ACID
ISSUE 17 JANUARY 2020
Archaeology and Conservation in Derbyshire and the Peak District
Finding my Mesolithic granny!
Young Archaeologists’ Club
Inside:
Alice through the Looking Glass The hidden history of hoards
Our year in numbers: planning and heritage statistics
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Foreword:
ACID Archaeology and Conservation in Derbyshire and the Peak District Editor: Roly Smith, 33 Park Road, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1AX Tel: 01629 812034; email: roly.smith@btconnect.com For further information (or more copies) please email Del Pickup at: del.pickup@peakdistrict.gov.uk Designed by: Phil Cunningham www.creative-magazine-designer.co.uk Printed by: Buxton Press www.buxtonpress.com The Committee wishes to thank our sponsors, Derbyshire County Council and the Peak District National Park Authority, who enable this publication to be made freely available.
ACID
Derbyshire Archaeology Advisory Committee Buxton Museum and Art Gallery Creswell Crags Heritage Trust Derbyshire Archaeological Society Derbyshire County Council Derby Museums Service Historic England (East Midlands) Hunter Archaeological Society Manchester University Archaeology Department Nottingham University Peak District Mines Historical Society Peak District National Park Authority Portable Antiquities Scheme Museums Sheffield University of Sheffield, Department of Archaeology South Derbyshire District Council ISSUE 17 JANUARY 2020
Archaeology and Conservation in Derbyshire and the Peak District
I was excited to read about the new website to access information from the Historic Environment Record (HER) (p20). I use the HER information regularly and this website will make it much easier for everyone to find out about their local archaeology. For more formal projects, the East Midlands research framework interactive digital resource (p21) is another way of sharing with a wider audience what we still need to find out about the archaeology of our area. Several of the articles detail new research on old collections or old buildings. Alison Sheridan and Mike Parker Pearson reveal how new scientific analysis of human remains in museums has given us updated insights into the archaeological story of the Beaker people (p6). The profile of Matt Nicholas, East Midlands science advisor at Historic England (p16), shows how his work supports such analysis at the fieldwork stage. Sometimes very personal, the graffiti recorded by ranger Andy Bentham in Peak District farm buildings (p14) is fascinating and a direct link to people in the past. Mary Wiltshire and Sue Woore’s study of monastic granges (p8) is a very interesting read. Continuing the buildings theme, George Challenger’s review of the evidence for the age of Bakewell Old House (p30) highlights how it’s easy to assume that there are established facts, while in reality the written and the physical evidence may not tell the same story.
Landscape is another theme that links several pieces in this issue. Archaeology is often defined as the study of material culture of the past, but the material culture only has meaning if it is read in the context of the landscape it was created in. Martina Tenzer’s work on the Dove Valley (p18) using the data from LiDAR surveying reveals this landscape anew and adds to our understanding.
Young Archaeologists’ Club
Alice through the Looking Glass The hidden history of hoards
Our year in numbers: planning and heritage statistics
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V history presenter Alice Roberts discusses her passion for communication in this year’s issue of ACID (p12). Communication is also the aim of this magazine – sharing news of archaeological discoveries, new research, and new ways of finding out about the past.
Other work in the area has been consolidating our picture of the more recent past. Investigations into industrial development and terraced housing in Derby are summarised on page 7 and contrast with the building recordings of two 19th century stable complexes in Derby and Castern (p17). On the back cover, James Mills’ photograph of the Millers Dale lime kilns gives a wonderful new perspective on these industrial remains.
Finding my Mesolithic granny! Inside:
Communication is the name of the game
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Cover picture: Nine year-old Kit Bailey shows the excitement of a discovery on an archaeological dig at Castleton. See feature on page 31
The views expressed in the pages of this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or publishers. No responsibility will be accepted for any comments made by contributors or interviewees. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers. Archaeology and Conservation in Derbyshire and the Peak District is supported by Derbyshire County Council and the Peak District National Park Authority
On page 10, John Barnatt talks about his new book exploring the landscape of Peak District. His jokey comment that he is always saying to visitors: “You can see Minninglow from here” brings to mind the fact that it’s not just Minninglow, or any other archaeological feature, that is significant in itself, but the landscape that connects to it physically, visually and conceptually. Finally, nine-year-old Kit Bailey’s summary of the activities of the Peak District Young Archaeologists’ Club, which mentions several of the projects featured in the magazine, shows the wider impact of the archaeological work in the area. There is great enthusiasm to be nurtured in the younger generations!
