Maureen Wood We have been very sad to learn of the death of Maureen Wood who has been a member of NDAS for a good 30 years and has served for many years as a committee member. In the 1970s Maureen served on the Barnstaple and North Devon Rescue Archaeology Committee and was involved in the digs in Green Lane, Paiges Lane, Potters Lane and Tully Street. For the Society she has represented continuity and a valuable link with those early days of North Devon archaeology. In recent years Maureen has been associated with the Barnstaple Heritage Centre and her interest in Barnstaple’s history has led her to produce books on Barnstaple Fair, the Pannier Market and the railway. She was a delightful lady who will be missed by her family and friends to whom we extend our sympathy. She will of course be greatly missed by this society and as an expression of our appreciation a contribution of £25 has been sent to the Heritage Centre. Members wishing to commemorate Maureen with their own donation should send this to Barnstaple Heritage Centre, Queen Anne’s Building, The Strand, Barnstaple. ISSUE 12 Autumn 2006 Contents Useful contacts Editorial Shrinkage and Growth Editorial 3 June Aiken (Parracombe Group) 01598 763316 If you study the section headed ‘Officers of the is no overarching historical society for northern Derry Bryant (NDAS Secretary) 01769 572963 Society’, you will notice that our once populous Devon, and just as oddly, there is none for Officers of the Society 4 Sally Cotton (South Molton and District Local History committee has suffered some attrition. The Barnstaple or Bideford or Ilfracombe. If you look CBA AGM 5 Society) 01769 572378 reasons are various – including, very sadly, the on the website of the Devon History Society you Janet Daynes (ACE Archaeology, Winkleigh and District) death of one long-standing member – but the will find that they list local history groups in the The Saxon Boundaries of 5 01837 83925 development has been worrying since the Society county, but none is north of Chulmleigh or Hartland Hundred Trevor Dunkerley (Combe Martin Silver Mines Research and is supposed to represent the interests of a large Wembury. The focus is mainly on Exeter, South Documenting Parracombe 8 Preservation Society) 01271 883833 number of people spread across the whole of Devon and Dartmoor, another symptom of the Jane Green (NDAS Treasurer and Membership Secretary) northern Devon. In these circumstances it is usual Devon divide between north and south. We A Fulling Mill at 9 01271 866662 important to have a strong committee to present know however, from the experience of the Local Combe Martin Terry Green (NDAS Newsletter) 01271 866662 a range of viewpoints and to take well debated History Days that we held in 2004 and 2005 that Rabbit Warrens 13 Collette Hall (NDDC Conservation Officer) 01271 346436 decisions. The existing committee has therefore there are numerous groups in the northern Devon Sean Hawken (Community Landscapes Project) taken the step of co-opting four NDAS members area beavering away and who would be glad to Time Team Dig at Dotton 14 01392 263851 to join their deliberations for the remainder of this have a forum where they could exchange ideas Six Acre Farm Update 17 Deborah Laing-Trengove (Hatherleigh History Group) year (ie. up to the AGM in April) in order to and information. It might be objected that there is 01837 810310 maintain comprehensive representation. Not no virtue in perpetuating a division between north North Devon Sgraffito 19 Alison Mills (Museums Service) 01271 346747 having been put to the vote at an AGM, these and south in the county, that there already exist Catching them Young 20 Jenny Yendall (Tiverton Archaeological Group and South individuals may be regarded, under clause 4d of county-wide societies to which people are able to Molton Museum) 01884 255397 the NDAS constitution, as associates invited to subscribe. However, we are most of us aware that An Ecclesiastical Spat at 21 Lyn Walmesley (Teign Archaeology Group and Secretary CBA serve on the committee. The Society will be invited north and south Devon have a different culture Frithelstock South-West) 01392 432184 to vote on their full membership of the committee and demography and that therefore interests VCH Exmoor Project Update 22 Rob Wilson-North (Exmoor National Park Authority at the AGM. differ. NDAS has done a good job over the last Archaeologist) 01398 323665 The NDAS Committee has invited James five or six years of bringing together people from Two NDAS Summer Walks 24 David Parker (NDAS Projects) 01271 865311 Coulter, Stephen Hobbs, Margaret Reed and Judy across northern Devon who share an interest in Explore North Devon 26 Hazel Parker (NDAS Fund Raising) 01271 321197 Parker to join them. James Coulter and Margaret the region’s archaeology. Why not do the same for Judy Parker (NDAS Publicity) 01271 865311 Reed are both well known local historians. James history? In fact, as has already been said, history Maureen Wood 