Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society
Newsletters
No 68
SUMMER/AUTUMN - 2003
Contents
New
Members
Editorial
Rocks & Fossils at a World Heritage Site
Associated Societies AGM
Early Christianity in the South-West
Sights, Sounds and Soggy Grounds
Council for British Archaeology, South West Conference
The Archaeology of Coastal Wetlands, Severn Estuary
and Levels Research Committee
Natural History Social Afternoon
Annual
Archaeological Symposium
Adding to the Roman Mosaic
Ancient Mariner Statue
Fashion in the Fifties
Devon Badger Watch
The Lie of the Land edited by Robert Wilson-North
The Book of Nynehead - a Village on the River
Tone
Natural History Notes by Philip Radford
Burnham Lectures
The Taunton Stop-Line at Donyatt
Symposium on The Quantocks
Visit to Hill Farm & St. Mary's, Kingston St. Mary
Medieval Settlement Research Group
Somerset and the Weather SANHS Local History Annual
Symposium
Articles
and programme details for the Spring-Summer 2004 newsletter should be submitted
before 15th January 2004. (Items for Autumn-Winter 2004 before 13th July 2004.)
The Society's Office is usually open at the following times:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 0930-1230 and 1400-1630
The Office may sometimes be closed due to staff sickness, holidays or other
causes beyond our control. If your visit would involve travelling some distance,
it is advisable to telephone first. An answerphone is in operation when the
Office is closed.
Somerset Studies Library
This library
on the first floor of the main Taunton public Library in Paul Street consists
of the County Council's Local History Collections. Also on the same floor
is the major part of the Society's Library of Somerset books, including the
Tite Collection, together with materials relating to Archaeology, General
History and Topography.
Opening hours are Monday-Saturday inclusive.
Guidance on catalogue and stock will be given by the Society's
Honorary Librarian, David Bromwich, and his staff.
Telephone: 01823 34 0300. Fax: 01823 34 0301. E-mail: somstud@somerset.gov.uk
Natural History and Geology Library
A substantial
collection of literature covering Natural History, Geology and kindred sciences
is available for reference and loan from this library situated in the Adam
Room at Taunton Castle.
(To ensure access, please contact Betty Cloke in advance.)
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The Society welcomes the following members :
Mr G Abrey
Mr C Bird
Mr JLM Brigers
Mr DFT Gent
Mr J Gerrard
Mr NM Howlett
Mrs J Ireland
Mr SJ Leach
Mrs MJ Merchant
Mr P Newman
Miss H O'Neill
Mr P Parker
Mr S Parker
Mr PC Parson
Mr K Richardson
Mr GG Stevens
The Somerset Heraldry Society
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Dear Fellow Members
Many thanks for your contributions—please keep them coming: especially
welcome would be book notices and reports on personal research as well as
on meetings. I'm sorry if my editing causes any lasting hurt. I've not been
able to give the job as much time as intended but hope to do better next time,
assuming I'm still responsible for your newsletter. Particularly:
I hope to relieve text with illustration.
Please send contributions (and comments on this issue) preferably to my e-mail
address: <robin.downes@britishlibrary.net>.
Please note times are shown in 24 hour format.
Robin Downes
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Rocks & Fossils at a World Heritage Site
Charmouth, 27th September
A reminder from Derek Briggs of this field-trip: an opportunity to view the Heritage Centre's exhibition, followed by a practical guided fieldwork session on the beach. There are still a few seats available on the minibus. Otherwise, members can use their own transport. All details from him on 01278 66 2527.
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Associated Societies AGM
Hosted by
Blagdon Local History Society, at Blagdon Village Club, Saturday 11th October,
1000 for 1030
After a short refreshment break, there will be a talk by Nick Corcos on
Bourne and Burrington.
Lunch will be available at a number of local pubs.
After lunch Andrew Addicott will show slides of earlier days in Blagdon and
surrounding villages. At 1430 John Chamberlain will conduct a party round
Coombe Lodge, built in 1931 by Sir George Oakley for the Wills family.
The village club gives access to Blagdon Local History Society's HQ and archive.
Enquiries to Olga Shotton at <oshu_uk@yahoo.co.uk>
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Early Christianity in the South-West
Saturday 18th October, at Bishop Fox's, Taunton 1000-1630
This day
conference will present information and ideas generated by recent research
over a range of disciplines. A distinguished group of speakers will be chaired
by Professor Charles Thomas, who is profoundly involved in the subject.
The archaeologist Andrew Reynolds will describe the 2002 excavations at Buckfastleigh
old church, which, by revealing its Anglo-Saxon origin, suggest it might have
been the first site of Buckfast Abbey.
Martin Henig will explore the influence of paganism from a South-Western perspective.
The evidence from burials in the sub-Roman period will be examined by David
Petts, and Sam Turner will consider factors contributing to the formation
of a Christian Landscape.
David Howlett will provide a different context by drawing on the evidence
from literary texts and inscriptions.
Other contributors will be Christopher Sparey-Green and Chris Webster (who
will be considering the evidence for Somerset).
£10 (students £5)
Tea & coffee included, but not lunch
Members should book their place without delay by contacting Betty Cloke, SANHS
Secretary,
on 01823 27 2429 or at <secretary@sanhs.freeserve.co.uk>.
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Sights, Sounds and Soggy Grounds
Natural History Symposium
Saturday
18th October, at Edington Village Hall
We guarantee an interesting day! If your main interest is archaeology, why
not try something different?
Pam Earnshaw on Ashcott Primary School's work on the RSPB reserve at Ham Wall.
