Hunter Archaeological Society
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HUNTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER May 2011 Welcome to the spring newsletter of 2011 and a warm welcome to any new members who have recently joined us. I hope you have enjoyed the sunny Easter break. Our spring talks have been outstanding. Our first main society lecture of the new year was by Clive Waddington entitled ‘Fin Cop – A Hill Fort in Context’; Clive gave us a clear overview of all the work on the site to date, including the discovery of records of a skeleton from a cave at Hob House which is currently being dated. The skeletal evidence from the massive hill fort ditches brings into focus our views of the period around 300BC. Neolithic and Late Bronze Age material from the interior of the fort indicates the length of occupation of this strategic site. In February Prof. Peter Fawcett introduced ‘A Tale of Two Cities; The inter-war Architecture of Sheffield and Nottingham’ to a larger than usual audience – he gave us a fascinating account of the design of many familiar and not so well-known public and residential buildings dating to the 1930s. In March Dr. Andrew Grierson, from the Department of Neuroscience at Sheffield University, gave us a very compelling session on the use of the statistically reliable (if not predictable) mutation of the male Y chromosome to analyse population groups and estimate how long they have been around. Aided by a host of Welshmen anxious to give samples and prove their Celtic, non-English origins, he scrutinised a proposition that the Great Orme copper miners were Romans or their associates. The subject group proved to be of more recent origin and not located in the right area of North Wales but did relate to Eastern Europe. This was a very informative and enjoyable piece of applied science, particularly for the ancestor worshippers among us for whom it was a salutary caveat. The Field Research Section talks started with a fascinating outline of ‘Broadgates, a Dig in Progress’ put together by Eileen Beech and presented by Martin Waller. This intriguing site continues to challenge the team who are researching the early farmstead and its setting. This talk was followed in February by former SY Council Service archaeologist Peter Ryder talking about ‘Cruck Buildings in South Yorkshire’ – he surveyed many buildings in his early work on the vernacular architecture of the region and showed many photos of fine examples of local cruck-framed buildings, some of which have now gone. In the final talk of the season, Vicky Crewe, who had recently completed her PhD at Sheffield University, gave us a very interesting and enjoyable account of how the Anglo-Saxons had used prehistoric ring ditches, barrows and circular enclosures for the insertion of their burials and cremations and kept their settlements separate from these sites. On 30 March the Hunter Society co-sponsored one of the Medieval and Ancient Research Seminars at the HRI, at which Colin Merrony was talking about the Premonstratensians and Beauchief Abbey. A large group of Hunter members attended the talk, in which Colin outlined the history of the order (founded in 1121, with the mother house at Newhouse in Lincolnshire) and the range of industrial processes they were involved in, which he believes are not visible in the documentary evidence. The Hunter Society provided the nibbles to go with the wine before the talk and we had a very good time – we hope to do this again. ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Society AGM The Society Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday 8 March 2011, attended by some 40 members. The meeting agreed the previous year’s minutes, the annual report (included here) and financial accounts for 2010. Pam Staunton stood down as a member of the committee and was given a bunch of flowers and warmly thanked for her many years of hard work and support of the Society. Tim Cockrell came forward to volunteer to be Development Officer and we welcome him to the committee. ANNUAL REPORT for 2010 presented to the AGM 8 March 2011 Since the last AGM, the Committee met on four occasions in April, September and November 2010 and February 2011, with 8 to 11 members attending (out of 15). Jim Symonds, Frank Robinson and Derwent Levick have decided to stand down from the committee during the year; Frank has been given life membership for his contribution as president of the Society. The Committee continues to monitor events and developments around the region, sharing news from other representatives on other committees; routine business included feedback from the working groups, discussing the Transactions and progress on site monitoring, having oversight of finances and membership and planning the lecture programme. We have had a very interesting and entertaining series