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inside this issue: Archaeology YATE COURT VICTIM OF WAR? Issue 8 December 2004 Under New Management! outh Gloucestershire Council no longer has an archaeological promotion officer, Richard Osgood has joined a different team, the Mod’s Conservation group on SSalisbury plain. However SGC is committed to continuing to produce two issues of Archaeology per year. A rather slimmer version for this issue but we may be back to full size next year. Your new editor is David Evans. I considered changing the name. What do you think? Archaeology seems too restricted for what we cover, a flint flake to the Second Severn Crossing but, for now, it remains Archaeology. Ram Hill Colliery, Rediscovery, Rescue and Revelation. Ram Hill colliery was once the hub of nineteenth century coal mining in Westerleigh parish.It was the terminus of the Dramway, probably the last railway in England designed to use horses of a means of propulsion. Although not totally forgotten, there is no Dating from 1828 just a year before the doubt that neglect had set in. Fortunately Rainhill trials heralded the victory of steam, help was at hand, a Bristol University MA the Dramway as built ended here, and here student, Bridget Hetzel, was looking for a the mystery begins. A number of plans exist project. Ram Hill was suggested and although showing the proposed route of the Dramway initially reluctant she set to it with a will. but none show it ending up at Ram Hill. Why, The results were spectacular, already the site was it an old colliery thought worked out or a has been cleared of undergrowth and we are new site thought to have great potential? well on the way to securing the long-term There are other conundrums connected with management of the site with a plan for the site, which are revealed in a new study. consolidation, presentation and interpretation. The fact that the site survives at all is a serendipity of circumstance. The GWR purchased the area for its new direct route from South Wales to London. In the end the cutting stopped just north of the site but only just. The mine lay forgotten until 1981 when John Cornwell a local archaeologist rediscovered the site. The next stroke of fortune, although not to those involved, was the high level of unemployment in the 1980s, which engendered a number of job creation Before and after schemes. In 1987 a comprehensive program clearance of work was carried out, unfortunately funds ran out and the ambitious scheme was left incomplete. A HALF YEARLY NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL 1 s Yate Court one of the ruins, that A similar case arises when we look at formal articles by pulling down the walls, bridges and Cromwell knocked about a bit, as goes sieges of castles and towns. At Gloucester houses and ransacking the estate to his own Ithe old music hall song? In this case, for example evidence for the works came profit. perhaps Prince Rupert (Royalist), who is from the correlation of the results of many The current answer to the question was Yate reputed to have destroyed Filton in a fit watching briefs and small scale excavations Court destroyed in the civil war appears to be of pique, or Colonel Massey which revealed mysterious ditches and that we do not know for certain. The (Parliamentarian) are to blame for the destruction levels. The destruction levels evidence for the civil war defences at Acton current state of the site. confirmed that large areas of the suburbs of Court was the almost accidental outcome of Gloucester had been cleared as fields of fire. Although the blame for the study of the Tudor mansion. While Was Yate court destroyed in the war? However, the ditches showed that published the destruction of Yate documentary research may reveal the truth, plans of the defences, which seemed to show Court on the Civil War Although there is little doubt that medieval there is much potential for archaeology to the scheme in place at the time of the siege, appears to date only manor houses and castles were vulnerable to reveal to reveal the secrets of any siege and probably showed a scheme, which was never from the late nineteenth canon fire it is also true that most civil war defence works of the site. A range of implemented. The Gloucester defences were century there is little armies only had light pieces which could techniques ranging from the structured used far weaker than was ever supposed. Likewise doubt that during the inflict only light damage. Indeed often more of metal detectors, examining only the topsoil excavations at the Royal Fort showed that it Civil War the area which effective was the lobbing of mortar shells into to a variety of geo-physical techniques varied considerably from what was expected. including ground-penetrating radar could be Oliver Cromwell has now become South a building, as happened at Lichfield Close in Gloucestershire was a 1643, the resulting explosions causing little Apart from the occasional blockading action used to aid our search, and who knows one troubled territory. Between the end of the damage but terrorising the occupants into where the besiegers were not strong enough day the siege of Filton could become as well siege of Gloucester (September 1643), surrender. Where siege cannon was used the to take a fortified place, few battles lasted known as Concorde. perhaps the turning point of the English Civil results could be devastating as for example at more than a few hours or sieges more than a War, and the capture of Bristol by Colonel Nunney Castle. Much of the destruction of few weeks. In the core areas controlled by Fairfax (September 1645) the area between castles and manor houses was caused after either side life will have been relatively the two cities became a war zone. A zone, the end of the war when walls were blown peaceful. In the wild border country that was perhaps, best-described in modern military up, a process known as slighting. Bristol south Gloucestershire for two years between speak as an area of low level conflict. Castle was almost totally destroyed in 1656 1643 and 1645 was very much a lawless no and the scar of slighting can clearly be seen at go area. Just look at the events which Garrisons were placed at various points and Defensive Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire. occurred just after the surrender of Berkeley there was much patrolling and foraging, the Bastion castle (as quoted by Warrington), when latter often being an excuse for plunder. While many field-works associated with the Colonel Forbes broke the 1643 surrender Although passions certainly ran high during civil war survive, some spectacular like the the conflict it is fairly clear that many of the Queens Sconce at Newark, others such as the landowners whatever their nominal allegiance defences of Bristol on Brandon Hill much less were as much concerned with protecting so, there is much we do not know about hearth and home. For example we know from military operations of the period. Battlefield the recently published excavation report for archaeology has expanded our knowledge of Acton Court that the vulnerable north side of the set piece battle of the period. Mount Mill Fort One has only to look at the battle of Naseby (June 1645) where Parliament finally won the Civil War, a site with an excellent series of contemporary and near contemporary References: records. We knew within a couple of meters Aitkin M Laughlin W (1992) Gloucester and the where each unit was, what it did and where it Civil War: A city under Siege. went, except that we didn’t! Naseby far from Foard G (forthcoming) Naseby. being a fairly easy victory for Parliament was Rodwell K Bell R (2004) Acton Court: The evolution to quote the Duke of Wellington at the battle of a Tudor courtier’s house. of Fuentes de Onoro “A near run thing”; the Warrington AR (1997) Civil War, Interregnum and the site was defended by ditches and royalists almost won and the battlefield Restoration 1640-1672 earthworks and the trenching of these feature covered a much larger area than anyone produced bullets dated by clay pipes to the suspected. Much of the information was 1640s. Whether the bullets were fired in retrieved by the structured use of metal anger we cannot say. detectors. The defensive tower of Yate Court 2 Archaeology - Issue 8 December 2004 3 Interview: Meet the Conservation Officer Mandy Powell The South Gloucestershire Mines Research Job Title: Group (SGMRG) started in December 2002 Conservation Officer and we now have 64 members and 6 honourary members spread all around South Job Duties: Gloucestershire and further afield. The annual I deal mainly with issues in Conservation subscription is £10. Areas. There are currently 29 Conservation The focus of the group is specific to mining, Areas in South Gloucestershire, which have covering all aspects in the area including been designated because of their special celestine, coal, iron, lead, ochre silver and architectural or historic interest. The work stone mining. Inevitably this overlaps with is varied and involves assessing planning other organisations such as the GSIA, AIBT, applications and advising on development BIAS and local history organisations for those proposals so they do not harm the parishes where mining took place. We very character or appearance of these historic much see our role as ancillary to such groups areas. I also undertake character appraisals rather than an alternative and working in connection with the review of existing together to pool resources and information.