Graham Rix on Sharpham Moor Plot (a long-standing reserve associated
with famous names).
Philip Radford will treat us to some of his recordings of Somerset warblers.
Pat Hill-Cottingham will talk about her research on the ecology of the very
rare Shining Ram's-horn snail found in just one ditch on the Levels and presented
in the living flesh at the conference!
Apart from the talks, there will be opportunities to look at displays from
other natural history groups and individuals, and to learn more from specialists.
Displays will be provided by English Nature, the Environment Agency, Somerset
Wildlife Trust, the Butterfly Conservation Group, LAMP and RSPB.
NGR Location:
ST 390 393
Time: 1000-1600
Admission: £2.50 (students £1)
Refreshments: hot drinks provided; packed lunches may be eaten on the lawn
behind the hall.
Parking: please use the left side to allow access to the surgery.
Further details
from Derek Briggs on 01278 66 2537
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Council for British Archaeology
South West Conference, Saturday 8th November, 1000-1600
The Archaeology
of Fortifications of the Great Civil War in the South-West.
This major event, organised by CBA South West in association with Bristol
and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society and Bristol & Avon Archaeological
Society, will be held in the Powell Lecture Theatre, University of Bristol
Department of Physics, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol. Following a historical introduction
by Professor Ronald Hutton, a series of specialist talks will explore aspects
of the archaeology of the Civil War from Gloucester to the Isles of Scilly.
It is hoped to include a tour of the site of the Royal Fort close to the lecture
venue. Tickets at £10 are obtainable from Martin Ecclestone, Princess
Royal Cottage, Rodborough, Stroud, Glos., GL5 3UA. Please make cheques out
to `The Committee for Archaeology in Gloucestershire'. Demand for tickets
is likely to be heavy. Please book as soon as possible. The Honorary Secretary
of BAAS, Mike Gwyther, may be contacted in the evening on 0117-965 1850.
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The Archaeology of Coastal Wetlands
Severn
Estuary and Levels Research Committee
Annual Conference and General Meeting, Saturday 15th November
The conference will include presentations on recent archaeological work on
the wetlands either side of the Severn Estuary. The guest lecturer, Tom McErlean,
will give a paper on The Archaeological Survey of Strangford Lough
including details of the excavation of the earliest European tidal mill.
The AGM for members of the Committee will follow the conference.
Members £8, non-members £12 (tea & coffee included) (£16
secures one year's membership as well as admission to the conference.)
Venue: Geography Department, Bristol University
To book, send a cheque made out to SELRC for the required amount to Julie
Jones, SELRC Treasurer, 22 Beaconsfield Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 2JF.
Further details
at www.selrc.dial.pipex.com
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Natural History Social Afternoon
Saturday, 15th November, 1430, at Municipal Hall, Corporation Street, Taunton
Short illustrated talks on Wildlife and Weather, Aller Woods, The Picos d'Europa and Dinobirds. An item for an `interest table' can be brought. Light refreshments available at half time. Have a change from shopping all day!
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Annual Archaeological Symposium
Saturday 22nd November, at Bishop Fox's, Taunton
Keynote Speech
Aerial Archaeology in Britain & Beyond
Robert Bewley, Head of English Heritage Aerial Survey, supported by archaeologists
Helen Winton and Hazel Riley.
In the morning,
there will be a series of short presentations on recent work in the county,
including:
Geochemical Surveys on Hillslope Enclosures, Chris Carey, University
of Exeter
Unlocking Somerset's Historic Environment, Talya Bagwell, Somerset's
Archaeological Outreach Officer (This will be about the Heritage Lottery Fund
project to widen public access to Somerset archaeology by providing internet
access to the Somerset Historic Environment Record, previously available only
by consultation with the County SMR Officer. The Historic Environment Record
will append themed information pages to a searchable map and database. It
is hoped the web-site will be a useful tool for research and education.)
A Slow Death for Somerset's Wetland Archaeology, Richard Brunning,
Levels and Moors Archaeologist
1000-1630
£4 (students £2) including tea & coffee
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Adding to the Roman Mosaic
Recent Research in Somerset
Saturday 27th March 2004, at Stanchester School, 1000-1630
Speakers
at this day conference will include Dr David Neal, FSA and Bob Croft.
£5 (students £2)
Tea & coffee included, but not lunch
Venue: Stanchester School, Montacute Road, East Stoke
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Ancient Mariner Statue
by Jack Binding
This exciting project, promoted by the Watchet Museum, has reached the stage where the Museum is working with renowned sculptor Alan Herriot to finalise the contract with Powderhall Foundry Fine Art Founders of Edinburgh to produce a seven-foot bronze statue of the Ancient Mariner which will be unveiled this year, it is hoped. A planning application has been made to the West Somerset District Council for permission to erect the statue in a prominent position on the Esplanade where it will stand as a permanent reminder of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge's link with Watchet, and of the town's maritime history.
The estimated
cost of the project is about £40,000, of which the Museum has pledged
50%; in addition, some £8,000 has already been received from funders
and individual donations. Anyone wishing to donate should send their cheque,
made out to `Ancient Mariner Statue Fund', to DJ Quint, Treasurer, Crossways,
Sampford Brett, Taunton, TA4 4JT; alternatively, the Fund may be credited
through the Lloyds TSB branches in Watchet or Williton.
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Fashion in the Fifties
A display of 1950s costume
Chard & District Museum, until 1st November
Can you remember what you were wearing in the 1950s? Take a trip down memory lane and visit Chard Museum's exhibition of 1950s costume From New Look to Rock 'n' Roll—Fashion in the Fifties and relive that exciting decade. There are outfits on show to meet all tastes, ranging from a designer dress by Hardy Amies to a teenager's Teddy Boy suit.
