ESSEX SOCIETY FOR ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY (Founded as the Essex Archaeological Society in 1852) Digitisation Project ESSEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL NEWS AUTUMN 1976 TO SPRING 1980 {Nos. 56 to 70) 2014 ESAH REF: Nl056070 ISSN 0305-8530 Essex Archaeological News Autumn 1976 ESSEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER No. 56, AUTUMN, 1976, CONTENTS :- Comment •••••••••••.•..•••.••••• 1 EAS Social calendar ••.••..•••.. 2 Visit to Thaxted .. , •.•.. , ••..• , 3 The AGM •..••••...•.••..•......• 4 Visit to Cressing •..•••..•••..• 6 Visit to Earls Colne .....•..•• 7 The Advisory Committee •.••.••.• 9 Price of SALT report •..••....• 10 Woodham Walter excavations ..••• 11 Orsett excavations 12 Cressing excavations ••...••.••• 13 Museum Exhibitions •.•....••.••. 14 Young Rescue •.•.....•...•.•••. 15 Science and Archaeology course • 15 Waltham Abbey programme ••...••• 16 W,E,A, Evening Classes •••••.••• 17 CBA meeting • , . , . , . , . , .•.•....•• 18 Research in progress on History of Essex 19 Book Reviews .... ............. 19 & 20 St. Michael's, Thorpe-le-Soke, Centenary 21 Library Corner 22 The drawing on the front cover is of a glass cinerary urn from a pre-Flavian cremation burial, found at Stebbing, Essex circa 1968. Drawing by Chris Going; height of urn 26 ems. This newsletter is compiled and edited by :­ John E. Sellers, 1 Chignall Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2JA. for the Publications Committee, EAS. Contributions for the Winter newsletter by the first week in November, please. 1 COOfENT Sir Mortimer Wheeler died on Thursday 22nd July, 1976. The reaction to the news was one of shock and loss, for far beyond the fact that he was a Vice-President of this Society, as he was of so many other worthy societies, he had always a special interest in Colchester, where he started his archaeological interest. This feeling for Colchester he displayed during his address at the Society AGM in Colchester in 1973, when this great man, with a robust sense of humour, made light of his accomplishments and kept the audience in an uproar of laughter. It was typical1 for this man was a showman par excellence, and as a result his name is to the ordinary public synonymous with archaeology. But the sense of loss was tempered by the feeling of 'shall we really miss him', and the real truth is that what­ ever may have happened to the grand old man, he will live on in ourminds, in our work, in our very approach to every archaeological problem, for this man has become a legend in his own time, and legends live on. It would be quite improper to attempt to give any account of his many and varied accomplishments, this has been done adequately in the National Press but I think that a few quotations from an appreciation by Martin Biddle, in the Observer will express the archaeologists point of view. "Man is in some sense the casket of a soul as well as five-shillings-worth of chemicals ••• something a good deal more to us than an ingredient in the chemistry of the cosmos: and a course of poetry or philosophy may properly be regarded as no less needful for the young archaeologist - or the old one, for that matter - than a course of pot-making or pollen analysis." 'This was the magisterial authorative voice, invested with a sense of the past, no less than with the ever-presence of moxtality, of Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler who died on Thursday at the age of 85 and was the lighthouse for a generation and more of world archaeologists.' 'But it was on Wheeler's foundations that we all have built. And our ability to do so is based on the new status for arch- aeology as a discipline in the centre of public interest which Rik Wheeler more than anyone else created ••••••• ' 2 EAS SOCIAL CALENDAR Firstly the Social Secretary wishes to express very many thanks to Mr and Mrs Charles Morse for so kindly being hosts at the Earls Colne evening. EXTRA TO THE ISSUED CALENDAR * SATURDAY 11th September. Visit to Bourne Mill, Colchester commencing 2.30 p.m. This mill was built in 1591 and is still working. It is just over ! mile from Colchester along Mersea Road, turn left at Bourne Road. Leave cars at the side of the road further up the hill. Admission 10 p, pay there It is hoped to visit Brerechurch Church which is no longer in use and which has an uncertain future. This contains some fine C 18 monuments. The last visit of the afternoon is to Copford Church, Norman, apsidal, and notable for its unique C 12 wall paintings said to represent contemporary dress and possible architecture. As an added attraction a Flower Festival will be in progress, so guides and teas will be available. For members still in the area in the evening, an