Martha Jasko-Lawrence Chair of the Derbyshire Archaeological Advisory Committee
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Contents
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4 16 2 Foreword Martha Jasko-Lawrence, chair of the Derbyshire Archaeological Advisory Committee
14 Where there’s muck, there’s magic National Park Ranger Andy Bentham explains his three-year survey of graffiti in Peak District farm buildings
24 Teenage deaths in the Bronze Age Secrets of a previously unknown Bronze Age barrow at Doveridge are revealed by Patrick Daniel
4 Hoards: A hidden history of ancient Britain Ros Westwood describes an exclusive and record-breaking exhibition at Buxton Museum
16 A Day in the life of… a science advisor Matt Nicholas, Historic England’s Science Advisor, on a typical day
25 Alfreton’s medieval farming heritage A farm on the outskirts of Alfreton has provided evidence of its medieval foundation, as Emma Metcalfe reports
17 Shutting the stable door Emma Grange investigates an oftenoverlooked aspect of large estates
26 Interpreting the Peak District’s Lake District
6 Where did the Beaker people come from? Alison Sheridan and Mike Parker Pearson reveal possible evidence of early migration to the Peak District 7 Industrial Revolution Derby The rapid growth of urban Victorian Derby is described by Courtenay-Elle Crichton-Turley and Alex Cassels 8 Home, home on the grange The latest project for Derbyshire landscape detectives Mary Wiltshire and Sue Woore is the county’s rich heritage of monastic granges 10 ‘You can see Minninglow from here’ John Barnatt describes the genesis of his new landscape history book to Roly Smith 12 Profile: Alice through the Looking Glass Editor Roly Smith profiles popular TV history presenter Alice Roberts, who gained her first archaeological experience in the Peak District
18 Mapped in depth – A multiperiod landscape explored (centre) Martina Tenzer explores a White Peak landscape using the latest LiDAR techniques 20 A his and HERs for everyone Steve Baker explains a new digital resource which makes our heritage available to all 21 A new framework for the past David Knight and Vicky Owen report on a new digital resource for historic environment research in the East Midlands 22 In at the Deep end The imminent collapse of the main access point to Deep Ecton Mine led to an ambitious restoration. John Barnatt reports 23 Find of the Year: A Shakespearean ‘angel’ Simon Nicholson unveils his Portable Antiquities Scheme Find of the Year
Anna Badcock describes the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership 27 Sarah joins the SW Peak Volunteers Catherine Parker Heath, South West Peak Cultural Heritage Officer, gives an update on the latest projects 28 Shards News from around the county 30 Just how old is the Old House? George Challenger describes the various theories about the history of Bakewell’s Old House Museum 31 My Mesolithic granny! – The Young Archaeologists’ Club Kit Bailey describes why he so enjoys the Peak District YAC 32 Bookshelf Roly Smith reviews the latest books 34 Our year in numbers Planning and heritage statistics for the past year 36 Picturing the Past Monsal Trail kilns 2020 | ACID
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Hoards: a hidden history of Britain Searching for treasure. Two young visitors peer into an exhibition case (Charlotte Heather Cray)
Derbyshire Museums Manager ROS WESTWOOD describes an exclusive and record-breaking exhibition at Buxton Museum
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f four years ago someone had suggested that Buxton Museum would be successful in asking to host The British Museum’s touring exhibition Hoards: a hidden history of ancient Britain, I would likely have smiled and said: “Let’s not waste our time.” Since then, investment at Derbyshire County Council’s only museum has created beautiful galleries, alongside some lasting partnerships. So when this pitch was suggested, it was more with the thought of “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” The investment paid off – Buxton Museum was one of five successful venues, and the only one in the North and the Midlands. Hoards was a touring exhibition from collections in the British Museum and Salisbury Museums, made possible by the Dorset Foundation in memory of Harry M. Weinrebe. The exhibition provided a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to see amazing objects from major collections alongside treasures in regional museums, which can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those in the national collections. Buxton Museum has four recognised hoards and borrowed others from Museums Sheffield, Derby Museums Trust and Patrick Sutton.
