Cyngor Archaeoleg Brydeinig CYMRU Council for British Archaeology WALES ** Online Information for Archaeology in Wales **

In this issue:

Philip Barker, Chris Houlder and Hubert Savory - tributes

Message from Frances Lynch, the new Chair of CBA Wales

Clwyd-Powys SMR on the web

RCAHMW Uplands Initiative - a review

Construction of the new roundhouse at Castell Henllys

Notice-board

Your CBA representatives

Editorial

It is my sad task as the new editor of this newsletter to report the loss of three seminal figures in the history of archaeology in Wales. In the first two months of 2001 Welsh archaeology lost two good friends with the deaths of Philip Barker and Christopher Houlder. While Chris Houlder spent almost the whole of his professional life in Wales, as described in Frances Lynch's appreciation below, Philip Barker 'flitted in and out' for over twenty years, on account of his excavations at Hen Domen, Montgomery, and for service in the 1980s as committee member and then Chairman of the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. Chris Musson outlines the main achievements of Philip Barker's career in archaeology, and Charles Hill contributes a personal reminiscence of the man who played a formative role in Charles's own life. As we go to press we hear of the death of Dr Hubert Savory, former Keeper of the Department of Archaeology at the National Museum of Wales. We hope to carry a full obituary in the next, but in the meantime, Richard Brewer has kindly provided some of the details of Dr Savory's life and achievements.

In her first piece for the newsletter since election to the Chair of CBA Wales last year, Frances Lynch, paints a positive picture of the work and achievements of the organisation. Jenny Mitcham looks to the future of public access to archaeology by telling us about sites and monuments records on the internet. Stephen Hughes takes stock of the achievements of the Royal Commission's Upland's Initiative and the prospects ahead. Finally, Phil Bennett discusses the building of the new roundhouse at Castell Henllys Iron Age Fort, Pembrokeshire.

I hope that the various contributions to this issue of the newsletter provide a glimpse of the some of the ongoing initiatives which characterise the healthy nature of archaeology in Wales today. The vibrancy of the discipline clearly owes much to the likes of Philip Barker, Chris Houlder and Hubert Savory, who approached archaeology with big ideas and contributed on a similarly grand scale.

Philip Barker 1920 - 2001

Born in 1920 in Wembley, Philip Barker left school with no significant qualifications. However, after courageous service in the RAF during the Second World War, he trained as a schoolmaster and built himself a distinguished academic career, firstly in the teaching of art at the Priory Boys School, Shrewsbury. It was here in the late 1950s that archaeology 'got to him' and led him first to the adult education service of Shropshire County Council and then to the Department of Extramural Studies at the University of Birmingham, as tutor and finally Reader in British Archaeology, a post from which he retired in 1987.

Always an activist, but never in his own eyes one of 'the establishment', Philip made a significant mark on the national scene, as a driving force in the foundation of both Rescue in the 1970s and the Institute of Field Archaeologists in the 1980s. For many years archaeologist to Worcester Cathedral, he will be remembered also for the quality of his excavations, most notably at Wroxeter, in Shropshire, and at Hen Domen near Montgomery. The final reports on both sites, produced in happy partnership with long-time collaborators, are models for any student of 'dirt archaeology' and its proper academic interpretation.

At a more general level his much-translated book on Techniques of Archaeological Excavation (1977, with later editions) will remain a bible for all archaeologists who believe in technical skill, meticulous recording and the rigorous re-interpretation of evidence as it is actually extracted from the ground. No 'armchair archaeologist', Philip! No-one who worked with him could escape his demand for the very highest of standards, nor his infectious enthusiasm for archaeology and the enlightenment that it can bring. A fine artist, archaeologist and excavator, a natural and ever-stimulating teacher, the spiritual father to many a career in archaeology, and a good friend to all who knew him, Philip Barker will be sadly missed.