Today we associate Rock 'n' Roll and Teddy Boys with the 1950s. First appearing in the East End in 1952, the latter were to be seen in groups throughout Britain by 1956. The look wasn't cheap, the suit alone costing as much as a month's pay. The term `Rock 'n' Roll' was used in 1951 to describe a new type of American popular music. Elvis Presley, famous for his `hits' in the style including `Blue Suede Shoes' and `All Shook Up', exerted a strong influence on teenage fashion.
With the end of wartime restrictions, the 1950s saw many new fashion styles often using new synthetics such as nylon, acrylic and polyester. Fashion designer Christian Dior's `New Look', launched in the 1940s, was very popular and widely copied in the following decade. Examples can be seen in the exhibition: women's fashions were elegantly feminine, their tight fit emphasising the female form; the sophisticated look was completed by carefully chosen accessories, a variety of which (as well as foundation garments) are now on view at Chard Museum.
The exhibition explores the work of some of the fashion designers of the period, the creation of the classic 50s look, the use of new synthetics and the rise of the teenager. The display, assembled by the County Museums service from their own collections, forms part of Chard & District Museum's `Chard Remembers' community project. It has been supported by the `Awards for All' fund.
Chard &
District Museum, Godworthy House, 15 High Street
until 27th September: Monday-Friday 1030-1630; Saturday 1000-1230
from 29th September: Monday-Friday 1100-1500; Saturday 1000-1230
£2 (Senior Citizen £1.50; Child 80p; Family £5)
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Opening times: evenings, Monday to Saturday, April to October.
Admission : £9 (children 7-15, £6); party rates available.
(Please note children under seven are not admitted.)
Allow two to three hours for your visit.
Reservation is essential.
Directions to the location, fve miles north of Tiverton, will be provided
on reservation.
Call Kevin or Anne on 01398 35 1506.
Further information, including pictures from our live webcam, at www.devonbadgerwatch.co.uk
Photography:
The comfortable viewing hide beside the home sett is dug into the ground so
the windows are at ground level. On special photography evenings, one of the
windows is removed, putting the photographer at eye-level with the badgers
only a few feet away. As badgers do not come out until between 1830 and 1930,
flash may be necessary. This is normally well tolerated by the animals after
a few habituation shots. On photography evenings, up to four photographers
can be accommodated for £25 each. These evenings are held when normal
watches are not undertaken; consequently, very few are available in the school
summer holidays.
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The Lie
of the Land
edited by Robert Wilson-North
published by The Mint Press and the Devon Gardens Trust, 2003, ISBN 1-903356-22-9, £13.99
Contents:
Approaches to Garden Archaeology & Designed Landscapes in South West
England Robert Wilson-North
Identifying Historic Designed Landscapes: The English Heritage Parks and
Gardens Register Jonathan Lovie
Archaeological Recording on Historic Gardens by the National Trust
Martin Papworth
`Come My Spade': Archaeology in Historic Gardens Brian Dix
Medieval Gardens and Designed Landscapes Paul Everson
Cornish Medieval Deer Parks Peter Herring
Dartington Hall & Shilston Barton: Archaeological Excavation at two
Devon Gardens, 1991-2000, Christopher Currie
Garden Archaeology in South Devon Robert Waterhouse
Somerset Parks and Gardens, 1500-1830: Some Addenda James Bond
From Pillow Mounds to Parterres: A Revelation at Cerne Abbas Hazel
Riley and Robert Wilson-North=
Roman Forts in a Designed Landscape. East Holton, Wareham St. Martin,
Dorset: A Journey to Cuckoo-Land Ian Hewitt and Eileen Wilkes
The Downes, Hayle June Fenwick
The Walled Garden at Churchtown, Morval Alison A. Newton
As well as the James Bond chapter wholly on the county, there are discussions in the contribution by Martin Papworth on two Somerset National Trust properties, Barrington Court and Montacute House.
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The Book of Nynehead - a Village on the River Tone
to be published by Halsgrove Press in the `Community History' series, November 2003
Notice by
David Rabson
The Nynehead Society's past year has been devoted to work on this history
of the village. Nynehead is a small, scattered, village on the river Tone
about seven miles upstream of Taunton. In the 1780s it was described as being
`pleasantly situated in a country well wooded and watered, and agreeably interspersed
with small hills and vales' and first impressions today might be of a pleasant
if unexceptional village typical of South-West Somerset. As in all villages,
everyday life has changed fundamentally over the past two hundred years but
there is much that is special about Nynehead—the mixed blessing of the
river; Nynehead Court and Gardens; the fine parish church; a lost parkland;
distinctive rural buildings; the Grand Western Canal; the enigma of the `Nynehead
Hollow'—combined with the influence of the Sanford family over three
centuries and the contribution to the wider world of people with Nynehead
connections.
The Book of Nynehead will be published close to two anniversaries: the centenary of the record run on the nearby GWR line by the `City of Truro' and the tercentenary of the death of philosopher John Locke, who had close local ties.
To ensure
publication, 250 advance orders are required: for more information contact
David Rabson on 01823 66 6609, or reserve your copy with Halsgrove Press on
01884 24 3242.
