Archaeology in Marlow NEWSLETTER

Volume 11, Issue 5, October 2012

www.archaeologyinmarlow.org.uk

Forthcoming Events

8.00pm Thursday 25th October AIM talks are usually given in the Gar- The Ridgeway Hill Forts den Room, Liston Hall, Marlow. by Gary Lock (see page 7 for more Details will be on the website. The cost information on Gary) is £2.50 for members and £3.50 for non-members, including refreshments. 8.00 pm Wednesday 7th Nov. ----- Reassessment of the Please Note change of normal venue Archaeology of Roman Bucks for the talk on Wednesday 7th No- by Allan Wilson (see right for new vember. This will be held in the venue) Denton Rooms of the Methodist Church in Spittal Street. The Denton 8.00pm Thursday 13th December Rooms are at the rear of the Church, access is via Klondyke, where Crown Xmas Quiz - ‘Free Entry’ Road and Dukes Place meet. If you AIM’s popular annual event. Nib- come in the front of the Church, i.e. off bles (sausage rolls, mince pies, the main road, please walk through to etc.,) and drinks (mulled wine, etc.,) the back of the Church hall on the left will be provided. There will be a hand side. (There will be signs to guide raffle as usual. you) Parking in the Sainsburys/Riley Road car park is adjacent, and is free after 7p.m. 8.00pm Thursday 21st Feb. 2013 Again the cost is £2.50 for members Local National Trust Sites and £3.50 for non-members, including by Gary Marshall refreshments. Hurley Weir Capstan and the Tea Magnate

A recent National Gardens Scheme open day at The capstan wheel is to be found on the the SAS Institute at provided access bank of the river close to the Hurley Weir capstan. This is historically im- to the end of the walkway over Hurley portant as the only remaining example on the weir (see photo bottom left) It stands on Thames of those capstans that once hauled boats that portion of riverside land that Hud- upstream when there were only 'flash' locks - rather son Ewbanke Kearley, later 1st Viscount like dams - and not the 'pound' locks of today. The Devonport, bought to annoy his men who provided the manual power to turn the neighbour and rival Robert Hudson of capstan wheel - usually rough individuals - were Sunlight Soap fame who had acquired known as ‘tow rags’ which provides one explanation the next door Danesfield estate in the of from where the unflattering description ‘toe rag’ 1890s. derives. The capstan had survived until the 20th Kearley (1856 - 1934) was a grocer and century because of the efforts of Viscount Devon- politician who founded the International port who pledged to preserve it and donated oak Tea Company's Stores, became the first from his estate to replace decayed timbers. The chairman of the Port of London Author- capstan wheel was then restored in the 1980s by ity and served as Minister of Food Con- two men, David Empringham and Christopher Bar- trol during World War I. Kearley's for- nes-Wallis, the son of the man who invented the fa- tune was based on importing and dis- mous 'bouncing bomb' used in the WWII ‘Dam tributing tea as is commemorated by the Buster’ raids. sprig of tea in the carved crest over the main door Wittington House. Hilaire Bel- loc wrote this savage verse about the man who’d been the MP for Devonport:

The grocer Hudson Kearley, he When purchasing his barony Considered first, we understand, The title of Lord Sugarsand, Or then again he might have been Lord Underweight of Margarine: But being of the nobler sort He took the title Devonport.

In point of fact, Kearley had actually re- fused to pay to acquire his peerage cit- ing his unpaid posts of national impor- tance as justification enough for his ele- vation. An interesting history of the cen- tury-old Wittington House, built by Kear- ley and which now stands at the heart of the SAS Institute’s Medmenham estate, can be found at http://www.sas.com/ offices/europe/uk/corporate/history.html