No doubt, we all have defining moments in our lives. I know exactly when I had mine. It was early in 1967 when, as an 18-year-old and passionately interested in archaeology, I found my first CBA Calendar and sat on my father's bed to choose my first excavation. Early timber castles interested me and our eyes were drawn to the excavation being carried out at Hen Domen, Montgomery, under by Philip Barker. And so we drove up from the Swansea Valley to Montgomery that summer, the first of many consecutive summer seasons.

The site, a motte and bailey, built by Roger de Montgomery between 1070 and 1074, is one of the most intensively excavated early castle sites in Europe and remains the spiritual home for many like me who had the good fortune to dig with Phil. At Hen Domen we learned and practised our archaeological skills under the watchful eye and tutelage of one of the great crusading archaeologists of the 20th century. He had great passion and persuasion and we were all carried on the tide of his ambition for the improvement of British archaeology. He was forceful in his belief in the technique of open-area excavation, of which he was one of the great exponents. He developed archaeological theory and practice, sometimes against the odds, and those who dug closely with him and were active partners in these developmental processes, were the first beneficiaries. It was with my father, a doctor, that his term 'surgery of the earth' was conceived. As a lateral thinker, dissector and interpreter of the soil Phil had few equals and although he always understood the detail, he never lost sight of the broader contexts of his pioneering work. Hen Domen and his excavations at the Baths Basilica at Wroxeter, near Shrewsbury, where I also dug with Phil, remain two published excavations that have made a lasting contribution not only to our archaeological technique, but also in our understanding of the internal arrangements of early timber castles and the fate of Romano-British cities in the 3rd -4th centuries. But Phil never lost sight of the wider problems of British archaeology and the needs of archaeologists themselves. It was therefore no coincidence that Phil was a leading light in the setting up of both Rescue, the Trust for British Archaeology and later the Institute of Field Archaeologists. The modern profession owes him much.

In 1978 I had the opportunity to work with Phil again - this time as the Borough Archaeologist for Stafford. Phil was their consultant archaeologist. It was a close and rewarding partnership which researched and developed the town's 20 acre castle from a 'folly' in the minds of the local people into a positive asset and, as it is clearly visible from the M5, a 'billboard' for the county town. In 1988 the BBC transmitted a 50-minute documentary of our ten-year collaboration.

With Phil's death, those who proudly dug with him have not just lost a mentor, teacher and inspirer, but also a close and reliable friend, who enriched our lives in so many ways. We will all miss him greatly.

Christopher Houlder 1928 - 2001

Members will be saddened to hear of the death of Christopher Houlder which occurred on the 11th February after a tragic illness which he had borne with characteristic patience and calm. He had never given in to the cancer which was diagnosed in the winter of 2000 and he seemed to have made an almost miraculous recovery after a major operation in the early summer. He and Yvonne were looking forward to a good remission but sadly that was not to be, for the cancer came back in November. The dashing of hope is the most difficult thing to bear, but Chris did not complain, but accepted his fate with calm resignation and those who visited him in those last days came away inspired by his fortitude.

Christopher Houlder was educated at Christ's Hospital School, Horsham (where, he told me, he was the first person to ever photograph a cuckoo laying an egg in a usurped nest - in the ivy under the dormitory window) and at Jesus College, Cambridge where he was a member of the rowing eight. After working briefly as an excavator in eastern England he came to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in September 1951 where remained until 1990. He worked on the volumes for Caernarvonshire and carried out some notable excavations connected with the production of those Inventories. The best known was at the Axe Factory on Mynydd Rhiw (PPS 1961) and this led to other work at Langdale and a long association with the Implement Petrology Committee of the CBA. He was the recorder and organiser of the Welsh records, a role he retained until after his retirement. He was also the director of the large-scale excavations at Llandegai near Bangor in 1966 and 67. These have not been fully published, though a useful summary appeared in Antiquity in 1968, and at the time of his death he was preparing the outline of a full publication with Chris Musson and the author of this note. All the records are in exemplary order and the publication will go ahead though, sadly, without its main author.