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Natural History Notes
by Philip Radford
To me, a feature of the 2003 Spring was song by hedge accentors (better-known
as dunnocks or hedge sparrows); their clear, loud warbles at an even frequency
seem to have been heard more often than usual, at least in Somerset. Over
Britain, the bird has declined in numbers over recent years but happily seems
common enough over the Quantocks. In 2002 I saw an independent but well-streaked
young individual on the remarkably early date of 25th March; this year I did
not spot a juvenile capable of feeding itself until 11th May. Even so, in
general, I think the species is breeding earlier in the year than a few years
ago—some will say because of global warming.
The hedge accentor, of course, is an important host for cuckoos but, sadly, these have been few in number this year, at least around farms and villages. On moorland, where meadow pipits are hosts, numbers have been satisfactory and so it has been by lakes and reed-beds, where reed warblers (or sometimes sedge warblers) are parasitised. All these host birds have second brood nests which the hen cuckoo normally selects, although it is often the first brood if reed warblers are hosts. Laying is mainly in late May or early June—very quick and always directly into the nest. For many people, there is no English Spring without the call of the cuckoo; something is missing if June arrives and it has not been heard. I have great pleasure seeing a hen cuckoo fly down to lay; as this happens in the late afternoon, there is no need for the observer to be up before dawn, although most cuckoo vocalisations, including the hen's, take place in the early hours.
Over the Quantocks as, I think, most of Somerset, chiffchaffs arrived in very good numbers in mid-March, so migration conditions must have been good this year. The onomatopoeic males arrive first, the females a week or so later; nest building begins soon after pairing, eggs being laid in April or early May. The domed nest, always feather-lined, is well concealed in low herbage or a dense bush. As is well known, the easiest way to distinguish the three British leaf warblers as they move through the leaf canopy is by their songs and calls; they are so active it is often near-impossible to get a complete view and, in any case, appearances are very similar. Willow warblers have melodiously undulating song phrases while those of wood warblers are accelerating trills on one note. (Of course, those two species prefer different habitats, so confusion is unlikely.) Then there are the call-notes: in a Quantock wood in late May, a chiffchaff carrying a green caterpillar objected to my presence with successive monosyllabic high-pitched `wheet' notes; a willow warbler's alarm call would have been the disyllabic `hu-eet'. To hear the songs of these tiny leaf warblers at their best, you should choose a time just after the main dawn chorus, when the strident domination of blackbirds and song thrushes has sufficiently reduced to allow appreciation of the sounds made by these delicate warblers.
However, if you want to listen to warblers which favour marshy areas, I advise being on site well before dawn—there are many suitable places on the Levels. I find the sedge warbler fascinating: conforming to the usual pattern, the cocks arrive in mid-April about a week before the hens whereas reed warblers, often their neighbours, take up residence in the reed-beds about a week later. Sedge warblers are small brown birds, weighing about fourteen grammes, streaked on the back, with a distinctive white stripe above the eye. In contrast, the more common reed warblers are an unstreaked pale brown, with only a palish supercilium. (These days, sedge and reed warblers often share habitats with the growing population of Cetti's warblers; normally unseen, this warbler proclaims its presence, if male, by an explosive burst of song, often almost underfoot.) On arrival, male sedge warblers are very vocal; they commonly establish territories near reed-beds, perhaps where the reeds meet a tangle of brambles, willows and nettles. Their song, of varying tempo, includes rasps, whistles, chirps and churrs, with occasional mimicry. It is very rewarding to be near a singing sedge warbler as night is turning into dawn. Typically the bird sings in the hour before sunrise, trying to attract a night-flying migrant female; once mated, however, that individual will not sing for the rest of the season—assuming there is no divorce or murder amongst the reeds! Should you hear sedge warbler song in late May or June, that male is unmated. The song itself is remarkable, some fifty syllables or elements being combined or re-combined in a nearly continuous sequence often lasting at least an hour; analysis reveals a short pause between successive songs each of about fifty seconds duration. If you want full information on song structure, an electronic sonagram can be made from a sufficiently good recording.
Their more enterprising neighbours, reed warblers, do sing after mating, often into late July and August, but with output reduced and restricted to dawn and dusk. However similar short phrases of both species, longer sequences enable easier distinction: reed warblers repeat a series two or three times without harsh notes; sedge warblers, on the other hand, sing during flight with much variation and change of tempo—apparently, hens really admire a wide repertoire, so males thus endowed have no problem attracting a willing mate without delay. (I have heard of few men winning a mate by their singing but maybe it happens!)
* * * * *
I cannot say I have seen many vipers this past Spring. Nevertheless, one black adder did not object to being photographed in mid-April—possibly because it was about to shred its skin. Dull, rainy and cool weather for most of May made unhelpful conditions for natural history observation; however, late May and June have not been unproductive.
In mid-May I came across a growth of a hundred or so agaric fungi on the Quantocks. I first thought they were St. George's mushrooms but although growing on grass they were under hawthorns. I later discovered agarics have an attractive rust-pink spore drop, while that of the St. George fungus is white. The species was, in fact, entoloma (no common name). Perhaps it was just as well I did not eat any. Probably we do not regularly look for fungi in spring or early summer although there are usually a few species to be discovered; this can be a pleasant occupation as blackbirds whistle nearby, quite different from the autumn search for field mushrooms.
This season there has been so much high quality blackbird song we may be forgiven for wondering whether the species is too numerous. Near West Bagborough in early June I saw two cocks engaged in a fierce territorial fight joined within seconds by another two: I had been unaware of that density. There are more blackbirds than song thrushes and I have been told they are displacing ring ousels on Exmoor—it seems migrating ring ousels arrive to find territories in the possession of blackbirds. Is a really hard winter required to reduce their numbers? Unlike sedge warblers, blackbirds do not stop singing when paired. A typical territorial male will sing at dawn, whistling phrases followed by musical codas, as well as at any other time of day. Song output is reduced when the males are feeding young, but they have plenty of singing time when the hens are sitting. I wonder what male sedge warblers do when their mates are incubating?