By Jeff Griffiths

2 Silchester Visit

On Wednesday the 8th of August four AIM Professor Mike Fulford, Site Director, be- members visited the Roman Town Excavation lieves Calleva (Silchester) was founded project at Silchester, south of Reading. We around 50BC by Commius, an Atrobates were extremely grateful to Maidenhead Ar- leader, once a trusted ally of Julius Caesar, chaeological & Historical Society who kindly al- who then joined an unsuccessful rebellion lowed us join their visit. against him and had to leave Gaul rapidly. After an excellent meal in the Red Lion at Whether Commius headed for an existing Mortimer West End, we and the Maidenhead Atrebates settlement at Silchester, or started members assembled in the official car park and to build on a greenfield site, a defensible hill then walked around to the excavation area. with excellent views, near the navigable Ken- The Silchester site is one of the largest net and Thames, is, Mike suggests, "a million- and best-preserved towns in the south of Britain dollar question – why here?" They have found with walls that still stand up to almost five me- nothing earlier than 50BC – yet. tres high and the site’s features lie relatively Commius's town flourished, trading shallowly below the surface. It is a ‘greenfield’ across Britain, Ireland and both Roman and site, one of only half a dozen towns that has Iron Age tribal Europe. The Callevans paid for had no modern successor built upon it. their luxuries with exports of metalwork, wheat The current excavation is a large single – the site is still surrounded by prime farm trench known as ‘Insula IX’ and has been dug land, and there is evidence of grain-drying on since 1997. Over 100 students are accommo- an industrial scale – hunting dogs, and, almost dated (mostly in tents on site) and they are certainly, slaves: British slaves and dogs were trained in archaeological practices by Reading equally prized in continental Europe. They University. Insula IX was chosen especially be- have also found evidence in little flayed bones cause it lies adjacent to the north-south and for a more exotic craft industry, puppy-fur west- east principal thoroughfares that bisect cloaks. the site. The project is using the latest archaeo- Commius was succeeded by three quar- logical techniques to trace the site's develop- relsome sons – significantly dubbing them- ment from its origins before the Roman Con- selves on coins as "rex" or king – who succes- quest to its abandonment in the fifth or sixth sively deposed one another. The third, Verica, century A.D was toppled by local tribes and made a move that would change the course of British history: he fled to Rome and asked for help – and in AD43 the Romans came. Calleva already had strong trade links with the Continent and politi- cal allegiances to Rome before the Conquest. Those who attended Amanda Clarke’s talk on 24th January 2012, will remember the wealth of knowledge and information she con- veyed to us about the Silchester site.

3 Amanda, who is the Field Director at Sil- Amanda informed us that this year a tiny chester and Research Fellow at Reading Univer- skeleton of a dog, no bigger than a celebrity's sity, gave us a most detailed tour of the site ex- handbag dog, had been unearthed and it was one plaining its different phases. The western part of of a handful ever found in Europe from such an the trench is mainly Iron Age and is set out south- early date: the evidence suggests it lived for up to west to north-east (an alignment which is based three years, and was then laid, curled as if on the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sun- asleep, into the foundations of a house. Also the set), whereas the eastern side of the trench is skeleton of a cat was found, carefully packed into Roman and runs north south. a clay jar. Following Amanda’s tour, we sat in a large gazebo where Elise (Finds Supervisor) handed around some of the most important artefacts found this year. Including a selection of brooches, a bronze hair pin, an Iron age coin , pieces of multi-coloured glass, a portable toilet set, a sherd of Samian ware – inscribed with the potter’s name, a coin of Nero, a bone awl and a gaming dice.