In the 1970s he pioneered work on sites and monuments records and the distillation of such work in the development of a NMR (National Monument Record to be held by RCAHM). He realised earlier than many others the importance of the on-going, updatable record in the age of new computer technology and played a very significant part in the development of a national concept of monuments records through his work on the CBA Working Party. It was a matter of regret and frustration to him that the realisation of his plans for the NMR in Wales did not proceed as fast and as smoothly in Aberystwyth as he might have hoped. He also took a full part in the development of the Archaeological Trusts within Wales and was Chairman of the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust from 1987 to 1992. During that time he did a lot of hard and careful work on the establishment of a staff and salary structure for all the Trusts as a group, work which has stood the test of time. He remained a trustee of the Gwynedd Trust until September of last year and he was also a Trustee of Dyfed Archaeological Trust where he was equally respected for his wise and carefully considered advice. On a wider sphere he was an adviser to the National Trust in south Wales and to the Hafod Trust. His own garden at Bryn Llwyd, the old farmhouse on a spectacular cliff top that he and Yvonne restored and extended, was itself a model of beauty and meticulous management where strict attention to the rotation of crops and other traditional practices ensured an amazing harvest from such a windswept site.

He will be greatly missed as a wise and experienced archaeologist, but particularly as a kind and sensitive friend.

Dr Hubert Savory (1911 - 2001)

Hubert Savory joined the National Museum of Wales in 1939 as Assistant Keeper. He became Keeper of the Department of Archaeology in 1955, a post which he held for 37 years, until his retirement in 1976. During the war he was involved in Military Intelligence because of his expertise in cartography and aerial photography.

Dr Savory made a huge contribution to our understanding of prehistoric Wales, publishing widely including separate catalogues of the Iron Age (1976) and Bronze Age (1980) collections. He excavated at several sites, such as Pen-yr-wriod chambered tomb and Dinorben Iron Age hillfort. The material from these sites made a significant contribution to the collections. His interests had a wider European perspective, especially the archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula. A successful symposium on Prehistoric Metalwork was held in 1991 by the National Museum of Wales to celebrate his 80th year.

Dr Savory is survived by his wife, Priscilla, and his six children.

Message from the Chair of CBA Wales

First of all I must thank the membership - or at least those of you who were at the AGM in Shrewsbury last October - for electing me as your new Chairman and having confidence that I will be able to do the job that was so very well done by my predecessor.

Chris Musson will be a hard act to follow. I know he has a eye for administrative detail and a skill in writing to civil servants that I do not have, having lived in the rather muzzy world of academe where (until recently) you used to be able to declare that kind of thing beneath you! However I am not too worried because I know that Jenny Britnell and Bob Silvester are extremely competent and hard working and have the whole show well in hand. Moreover, having recently become a member of the Trustees for the central CBA I have seen an analysis of the status and activities of all the regional groups and CBA Wales has lots of desirable ticks.

In comparison with other regional groups our numbers are a bit low and we don't carry out any fundraising activities, but we do hold regular meetings and symposia and we do get around our region and have a fine Newsletter - or should I say 'journal' and a website. And we've got most of our liaison networks in place, with government bodies, with Young Archaeologists Club, with local societies and with listed building caseworkers. Belonging to a long-established principality, CBA Wales doesn't have the problems of boundary overlaps and gaps in coverage that bedevil some of the more fluid English regions.

The new central structure of national CBA aims to include systems for keeping everyone informed of policies and activities and hopes to get the sequence of regional and central meetings co-ordinated, so that problems and views can be sent in both directions. With Chris Musson as national treasurer and Don Benson as another Trustee, Wales will be well represented on the board and we will have no excuse for not knowing what is going on!

