Registered Charity No. 105565 NEWSLETTER 137 February 2015 Registered2014 Charity No. 1055654 One of Kathryn Conder’s pictures from the CAS/DAS joint expedition to Dartmoor last Spring. Read more inside about the scandalous goings-on at St Pancras Church House, Widecombe. There are also many more photographs full of sunshine from our members who visited Greece and Cambodia. Valerie Maxfield introduces her successor from the AGM in April 2015: NICHOLAS JOHNSON In introducing Nicholas Johnson I am introducing someone who is very much one of our own – someone who has devoted the bulk of his professional life to the Archaeology of Cornwall. Nicholas embarked on his professional career in Cornwall just a few years after I started mine in Devon, and I have been aware, from my viewpoint on the other side of the Tamar, ever since those early days, of the very major role which he has played in the County’s archaeology. His career, firstly with the Cornwall Committee for Rescue Archaeology, later transmogrified into the Cornwall Archaeological Unit and then the Historic Environment Service of Cornwall County Council, mirrors the development of professional archaeology within the County from the initial establishment of a national network of professionally-staffed archaeological units and county Sites and Monuments Records – as they were then known. Nick became County Archaeologist in 1988, retiring from Cornwall Council 22 years later in 2010. Nick was one of the early proponents of bringing Industrial Archaeology within the archaeological mainstream – and where better to do that than in Cornwall – and he played a major part in the laborious process of obtaining World Heritage Site status for the early modern mining landscapes in Cornwall and West Devon. He was awarded the MBE in 2008 in recognition of his service to Archaeology in Cornwall. Nicholas Johnson is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists. He has propagated and disseminated Archaeology around the County – he has spoken on its archaeology to audiences local, regional, national and international, to high and low, the great and the good; he has published widely, including two notable books in 1994: with Peter Rose, 1994. help us ‘seed fund’ the next project which is Weaving by Jake Stockley (age 8) Bodmin Moor: an Archaeological in the early planning stages. It is a great Survey. Volume 1: The Human honour to be recognised in this way after Weaving in ancient times Was very tricky Landscape to C 1800. Truro: such a lot of hard work and we thank the Cornwall Archaeological Unit. You had to dye it with colours like lime community that made this possible.’ and in 2003, Cornwall’s But if the wool is wet it'll be sticky!!! Archaeological Heritage. Truro: The mats they made were fantastic Twelveheads Press. The frames were made of bone Because they had no plastic At the end of each string is a stone. He has already seen service on your committee and is, I believe, an extremely A Celebration of the Tinworking appropriate person to take on the Presidency of this Society. Landscape of Dartmoor in its European Context - Prehistory to th I therefore commend him to you, most the 20 Century’ Tavistock, warmly, as our President-Elect. Devon, 6-11 May 2016 Cornish Award for Pip Richards. The tinworking landscape of Dartmoor is arguably the finest in the world for its extent, completeness, chronological range CAS Trustees nominated Pip Richards of and accessibility. Most of it falls within the Sustainable Trust to be considered for Pip Richards, Jacky Nowakowski, broadcaster Dartmoor National Park and much is on the award of Heritage Champion presented and supporter Julian Richards, volunteer diggers open moorland to which there is by Cornwall Heritage Trust in memory of Sir Katie Collins and Myarch Brett at the British unrestricted public access. Although always Richard Trant. Pip is the first woman to win Academy (photo CBA) closely connected historically to the Cornish this award. The last phases of the project are still under tin industry, Dartmoor’s tinworking way and a commemorative book was landscape is quite distinct, as it lacked the deep tin deposits of its neighbour and also launched in December 2014. had an abundance of water resources. In the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries Dartmoor tinworking was on a relatively small scale. Consequently, archaeological remains of these and earlier periods (especially AD 1300-1700) are still of outstanding extent and quality. Historically, the industry generated significant wealth for the county of Devon, National Award for Carwynnen being ranked as more important than Project. seafaring in about AD 1600. Much tin was exported to Europe and beyond. The Carwynnen Team have won a second Hundreds of hectares of streamworks and award, the Marsh Award for Community openworks survive, served by numerous Archaeology presented by the Council for Pip shows CBA president Dan Snow details of reservoirs and miles of leats. Ore was British Archaeology. the project (photo Myarch Brett) crushed and smelted in waterpowered mills, of which at least 100 survive This prestigious award was received by To find out more about the diversity of the archaeologically. 