Amanda giving the tour A Iron Age coin from last It appears that Calleva was a well- season's organised Iron Age town. Amanda pointed out excavations the earliest feature, a late 1st century BC Iron Age ditch. Finds in the ditch could be military and might point to Caesar’s invasion. There is also a large rectangular Iron Age building, not the tradi- For reasons unknown, Calleva was aban- tional round house, which has a dog buried in doned shortly after the end of the Roman era. one corner. There is strong evidence that the There is no evidence of a cataclysmic event. Iron Age people lived at Calleva in regular house Maybe the water supply ran out. It has been sug- plots flanking broad gravelled roads. The site has no natural water and so there gested that the Saxons deliberately avoided Cal- are numerous wells. In these have been found leva after it was abandoned, preferring to main- four holed pots, perhaps evidence that they had tain their existing centres at Winchester and Dor- been ritually disfigured. Samian ware from Italy chester. With the exception of one small medie- and France is also to be found together with am- val manor, now part of a farm, and the church of phorae in this period, evidence of Calleva’s trad- St Mary, which probably stands on a Roman tem- ing links. ple, nobody ever built on or lived at Calleva Atre- Amanda said that Iron Age Britons were im- batum to this day. porting olives from the Mediterranean a century The 16th season of work on Insula IX at the before the Romans arrived with their exotic tastes Roman town of Silchester took place between in food. Excavators have discovered a single 2nd July and 12th August 2012. The dig has an- olive stone from an excavation of an Iron Age other three years to run, ending in 2015. well. (The stone came from a layer securely For further information see dated to the first century BC, making it the earli- http://www.silchester.rdg.ac.uk/. est ever found in Britain – but since nobody ever Many thanks to Maidenhead A. & H. Society went to the trouble of importing one olive, there for arranging this visit and to Amanda and her must be more, rotted beyond recognition or still team for providing us with an impressive and in- buried. The stone, combined with earlier finds of formative tour. seasoning herbs such as coriander, dill and cel- ery, all previously believed to have arrived with By John Laker, with help from Jeff Griffiths, Read- the Romans, suggests a diet at Silchester that ing University’s website and Maev Kennedy’s arti- would be familiar in any high street pizza restau- cles in the Guardian – photo’s by Jeff Griffiths. rant. 4 Warren Wood Update Since the last AIM newsletter we have made six excursions into Warren Wood. Trench 9, is positioned across the western section of the bank and ditch of the Outer Enclo- sure (see photograph). Trench 9 is 1 metre wide and 7 metres long and is divided into seven 1 metre x 1 metre squares, lettered ‘A’ to ‘G’. Square ‘A’ is the square at the top of the bank and square ‘G’ is at the bottom of the ditch. More material has been removed from the top of the bank (Squares B and C). The orange coloured Volunteers excavating Square ‘G’, sandy soil appears to be up context 1, and using AIM’s to 6” (150mm) deep at its drawing frame to draw Square ‘B’, deepest. It seems unlikely Context 2, of Trench 9. that a sandy soil would be present naturally on top of a bank. We have unearthed the following artefacts, so far - 12 suspected Worked Flints, 5 pieces of Pottery and 9 suspected Pot Boilers. As we are still finding various artefacts, it appears more likely the bank and ditch were con- structed, rather than being a natural geological feature. The following timetable of dates of visits has been provisionally arranged. Sunday October 14th and Sunday October 28th. Depending on progress and weather, we may continue the project into November. If this is the case, we will let members know of new schedules. As usual we will meet at the gateway, just before Woodlands House, on Lane, , SL7 3RN; if you copy 51.594095,-0.750098 into Google Maps it will take you there. Our investigations will be conducted by either Andy Ford, or John Laker. So, if you plan to come along on any of the above dates, please ‘phone, or email, John Laker in advance (01628 481792; [email protected]), or email, Hunt’s of Marlow or ‘phone, Andy Ford (01628 481141; [email protected]), so we For First Class have a rough idea of numbers and conse- quently the amount of equipment we need DIY, Hardware and to bring along. Model Railway Apart from more excavating, further Supplies surveying needs to be done, as well as sieving, drawing, photographing, finds iden- 35 Station Road, Marlow tification and finds washing. Tel 01628 488228 No experience is needed, as this in- vestigation is being treated as a training event for members and visitors alike.

5 Rose Collection Visit

Report and photograph removed due to copyright issues

Visitors to Warren Wood will remember Sophie Edwards, who contributed much to the 2010/2011 investigations. Sophie is currently studying for her degree at Leicester University. Sophie has recently gained fame by having her Homo sapiens article published on the online CJA Anthro- journal. To learn more enter www.anthrojournal.com and then click ‘Analysis of Two Competing Theories on the Origin of Homo sapiens sapiens: Multiregional Theory vs. the Out of Africa 2 Model’, which you will find to the right of the home page - well done, Sophie.

6 Visit to Bradenham and

Our work at Warren Wood continues to provide Consequently, archaeologists have suggested us with many challenging questions about its that the dwelling there possibly belonged to the origins and usage over potentially thousands of park keeper. years. But it is interesting to note that there are as many as 10 other sites in the near vicinity Full details of the work of the archaeologists are that show similar features to Warren Wood - provided in volume XXI (1979) of the Records of and may therefore provide clues to helping us Bucks. answer some of the questions about the site that we have been excavating. Given some of the apparent similarities with Warren Wood, we are planning a visit to these Two of those sites are to be found in close two sites on Sunday 2 December to see what proximity in the woods between Bradenham more we can learn. Both sites are in Open Ac- and Naphill, approximately 6 miles northwest of cess land and near footpaths, so are easy to Warren Wood. visit. However, both are located at the top of steep slopes, so sturdy footwear will be re- At Naphill Common, archaeologists have iden- quired. We will provide further details about the tified a ditched enclosure in woodland, measur- timing and meeting place closer to the date, but ing approximately 150m by 50m. It has been are provisionally planning on gathering at 10am estimated that it is medieval in origin given its near the centre of Bradenham village. rectangular form. Iron slag has been found within the enclosure, along with sherds of We hope this will be an interesting and informa- Romano-British pottery. tive site visit - but at the very least, it offers the prospect of an enjoyable and pleasant early win- Approximately one mile from this site is the lo- ter walk in some stunning Chiltern countryside. cation of a medieval farmstead dating from the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries that was in- Please do let Andy Ford know if you are inter- vestigated by archaeologists in the late ested in joining this walk and site visit - 1970s. It is located in Park Wood and is the email [email protected] or likely site for a medieval deer park. phone 01628 481141