early evening visit to 'The House with no name' at Easthorpe is well worth while. Please let Mrs Margaret Cornwall, 2 Orchard Close, Copford Green, Colchester, C06 1DB, know if you are going to join the visit. Telephone Colchester 210686. * SUNDAY 19th September. The Stour Valley Railway Preservation Society's STEAM,OPEN DAY at Chappel. EAS members will be given a guided tourand an introductory talk about the Railway by a member of the Preservation Society; Major N.R. Campling, President of the LNER Society will give a talk on'The Railway Museum, York' Admission 25 p, please pay on arrival at 2.30 p.m. and meet in the main booking hall. Please let Margaret Cornwall know if you will be attending. * TIIDRSDAY 14th October. THE M<EANT DINNER this year will be held at the White Hart, Braintree, tickets will be £3.75, meet 7.15 for 7.45, Please return a booking slip to the Social Secretary, Margaret Cornwall, if you wish to attend. If you mislay your slip, or have not received one, please wriet booking your places and enclosing the correct money. Applications welcome up to Tuesday 9th October, after this pllta se ring Colchester 0206 210686 and enquire. 3 The Society visit to Thaxted, Saturday May 15th. The feature of Thaxted which everyone knows from calendars, and guide books etc. is the Guildhall, and on the morning of the visit the Council of the Society was privileged to use this building for something approaching its original purpose, for business meetings. Thus we had a preview of the admirable restoration which has been made of this building, and use the second floor which has only recently been made safe, after its period of neglect and rot, for the .Guildhall has just been saved from a state of extreme peril and restored by the County Council. The figure mentioned is £55,000. After lunch some sixty members of this Society and another were shown round the Guildhall and given an illustrated talk by Mr J. Boutwood, of the County Planners Department, who said that it was, inevitably,Cecil Hewett who first drew attention to the state of decay, and then showed how the restoration took place step by step. The result today is a pleasant blend of the original building together with modern lighting, floorcovering and seats. The intention was to preserve the building's character and at the same time to provide an amenity centre for Thaxted. How well this has succeeded. From the Guildhall our Society visit moved on to the Priory, a timbered house in the High Street opposite the Guildhall, where Mr and Mrs Bradfield showed us round the house and garden, and gave us tea. This building has also been restored, and is now a remarkable, and interesting home. The main room goes right up to the roof timbers, and there is a circular staircase leading up to a gallery over looking the room. Members were popping up everywhere in the house, and not a few admiring the garden which stretches back to the 1 Roman 1 back road. Eventually we tore ourselves away with much thanks to the Bradfields, and passed on to the church. This is an impressive building of extraordinary size, and the Rev E.C. Elers gave us a resum~ of its history, and the present problems of maintenanc~ • My own attention was elsewhere, for it is over. twenty years since Elizabeth and I took part in Dr Swinburns furious sessions to rehearse and give in the church during one hectic weekend the Christmas Oratorio at Christmas and the St John Passion at Easter. One year we had Alexander Young with us. Such memories, and what a splendid visit. 4 THE AGM Saturday 12th of June remained true to the Summer weather pattern, and was a very warm, sunny day, which was ·just as well for the Society had a good deal of outdoor participation planned. The Annual General Meeting was held this year in the Castle Methodist Church Hall in Colchester. The order of the day varied from previous years and the business meeting was held at 10.45 after coffee. The Mayor of Colchester, Councillor Mrs Joyce Brooks, was at the meeting to welcome the Society to Colchester, and referred to the articles in the press concerning the Colchester Roman Wall. The President then gave an opening speech putting the situation into perspective. The business meeting then proceeded after the Mayor had left to carry out more engagements, and this must be the shortest election meeting on record for the Society. There was no need for disoriminative voting, and the whole of the proposed officers and council members were passed en bloc. The meeting then became more general with many members taking part in discussion on the proposed increases in subscription rates, there was no dissent but there was a query as to whether the amounts were adequate, and whether the wait until next January for the new rates was wise.