Medieval Books

Historic Govan

Archaeology and Development

by Chris Dalglish and Stephen T Driscoll

With contributions by Irene Maver, Norman F Shead and Ingrid Shearer

This survey gives an accessible and broad-ranging synthesis of the history and archaeology of Govan, and aims to inform conservation guidance for future development.

Govan Cover Situated on the south bank of the river Clyde, just to the west of Glasgow, Govan to most people is synonymous with shipbuilding and social deprivation. Govan is, however, a remarkable place, with a history stretching back to the fifth or sixth century AD when it was a seat of royal and religious power. The church of Govan Old stands upon one of the oldest Christian sites in western Scotland. A key factor in its history has been its location at a major river crossing, where the Kelvin joins the Clyde, and the book also considers the role of Partick on the opposite bank in the medieval period.

The New Antiquarians

50 years of archaeological research in Wessex

Edited by Rowan Whimster

New Antiqs front cover

For many people, Wessex means Stonehenge, Avebury and the other iconic monuments of prehistory. In reality its chalkland landscapes have played host to a far longer and richer sequence of communities – from Palaeolithic hunters to Iron Age farmers and Roman citizens; from Anglo-Saxon settlers and medieval merchants to the navvies who built the Kennet & Avon Canal and the Australian soldiers who trained for the trenches of the First World War.

Renewed Life for Scottish Castles

by Richard Fawcett and Allan Rutherford

Castles front cover

Castles, both ruined and occupied, are amongst the most deeply evocative buildings in the Scottish landscape. This book considers the history of the conservation and restoration of a number of those buildings against the background of what the idea of the castle has meant to Scots over the centuries.

The later Anglo-Saxon settlement at Bishopstone

A downland manor in the making

by Gabor Thomas

Bishopstone cover Well known for the Early Anglo-Saxon settlement previously excavated on Rookery Hill and its impressive pre-Conquest church, Bishopstone has entered archaeological orthodoxy as a classic example of a ‘Middle Saxon Shift’.

Finds From the Frontier

Material culture in the 4th–5th centuries

edited by Rob Collins and Lindsay Allason-Jones

Finds front cover Finds from the Frontier brings together papers given at a conference held at Newcastle upon Tyne in 2008. Its aim is to elucidate the life of the 4th-century limitanei of Britain through their material culture. The papers consider whether the excavated artefacts justify the traditional implication that the period is one of declining standards and largely come to the conclusion that, on the contrary, the period was rich in artefacts that have much to tell us about the late frontier.

Lepers Outside the Gate

‘Lepers Outside the Gate’: Excavations at the cemetery of the Hospital of St James and St Mary Magdalene, Chichester, 1986–87 and 1993

edited by John Magilton, Frances Lee and Anthea Boylston

Lepers cover This report, which forms vol 10 in the Chichester Excavations series, describes and discusses the excavation in 1986–87 and 1993 of almost 400 skeletons from the cemetery of the Hospital of St James and St Mary Magdalene just outside Chichester, West Sussex. Founded as a leper hospital for men in the 12th century, this institution admitted women and children towards the end of the Middle Ages and survived the Reformation by becoming an almshouse for the sick poor.

Continental and Mediterranean Imports to Atlantic Britain and Ireland, AD 400–800

by Ewan Campbell

Imports cover From the 5th to 8th centuries AD there was a flourishing trade network linking the Atlantic coasts of Britain and Ireland to the Mediterranean and north-west Europe, bringing imported pottery and glass as well as new ideas from these areas.

Interrupting the Pots

Excavation of Cleatham Anglo-Saxon Cemetery

by Kevin Leahy

Interrupting the Pots cover The Cleatham cemetery in North Lincolnshire is, with over 1200 cremations and 62 burials, England’s third largest Anglo-Saxon cemetery. It was in use throughout the early Anglo-Saxon period from the mid-5th century to the late 7th century.

Landscape, Community and Colonisation

The North Somerset Levels during the 1st to 2nd millennia AD

by Stephen Rippon

Somerset Levels cover This innovative study examines the changing ways that human communities chose to exploit, modify and ultimately transform their environment over two millennia.

Cloth and Clothing in Early Anglo-Saxon England

AD 450–700

by Penelope Walton Rogers

Cloth & Clothing cover This archaeological study of textiles and costume considers all aspects of Early Anglo-Saxon clothing - how textiles were made in the Early Anglo-Saxon settlements, how the cloth was fashioned into garments, and the nature of the clasps and jewellery with which the clothes were worn.