[Editor's note: if you don't have it, I recommend The Birds of Exmoor and
the Quantocks by David Ballance and Brian Gibbs, published this year by
Isabelline Books of Falmouth. ISBN 0-9542955-2-8. £16.95]
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Burnham Lectures
Our lecture given by Chris Edwards on Mining in the Mendip Hills gave us a very interesting insight into the industry. My first thoughts were of the lead mines up at Charterhouse, where lead mining and smelting were continuous from before the Romans until about 150 years ago. We were informed about the unofficial trading practices in the Roman period, including ingots being highjacked in transit to the South Coast for export. I had not realised smelting took place at Priddy until the middle of the last century.
The production of red and yellow ochre was not something I would have associated with the area, but apparently the deposits are of very high grade and highly prized—especially among the Masai of East Africa who mix red ochre with cow dung to decorate their hair.
The history of mining in the area is not all a success story and we heard tales of failed ventures that ruined investors, but in the process many caves of geological and archaeological importance have been discovered.
I went to the lecture with a fairly fixed idea about what I was going to hear, but the anecdotes of someone associated with the industry for nearly four decades proved revelatory.
Pat Paynton
On May 20th we had an illustrated lecture by Mrs Rosemary Bethell on
West Country Deer. With her husband, she had travelled fifty miles
with wonderful exhibits of variously sized and shaped antlers, a cow's horn,
a deer hide and a sheep's head (to illustrate how eyes are set in animals
at risk from predators: to the side, so that when the head is lowered for
feeding good vision is still ensured).
Mrs Bethell told us about the Muntjac deer, the smallest British deer barely the size of a German Shepherd. Although established and fairly common in many parts of Central and Southern England, they all descend from escapees from Woburn Park in Bedfordshire. It favours dense undergrowth and, because of its reddish-brown colour, could be mistaken for a fox. Its antlers would be commensurate with its overall size. It is enormously fond of ornamental shrubs, tea-leafed willow, or indeed anything. They can breed very quickly and are therefore culled when the female is heavily pregnant.
Sika deer were introduced in the latter part of the nineteenth century from its native Asia. In winter it displays a grey-brown coat, whereas in summer this is reddish-brown and beautifully marked with white spots. The poorly branched antlers are shed in April. Favouring woodland and farmland, these deer love Rosemary; when they try to eat swede, attracted by the scent, frustrated because their mouth and teeth are not adapted to such food, they use their antlers to ruin the crop! Mrs Bethell went on to describe Red, Fallow and Roe deer. The Red have stag, hind and calf; whereas the Fallow have buck, doe and fawn (or kid). She described the `velvet' stage when the male get new antlers, renewed annually. There must be an awful lot of antlers lying around the Quantocks and Exmoor!
However, these antlers are solid bone, full of calcium and a good food source for smaller creatures to nibble! A decent set of antlers plays a vital part in the autumn mating known as the `rut'.
To learn
more, read Noel Allen's little book Exmoor's Wild Red Deer.
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The Taunton Stop-Line at Donyatt
by Frank Willy
The field trip on the Taunton Stop Line on 29th March illuminated a recent but little-known aspect of Somerset's history. David Hunt, who has researched this topic, provided a very interesting account of it to a party of about forty members and friends.
His introductory talk explained the Line's aims and structure: it ran between the estuaries of the Parrett and the Axe, using rivers, canals, railways and scarped slopes to delay an enemy which had landed in 1940 in Devon or Cornwall. Remarkably, as many as four hundred pill-boxes were built in a few months as well as many other anti-tank defences. The Line was manned by 18,000 men of the Regular Army (rather than Home Guards)—relatively few for such a long front—with Headquarters at Glastonbury and Yeovil. Asked how long it would have delayed the enemy, David replied `Hours'!
After an excellent lunch at the George in Donyatt he led the party into surrounding fields to find the pill-boxes, cubes, mine-holes and other defensive works still to be seen. He showed how the machine-guns in the pill-boxes covered the main bridges on the front and each other, with a range of up to three miles provided by a Vickers Medium Machine Gun. One of the farms on the walk had just been taken over by a young family who came with us to find out what these odd structures in their fields are!
All in all, a fascinating day.
Our Honorary Secretary's Account
Blessed as we were with excellent weather, sunny but with a bit of breeze to fan the exertions of the walk, it was a wonderful meeting: a superb talk in the morning, a good lunch at the George in Donyatt. The walk in the afternoon was most instructive, informed both by the morning talk and by the fullest of explanations in the field, especially the putting into context and explanation of the way the Stop Line was expected to work: thus, why it was arranged on the ground as it was.
As a soldier, David Hunt was able to do this perfectly. He encouraged a number of students whom he is helping to take part in the field trip; they really enjoyed it and, I think, got a lot out of it. We certainly did, and must thank him most sincerely for a great day out.
Alex Maxwell
Findlater
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Symposium on The Quantocks
Nether Stowey, 12th April 2003
We all know the joy of standing high; it's great to be `king of the castle'.
