February 2018

1 FROM YOUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS AN UPDATE FROM CORNWALL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S AREA REPRESENTATIVES Opinions in these articles are those of the author and should not be assumed to be those of Cornwall Archaeological Society. FEBRUARY 2018 This month: ñ NOMADS AND EARLY FARMERS IN WITHIEL ñ BOXING CLEVER ñ WELL DONE BODMIN TOWN COUNCIL! ñ SCHOOLBOY SCRIBBLINGS ñ TIME TEAM SITE IN NEED OF CLEAN-UP ñ UPDATES AND DIARY DATES NOMADS AND EARLY FARMERS IN WITHIEL Local historian Mike Blake has spent many years researching the history of Withiel parish, where he was born and grew up. In the 1960s and 1970s he picked up about 40 pieces of flint from a field which was being ploughed. Since then he has concentrated on the later history of the area but was intrigued to discover recently that the new owners of that field continue to discover flint (and pottery too). A small sample of the flints collected in the 1960s and 1970s. Photo: Mike Blake 2 New owners Amelia Lake and Chloe Bines run an organic farming business, The Real Food Garden, at the site. Besides being deeply committed to the sustainable production of organic vegetables, Amelia has a deep interest in the site’s past and is delighted to have found so many flint artefacts. A selection of flints found more recently by Amelia King. Photo: Mike Blake CAS trustee Jenny Moore visited the site and sent photos to members of the Neolithic Studies Group. The current view is that a variety of periods are represented, including the Mesolithic and Neolithic. It is hoped to arrange for the formal identification and recording of these finds. To find tools dating back to the Mesolithic is really important, particularly since these tiny groups of people left so few traces of their existence. Nor can it be said that there is an over-abundance of evidence for Neolithic activity in Cornwall. Andy Jones and Dick Cole excavated ritual pits at Tregarrick Farm, Roche, a site that would have been comfortably reached in a couple of hours from Withiel (Cole, R, and Jones, A M, 2002-3. Journeys to the Rock: archaeological investigations at Tregarrick Farm, Roche, Cornwall, 2006, Cornish Archaeology 41-42, 107-43). People may still have been partly nomadic at this time and maybe the flint knappers of Withiel were amongst those who, as Cole and Jones put it, ‘established clearings in the woodland where people stopped and grazed their animals and undertook the daily routines of preparing food, pot making, knapping flint, making axes and looking after their animals’. They may have visited prominent local Neolithic sites in this area which would have stood out in the landscape, such as Roche Rock, Helman Tor and Castilly Henge. Maybe a small family group from the Withiel area sat munching hazelnuts 3 near Roche Rock on a warm early autumn evening five millennia ago, before tidily depositing their litter in pits? This is idle speculation perhaps but harmless fun. What is certain is that the Withiel finds, when recorded, will add to the sparse record of Neolithic activity in lowland Cornwall. And for those of you enjoy wielding gardening, as well as archaeological, trowels, why not look at the website for The Real Food Garden, which includes courses on organic gardening: http://www.realfoodgarden.co.uk/ ? BOXING CLEVER So many churches are in need of urgent attention to their fabric that it is always reassuring to see remedial work going ahead. However, managing renovation is a complex matter, especially when the work could endanger the wellbeing of adjacent features. Andrew Langdon (CAS and Federation of Old Cornwall Societies) is particularly eager to ensure that churchyard crosses are protected during building work. Many readers will be familiar with the Ignioc Stone in St Clement’s churchyard, near Truro. Not only does it have a cross-head, possibly carved in the 12th century, it also bears an Early Medieval inscription and may, according to some, have had Ogham script. Not surprisingly, a Scheduled Monument and a Grade II* Listed Building like this could easily be damaged by scaffolding poles and other activity. Fortunately, it is now safe from damage that might result from the roof renovation currently being carried out and sits snugly within a protective wooden box. Ignioc Stone protected in wooden box. Photo: Andrew Langdon 4 Protective covering for the Ignioc Stone, St Clement’s Churchyard Photo: Andrew Langdon Sometimes, with all the complexity surrounding church renovation, such protection for ancient crosses gets overlooked, (see following photo); however, there are precise guidelines governing the protection of designated structures during building work and vigilance is required to ensure that they are always followed. Madron, 2006 Photo: Andrew Langdon 5 WELL DONE BODMIN TOWN