Dates for Your Diary (cont) Saturday 1st July, 1.30pm - 5.00pm: Mining Sunday 17th September, 11.00am - 5.00pm: the Forest: a visit with an Exmoor ranger to Ancient Man on the Moor: a walk with a National remote mineshafts. Meet Ashcombe carpark Park volunteer guide tracing man around Tarr Steps, SS774394. Rough walking; walking boots and the Punchbowl and Caratacus Stone. Meet weatherproof clothing essential. Mounsey Hill Gate SS894319. A 10 mile walk. Booking essential: phone 01398 323841. Walking Sunday 16th July, 12.00pm - 4.00pm: A Walk boots and weatherproof clothing essential. Bring a in the Past: Join a National Park Archaeologist and picnic. a National Trust Warden to look at Iron Age hillforts, a battle site, Victorian mines and an early Other hydro-electric poser plant. Boo king essential, phone 01598 763306. Meet Watersmeet Tea Friday 15th - Sunday 17th September: Society Garden SS744487. Walking boots and for Church Archaeology & Association of Diocesan weatherproof clothing essential. & Cathedral Archaeologists Joint Conference: The Archaeology of Ecclesiastical Landscapes. Exeter Friday 28th July, 10.30am - 5.30pm: (Booking details available on request from Terry Challacombe Cross-Country: A challenging (12 Green: phone 01271 866662) mile) walk on open moorland visiting, among others, Shoulsbury Iron Age fort and Radworthy Saturday 23rd September, 10.00am - medieval settlement. Meet in lay-by opposite 5.15pm: Lundy Studies: a symposium organised by Challacombe Post Office, SS694411. Walking the Lundy Field Society at the Peter Chalk Centre, boots and weatherproof clothing essential. Bring University of Exeter. For information contact David a picnic. and Judy Parker on 01271 865311 or write to Alan Rowland, Mole Cottage, Morwenstow, Cornwall Saturday 5th August, 11.00am: Around the EX32 9JR. Barrows: a visit with a member of the Exmoor Society to Larkbarrow, Tom’s Hill and Kittock. £2 Digging in Combe Martin: Trevor Dunkerley and donation. Meet at Alderman’s Barrow SS837424. the Combe Martin Silver Mines Restoration and For information phone 01398 323335. Walking Preservation Society will be digging at Mine boots and weatherproof clothing essential. Bring Tenement on Thursdays from 10.00 am till 4.00 pm a picnic. throughout the summer.Volunteers are welcome. For information contact Trevor Dunkerley on 01271 Sunday 27th August, 11.00am - 5.00pm:The 883833. Acland Story: a walk with a National Park volunteer guide taking in Lady Acland’s Hut, Bury Castle Iron Age settlement and St Agnes Fountain. Meet Selworthy SS920467 (overflow carpark at top of village beyond church). Booking essential: phone 01398 323841. Walking boots and waterproof clothing essential. Bring a picnic. ISSUE 11 SPRING 2006 Designed and produced by Aiken Graphics Tel:01598 763316 Useful contacts Contents Editorial Limitations and possibilities June Aiken (Parracombe Group) 01598 763316 Editorial During the last six years or so archaeological pottery or flints or you may have become aware of Derry Bryant (NDAS Secretary) 01769 572963 activity and research in northern Devon has a development that affects a historic building and Officers of the Society Sally Cotton(South Molton and District Local stepped up considerably and we pride ourselves feel you should look into it. Since almost History Society) 01769 572378 The NDAS Constitution and Guidelines on being involved in these developments. We everything that may come to your attention will Janet Daynes (ACE Archaeology, Winkleigh and for Fieldwork have an increasing number of members who are be on private land, there is the immediate District) 01837 83925 probing the archaeological potential of their area question of avoiding trespass. Therefore, before Getting back to the NDAS Parracombe Jane Green (NDAS Treasurer and Membership and contributing to a detailed appreciation of the embarking on any intrusive activity, your first duty Project: Holworthy Farm Update Secretary) 01271 866662 history of northern Devon. This is very encouraging is to contact the landowner or his or her agent Terry Green (NDAS Newsletter) 01271 866662 Clovelly Dykes and all to the good. However, this increased level and get permission. This is where your NDAS Collette Hall (NDDC Conservation Officer) 01271 of activity has now highlighted the need to set membership card comes in: the card is your bona Mesolithic Flint Working at Morte Point 346436 out guidelines so that the results of individual fides, your credentials assuring the landowner that Sean Hawken (Community Landscapes Project) The Palaeolithic Rivers Project researches are found to be useful and valid and so you have a legitimate interest and are 01392 263851 that members do not come into conflict with approaching him or her in good faith. If you