Having attended my first Committee meeting for a long time I was impressed by the amount of work that your Committee gets through. We have recently sent responses to the National Assembly's enquiries into both the National Museum and Galleries of Wales and the Countryside Council for Wales. It will be interesting to see what steps the National Assembly will take as a result. One hopes that these enquiries are not looking for an excuse to cut grants. Anyone who wants a copy of our response should write to CBA Wales Secretary, Jenny Britnell.

Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust SMR Data Now Available On-Line

Jenny Mitcham,
Regional Sites and Monuments Records Officer,
Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust
(email: JennyM@cpat.org.uk)

The Regional Sites and Monuments Record for the Clwyd-Powys area currently contains over 39,000 records, reflecting the wealth and diversity of the region's historic landscape. Sites recorded range in date from the Palaeolithic to the twentieth century.

Though we have always encouraged enquiries from members of the public relating to the archaeology of the Clwyd-Powys area, we were concerned that the resource of information we hold was not reaching as wide an audience as it could do. We therefore entered discussions with the Archaeology Data Service (ADS), an organisation based in York which was set up with the aim of collecting, describing, cataloguing, preserving, and providing user support for digital resources that are created as a product of archaeological research. ADS manage an on-line searchable index of archaeological sites (ArchSearch) based on information given to them by a variety of organisations working within archaeology in Britain. ArchSearch currently contains about 350,000 records, including information from the National Monuments Records for Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as data from the Sites and Monuments Records of Northumberland, Greater London and the West of Scotland Archaeological Service. Up until recently though it held no information at all for Wales and the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust were keen to redress this balance.

We are pleased to announce that a detailed selection of data from our Sites and Monuments Record has now been deposited with ADS and is available for searching over the internet through ArchSearch. Our data can be found at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/ (follow the links to 'Catalogue' to begin searching). Data available includes the name, location, site type and date of each of our sites, with a description of the remains and a list of bibliographic sources relating to each site that could be consulted for further information. We will be depositing a fresh dataset with the Archaeology Data Service on a yearly basis so that ArchSearch users are able to obtain up-to-date information from our Sites and Monuments Record.

For further information on Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust's Sites and Monuments Record and other services provided by the Trust, please visit our website at http://www.cpat.org.uk. You can even use our on-line enquiry form if you wish to request information from our Sites and Monuments Record.

The Archaeology of the Uplands Revealed

Stephen Hughes,
Head os Survey,
RCAHMW

The extensive and often remote uplands of Wales are home to a remarkable series of archaeological sites and landscapes, dating from earliest times to the very recent past. These remains have often never been ploughed or disturbed, unlike similar archaeological sites in lowland positions, making their recording and interpretation of the utmost importance. In the late 1980s it was apparent that the combined large-scale activities of afforestation and rapid subsidised agricultural improvement threatened to destroy this unique heritage forever without adequate record. In response the Uplands Initiative was set-up and it is time to review the results of this work and to take stock for the future.

Is Upland Archaeology Found by Luck?

For a hundred years or more archaeologists and antiquarians have been wandering the hills discovering the more obvious prehistoric and Roman remains that interested them. It is only within the last twelve years of the Uplands Initiative that archaeologists have been funded (firstly by Cadw and now by the Royal Commission) to walk the upland landscapes systematically at parallel intervals of 30-50 metres. This has revolutionised perceptions of the type and density of remains. Over most of Upland Wales (40-50% of the total land area of our country) the number of archaeological sites discovered within the areas searched has generally increased eleven-fold. Unexpectedly extensive remains of early field systems and intermittent and seasonal medieval and post-medieval settlement have been found at these high altitudes. Great densities of industrial remains have also been found: some on the World Heritage Site at Blaenavon.

Where Can the Survey Results be Found?