200 accommodation project manager Pip Richards at the British Education and Outreach undertaken see ‘lodges’ have been identified on open Academy in London last week. The project www.giantsquoit.org moorland. In the 19th century shafts had been nominated by community reached a depth of 500ft (152m), often Email [email protected] to reserve a archaeologist Richard Mikulski and Pip was drained by pumping copy of the book. accompanied to the awards by lead waterwheels up to 60ft (18m) in diameter, archaeologist Jacky Nowakowski. Archaeology in the National Curriculum. with horse-powered ‘whims’ used for hauling. The largest mine employed up to Pip said, ‘It was quite a splendid event, and One of our youngest supporters has sent 200 men, women and children. The hugely enjoyable to meet the UK’s leading his poem from a project on Anglo-Saxon moorland industry survived until 1930 and experts in the field. The prize money will weaving. its last decades included innovative use of brass rubbings, tin stamped Cornish Paul Holden FSA [National water-powered turbines generating crosses and Pilgrim badges to take home Trust] The Lanhydrock Atlas, electricity. From the 1860s onwards, much with them. Visitors were invited to bring along archaeological artefacts to be looked was documented photographically. Superb at and identified by experts at the Museum. Paul began with the comment that the Atlas archives also exist. could be described as an archaeological th resource; his talk showed that this To mark the 25 anniversary of the magnificent collection of 380 individual Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group maps, in 4 books represents a resource far (www.dtrg.org.uk), and to coincide with the outstripping such a description. 10th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage designation of the Cornwall and He explained that the National Trust found that there were no copies of this collection West Devon Mining Landscape of maps and in view of fire risk and (www.cornish-mining.org.uk) this complications connected with that a way conference, based in the stannary town and should be found to produce some form of World Heritage Site area of Tavistock, will copy. Eventually money was raised from comprise lectures and full day field the Piet Mendels Foundation which was excursions. Notably, our local archaeological being wound up and it was decided to film reconstruction artist, Jane Stanley, the maps and publish as a book to be The conference will celebrate the diversity exhibited her work and sketched the event available for research. The original maps would then be kept in a safe. Oliver Padel of Dartmoor’s unrivalled industrial so that we have a record for posterity. Jane and Pete Herring joined Paul to provide landscape, and will compare its features has since donated 2 of the works of art to the Learning Department Collection. expert help and advice; the final publication and technologies with those of of the Atlas gives the names of the three contemporary tinworking areas of There was also the opportunity to see the persons involved in producing the Atlas continental Europe – Czech Republic, re-enactment of the St Piran’s story, make a which was eventually published by Cornish Germany, France and Spain, as well as that Cornish flag and join in a procession with St Editions. The cost of producing the Atlas in of Cornwall. A detailed programme for the Piran himself. The St Piran’s play starring colour was considerable but necessary as the Atlas owes much of its splendour to the conference, and costings, will be available Colin Retallick, as St Piran and other actors vibrant colours still showing on the on the website of the Dartmoor Tinworking from the St Piran’s Trust was the highlight of the day and children very much enjoyed individual maps. In fact it is as much a work Research Group (www.dtrg.org.uk) from the participating. of art as a tool for research. In the end 550 early Summer of 2015. To register an were printed and although expensive a interest in this conference, or for further considerable number have now been sold. information, please send an email to Dr Paul’s slides showed the accuracy and Tom Greeves at depth of detail portrayed in the maps. It is [email protected] .. not just the landscape that is portrayed but www.dtrg.org.uk individual fields, leats, land usage and roads together with adjoining land holdings not owned by the Robartes. Although there is no evidence of authorship it is assumed that the surveyor was Joel Gascoigne who worked for about 3 years covering the very considerable distances between the various Robartes land holdings which stretched from Land’s End, through the Lizard, NL136 Correction: Penryn, Bodmin, North Coast, and towards Liskeard.