Many of us have experienced the exhilarating, even intoxicating, sense of command looking away from a high vantage point on the Quantocks, even if we haven't toiled up to it. From this balcony with all-round vision our imaginative command ranges over the Bristol Channel: past St.Decuman's foothold, over Luttrell demesnes to the shining Paps of Butlin, past Mynydd and the gloomy coast of Exmoor beyond, right out to Worm's Head signalling the busy route between the Iberian Peninsula and the Western Coasts. We look above St.Illtud's College to the dark Brecon peaks, past Cardiff and up the narrowing estuary guarded by Neolithic megalithic monuments and nuclear power stations, towards the fertile Midlands. Continuing clock-wise, we take in the massive barrier of Mendip, its funerary/political monuments ranged along the Southern edge to face the almost intractable Levels with their several protuberances including Brent Knoll and Glastonbury Tor. To the South-East, we discern forts of our Durotriges neighbours marking Dorset's Marshwood Vale. More immediately, the Blackdowns lie the other side of the Vale of Taunton Deane, that land-channel to and from the Peninsula. As for the Brendons and Exmoor, because of our consciousness of being at the threshold of the South-Western Uplands, poised on a wind-scoured edge articulating so much change in the world's terrain and Man's Dominion, we can easily think of them as sprawling extensions of the Quantocks. Etymologically, the hills are well-named if, as seems probable, their name is derived from the Welsh cant meaning `edge': that defines both form and function.
Well, I did
write `intoxicating'. In my defence, I would claim such feelings of spiritual
uplift and intellectual command may give us some sense of the world-view of
the prehistoric peoples who gave these hills more animation than they show
today. I think of those Bronze-Age aristocrats whose spirits and political
power still emanate from their hierarchical burial barrows powerfully disposed
along and near the ridge.
Whatever excitements had been conjured by these hills, they were disciplined
by the cool sobriety of the team of professional archaeologists who presented
a varied but coherent set of talks in the hospitably comfortable and well-equipped
Nether Stowey Church Hall on April 12th. The Symposium being under the aegis
of the Bridgwater & District Archaeological Society, it was chaired by
Chris Sidaway.
Likewise in an over-arching and cohesive role, the appropriate first speaker monitors and balances the various agencies interested in the Quantocks. As Manager of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (when designated in 1956, the first in England), Chris Edwards was acutely aware of conflicts between landowners and other users of the terrain which had to be resolved for the sake of compromise between Exploitation and Conservation. It seemed all was well despite difficulties—for example, persuading authorities that beech-banks (an Exmoor style of stock-management introduced by the Knights of Simonsbath) deserve restoration because of their national importance. Other features currently receiving Tender Loving Care range from Bronze-Age cairns and Iron-Age hill-forts suffering the erosive invasion of walkers and mountain-bikers, the ancient ridgeway used historically as a drove-road and now as a visitors' path, to the more modern cast-iron finger-posts placed at road-junctions by the County Council. www.countryside.gov.uk/aonb/28_quan
Stephen
Minnitt presented information on the dramatic recent discovery of the
Roman coin-hoard at West Bagborough. Fourth century and therefore late in
Roman Britain, it is valuable evidence of occupation in that period, to be
reinforced later in the day by other contributions. By whom and in what circumstances
of personal/political crisis the near-equivalent of £40,000 in today's
money was hid we can only guess. Stephen did not speculate. Coin analysis
suggested some implications but shed little light on the purpose of such a
sum.
Hard on the heels of her Exmoor Survey (attractively presented in an English
Heritage book), Hazel Riley expounded the methods and some of
the conclusions of the current English Heritage Quantocks Survey. The precision
of grid-references was being updated using GPS equipment. Dates and interpretations
of known sites were being revised as necessary. For example, humps at the
top of Rams Combe, because medieval cultivation marks ran underneath rather
than being interrupted, had to be post-medieval—indeed, they are remains
of World War II anti-aircraft gun emplacements. Hazel suggested marks left
by medieval agriculture (not necessarily ploughing) would have erased evidence
of Bronze-Age settlements and field-systems. Tantalising sketches were given
of links between the Quantocks and the wider world: Adscombe Chapel had been
a dependancy of Athelney Abbey; pillow-mounds (as on Cothelstone Hill) are
the remains of artificial rabbit warrens—evidence of the former domestic
economy of great houses—just as the remains of tree-rings remind us of
`prospects' created for the esthetic edification of the leisured class. We
await with anticipation of pleasurable instruction the publication of this
Survey; meanwhile, the English Heritage web-site gives access to interim reports
on all such projects www.english-heritage.org.uk.
No doubt we all await elucidation on at least one aspect of the area; I myself
look forward to any evidence of local Neolithic life, some interpretation
of the Weacombe enclosures and field-systems and, more ambitiously, to a format
of expository guide comparable with that of the excellent Dartmoor Atlas of
Antiquities by Jeremy Butler.
Another invaluable and appetising interim report was provided by Dr Keith Wilkinson of the Southern Quantocks Archaeological Survey of sites discovered by aerial photography undertaken by Devon County Council but, in practice, limited to a small proportion of the 100 possible because of constraints of time and location (the camp-site of the students from Winchester's King Alfred College being near Bishop's Lydeard, for example). Dr Wilkinson talked mostly about sites in the South-West like Toulton, Stoneage Barton (of which more in the next talk) and Vollis Hill. Like Hazel, Keith spoke much about methodologies but also presented evidence for the exploitation of this area in the past. www.wkac.ac.uk/quantocks for updates on the Survey.
The Winchester
excavations having uncovered part of a stone-lined burial, more detailed examination
of the Stoneage Barton site had been undertaken by Chris Webster. The
grave had been wholly excavated, along with similar burials nearby, to reveal
a Dark Age cemetery. That the graves were stone lined reflected Roman custom.
I thought perhaps it could also have been related to the stone cists of the
Bronze Age? The use and significance of stone in burial customs needed more
discussion.