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Visitors were greeted by the enormous pot containing the Cunetio Hoard of 55,000 Roman coins from Wiltshire, the largest hoard of Roman coins found in Britain. Among people’s favourites were two of six gold torcs from about 100 BC, found in a garden in Ipswich. I personally liked the Water Newton hoard from Cambridgeshire – 30 Roman gold coins placed under two folded-up silver vessels, all packed into a bronze bowl, balancing in an earthenware cook pot, with another pot covering the whole.
Iron Age gold torcs from the Ipswich hoard
Through coins, jewellery, weapons and associated materials, visitors were asked to consider what people hide away, and why? How were things made? Why are some objects special even if they look like nothing at all? What questions do artefacts ask of the modern archaeologist? Visitors also thought about why hoards are accumulated and buried; and why they were not recovered. And even are people still burying treasure? Visitors also discovered more about the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, encouraging ethical practice in community and individual metal detection. Schoolchildren were even allowed to go metal detecting in the gallery. Lecturers enlivened the impact of the Vikings, and the metal working of the Iron Age smiths. Dave the Moneyer brought the noisy process of moneying to an enraptured audience. Derbyshire photographer Nick Lockett’s format images, taken during the winter at the beginning of 2019, with added micro-stories, rooted the artefacts into the landscape. The exhibition broke all records for Buxton Museum, with audiences coming from across the UK and beyond (even from as far as the Falkland Islands!) and they were generous with their donations. The overwhelming feedback was positive.
Examples includedExcellent display and very good to be able to see British Museum things here rather than have to go to London. What a mixture! Wonderful artefacts from ages back and modern photographs. Well done for pulling this together.
Visitors admire the exhibition (Nick Lockett)
Hoards has been an exciting experience for us, especially for our curators and volunteers. The opportunity to work so closely with these incredible objects with so many visitors, has been invigorating. We will try to do something similar again, soon. The museum attracted funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, the Sandford Award and East Midlands Museums Development to stage the exhibition.
A 12th century hoard of silver coins from Clowne (Museums Sheffield)
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Where did the Beaker people come from? ALISON SHERIDAN (National Museums Scotland) and MIKE PARKER PEARSON (Institute of Archaeology, University College London) reveal possible evidence of early migration to the Peak District
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he recent publication of the results of the AHRCfunded Beaker People Project is a milestone in the study of the people who introduced the use of Beaker pottery, metal and various other Continental innovations to Britain from around 2500 BC. This project analysed a range of isotope ratios in human bone and tooth enamel. This was to examine whether people had moved from the area where they had lived as children, how far they moved, and whether there were any differences in diet between different parts of Britain, between the sexes, or between people buried between 2500 and 1500 BC and those buried earlier or later. Fresh osteological identifications, new radiocarbon dates, dental microwear analysis and a reassessment of the grave goods were also undertaken. Overall, isotopic analyses for 370 individuals from 11 areas of Britain were undertaken, and 196 new radiocarbon dates on 191 people were published. The results were integrated with the recently obtained ancient DNA data for ‘Beaker people’ that have revealed that there had been some immigration to different parts of Britain from parts of the Continent from shortly after 2500 BC. Prominent among the individuals featuring in the Beaker People Project are 31 of Chalcolithic (Copper Age) and Early Bronze Age date, and three of Neolithic date, from the Peak District (particularly the White Peak). Twenty-eight of the former and all three Neolithic individuals also formed part of a craniometric examination by Sandra Thomas of 41 Peak District skulls, investigating differences in skull shape between the dolichocephalic (long and relatively narrow) Neolithic skulls and the predominantly brachycephalic (broad) post-Neolithic examples.
