Hoards, barns and Reading Abbey
Reading Abb Abbey’s future
The Berkshire Archaeological Society welcomes the interest and substantial work shown by features in British Archaeology (Jul/Aug 2019/167) concerning iconic buildings within Reading: Reading Abbey and Reading Gaol. Their stories are the stories of pivotal periods and themes, of not just Reading's history but also wider national history. The society shares the frustration felt by many that the report of the archaeological excavation carried out in 2016–17 was not put into the public domain.
Societies like ours and the Council for British Archaeology are fundamentally concerned with education about and protection of the heritage which is for everyone and needs to be accessible to everyone. In that spirit the Berkshire Archaeological Society gives strong support to the campaign to save Reading Gaol for the community and envisage its future as an arts and heritage hub. As part of this initiative we welcome the idea expressed in “What now for Reading Abbey?” for a wide-ranging project involving academic, professional, statutory and voluntary l bodies that explores l s and records the story of these buildings for future generations. We strongly urge all interested parties to work towards that outcome.
And British Archaeology – please keep following f the story! Alison A McQuitty, chair Berkshire B Archaeological Society S
• Reports of archaeological work w at Reading Prison have become b available (Phase 2 Nov/Dec N 2019/169) – if you express e an interest in buying the t site. Ed
Marlowe’s grave
Regarding the chances of identifying Christopher Marlowe’s grave (Letters Nov/Dec 2019/169) the bbc dvd and book In Search Of Shakespeare [by Michael Wood, 2003] between them shed light on his death. Marlowe was stabbed between the eyes by Ingram Frizer, a blackmailer and petty shark, in the presence of Nicholas Skeres, a street thug, and Robert Poley, a known player in Elizabeth i’s espionage department. It was all kept pretty quiet, but Marlowe’s remains will have a hole in the head. That should narrow it down a bit! Dennis Onions, Bicton Heath, Shropshire
Staffordshire Hoard
I read with considerable interest Chris Fern’s conclusions about the fine craftmanship and concealed symbolism within the Staffordshire Hoard (feature Nov/Dec 2019/169). However, I found it difficult to reconcile the idea of the owners maintaining the collection for decades as a memento of defeated enemies, only to carelessly strip it with smithing tongs – an explanation for its mangled condition.
In 2012 I was involved in a programme of fieldwalking in the hoard field, three years after its discovery. Many of the stones in the topsoil were also battered. My photo (opposite) shows a common quartzite pebble from near the hoard’s location. Its surface has 25 recent impacts and smears from agricultural processes, most probably the system of power harrowing introduced after the last war, when rapidly rotating blades are driven through the topsoil after ploughing to reduce it to a fine tilth for seed sowing. Given that the hoard was reportedly recovered from the ploughsoil or its interface with the subsoil, it would have received the same impacts as the pebble. It is possible that the hoard was buried in pristine condition only to be powerharrowed in the 20th century.
Brian Meredith, Ilmington, Warwickshire
Thank you for a very lucid article on the interpretation of “decorative” symbols in the precious metalwork from the Staffordshire Hoard. However, I wonder whether we are not in danger of interpreting the hoard in terms of modern values of gold and artwork, rather than values of the tribal and intensely superstitious Anglo-Saxon society. Values inferred from contemporary and early medieval literature are very different to now. The most significant and valuable part of the war loot is missing; namely the skilfully worked iron of the swords, knives, axes and helmet frame. The value of a composite pattern-welded sword worthy of decoration would have far exceeded that of the most intricately worked precious metal ornamentation. Such a sword could have an intrinsic name and mythology inheritable by its new owner. In contrast, the ornamentation, however beautiful in our eyes, had a mythology intrinsic to the religion or tribal group of the enemy which could be lethal to the new owner and could be read by educated but illiterate people (eg Hrothgar’s reading of the hilt of the sword that Beowulf seized to slay Grendel’s mother).
I would suggest that the hoard’s goldwork was stripped crudely and hurriedly on the battlefield and immediately buried to eliminate
that power which even smelting could not destroy. In contrast the swords, knives and helmet frames complete with names and reputations were repurposed and perhaps reornamented by their conquerors. This implies an invasion of Mercia, perhaps from a combination of Northumbria and East Anglia or Wessex, and their defeat there rather than invasions of neighbouring territories by Penda and storage in a treasury. Destruction of such artefacts persists to our time… think Cromwell’s destruction of regalia, or events in Afghanistan or Iraq/Syria.
Michael Martineau, Hildenborough, Kent
Royal barns
I recently attended an Oxford University conference on AngloSaxon halls. Excavations in Kent, Northumberland and Oxfordshire were described, with similar groups of large rectangular earth-fast timber buildings. Some had been dismantled, others burnt down; frequently an adjacent rebuild. A repeated footprint was north-south orientation with opposing doors, little internal division other than a timber structure in one corner. Excavations revealed few high status artefacts, rarely evidence for a hearth and no ancillary buildings. Yet these have been described as complexes of great halls for royal entertaining.
Farming historians would interpret these as threshing barns. Opposing doors for prevailing wind throughdraft, no hearth, no divisions, ventilation wind-eyes only, a secure granary constructed in one corner to safeguard next season’s precious seed-corn from vermin. When the barn is no longer weather-tight or burns down, you build a new one on an adjacent site, re-using whatever you can salvage. There are a goodly number of later medieval versions still standing, demonstrating all these features.
I suggest the only royalty being entertained in the “hall complexes” is King Corn.
Heather Horner, South Leigh, Oxon
Detecting lottery
Gareth Williams’s article on the 11th-century Chew Valley coin hoard and Mike Pitts’s carefully worded observations on the circumstances of the find’s reporting (feature Nov/Dec 2019/169), highlight what is fast becoming a national scandal. Archaeology has often had a complex relationship with detecting. There are detectorists who are as well-informed as many archaeologists (if not better), and who properly record their finds. At the other extreme are those who regard detecting as the equivalent of buying a lottery ticket.
The establishment of the Portable Antiquities Scheme was an important step towards addressing the issue of significant finds, but unfortunately provision has not kept up with reality. No one could have predicted the rise of the commercial detecting rally, with attendance sometimes running into the hundreds. A rally organiser has to locate an unscheduled but possibly productive area (for instance by consulting a heritage environment record), make a financial arrangement with the landowner, advertise widely and charge a fee on the day. Everybody is happy.
When someone makes a significant find, potentially Treasure, most of those present are probably aware that an archaeologist should record it before it is lifted. But, how do you find an archaeologist on a Sunday afternoon? A finds liaison officer may once have been prepared to drop everything and rush out to conduct an excavation which might last more than a day. But, given the demands on these officers, this is now rare. Pitts suggests the creation of a “hotline” number to call. Nice in theory but it only gets us so far. The best equipped to deal with the situation would be a well-staffed commercial archaeological unit – but only if they know they will be funded for their time and have a staff member on call. So, yes to a “hotline” by all means, but to implement this the Portable Antiquities Scheme needs a national fund. Everyone with any interest in the past would benefit in the end!
Mike Farley, former county archaeologist, Aylesbury
Civil war
In Britain in archaeology (Nov/Dec 2019/169) you state that the Battle of Worcester was the final battle of the English Civil War. Surely this distinction goes to the battle of Winnington Bridge, August 19 1659. David Evans, via info@archaeologyuk.org
• Historical tradition sees Winnington Bridge as the outcome of a Royalist conspiracy to restore the Stuart monarchy eight years after the Civil War ended. Ed