27 Trevor Dunkerley (Combe Martin Silver Mines Research and has taken on some of the task of producing the and archaeology are fully complementary, so we Dates for your Diary 28 Preservation Society) 01271 883833 newsletter and Maragaret has devoted time to have no option but to head in this direction. pursuing documentary sources for the Parracombe As to publicity, Judy Parker has done a first Other Archaeological Bodies: Project. Stephen Hobbs is a dedicated Hartland class job of pointing out to people in the area that Devon County Historic Environment Record: historian and archaeologist and Judy Parker has we are here and active. She has put on a roving 01392 382246 been admirably energetic in publicising the display of the Society’s activities in various Portable Antiquities Scheme: (RAM Museum Exeter): Society’s existence and activities throughout the libraries and has missed no opportunity to 01392 665983 area. distribute our leaflets to anyone who will take Council for British Archaeology (York): The addition of ‘historians’ to the committee them; this has resulted in a crop of new members 01904 671417 as opposed to ‘archaeologists’ makes the point, and we are grateful to Judy for her efforts. Partly National Sites and Monuments Record (Swindon): which has been raised before in this newsletter, as a result of our raised profile, the Council for 01793 414600 that the division between history and archaeology British Archaeology (CBA) South-West Division Cover Picture: David Parker Devon Record Office: 01392 384253 is old-fashioned and outdated; it also begins to has asked us if we will host the CBA South-West and Mick Aston considering North Devon Local Studies and Record Office: 01271 388607 address the odd fact that, although many local Annual General Meeting in North Devon in April the contents of a trench. West Country Studies Library: 01392 384216 communities have their historical societies, there 2007. This is quite a feather in our cap and of 2 3 Officers of the Society CBA AGM The Saxon Boundaries of Hartland Hundred Stephen Hobbs course we should be very happy to do so. No Chairman: The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) have Is it possible, on the basis of documents and arrangements are as yet finalised, but at present Terry Green requested NDAS to host their Annual General features of the landscape, to suggest the Hartland is proposed as a venue. Vice-Chairman (Acting): Meeting to be held on Saturday 21st April 2007 in boundaries of early land-holdings within Hartland Finally, XArch, the Community Archaeology Alistair Miller Hartland Parish Hall. This is something of a feather Hundred? Project based at Exeter University, has already Meetings and Correspondence Secretary: in our cap and should be an exceptionally The Hundred of Hartland extended from the proved its worth in our area. Projects at Derry Bryant interesting day. The provisional programme north and west coasts of the present parish east Hartland and at Brayford and our own project at Treasurer and Membership Secretary: follows: as far as Bucks Mills, then south to include Six Acre Farm have benefited from the Jane Green Woolfardisworthy, Welcombe, Meddon and technological input that XArch is able to make 09.30 – 10.00 Arrival Southole. There was also the satellite area of available. As has been emphasised before, the The NDAS General Committee: 10.00 – 10.30 CBA AGM Yarnscombe in the farther south east, which will aim of this project is to involve local people in 10.30 – 11.00 Coffee be excluded from this discussion. Representing Members: their own “backyard” archaeology and to 11.00 – 11.45 Terry Green: NDAS There are few known Saxon charters for this Derry Bryant, Malcolm Faulkner,Terry Green, Jane provide financial and technical support so that 11.45 – 12.15 Keith Gardner: Lundy region of North Devon, the closest to Hartland Green, Mary Houldsworth, Marion Hughes, local projects can develop along lines which 12.15 – 13.00 Stephen Hobbs: Hartland being that for Newton St Petroc, though there are Jonathan Lomas, Alistair Miller, David Parker, Hazel produce sound results while encouraging a 13.00 – 14.00 Buffet Lunch indirect indications of charters for Worthygate, Parker, Chris Preece. sense of local ownership. Xarch is in the position 14.00 – 16.00 Field trip(s) (to be arranged) Annery, Orleigh, Thornbury and Braunton. Early of providing a conduit between local knowledge Representing Associated Groups: reliable evidence of a Hartland charter comes and interest and the academic world where June Aiken (Parracombe History and Archaeology Final details will be in the Annual report from the will of King Alfred, c.AD 881, in which he detail is added to and may alter the fabric of the Society), Sally Cotton (South Molton Archives), (Feb/March) bequeathed land identified as Trig (Stratton, broad brush picture of the past that academics Harry Cramp (Torrington History Society), Deborah Cornwall) and Hartland, amongst other land gifts, construct.