The map illustrated here shows how upland survey projects have been completed across Wales. Reports on the archaeology of the larger dark shaded areas on the map can be found in the National Monuments Record for Wales at the offices of the Royal Commission in Aberystwyth where detailed project archives and photographs from 1998 onwards can also be found. A report on the project can be found on the Royal Commission's web-site (http://www.rcahmw.org.uk) and here access can also now be gained to 'Carn' the pooled S.M.R., N.M.R. and Cadw core records including those on Upland sites. Earlier reports and database entries can be found with the regional Sites and Monuments Records of the Welsh Archaeological Trusts. Regional overviews of Uplands Archaeology have also been completed and these, and a huge number of aerial photographs of the Uplands, can also be consulted in the Royal Commission offices.

The Future of the Uplands Initiative

At the present rate of progress it should be possible to complete the survey of all the unenclosed uplands of Wales within ten years on two levels: sites on the ground will be located and details inputted into digital databases. Digitised mapping of all linear and larger features will be carried out using the existing stock of vertical aerial photographs. Some of the prioritised areas for this year's Upland Survey are shown on the attached maps. Bids for these and for other upland areas are being considered at the moment and should be sent to David Leighton at RCAHMW. Bids that improve the synthetic understanding of the Uplands will also be considered.

Other future developments include an overall synoptic view of the how Uplands archaeological work completed so far has changed our perceptions of the archaeology (and history) of the Welsh Uplands. This will be placed on the RCAHMW web site in the near future. An Uplands Monograph is being prepared to make the results of this ambitious project more accessible to the general public. It is also proposed that a team from RCAHMW survey the more significant sites being discovered and prepare them for depiction on Ordnance Survey Maps: the project assumes greater importance as right to roam legislation may give greater access to the unenclosed uplands.

The Royal Commission staff responsible for the Uplands Initiative are Stephen Hughes (direct line 01970 621215: e-mail stephen.hughes@rcahmw.org.uk) and David Leighton (direct line 01970 621204: e-mail david.leighton@rcahmw.org.uk).

Further information about the Uplands Initiative can be found on the RCAHMW's website (www.rcahmw.org.uk). A colour version of this map can be found within the Uplands Initiative pages (http://www.rcahmw.org.uk/uplands/ - navigate to the 'Where can the survey results be found?' section and then click on the hyper-linked text 'Uplands Initiative Map'.

Roundhouses in the landscape: recent construction work at Castell Henllys, Pembrokeshire

Phil Bennett discusses the building of the new roundhouse at Castell Henllys Iron Age Fort, Pembrokeshire, an experience which has prompted him to consider the relationship between the production of building materials and the nature of landuse and landscape in later prehistory. Castell Henllys, a site which captures the imagination of all who visit, will doubtless be familiar to many members. Interpretation of the site to the visiting public is a key aspect of Phil's work, and Castell Henllys is a fine example of the great potential that exists for conveying the excitement of archaeology to a wide audience. Castell Henllys is an Iron Age inland promontory fort owned and managed since 1991 by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. It is one of many later prehistoric promontory forts within the National Park dating to around 600BC. The importance of the site lies in the combination of the long-term programme of archaeological research and the subsequent attempted reconstruction of Iron Age buildings on their original, excavated foundations. As an interpretative resource for visitors, school children and students, Castell Henllys is unique. Nearby fields are used to demonstrate prehistoric farming practices with Iron Age breeds of livestock. Castell Henllys has become an important visitor attraction in north Pembrokeshire welcoming around 27,000 visitors per year.

In 1998, in partnership with the European Regional Development Fund, the National Park Authority decided to reconstruct the largest roundhouse known to have existed at Castell Henllys in the Iron Age. The house platform chosen for the project had yielded comparatively little information during excavation, beyond its probable diameter gauged from a partially surviving wall foundation gully and the probability that, due to the lack of internal post holes, the roundhouse had a free-spanning roof. The level of information available provided sufficient detail to attempt a reconstruction, whilst also allowing the opportunity to experiment with construction type and methodology. Great attention was paid to the details of material procurement and construction methodology, enabling a consideration of the longevity of roundhouses and the resource implications of their construction on the local landscape in the Iron Age.

