordwich Town Hall and then on to Reculver. I have never seen this dull, windswept site so warm and sunny! After lunch, taken in Salmeston Grange, we literally boiled in Ramsgate Harbour, but cooled off in Pugin’s St, Augustine’s Abbey and the Grange. These were both built with Pugin’s own money. As a contrast Richborough Roman Castle was stark, open and very warm, the best place being inside the little museum with its Roman finds.

Wednesday found us out and about in the Dover area, with a late visit to Hellfire Corner and an Evening Reception in the cool of the keep of Dover Casstle.

Thursday found us in Sandwich where the police took the coaches away for a safety check, Nice to know that they do check, but why pick on us, with our tight schedule?

HADAS members will remember going to Barfreston church some years ago; well, the south side has been given a lime water treatment and now looks much brighter.

Friday was for me a day in Romney Marshes, starting with a ride on the Romny/Hythe railway. We saw a very good collection of farm implements in the Barn at Brook. In the evening we all dressed forthe reception and dinner at Kings School in Canterbury.

Next day I joined a smaller party to walk round Faversham.

What did I find most interesting? Well, perhaps the Roman Museum, in process of being re-vamped where a mosaic pavement and some walls have been retained in situ.

About 140 people and so many sites to choose from, I can only mention a few! Next year Worcester will be the venue.

MEMBERS NEWS – a happy report this time from Dorothy

Tamara Baker, who with Julius has been a regular on outings and at lectures, has had a bad patch in hospital. But following a serious operation she is back home again and fighting fit.

NEW MEMBERS – by the way, we’ve been told that a Society outing can be something of an ordeal for new members. Those who have been in HADAS for some time may have forgotten how unnerving it is to face a coach-load of strange people who all seem to know each other and none of whom know you.

Next time you notice someone looking lost – or lonely, or nervous – on a HADAS outing, it would be a kindness to chat to them or help them feel at home.

APHRODITE’S ISLE Audree Price-Davies

The two significant features which run through the history and archaeology of Cyprus are copper and Aphrodite. Copper ensures the economic wealth of Cyprus and Aphrodite is the spiritual embodiment.

The word Cyprus comes from the Roman word for copper. Even as early as 3000 BC copper was being exploited, and from 2500-1050 BC it was more vigorously exploited. Religious leaders had control over the copper industry and this continued up to the classical

period. In Kition (Larnaca) the copper workshops were close to the Astarte temple, and remained in use from 600 BC until 450 BC. In the Hellenistic period 325-58 BC Cyprus came under the Ptolemies of Egypt and trade in copper with Egypt and the Greek world was very important. This was a period of wealth for Cyprus.

Aphrodite was reputed to be the daughter of Zeus and Dione, who was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, the sea-nymph – or of Air and Earth. She stepped out of the sea and Homer wrote of her:-

‘I will sing of stately Aphrodite, gold-crowned and beautiful

Whose dominion is the walled cities of all sea-set Cyprus’

Aphrodite was the goddess of love and fertility and from the earliest times shrines were built to her which became places of pilgrimage. Flowers and fruit were the temple gifts and doves were sacrificed only once a year, A sanctuary uncovered at Enkomi was constructed with ashlar blocks with a propylaeum and cella and in the centre a stone pillar – an element incorporated from Mycenaean religion. It is at Paphos that the main sanctuary of Aphrodite was found since the birthplace of Aphrodite (Petra tou Romiou) is 25 kilometres east of Paphos and it is in this beautiful spot that Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty is reputed to have risen from the waves. The sanctuary of Aphrodite at Kouklia village, Palaia Paphos, was a major religious centre during the whole of the first millenium BC and a celebrated place of pilgrimage. The ruins go back to the 12th century BC but the sanctuary was a place of cult and pilgrimage of the ancient world until the 4th century AD.

At the festival of Aphrodite and her lover Adonis, pilgrims landed from all parts of the ancient world and took the processional way to Paphos through groves whose lushness symbolised the fruitfulness of the goddess. The village of Yeroscipos, near to Paphos keeps this memory in its name, which means “holy garden”, and many streams still flow through here into the valley and then the sea.

Pygmalion fell in love with Aphrodite and because she did not return his love. he made an ivory image of her and laid it in his bed, praying to her for pity. Aphrodite, entering into this image brought it to life as Galatea and she bore him a son Paphus and a daughter Metharme. Pygmalian’s grand-son Cinyras, son of Paphus, founded the city of Paphos and built a famous temple to Aphrodite there.