Broad, post-Neolithic sculls
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The abundance of Peak District material for study is largely due to the excavations by the 19th century antiquary, Thomas Bateman. His work showed that a number of Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves cluster in the Peak District. Some were lavishly equipped, including those of an adult male buried at Green Low with a flint dagger, three barbed-and-tanged flint arrowheads, a knife, firemaking equipment, bone spatulae and a bone point or pin, and that of an adult – who will almost certainly have been female – buried with a spacer-plate necklace of jet, cannel coal or shale and bone at Middleton Moor. The results of the isotopic analysis were intriguing. A relatively high proportion (14 out of 30) of the Peak District individuals dating to between 2500 and 1500 BC seem to have isotopic signatures not local to the area, with the earliest – an old man buried at Parsley Hay, dating to 2410 – 2230 cal BC (at 95.4 per cent probability, modelled) – possibly even being an incomer from the Continent. Among the Early Bronze Age individuals, four (from Galley Low, Bee Low, Smerrill Moor and Bailey Hill) may have grown up at some distance to the west or south of the Peak District. But regarding seven of the individuals who have apparently ‘non-local’ strontium isotope ratios, it should be noted that recent isotopic analysis of Iron Age people from in and around the Peak District has revealed similarly anomalous strontium values. Some local phenomenon may be responsible for this: in other words, they might not be incomers from far away after all. As for diet, there is no evidence for the eating of fish, and dental microwear indicates a softer yet more abrasive diet than elsewhere in Britain, possibly reflecting a greater consumption of plant food. Thomas’s craniometric study confirmed the marked difference in skull shape between Neolithic and post-Neolithic skulls – a difference that is at least partly due to the arrival in Britain of round-headed Beaker users from the Continent. This echoed the conclusions of Bateman and of craniologists Davis and Thurnam that head-binding took place during the Neolithic. Moreover, a contributory factor to the roundness of post-Neolithic skulls may be the use of cradleboards for carrying babies. The Beaker People: isotopes, mobility and diet in prehistoric Britain by Mike Parker Pearson, Alison Sheridan, Mandy Jay, Andrew Chamberlain, Michael Richards and Jane Evans (eds) 2019 (Oxbow Press)
Industrial Revolution Derby COURTENAY-ELLE CRICHTON-TURLEY and ALEX CASSELS tell the story of the rapid urban growth of Victorian Derby
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n the past eight years, Ecus Ltd, along with Archaeological Services WYAS and Wessex Archaeology, have had the opportunity to investigate the 19th century expansion of Derby in the Castleward district. Now situated on the eastern side of the city centre between the historic core and the railway station, the land was largely agricultural prior to the arrival of the Midland Railway in 1839. By 1852, and the publication of the Board of Health map of Derby, the land had changed dramatically to a densely built-up area with a mix of housing and industry. Much of the area was cleared during the second half of the 20th century, and the redevelopment has offered a unique chance to record the archaeology of this rapid mid-19th century expansion of Derby. Investigations have revealed factories, housing and a branch of the Derby Canal. An ironworks and silk mill, depicted on the 1852 map, were excavated on Carrington Street. Evaluation trenches targeted a series of features, exposing a wall from the ironworks present on the historic mapping, areas within the ironworks where preserved internal features were revealed, a lime mortared boundary between the printing works and Wellington Silk Mill. Three trenches contained cellars that may have represented under crofts for pulling silk. On Canal Street, remains of multiphase industrial development associated with another ironworks and subsequent print works were recorded, including a well-preserved working floor level in the early 20th century print works, belonging to Bemrose and Son. Remains of the earlier Clarke Canal Street Iron Works survived in a fragmented condition, although signs of heavy machinery were present, characterised by a machine base cut into the ground.