Rounding off the day's presentations with a clear and comprehensive overview,
Bob Croft projected more slides showing the historical interest and
beauty of the Quantocks. In case we should think we were concerned with a
largely `natural' environment, he showed it to have been very much a managed
landscape for thousands of years, as revealed by the manifold signatures on
the landscape of Man's activities. He looked forward to the conservation and
development of the Kilve Chantry site.
Despite comfort breaks over-running (perhaps inevitable on such a fine day), there was still time for discussion after the formal presentations, all the speakers being lined up to face various friendly and uncontroversial questions. I'm sure some people would have welcomed more time for more extended and probing debate, but it was important to finish on time.
What we had been privileged to experience was a wide review of the Exploitation
of the Quantock area by Man. The current interventions of the National Trust,
English Heritage, etc., in the name of Study, Conservation and Education are
surely no real break with tradition: different kinds of industry, certainly,
but just as much exploitation, albeit now in the interests of the leisure
and education of the Many rather than the benefit of the Few—and thus,
maybe, restoring to the area something like its past life?
What other forms of exploitation have there been? I can think of hunting,
pasturing, habitation, agriculture, mining and other such industry, landscape-gardening
for the wealthy estates, literary `inspiration' (for example, for Wordsworth
and Coleridge, who may have contributed to an élitist exploitation),
antiquarianism preceding more respectable archaeological investigation, tourism
by Ordinary People (the promotion of this by the Great Western Railway hilariously
but instructively evoked by Bob Croft in his reading from a pre-war `guide'
to the Quantocks), sport and leisure activities including off-road wheeling
by motorbikes, 4x4s, mountain bikes, etc.
For all the strongly local nature of many features, the area was shown to be a microcosm of our own more general history. The sharpness of the Quantocks as barrier and definer may now be blunted by ease of access and communications; it was salutary to be stripped of some of our habitual outlook and to appreciate their full significance. We might also reflect on the gratitude owing for our freedom of access, a freedom which brings growing responsibilities: having paid our subscriptions to the National Trust, English Heritage, etc., and having contributed whatever resources we choose to command to their upkeep, how else could we bestow our thanks but to respect the hills themselves in their every aspect?
I want to conclude with some personal, probably controversial, comment. I am always sharply sensitive to how well information is communicated by professionals to amateurs. While paying due respect to the aid of technology (and there is no doubt in my mind that the latest is best because, efficiently and unobtrusively used, it is very much less distracting), it seems to me that the most enjoyable and therefore effective presentations are those which communicate directly, with the minimum of non-oral intervention (which, as well as electronic visual aids, includes `papers' and notes). The standard of communication at Nether Stowey was high. Of course, speakers were the more effective because of personal as well as professional enthusiasm for and commitment to work on the Quantocks—not totally `sober' or `cool', then!
Robin Downes
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Visit to Hill Farm & St. Mary's, Kingston St. Mary
Saturday 3rd May 2003
We turned off the main drag through Kingston St. Mary into the yard at Hill
Farm. A van had its bonnet up and a wheel off. A collie barked and trotted
over. We parked and got out round the puddles. A circular saw split the air,
and then we focused—a vast white cube of scaffolded monarfol enclosed
the medieval treasures we had come to see.
Moving cautiously towards the massive bulk, as we passed a barn a huge corrugated-iron door swung and creaked in the wind. Then we were in, past a wide panelled-and-boarded seventeenth-century front door into the cross-passage. On the left, through stud and panel screen, we entered the hall. There before us was an eighteen-inch bressumer spanning twenty feet across a large curing chamber, a larger inglenook with oven and a further alcove of uncertain purpose. The impression was of a baking and cooking facility on a commercial scale, but also perhaps of a previous smoke-bay.
Today's baking had been the work of the WI - date and walnut, jam sponge, chocolate, and fruit. Nigel Pearce, conservation architect for the project and organiser of the visit, had obtained these cakes -and very grateful we were, later that afternoon.
Above there were smoke-blackened, arch and wind-braced, jointed cruck frames dating from the fifteenth century. Nearly all the timber was elm, as were the new repairs and flooring (wide close-fitting boards fixed with cut nails). Nigel took half the party round the house while Mary Ewing explained the plan and photos of the once-derelict building.
We met owner and restorer Lloyd Dormer, as burly in enthusiasm as in size: briefly, because he was working furiously in and out of the roof space. Attacking every detail of the building with the help of Nigel and a listed buildings officer, he had mastered all the arcane arts of historic building restoration.
In the seventeenth-century parlour wing we looked at the tiny pigeon-loft, the winding elm stairs, the plaster-decorated oval ceiling and the magnificent shell-porch said to be kin to that of Taunton Castle.
Then we took tea amongst the acrow props, as outside the brambles lurked and lashed at the windows. (But their turn will come as restoration advances.)
At St. Mary's church, Tim Earl spoke to us warmly about its history, typical of many in the region. The late fifteenth-century wool boom (which had likely financed Hill Farm) had provided one of the finest examples of Somerset's rich trove of church towers, sporting detached pinnacled shafts and buttresses, pierced battlements and several `hunky-punks'—all in honeyed Ham stone. Bench-ends, hatchments, and a very large chest tomb topped in Purbeck stone decked out with family shields were mostly associated with the Warre family of Hestercombe.
The tower stair was too great a temptation. We looked out from the roof towards the Quantocks over Hill Farm—for decades Kingston's wreckage, but no longer.