Paphos itself, has within it or near it, a representative section of almost all the archaeological sites by means of which the history of Cyprus can be traced. Fourteen stone-age communities are known in Cyprus, along the north coast or in the short river valleys that descend from the Troodos mountains to the south. The communities huddle together on slopes or on tops of hills, and the lower parts of the round buildings are often of stone and have additions of stones and skins. The small interiors have hearths for cooking and heating, benches and windows but in many cases the area is further restricted by large and occasionally painted piers to support an upper floor beneath the beehive roof. In winter, the heat would gather at that higher level for sleeping and for curing stored venison. Kirokhitla, to the south of Paphos is such a centre. A few pottery vessels exist, but they preferred stone vessels. It would seem that the earliest Cypriot society was a well organised complex structure primarily engaged in farming, hunting and herding, rather than hunter-gatherers.

In all settlements the dead were buried just under the floors in crouched positions and there was a provision for offerings so presumably a form of ancestor worship existed. There is evidence of skull trepination, to relieve cranial pressure or possibly to prevent the return of the spirit.

Trade with Mycenae existed in the 15th, 15th and 14th centuries, but it is after the disruption of Mycenian society in the 13th century that the people left their homes and travelled eastwards. They were joined by other bands known as “peoples of the sea”. They visited Cyprus and may have settled there, Yhry brought their customs with them and influenced the development of Cyprus, After 1100 BC Cyprus became predominantly Greek-speaking as the Mycenaean settlers merged with the natives as at Enkomi, where there are Typical Mycenaean tombs with a rectangular chamber and a dromos, unlike the shaft and chamber tomb of the Cypriots.

In the Archaic period 750-475 BC the shrine to Astarte – the Phoenician equivalent to Aphrodite at Kition (Larnaca) became very important, but there was also a shrine to Aphrodite at nearby Tammassos. Egypt took over control of the island in 569 BC.

The Tombs of the Kings on the coast south of Paphos cover a wide area containing underground tombs carved out of solid rock, and dating to the 4th century BC. They are mainly decorated with Doric pillars. Wide sloping entrances of stone from ground level give access for horses and chariots which were probably buried with the dead after being killed. The rectangular tombs have small side chambers and in some cases the main area has an arched entrance. Whether kings were buried here or not the magnificence of the tombs gives the locality its name.

In Kato Paphos, near the harbour, a small Odeon of the 2nd century AD has been uncovered. It was entirely built of well-hewn limestone blocks and is now regularly used for musical and theatrical performances. In the same area of Roman remains the mosaics of the House of Dionysus, the House of Theseus and the House of Aion are of an exceptional quality. These amazing floors of 3rd century AD noblemen’s villas are among the finest in the Eastern Mediterranean. They mostly depict scenes from Greek mythology and are beautifully executed.

The Byzantine period with its monasteries and churches is well represented, as are also the crusader castles. Richard the Lionheart was married in Limmasol to Berengaria of Navarre and she was crowned Queen of England here. The Franks, Venetians and Ottoman Turks left their mark, but that is another chapter.

The archaeological sites in Cyprus are situated in areas of outstanding beauty as in the Troodos Mountains where the churches and monasteries have wall paintings and icons of exceptional style and form. The Akamas peninsula, 48 kilometres north of Paphos is a nature area where 22 different kinds of wild orchid exist and nature trails are marked throughout the area. Aphrodite is reputed to have bathed in a pool of a grotto shaded by a fig tree in this area and this has become a tourist attraction.

The work of excavation is evident everywhere and new sites are constantly being uncovered. Unfortunately, this is not so in the northern area Turkey has declared a “Northern
Republic of Cyprus”, but this is unrecognised by any state except Turkey. For this reason no state will undertake to fund archaeological excavation in North Cyprus and the buildings there deteriorate and crumble.

Bignor Surveyed by Bil

During July two members of HADAS attended a surveying course at Signor Roman Villa. This well known Sussex site was visited by HADAS in June ’93 (Newsletter 269) and is still being excavated by the Institute of Archaeology’s Field Unit; this work included the South Corridor and south east corner of the Court-yard.

A sample of tile-fall within the corridor was lifted but unfortunately yielded no dating evidence for the final phase of occupation of this part of the villa. Trial excavation beneath the floor level of the corridor revealed a large number of features and deposits and the on-going analyses of these discoveries will provide additional information about the early development of the villa.

A major discovery at Bignor in 1993 resulted from the first phase of a soil resistivity survey of the villa farmyard (or stockyard) This work, which was undertaken as a research and teaching exercise by Dr Tony Clark, examined a 40m strip In the western part of the farmyard. The survey data indicates a long building of at least three rooms running roughly north-south. Its dimensions are similar to the nearby east-west orientated building 66-68 recorded by Samuel Lyons in the early l9thc. It is possible that these two structures may be parts of the same scheme involving building along two sides of a yard with a wall defining its south-western edge. Traces of such a wall were detected by the resistivity survey. A circular anomaly in the yard may be a well – if so, this is the first to be located at Bignor.