More about Gary Lock Gary is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology in the University of Oxford and has published widely on the British Iron Age and hillforts in particular. He was Co-Director of the Hill- forts of the Ridgeway Project, the Marcham/Frilford excavations, is currently excavating a hillfort in North Wales and is Co-Director of the recently started Atlas of Hillforts in Brit- ain and Ireland Project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Saddle Safari CYCLE SALES & SERVICE Crown Lane, Off Spittal Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Tel. 01628 477020 www.saddlesafari.co.uk

7 Roman Camp Discovered in Germany Archaeologists at the Johannes Gutenberg Uni- In March 2010, the team had started its work in versity Mainz (JGU) have located the oldest Ro- Hermeskeil in the area around Hornung, sup- man military camp in Germany currently known, ported by the Rheinische Landesmuseum in and this has added to our understanding of how Trier. First, the size and shape of the military Gaul was conquered. The site is in the vicinity of camp, fortified with a rampart and a fronting ditch, Hermeskeil, some 30 km southeast of Trier in were recorded. Measurements showed that the Rhineland Palatinate. The camp was probably enclosure consists of an approximately rectangu- established during the Gallic War in the 50s BC lar, 18.2-acre earthwork with rounded cor- close to the late Celtic settlement "Hunnenring", a ners, with room for several thousand soldiers - monumental fortification of the Treveri, a Celtic both infantry and auxiliary cavalry troops. In addi- tribe living between the Rhine and Meuse. "By tion, a 7.6-hectare extension that enclosed a demonstrating that this is a military camp a piece spring to secure the soldiers water supply. of world history has for the first time become ac- Based on these findings specific areas could cessible to archaeology," said Dr. Sabine Hor- be targeted for excavation, in the course of which nung of the Institute of Prehistory and Early His- in the summer of 2011, one of the gates of the tory of the JGU. "It is possible that the Treviri’s camp was exposed. This was a passage resistance against the Roman conquest was bro- through the existing ditch and rampart fortifica- ken by troops from this military base." Hornung is tions, which was laid out with a cobble stone leading the excavations at this important site. pavement. In the spaces between the stones the The work is running from now ‘til mid-Sept. 2012. archaeologists at Hornung found numerous shoe The site, measuring nearly 26 hectares, was nails, which belonged to the sandals of the Ro- in fact well known, but its significance unclear. "In man soldiers and had come loose as they the forest remnants of the rampart are clearly visi- walked. The size and shape of the nails gave a ble, but its conclusive designation as a Roman first clue to the dating of the Hermeskeil military military camp, although suspected by archaeolo- camp to the time of the late Republic and the gists and local historians, was not possible until Gallic War. This assumption could be confirmed now," said Hornung. by applying scientific dating methods to the pot- The breakthrough came from systematic tery shards discovered during the excavations. studies that are closely related to archaeological research around the "Hunnenring" at Otzen- Shoe nail originally hausen in district of St. Wendel. The Roman base present in a sandal of lies within sight of Celtic ring wall, situated only a Roman soldier. 5km away. Owing to ploughing the former military (Photo credit: Der Speigel) camp is no longer distinguishable over large ar- eas with the naked eye and is in danger of being The historic significance of destroyed. the military camp at Her- meskeil lies in its relation- ship to the neighboring Treveri settlement, the "Hunnenring". Hornung and her team confirmed by means of current excavations that this settle- ment was abandoned by its inhabitants in the mid- first Century BC. Until the discovery of the camp at Hermeskeil it could only be speculated that this was connected with the events of the Gallic war. In his commentaries on the Gallic War Julius Caesar reported a split in the Treveri tribe between parties hostile and friendly to Rome. The unrest caused by the party hostile to Rome trig- gered Roman reprisals in 54/53 and 51 BC , fol- lowing which Treviri resistance against the invad- ers was broken. The discoveries at Hermeskeil have for the first time provided direct archaeologi- cal evidence for this turbulent period in world his- tory . Courtesy of Johannes Gutenberg University 8 Mainz, with thanks to Alan Crease Other Organisations’ Events and Resources