Anthony Bruce
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Medieval Settlement Research Group
Hosted by the University, the 2003 Day Conference held at Exeter on 3rd May
focused on the South-West. Despite an overall Devonian gravitation, all speakers
touched on material general enough to to be of interest to Somerset archaeologists.
The only speaker wholly to focus on our county, Steve Rippon (University of Exeter) spoke about his work-in-progress on `Settlement and Landholding in the Levels', concentrating on the area to the North and North-West of Meare comprising the basins of the Brue, old and new, and of the Axe.
Martin Gillard (English Heritage) gave an updated account of his doctorate research on the morphology of `[Medieval] Field-systems and Settlements on Exmoor', their determination by land-holding and land-use and their implications of a changing social system. Most readers will already have enjoyed this information. Although most hamlets discussed are in Devon, Martin talked about the special case of Porlock Vale, with its complicated parish organisation as well as the Western area of Minehead town which is now covered by housing. There may be other locations in Somerset Exmoor where the characteristic crescent-shaped fields existed from the Middle Ages until relatively recently (in some cases, still extant).
While the other contributors did not specifically include Somerset, their subjects are worth noting as deserving application to the county. Simon Probert (English Heritage) spoke on `Agrarian Expansion in the Plym and Okehampton Districts', Sam Turner (Devon County Council) on `Building Christian Landscapes', Peter Weddell (Exeter Archaeology) on `Recent Medieval Settlement Excavations in Devon', Harold Fox (University of Leicester) on `Droveways to Summer Settlements on Dartmoor' and Peter Herring (Cornwall Historic Environment Service) on `Deer Parks in Medieval Cornwall'. The last two stimulating topics seem well worth pursuing in a Somerset context.
Contact:
Stephen Coleman, Hon.Sec., Heritage and Environment Group, D.E.E.D., Bedfordshire
County Council, County Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AP. Robin Downes
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Somerset and the Weather
SANHS Local
History Annual Symposium
Wells, 28th June
2003
A fine summer day saw some forty-five people assemble in Wells Town Hall to
hear about Britain's favourite topic, with special reference to the experience
of Somerset people over the centuries. A selection of speakers provided an
insight into how the county had been affected by changing atmospheric conditions
from before the Norman Conquest to the present day, touching also on the question
of `global warming'.
The choice of topic for this year and the venue arose from the fact that 2003 is the tercentenary of the death of Bishop Kidder and his wife in the Great Storm of November 1703. The story of the storm and its dire consequences for the bishop were described by Tom Mayberry. The events were unusual in that it was perhaps the first example of investigative journalism: the storm had catastrophic effects over much of the country and Daniel Defoe invited people to send him details of their experiences; many did and were published by him. In the death of Bishop Kidder the diocese lost someone who was not universally popular and many saw the hand of God in the events.
Pat Hill-Cottingham
looked at weather and the distribution of wildlife, with particular reference
to her work on species-change in the Levels. Rain, sun and wind are three
elements in the complex pattern of systems which include not only `wildlife'
but also human beings—we are an integral part of nature. There is local
evidence (for example, in long-term studies at Shapwick) of changes in atmospheric
conditions affecting wildlife but, looking further afield, the northward spread
of species is a response to the increase in average temperature. Since 1961
the Migrant Hawker dragonfly has moved into this area from the South-East.
Other species have come from the Continent, possibly on lorries.
Bob Dunning looked at earlier records when, although weather data were not systematically collected, extreme events were considered worthy of record—for example, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and in illuminated manuscripts, where the ordinary peasant is depicted facing various inclement weathers without the protection taken for granted today. Much evidence comes indirectly through records of landholding and tenancies, notably in reasons given for rent rebates. Yet again, the hand of God was seen (as it were) in the contemporary comparisons with Noah's of the Great Flood of 1607, which inundated much of the county's central area.
Colin Clarke of Bruton examined patterns of extreme rainfall affecting the county. Bruton was noted for particularly severe flooding but other areas also suffered, such as Taunton in 1960 and, more notably, Lynmouth in 1952, just into Devon—interestingly, that inundation, however disastrous, has been proved by research not to have been the village's worst ever, contrary to popular opinion. Exactly how one uses records to predict future extreme events is crucial: problems may be caused for dams and flood relief schemes where the scale of, for example, a `100 year event' has to be assessed. Examining in detail how such predictions are made, Dr Clarke explained his own approach to the problem.
Simon
Ratsey of Wellington, who writes a regular column in the Wellington Weekly
News, has kept West Somerset weather records for over forty years. Observations
from 1960 to 2000 at the family farm south of Wiveliscombe gave a fascinating
insight into meteorological events remembered by those present. These records
could be compared with other data for the same period, including some from
the north side of the Brendons i
n the early 1970s. Without making predictions about global warming, Mr Ratsey
demonstrated how his records revealed increase in average temperature along
with changes in precipitation patterns.
The final speaker, Birdy Johnson from Exmoor, has been running an oral
history project in the National Park and adjoining areas. Despite increased
emphasis on the objectivity of data, it is day-by-day experience of the weather
which lives in our memories. The farms and villages of the Moor are particularly
affected by weather—whether rain, snow or even drought. The Lynmouth
Flood and the blizzards of 1947, 1963 and 1978 were especially significant
in ways which might not be appreciated by those living at lower altitudes.
The thoroughly enjoyable Symposium was informative and thought-provoking, suggesting opportunities for further research. We cannot escape the weather and should all be mindful of the potential impact on the county of climatic change. Whether we `see' the hand of God is a matter of personal belief, but perhaps the move to Exeter of the headquarters of the Meteorological Office will provide an opportunity to examine in even more detail Somerset's weather—past, present, and future.
David Rabson