COUNCIL! The condition of the 14th century chantry chapel of St Thomas Becket in the parish churchyard at Bodmin has been a concern for many years and not surprisingly it is on the Heritage at Risk Register. Ann Preston-Jones of Historic England is working with colleagues to consider the best way to conserve the building, including the beautiful tracery in the east window. Other problems, such as vegetation growth, and the mess caused by vandals, require less specialist input and Bodmin Town Council has recently been putting in a great effort to give the building much-needed care and attention. Richard Davies, of Bodmin Town Council, organised a clear-up on 16th February. His colleagues, Will and Paul, were assisted by a small group of volunteers including Andrew Langdon and Mike Millard. Paul (on the left) and Will (on ladder) winning the fight against some pretty tough vegetation near the north wall of the chapel Andrew and Mike clearing the interior of the chapel 6 Observing a job well done: the interior cleared of leaves and litter The east window is a rare example in Cornwall from the 14th century. In 1909, Sedding considered it ‘the best in the county’. It certainly looks better following the clear-up. 7 Will painstakingly removing ivy from the south wall of the chapel The north wall cleared of ivy Without the enthusiastic commitment of Bodmin Town Council staff this work could not have been done. This jewel of a building can once again be appreciated by those interested in the history of what was for many years Cornwall’s county town. 8 SCHOOLBOY SCRIBBLINGS On the day of the work party in Bodmin something very unusual happened: the sun shone! After participants had confirmed the identity of this unfamiliar planetary body, they noticed abundant graffiti on the southern exterior wall of St Thomas’ Chapel. For many years after it had ceased its function as a chantry chapel, the building served as a boys’ school and it seems probable that some of these youngsters carved their names for posterity. This is rather reminiscent of the passage in Dickens’ David Copperfield in which the young David notes the inscriptions of the names of the boys who were to be his fellow pupils at Salem House: ‘There was an old door in this playground, on which the boys had a custom of carving their names. It was completely covered with inscriptions.’ The inscription ‘R. Gatty 1814’ can be seen. Photo: Andrew Langdon The inscription ‘J. Mudge 1817’ can be seen. Photo: Andrew Langdon 9 Whole minutes of research have shown the possibility that Master Mudge may have been the son of Thomas Mudge, tanner, of Bodmin, whose will, dated 4th October 1823, stated: I give and devise unto my son John his heirs and assigns forever all that house and garden with the hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging called Northy’s situate in Back Street in the said Borough… Also I give and devise unto my son John £500 (source: http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Par_new/a_d/bodmin.php ). This is a bit of a guess but it is an intriguing possibility; certainly the pupils were likely to have come from the better-off families of the area. Many other inscriptions, seemingly of the same period, could be seen nearby, but on leaving the crypt, a sunbeam revealed an older inscription (this was the Bodmin version of a ‘Howard Carter moment’): The names of ‘John Olliver 1684’ and, to the left, ‘Thomas Hoblyn’ carved on the wall leading to the crypt. Although carvings of initials inside the chapel were known, the extent of graffiti outside was an interesting discovery, particularly those accompanied by dates. Area Representatives have been on the lookout for graffiti for some time, on all sorts of buildings, and would be delighted to hear about examples found by CAS members and others. 10 TIME TEAM SITE IN NEED OF CLEAN-UP The name Time Team evokes a mixed response from archaeological professionals but for many of us amateurs it was the inspiration to get more involved in archaeology. The programme made several visits to the county, one of which was to the medieval chapels of St Michael's Chapel, at Lammana, near West Looe, and on Looe Island. This episode can still be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5PdeyBZ7lw . (It is interesting to watch it not only for the archaeology but to glimpse some of our well-known local archaeologists in their younger years.) Iain Rowe recently visited the mainland chapel site. Not only was he very surprised that it has no designated status, despite its importance in medieval Cornwall, but he was dismayed to see it in such an overgrown state. This is a possible location for a clear-up involving volunteers. Looking across the site of the mainland chapel from the west Photo: Iain Rowe 11 Looking east.

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