of talks through the season - about the hoards from the Vale of York and Staffordshire, about Thomas Bateman, building conservation, Manor Lodge, about caves and Fin Cop, and even ventured overseas to hear about Egypt. Unfortunately the heavy snow and icy conditions meant that the December talk and social had to be cancelled. Newsletters were circulated in January, April and August, reflecting on activity and publicizing future events in the Society and in the region. Contributions to the newsletter are always welcomed. These now go out electronically to around 40 members, saving us a considerable amount in postage; between newsletters, news and events are circulated by email on a regular basis. The refurbished and much improved display case in Sheffield Central Library was used again for a display in July 2010. Site monitoring activity has been revived by Liz Hackett after a year’s break. Stands publicizing the Society were staffed at Rotherham Heritage Fair in May, South Yorkshire Archaeology Day in November, and Barnsley Heritage Day in January, when we had a joint stand with South Yorkshire Industrial History Society to support Barnsley Museum’s new Experience Barnsley project. Last June we presented the second Joseph Hunter Prize for Heritage Architecture to a 2nd year architecture student at Sheffield Hallam University, Rory Buckingham, for his design for the restoration of a canal-side warehouse at Whaley Bridge. Excursions in 2010 were planned and organized mainly by Claire Smyth to whom we are very grateful. Visits were made to Holme Head Wheel in Rivelin in June, Creswell Crags, Manor Lodge and Fin Cop in July, and Brodsworth in August and we are extremely grateful to the archaeologists for the time they put in to giving us excellent guided tours. A working group is being formed to increase experience and capacity so that we can expand into longer weekend trips. A working group of the committee has been developing plans for the Centenary of the Society in 2012, with events planned throughout the year but focused on a weekend - 11-13 May 2012 - with a Town Hall reception with the Lord Mayor, a day of celebratory talks, dinner in the Cutlers Hall and excursions. Exhibitions are being planned at Weston Park Museum and in the Sheffield University Library, and the Society is applying for funding to help with these and to pay for restoration of the 1852 Pickersgill portrait of Joseph Hunter. The Society has also been facilitating a series of meetings to try and publicise and effect support for the Museum to enable it to offer an archaeological service. The meetings were instigated by John Collis following a discussion at the December 2009 committee. Meetings held in March, May and December 2010 were attended by Museum, Council, University and other staff, and are being publicized through a national network of contacts. Pat Wagner is now the chair and they are supported by Ruth Morgan. They will continue as long as is necessary. ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Excursions for summer 2011 The Excursions Working Group has planned an exciting series of excursions for you this season, which includes walks, coach trips and visits to regional excavations. Please give them all the support you can. We have already had a very interesting walk in February in the Ewden valley near Midhope, led by Tim Cockrell, who is studying the archaeology of the area for his PhD. We saw cairn fields and a probable ring cairn, as well as standing stones and pine trees eroding out of the peat, all made more visible by a sudden fall of snow the previous day. We ate our lunch in a shooting butt (Broomhead moor is one of the best in the country for grouse shooting) before heading off across the moor to the confluence of the Ewden and Oak Becks to see what is thought to be the ‘Gallows’ stone on which Barbara is leaning. Claire Smyth led a coach party to Flag Fen and Peterborough on 19 March and writes: On a brilliant spring day we visited Flag Fen Archaeological Park. An excellent guide took us round the site via Bronze and Iron Age roundhouses (complete with Iron Age occupants) and a fascinating museum to the highlight, an in-situ section of the excavated wooden walkway, of a size and design unique in the UK. The viewing building had murals on the walls of the site as it would have been when the 1km long walkway was in use, helping us to visualise its sheer size. The wooden platform that was built half way across is still preserved under an artificial pond but there are no funds to excavate. We finished with an entertaining guided walk round the centre of Peterborough, with stories from Hereward the Wake to the 2nd World War, and the amazing painted ceiling of the cathedral. North Lees in Derbyshire - walk on 22 May We have arranged a walk in the North Lees area, led by Phil Sidebottom, on Sunday 22 May.