The Vernacular Workshop

From craft to industry, 1400–1900

edited by PS Barnwell, Marilyn Palmer and Malcolm Airs

Vernacular workshop cover This research report examines the material evidence for the historical development, architectural characteristics and diverse uses of vernacular workshops.

Pottery in Medieval Southampton

Pottery in medieval Southampton: c 1066–1510

by Duncan H Brown

RR137 cover This Research Report offers a comprehensive catalogue, analysis and interpretation of a major assemblage of post-Conquest medieval pottery.

Accompanied by over 350 individual vessel drawings, the study also offers a wide variety of analytical methods that extend the impact of the research beyond a regional investigation.

Medieval Glass Vessels Found in England cAD1200–1500

by Rachel Tyson

Medieval glass vessels cover This volume collates material relating to approximately 1350 vessels from over 200 sites, encompassing the full spectrum of glass use during the medieval period and providing a central source of reference for the identification and study of medieval glass vessels.

The Hamwic Glass

by JR Hunter & MP Heyworth

Hamwic glass cover The assemblage of Middle-Saxon glass fragments from the settlement at Saxon Hamwic (Southampton) ranks as one of the most important of its period anywhere in Europe.

The Magor Pill Medieval Wreck

by Nigel Nayling

Magor Pill cover In 1994 the distorted timbers of a medieval boat came to light at Magor Pill, on the coast of the Gwent Levels, when storms washed away the sediments which had covered them since the boat ran aground about 700 years ago.

Late Saxon Stirrup-Strap Mounts

A classification and catalogue

by David Williams

Stirrup-strap mounts cover This catalogue brings together over 500 examples of a type of late Saxon mount thought to be stirrup fittings. With its detailed drawings and descriptions of so wide a range of stirrup-strap mounts, this book will be particularly invaluable to museum curators and finds researchers.

St Bartholomew's Hospital, Bristol

The Excavation of a Medieval Hospital

by Roger Price with Michael Ponsford

St Bart's cover This report on the excavation of St Bartholomew’s Hospital in Bristol is of special significance, as relatively few hospitals have been excavated on any great scale. The book describes in detail the history of St Bartholomew’s, and how it competed for resources to provide refuge and care in one of the most prominent medieval cities.

Recording and Analysing Graveyards

by Harold Mytum

Recording graveyards cover This book aims to help everyone appreciate graveyards, cemeteries, and their monuments, but it is also intended to inspire and encourage action in the form of recording and analysis.

Recording Medieval Floor Tiles

by J Stopford

Floor tiles cover Invaluable for anyone working with material from medieval contexts this guide describes a methodology for recording medieval floor tiles, both in situ and in post-excavation analysis.

Churches and Chapels

Investigating places of worship (Revised edition)

by David Parsons

Churches and Chapels cover This handbook is a ‘must have’ for church visitors and students who like to reach their own conclusions about the history and development of a church building.

Recording a Church

An illustrated glossary (Revised edition)

by Thomas Cocke, Donald Finley, Richard Halsey and Elizabeth Williamson, with drawings by George Wilson and David Rust

Recording a church cover A comprehensive glossary, giving brief definitions of over 500 terms used to describe church architecture and furniture, amply illustrate with simple and clearly labelled drawings, this handbook will be an invaluable aid to anyone with an interest in the subject.

Recording Timber Framed Buildings

An illustrated glossary (Revised edition)

by NW Alcock, MW Barley, PW Dixon and RA Meeson, illustrations by RA Meeson

PH5 cover A reference guide and glossary of over 300 definitions used in the description of timber-framed buildings, extensively illustrated by clearly labelled drawings.

The Fairest Arch in England

Old Ouse Bridge, York, and its Buildings: The Pictorial Evidence

by Barbara Wilson and Frances Mee

Lavishly illustrated book dealing principally with the ‘Old Ouse Bridge’, built in 1565–6. The

Wood and Woodworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York

part of the ‘Craft, Industry and Everyday Life’ series

by Carole A Morris

AY17/13 Morris cover The definitive study of over 1500 wooden objects and wood and iron woodworking tools recovered from some of the most important sites in York. Ranging from Anglo-Scandinavian (c850–1066) to later medieval (15th–16th century) in date the collection published here is an assemblage unprecedented from any site of any period in Britain.

Pottery from 46–54 Fishergate

by AJ Mainman

AY16/6 Mainman cover The Anglian assemblage from this site includes local, regional and imported wares. Excavations were carried out by York Archaeological Trust at 46-54 Fishergate in 1985-6. The site is located well outside the area of the Roman fortress and canabae on the north side of the River Ouse near its confluence with the River Foss.