Avon Archaeology

1 l ~~iro~ AVON ARCHAEOLOGY \ '' ~\(i;--.. j I \ -:_1 c~ r" ,-.-..ii. '\~-- ~ ' Volume 6 BRISTOLAND AVONARCHAEOLOGY 6 1987 CONTENTS Address by L.V. Grinsell on the occasion of the 25th Anniversa!Y of B(A)ARG 2 L.V. Grinsell Bibliography 1972-1988 3 compiled by N. Thomas Domesday Keynsham - a retrospective examination of an old English Royal Estate 5 M. Whittock Excavations in Bristol in 1985-86 11 R. Burchill, M. Coxah, A. Nicholson & M. W. Ponsford The Lesser Cloister and a medieval drain at St. Augustine's Abbey, Bristol 31 E.J. Boore Common types of earthenware found in the Bristol area 35 G.L. Good & V.E.J. Russett Avon Archaeology 1986 and 1987 44 R. Iles & A. Kidd A Bi-facial polished-edge flint knife from Compton Dando 57 Alan Saville Excavations at Burwalls House, Bristol, 1980 58 N.M. Watson Cromhall Romano-British villa 60 Peter Ellis An Anglo-Saxon strap-end from Winterbourne, Bristol 62 J. Stewart Eden rediscovered at Twerton, Bath 63 Mike Chapman St. John's Keynsham - results of excavation, 1979 64 Peter Ellis An 18th-19th century Limekiln at Water Lane, Temple, Bristol 66 G.L. Good Medieval floor tiles from Winterbrmrne 70 J.M. Hunt & J.R. Russell Book reviews 72 (c) Authors and Bristol & Avon Archaeological Research Group COMMITTEE 1987-88 Chairman N. Thomas Vice-Chairman A.J. Parker Secretary J. Bryant Treasurer J. Russell Membership Secretary A. Buchan Associates Secretary G. Dawson Fieldwork Advisor M. Ponsford Editor, Special Publications R. Williams Publicity Officer F. Moor Editor, BAA R. Iles M. Aston, R. Burchill, J. Fowles, R. Jones, V. Russett, J. Stewart For details about membership of Bristol & Avon Archaeological Research Group write to: Membership Secretary, BAARG, Bristol City Museum, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 I RL Design by Davina Ware. Typesetting by Angela Harris Printed by Typing Facilities, Midland Road, Bristol. ISSN 0263-1091 COVER ILLUSTRATION: This shows some of the variety of pottery from Bristol: in the back row 2 large, decorated medieval jugs; in the front row, post-medieval pottery - chamber-pot, flask, skillet and drug jar. (VR) 2 ADDRESSON THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF B.A.(A.)R.G. LY.GrinsellOBE My first act on being invited to give this address was to society properly so-called. Our Editor Rob Iles is produc look around for parallels; and the only one which comes ing in our annual volume Bristol & Avon Archaeology, anywhere near this occasion in importance was the Address what is in effect the equal of any county archaeological given by Lt. Gen. A.H.L.F. Pitt-Rivers on the occasion of periodical, but to make it financially viable we need many the opening of the Dorset County Museum in 1884, when more members. he began by thanking the Earl of Shaftesbury for introduc Some of you already know that I believe that we should ing him. So I begin by thanking our Chairman Nicholas be flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions, and Thomas for introducing me, and I may add that he sur that the time has come for us to change our title to the passes the General in that he is a Past President of both the Bristol & Avon Archaeological Society, to bring ourselves Museums Association and the Council for British Archaeo into line with the archaeological structure of the rest of logy, neither of which was formed until after the General's our country. In the language of the newest of the New death. It is a pleasure to see so many of our original or very Archaeology, we should then acquire Peer Polity with our early members here, some of whom have held office as neighbouring counties and talk to them in their own either Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Excavations language and on our own terms. Adviser, Publicity Officer, Secretary for Junior Members, I believe that such a change, if adequately publicised, or the so easily forgotten Auditor. could result in such an increase in membership as would I have been encouraged to note how many of those help us to balance our budget. It is also possible that if who joined as Junior Members are now occupying posts of we refrain from taking this step,. we may leave the way distinction in archaeological administration or research : clear for some other organisation to usurp what is surely Dr Stephen Green (joined 1965), now Assistant Keeper our function. of Archaeology in the National Museum of Wales and on I have two other suggestions for our improvement: the Council of the Society of Antiquaries of London•; 1) that instead of advertising our forthc~ming events Dr. Ann Hamlin (joined 1965), now Principal Inspector in a Newsletter or Bulletin, which tends to get mis of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings in Northern laid or filed away, we revert to our former method Ireland - both of them in spite of the fact that they attend of having a Fixture Card, one that stands on its own ed my extra-mural classes in archaeology. I recall also feet as it were, which usually lives on the mantel Dr. Alan Vince (joined 1968), a leading authority on piece along with those of the Somerset A&NH Soc., medieval pottery now on the staff of the Museum of Bath & Bristol Num. Soc., and others, and is always London; and Stephen Cogbill (joined 1970), whose com available for consultation; puter analysis of the contents of Bronze Age round barrows 2) that it is time we produced a fresh List of Members, in Southern England (for his Cambridge PhD) is awaited our last one having been issued in 1981. It is the with increasing impatience by others besides myself. essential requirement for enabling us to communi B.A.R.G. was formed early in 1962 to fill what we then cate with our archaeological friends and colleagues. believed was largely an archaeological void. Our formation was welcomed by the Somerset A & N H Society which I now come to the main purpose of this address: to draw had a long-established tradition of encouraging local your attention to this excellent exhibition of the manner societies, and provided for it by holding its Autumn Meet in which we have been disporting ourselves during the last ings of Affiliated Societies, which tended to have the 25 years. Such exhibitions do not arrange themselves, effect of increasing the membership of the parent Society. and I am sure we are grateful to all those who have parti However, our formation was misunderstood by the B. & cipated in bringing it together : my successor Jennifer G.A.S. which then had no such structure for encouraging Stewart; Mike Ponsford who has I believe been the main the establishment of local societies which it regarded as spring of the operation; and the numerous backroom boys 'splinter groups'. Not until the late 1970s did they form and girls of all ages who have assisted in one way or ano their Committee for Archaeology in Gloucestershire with ther. There is a certain emphasis on excavation, survey, and its annual autumn meetings of affiliated societies and experimental. archaeology, and especially on projects groups, and I expect they now realise that the formation undertaken jointly with Museum staff or the staff of the of our own Research Group was no bad thing after all. Department of Classics and Archaeology in the University. However, since we formed in 1962, the County of Of course, no two people would have produced the same Avon came into existence as a result of the Local Govern type of display. If I had done it, prehistory would have ment Reorganisation which took effect from 1974. In occupied almost the whole area (together with publica 1981 we changed our title from B.A.R.G. to Bristol and tions), and everything else would have overflowed into the Avon Archaeological Research Group: certainly a step adjoining and much smaller room. in the right direction. The county of Avon is the only one I end with a few desultory remarks on our Publications. in Southern England without a county archaeological From the start we adopted the motto : NO EXCAVATION GRINSELL: BIBLIOGRAPHY 3 WIT.HOUT PUBLICATION. Had we chose NO PUBLICA LVG : a selected Bibliography, 1972 to the present day. TION WITHOUT EXCAVATION, I should never b.ave had As promised in Bristol and Avon Archaeology 5, the vol anything published at all ! Despite our motto, our forma ume dedicated to Leslie Grinsell, this bibliography of his tion early in 1962 w:as greeted with rhetorical questiori' by main writings is published as a continuation of the record a former President of one of the adjoining county archaeo of his published works in Archaeology and the Landscape, logical societies: 'what reason have we to think that this 1972. Essentially, the only items omitted (in itself a not upstart group would ever publish anything that they did?'. inconsiderable and interesting list) have been letters and We took that rhetorical question as a challenge and forth reviews. Here is a remarkable record of the scholarly out with persuaded the Extra-Mural Department of the Uni put of a man officially 'in retirement'! versity to sponsor a course of six lectures on 'The Prepa ration of Archaeological Reports' given by Philip Rahtz Alan Warhurst and myself. The result, after suitable edi 1972 ting, was published at first as a cyclostyled booklet in 1962, "Perambulations of the Bounds of Mendip Parishes". Notes 2nd edition 1963, and later as a proper hardback book Queries Somerset Dorset 29, 212-213. published by John Baker in 1966.

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