This year the stock/farmyard is being looked at with three trenches on the E/W/S sides. Wall footings were indeed uncovered, along with possible pits, ditches and post-holes which are currently being excavated.

A total of eight people took part on the five day Archaeological Surveying course, which concentrated mostly on the practical aspects, eg use of tapes, triangulation, offsets, dumpy levels and theodolite. A bowl-barrow on Bignor Hill was used to teach the basics of contour surveying; nearby is a very well preserved section of Stane Street Roman road. A hi-tech alternative to the theodolite is EDM (Electronic Distance Measurement); this is at present rarely used in archaeology due to the high cost of the equipment. It fires out an infra-red beam which is reflected back by a prism; the machine then computes the distance, height and any angles.

Bignor also runs excavation training courses, and as members who have dug/visited the site know, it is in a very scenic area and would be a pleasant way to spend a week or so.

HERITAGE and HURRICANES reported by Bill Bass

An archaeological evaluation at the former Battle of Britain aerodrome at Hawkinge, near Folkestone, Kent has uncovered extensive traces of much earlier activity from beneath the runways. The oldest find from the site is part of a 5,000 year old polished flint axehead; a multitude of pits, post-holes and ditches were also found, showing the aerodrome to have been originally the home of farmers from the Iron-age, Roman and Medieval periods. In one pit a large Early Iron Age and tip (primitive plough tip) made of iron was found. Further to the north a Roman cremation burial was uncovered below the runway.

Despite war-time activity including enemy bombing, two of the four Roman pots buried with the cremation had survived whole. During the work a number of somewhat sinister metallic objects were also located which fortunately all proved to be harmless practice bombs.

(from the UCL Field Archaeology Unit newsletter)

Boundary Ditch, East heath, Hampstead By Brian Wrigely

This interesting project has, regrettably, only been fleetingly mentioned in the Newsletter whilst the Excavation Working Party has had its attention concentrated on our excavations last year and early this. We have now however prepared a research design and submitted it to a number of interested authorities and bodies. In this we describe the history and importance of the site.

The ditch runs along the lie of an ancient land-boundary, which is still marked by (more recent) parish boundary-stones. The land-boundary which the ditch follows can be dated with certainty to the period 959-975AD, The ditch can be dated with certainty to a date before 1226-7AD, and may well be as old as the boundary itself.

A forthcoming book, “The Westminster Corridor” by David Sullivan QC (a leaflet about which was enclosed with a recent Newsletter) identifies this boundary as exactly conforming to the “bounds” described (in Anglo-Saxon) within CIO Latin charters of Westminster Abbey. The boundary separated one of the Abbey’s endowment estates, at Hampstead, from the estate of Tottenhall held by the Canon of St Pauls; and either then or later it also formed the old parish boundary between the parishes of Hampstead and St Pancras.

The Anglo-Saxon “bounds” refer to two places on the line of the ditch, at each of which there was at least a single settlement in or before the tenth century. The location of one of these settlements (“the wood-clearing, or ?farm, of Beggar”) can be identified fairly closely; the other, (“the wic or dwelling of Deomod”) is more difficult to place, but if found, might be more productive of habitation evidence.

Our suggested investigations include landscape surveying to record the surviving features and their state, including boundary markers, possibly some contour plans, resistivity testing backed up by auguring, with eventually possible limited excavation if survey suggests a suitable place. We are of course anxious not to duplicate research which may
have already been done by other bodies or individuals, and indeed our enquiries have already yielded some useful sources. Thus we would like to assemble as much ‘desk-top’ evidence as possible in time to plan surveying fieldwork later this year. I would be delighted to hear from any members interested in taking part.

WEEKEND COURSES IN OXFORD Liz Holliday writes:-

I have received details of weekend courses from the University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education to be held at Rewley House, Wellington Square, Oxford.

They include:-

November 19-20 December 9-11, February 10-12 1995 February 25-26

March 3-5

April 7-9

EARLY PREHISTORIC POTTERY

MEGALITHS: A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

CRUSADING IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

READING THE LANDSCAPE

MINOANS AND MYCENAEANS

THE MAKING OF THE SHIRES – LATER ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
PLANNING PERMISSIONS

It seems to be a time of development for some of our churches in our borough Three applications for planning permission have arrived recently:-

ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH, Holders Hill Rd

Propose to demolish existing buildings and to redevelop for residential purposes at a density of 80 habitable rooms per acre – Parochial Church Council, Hendon.

WATCH TOWER HOUSE, The Ridgeway, NW7

demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment with 3 and 4 storey buildings for institutional use – International Bible Students Association.