wish A Fieldwalk at Heath Hill, Winkleigh Deborah Laing-Trengove (Hatherleigh History other people who have a stake in the land and to look any more deeply into what you have Group) 01837 810310 Mystery at Tawstock the archaeological resource. noted, you should make the Society aware of Alison Mills (Museums Service) 01271 346747 The NDAS Training Day held in February and what you are doing, so that you are covered by Geophysical Investigation at Tawstock Jenny Yendall (Tiverton Archaeological Group conducted by Sean Hawken (now appointed your NDAS insurance against personal injury and and South Molton Museum) 01884 255397 Lundy Studies Project Manager of Xarch) was concerned with public liability and so that you have the Society’s Lyn Walmesley (Teign Archaeology Group and the processes and requirements of setting up a support. In addition you should alert the County Exploring Archaeology (Xarch) Secretary CBA South-West) 01392 432184 local project. During the day Sean gave examples Archaeological Service to what you have found so Trevor Dunkerley (Combe Martin Silver Mines Victoria County History Exmoor Project of community-based projects and detailed the that it goes onto the Historic Environment Record Research and Preservation Society) 01271 steps that have to be taken to get a project - (HER). South Molton Museum Reborn 883833 especially a fieldwork project - off the ground. Over and beyond these really quite basic Rob Wilson-North (Exmoor National Park Hatherleigh Moor Update These included acquiring all the necessary conditions, there is the question of what kind of Authority Archaeologist) 01398 323665 permissions for access to sites, doing the project a local “amateur” society can legitimately PASt Explorers: Kids and Finds on the Web preparatory research, arranging finance, working pursue. We exist in a situation that involves Other Archaeological Bodies: Dates for your Diary out a project design and, most importantly, archaeologists with several different hats. There Devon County Historic Environment Record: deciding how results are to be made accessible to are the academics, the local government 01392 382246 others. A very good example of the process in professionals, the commercial archaeological Portable Antiquities Scheme: (RAM Museum action has been the survey of Holwell Castle, contractors and the voluntary independents or Exeter): 01392 665983 Parracombe, conducted by Mary Houldsworth and “amateurs”. Archaeology in Britain began with Council for British Archaeology (York): Jim Knights: they started with consent from the the amateurs, mostly vicars and landed gentry and 01904 671417 landowner, from Exmoor National Park and from retired army officers, and for a long time there National Sites and Monuments Record (Swindon): English Heritage (because the site is a scheduled was not even an academic discipline devoted to 01793 414600 ancient monument) and ended with a very the topic; and even when it did develop it workmanlike report, copies of which have gone to continued to be identified with the upper classes. all the interested parties. By a long evolutionary process, mostly through Of course, not all local researches by the second half of the 20th century, we have individuals end up as full-scale fieldwork projects. come to the present situation where the four Cover Picture: NDAS members surveying a very tall You may simply be curious about humps and strands identified here ought to be hedgebank at West Middleton farm, Parracombe. bumps in a field or may have noticed a scatter of complementary to each other. Our contribution is 2 3 Officers of the Society Fieldwork: Important! to provide local detail. If we have done our work At the the NDAS annual general meeting held on 1. NDAS Constitution: 2. Guidelines for Fieldwork: well enough our results should feed through to 20th March the following members were elected to It is proposed to re-word clause 10 of the Before getting round to excavation however, there the academic quarter where they gain the General committee: Society’s constitution to bring it in line with recent are many stages that an investigation may go significance on a broad canvas of theories of the Representing Members: changes in its membership and range of activities. through from first noticing something interesting past. At the same time, by the very nature of its Derry Bryant, Malcolm Faulkner,Terry Green, Jane At present Clause 10 reads: to setting up a full-scale project. Below is a set of membership, the local group has the ability to Green, Mary Houldsworth, Marion Hughes, guidelines for the assistance of any member demonstrate the meaning and value of the local Members are encouraged to carry out individual Jonathan Lomas, Alistair Miller, David Parker, Hazel wishing