The branch of the Derby Canal was identified on the southern side of Park Street and was a subsidiary canal spur from the Derby Canal. The cut is depicted on the 1852 map and was labelled ‘the Branch Canal’ before joining the Derby Canal at Siddals Bridge. The branch originally terminated at the Wm. Sale & Son, Silk Throwsters, Silk Mill; the Bemrose and Son Print Works, and the Hall & Clarke Canal Street Iron Works. The canal had become disused and infilled by the 1960s. Further excavations targeted the footprint of 19th century properties which formerly fronted Carrington Street. The excavations revealed the well-preserved remains of six houses. Each property contained a small yard and outside privies with potential flushable toilets that were plumbed into the fabric of the initial build. The rears of the houses were built on substantial sandstone foundations, while the front rooms were built over brick cellars. To the northwest of Carrington Street, further investigations revealed the remnants of terraced housing comprising foundations, floor surfaces and other structural remains. To the rear of the houses, yard surfaces, outside toilets, drains and garden/property boundary walls were recorded. The archaeological features broadly fit into one phase associated with the rapid building of terraced houses evident on the historic mapping of the area, and the archaeological data corresponded well with this historic mapping. The Castleward redevelopment has presented an opportunity to reveal the effects of the Industrial Revolution and arrival of the railway on Derby during the mid-19th century. The investigations revealed the Victorian response to housing and sanitation, as well as the evolution of industry and transport in this part of Derby.
Aerial view of Carrington Street excavations (courtesy Wessex Archaeology)
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Home, home on the grange Hanson Grange
The latest project for the indefatigable Derbyshire landscape detective team of MARY WILTSHIRE and SUE WOORE is the county’s monastic granges
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Meadowplace Grange in 1528 (The National Archives)
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he evolution of our new book, Monastic Granges of Derbyshire was the happy consequence of many years tramping around Derbyshire. It involved poring over maps and delving into archives to investigate previous topics of interest: tracking down Domesday manors, searching out the distribution of ‘hay’ place names and plotting medieval parks which all served to excite the imagination and focus our minds on the next thing. It did not disappoint! What were all these granges, scattered about the county and why were there so many? Were they all associated with religious houses and if so, what was their allegiance? Most of these granges have been identified and recorded in the Historic Environment Record by the Cultural Heritage Teams of Derbyshire County Council and the Peak District National Park Authority. It soon became apparent that Derbyshire was the desirable destination for some 20 abbeys to establish
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granges. Few of the granges belonged to Derbyshire foundations, in fact the travelling distance from abbey to grange in most cases was arduous, in some instances astounding. The routes of travel from far-flung abbeys of Dunstable, Bicester, Louth, Buildwas and Sempringham involving ancient trackways and river crossings have exercised our minds so much that we called upon the expertise of Brian Rich to provide some ideas and case studies to add colour to this part of the book. We found the distribution of granges to be woven into the history and geography and geology of the landscape. The Royal Forest of the Peak, often perceived as wild and forbidding, was the location for early clearances and enclosures with extensive cattle breeding together with several studs for horses. Here we found records of dissent, lawlessness and court appearances, as monks and lay brothers clashed with forest law, a situation repeated in Belph on the Derbyshire edge of Sherwood Forest, and Dale, bordering on the early forest between the Erewash and the Derwent. We were fascinated by the inter-religious bickering and wrangling over rights of land and income. However, we should really feel grateful for such disputes as the one between Leicester Abbey and the tenants of the Duchy of Lancaster. This led to the production of the treasured, earliest map of Derbyshire, showing Meadowplace Grange and the surrounding River Lathkill in wonderful detail. Apart from Roystone, near Parwich, little excavation of former buildings has taken place. However, as far as reading the landscape goes, we have got our eye in over
the years, and in the absence of tangible evidence in the way of buildings we began to feel confident in plotting boundaries of the grange lands. It surprised us to find old banks curving into the distance, ignoring present field patterns, huge walls with orthostat (large stone) bases, remnants of sheepfolds and walls narrowing into funnels where management of stock had taken place. The over-riding feature, key to all these granges, and our first ‘must have’ find was a water source. On the permeable limestone, sites of many dew ponds abound either as lost depressions or as viable, current drinking places. To find a double sided dew pond was good, but to find a quartered one as at Pilsbury, still in use, structured to serve four enclosures was wonderful. Following an initial trawl through Kenneth Cameron’s Place Names of Derbyshire and First Edition six-inch maps for grange names, observing on foot was a must for us both. Supporting evidence from documentary evidence completed the narrative. So, what is the next project? We have noted some undocumented, deserted or shrunken villages. What is their story? Were they a product or a result of monastic colonisation? Watch this space!