Other Societies Events Marlow Society This is the information available to us at the time Tuesday 23 October, 7.30 p.m. of publication, but you may want to check. Main Hall, Liston Hall, Marlow Palaces for Pigs and other Beastly Dwellings Marlow Museum Lucinda Lambton Peacock Room, front of Court Garden entrance £5 in advance, £6 on the door if still available. Higginson Park, Pound Lane, Marlow Tickets available from WPS Spittal Street, Tourist Infor- Royalty and Marlow is the current exhibition mation Centre, Institute Road Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays or Peter Bailey 01628 476610 1 pm to 5 pm November to February, Sundays only 2 pm to 4 pm SOAG (South Oxfordshire Archaeological Group) Thursday 25 October 2012 7.30 for 7.45 p.m. Marlow Society, Local History Group Goring Heath Parish Hall, Whitchurch Hill Sunday 7 October 2.30 p.m. Members free, visitors £3 Forgotten Marlow - A guided walk A Bird’s Eye View: Archaeological Aerial Survey Meet outside Liston Hall Lecture by Helen Winton (English Heritage) £2.50, children free, 01628 476610 Marlow Museum South Midlands CBA Saturday 27 October 4 p.m. and 3 further dates Saturday 13 October 10.00 a.m. Tea, homemade cakes, crumpets etc by an open fire AGM and annual Conference Patricia Burstall has volunteered to put on this event in Stanwick Lakes Visitors’ Centre, Stanwick, Northants aid of Marlow Museum Contact Mike Hyde to book [email protected] or Marlow Society, Local History Group 01628 485474 Monday 15 October 7.30 p.m. £24 for 3 persons, doggie bag provided. Marlow’s Manor House Janet Smith Maidenhead Archaeological and Historical Society Garden Room, Liston Hall Wednesday 31 October 2012 8 p.m. £1.50, members, £3 non members, 01628 476610 WRVS Centre (ex King George VI Club) York Road, Maidenhead, contact Mrs Fowler 01628 Booker Chapel 635156 Monday 15 October 7.30 p.m. New England, from History to Foliage Booker Memorial Hall, Limmer Lane, Talk by Mrs M Deakin HP12 4QS A talk by Ray Tilly on the Chapel St. Katharine’s, , Freith, Henley, RG9 6NN £2 01494 447918 or [email protected] Thursday 8 November 2012 11.30 Pulhamite, A Victorian Gardener’s Legacy Talk by Claude Hitchings and Val Christman on James Pulham A talk and 2 course lunch for £17 01494 881037 to find out more and book tickets.

Marlow Society, Local History Group Monday 19 November 7.30 p.m. More Marlow Photos Barrie Lea Garden Room, Liston Hall £1.50, members, £3 non members 01628 476610

Beaconsfield & District Historical Society Saturday 24 November 2.30p.m. Fitzwilliams Centre Windsor End, Beaconsfield 01494 673778 The Knight Templars A Talk by Tony Hale

9 AiM ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP RATES

Individual Membership £9.00 or £4.50 if in full time education Family Membership £12.00, School Membership £18.00 Corporate Membership is available on application

AiM Committee Meetings

Next AiM Committee Meetings

All members are welcome to attend all AiM meetings

The Main Committee Meeting - 8.00pm on Thursday 17th January 2013 , at Hunters House, Henley Road, Marlow, SL7 2DT The Fieldwork/Research Meeting - t.b.a.

AiM Committee Members

Chairman Andy Ford 01628 481141 - [email protected]

Secretary Sarah Greenhous [email protected]

Treasurer Ann Pitwell 9 Spinfield Lane, Marlow, SL7 2JT 01628 481792 [email protected]

Membership Secretary John Laker 9 Spinfield Lane, Marlow, SL7 2JT 01628 481792 - [email protected]

Acting Newsletter Compiler Celine Nonde

Field Work Co-ordinator John Laker 9 Spinfield Lane, Marlow, SL7 2JT 01628 481792 - [email protected]

Committee Members Gerry Platten 01628 472126