LAND ADJACENT TO BITTACY COTTAGE, The Ridgeway, NW7

proposal to redevelop to provide a single storey building for use as a place of worship -Mill Hill Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses

ENGLISH HERITAGE has written to us to earmark the following applications – all warranting further consideration:-

48 HIGH STREET, EDGWARE – within the medieval village of Edgware beside the Roman Road Land adjoining Edgware Rd/The Hyde/Silk stream

RAMSEY Close NW9 – Close to the find spot of Bronze Age burial in MOTE MOUNT – Nan Clark’s Lane, NW7 – an ancient earth-work

It is also noted that 1 BROCKLEY HILL Edgware propose a side extension – close to the find spot of a Roman burial at Pipers Green Lane.

ANY SIGNS OF ACTIVITY please contact Tessa Smith on 081 958 9159, or any committee member

THE HADAS EXHIBTION Bill Bass reports

On Saturday 16th July the HADAS Exibition was shown at the Cricklewood Community Forum at St Peter’s Church Hall, Cricklewood Lane; the idea being to show our work to parts of the borough where we have not been active recently, and perhaps attract more members. Several hobbies and interests were present, as diverse as photography to ballet dancing (I signed up several diggers for lessons!) Thanks to members who helped out on the day.

BURGH HOUSE TO BE TAKEN OVER BY MACDONALDS

This announcement in the Ham and High struck horror in the hearts of countless Hampstead citizens I am informed by Christopher Wade, the Curator. He is still receiving commiserations from sympathisers and there have been so many letters and phonecalls, that a leaflet had to be printed to put the record straight and to draw attention to the date of issue of the newspaper.

The key clue came in the name of the Hungarian architect who was to refit Burgh House to cope with the demand for burghers. He was called Rapol Rifo.

EXHIBITION at Burgh House until Oct.2, Wednesday to Sunday 12 –

A centenary of picture postcards. This is the period over which picture post cards took off, starting when there were six postal deliveries per day – providing plenty of scope for messages such as “see you for tea”.

A MAD GARDEN PARTY? Gerard Roots

On 25th July Church Farmhouse Museum awoke from its enforced hibernation (due to roof renovations) with the Exhibition LEWIS CARROLL IN WONDERLAND . With true Looking Glass logic, the Official Opening – by Barnet’s Mayor, and founder and Life President of the Lewis Carroll Society, Ellis Hillman – took place a week later, and was a great success. Carrollians from as far away as Japan mingled with Barnet Councillors, anarchists, television actors and the Friends of the Museum in Church Farm’s Garden (which looked fairly spruce, thanks in no small part to the attentions of horticulturally minded HADAS members in the previous week). Jam tarts were – inevitably – served.

Over a thousand visitors have now seen the Exhibition, which is based on a vast private collection of international significance. Similar material will not be seen again until the major commemorative Exhibitions are held here and abroad, planned for the Centenary of Carroll’s death, in 1998; so I do urge HADAS members to see the show, perhaps combining their viewing with their visit to the Minimart on 8th October.

LEWIS CARROLL a pioneer photographer Liz Holliday writes

He bought his first camera in 1856. To celebrate Carroll’s contribution to photography,

John Cass, a professional photographer, will be demonstrating the techniques of Victorian photography from 2.30-4.30 on Saturday 10 September and Saturday 24 September. John is very knowledgeable and his demonstrations will fascinate anyone interested in how Victorian photographers struggled with what was then a difficult and messy process to produce such evocative records of people and events.

From 2.30-4.30 on Saturday 17 September, Phillipa Rudge will be revealing some secrets of Victorian (and Wonderland!) cookery.

BOOK REVIEW:- THE MAN IN THE ICE – by Konrad Spindler, leader of the scientific investigation, publ.Weidenfeld & Nicolson,1994 translated from the German.

See Peter Pickering’s report of Antiquity’s article in the last Newsletter.

This is a book for the general public, but at the same time it carries a great deal of information about this extraordinary man, whose frozen body remained intact for 5,200 years in a depression under a glacier, until recent hot summers melted the glacier sufficiently to release him from his dying position, half standing, half leaning over a rock. . But the release, aided by hair dryers and a pneumatic drill, went on over 4 days, and at 3,210 m. altitude was dogged by stormy weather, freezing temperatures and snow – dodgy for helicopters. During these 4 days while the body was alternately partially melted by the September sun, and re-frozen by night, the equipment and clothing of the man was torn by the wind or trampled by numerous visitors.

The excitement built up as gradually the uniqueness of the case became realised. And also the legal complications – was he on the Italian or Austrian side of the frontier? Who was responsible for rescuing him? Had a crime been committed? Who did he belong to? And then the media! As the archaeological-historical importance of this man, equipped with the requirements for long distance travel in the stone age, developed, the proceedings were pestered by the legitimate curiosity of the multi-media.

This blow by blow account of the whole enterprise makes fascinating reading (and a study of international cooperation!) and provides factual detail of the finds and 30 pages of glossary, list of participents, bibliography and index.