The house platform chosen for the project is not only the largest at Castell Henllys, it is also the most dominant. With this in mind, our intention was to build a high status roundhouse employing the highest quality materials and craftsmanship available. The requirements for the project were massive. The new structure is 13m in diameter with a roof apex of 8m. The wall is 1.2m high of wattle, woven around posts set approximately 1m apart. The roof is constructed with oak rafters with a surface slope of about 45 degrees to facilitate the run-off of rain and snow and is thatched with water reed tied to hazel and ash purlins.

The primary strength and stability of the building is focussed on three ring-beams. The main ring-beam was constructed in the shape of a wheel with spokes radiating out from a central post to the principal rafters. The wheel's rim braces the roof and transfers the forces of the weather acting on it from one particular point to the whole of the structure, considerably increasing its strength. A smaller, upper ring-beam, was constructed just below the apex of the roof to facilitate the positioning of the tops of the principal rafters. When the ring-beams had been constructed and the roof rafters jointed and set in place, the central post was cut off just below the level of the main ring-beam leaving a free-spanning roof.

By closely studying the material requirements for the construction of roundhouses we may be able to reconstruct aspects of the local landscape around areas of population in the Iron Age and consider the value of such resources. The timbers used in the construction of the latest roundhouse at Castell Henllys are all coppice products, that is they were all derived from trees which have been regularly felled on a planned rotation to encourage the rigorous and straight re-growth of shoots.

One hundred bundles of hazel rods, each rod up to 3m long, were used in the construction of the roundhouse, mostly for the wattle wall and the roof purlins. It is estimated that this quantity of material would have required a coppice of over ninety hazel trees. The roof utilises twenty-six straight oak rafters of up to 9m in length as well as twenty-four 2m lengths cut for wall posts and more split for the ring beams. Coppiced oak may take up to twenty-five years to grow to the length required for the rafters. In all around thirty-four oak trees were needed.

The thatching of the roof used two thousand bundles of water reed which, ironically, had to be imported from Turkey. Many of the reed beds in Britain are now managed for nature conservation rather than for commercial purposes and supply can be problematic.

The relationship between resources and roundhouse construction cannot be ignored. It is unlikely that the materials for such buildings would have been available widely in the landscape without extensive and long-term woodland management. Woodland work without modern tools is very labour intensive and one wonders whether such work would have been possible without the control and organisation of work forces by elite groups.

If we accept that the construction of Iron Age (and earlier) roundhouses were reliant primarily on coppice products then the landscape implications would have been considerable, particularly when we take into account the broader range of uses for which timber would have been required, including the construction of palisades, fences and other structures, as well as for fuel. The project has highlighted the importance of coppice products for people in prehistory, and revealed the major implications that the management of this resource would have had for the exploitation of late prehistoric landscapes.

Phil Bennett,
Castell Henllys,
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

For further information about the roundhouse project, or about Castell Henllys generally, please contact Phil Bennett at Castell Henllys, Meline, Crymych, Pembrokeshire SA41 3UT, or alternatively email him at enquiries@castellhenllys.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk

NOTICE-BOARD

Essential reading -

Hen Domen excavation report at special discount rate

In his review of 'Hen Domen, Montgomery: A Timber Castle on the English-Welsh Border. A Final Report' which will appear in the next volume of Archaeology in Wales, John Kenyon writes that this 'is a book that should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the history of the Welsh borderland, let alone students of castle history'. Written by Robert Higham and Philip Barker (whose obituary appears elsewhere in this newsletter), it is available to members of CBA Wales direct from the publishers at a special price of £36.00 rather than the retail price of £45.00. Your cheque should be made payable to 'University of Exeter'. Please add £2.00 for each volume to cover postage and packing (£3.00 outside UK). The address is:
University of Exeter Press,
Reed Hall,
Streatham Drive,
Exeter,
Devon EX4 4QR.
Please mention where you saw this special offer.