Monasteries with granges in Derbyshire Basingwerk
Roche
Leicester
Dale
Beauchief
Rufford
Lenton
Darley
Bicester
Sempringham
Lilleshall
Dunstable
Buildwas
St Mary de Pratis,
Louth
Derby
Burton
Garendon
Merevale
Welbeck
Combermere
Monasteries with holdings but no grange Croxden
Thurgarton
Repton
Newstead
Felley
Monastic Granges of Derbyshire is published by W & WP at £15.99
Meadowplace Grange today
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‘You can see Minninglow from here’
Overstones Farm, Stanage Edge
JOHN BARNATT, senior survey archaeologist for the Peak District National Park for nearly 30 years, describes the genesis of his new landscape history book to editor ROLY SMITH
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or John Barnatt, the Peak District is “one of the few places in the world where such a rich history is visible in one relatively small but varied landscape.” “There’s simply nowhere else like it,” enthuses 66-year-old John. “The Yorkshire Dales and Dartmoor, for example, have their important layers of history and prehistory, but they can’t really compare with the complexity of history revealed in the contrasting landscapes of the Peak. “It has landscapes of great beauty, with wild moorland and walled fields around picturesque villages, all of which are imbued with a great depth of time.” But he adds: “Even the open moorlands are not ‘natural places.’ They have all been shaped by people over millennia.” And if there’s one thing which really gets the normally placid John’s goat, it is when visitors say to him: ‘Isn’t nature wonderful?’ “The truth is that in the Peak, and indeed the
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Guide stoop, Harland Edge
whole of this country, there’s no such thing as a natural landscape. There is not a single square metre that has not been shaped by people. It is land made and remade by people over many generations. “While it has many ecological habitats containing a rich variety of plants and wildlife, these communities would not appear as they do if it were not for the activities of people over the last 10,000 years,” explained John, who lives with his wife Bren, a freelance counsellor, and two of his three children at Mastin Moor, near Chesterfield. His new book goes beyond the usual places which
feature in accounts of the region’s archaeology and history, such as Arbor Low and Chatsworth. It introduces a wealth of little-explored sites and landscapes, all subtly imbued with the spirit of the people from the past who shaped them. The idea for the book arose from an unpublished historical landscapes analysis by the Peak District National Park Authority (later including Derbyshire County Council) which John did with help from former colleagues Gill Stroud and Angie Johnson for English Heritage (as it was then) about 20 years ago. The subjects – ranging from settlements, farming, the industrial landscape, transport and ‘polite’ and ‘conflict’ landscapes – are described thematically, rather than chronologically. “The starting point throughout is cultural mapping of the landscape through time,” explains John. In each chapter, boxes give individual case studies of examples of the landscapes described in the text. So does John have a favourite Peak District landscape? “I love the White Peak, with its intricate pattern of drystone walls and its emotive sense of the past,” he replies. And he adds, revealing his training in fine art: “Driving through Peak Forest on a day when the sunlight comes and goes across the hills is still magical to me. When they are cutting the hay meadows, the mosaic of colours changes day to day.” John concludes: “I have led archaeological guided walks in the Peak for several decades, and I often used to say: ‘You can see Minninglow from here.’ This distinctive hill between Parwich and Elton – its ring of tall but now dying beeches surrounding the site of a famous Neolithic chambered cairn – can be seen on the skyline from a surprising number of places across the Peak. “After a while I started receiving anonymous postcards from all over the world where all it said on the reverse was ‘You can see Minninglow from here’ – and they still occasionally arrive. It is these ‘off-the-wall’ happenings that have added to my joy of sharing what I know of this wonderful landscape,” says John. “My hope is that this book will help people reach a deeper understanding of the Peak’s rich tapestry.”
Lead workings on Tideslow Rake
Reading the Peak District Landscape: Snapshots in Time by John Barnatt is published by Historic England at £30. It is available from National Park Visitor Centres and it’s online shop: https//shop.peakdistrict.gov.uk
Golden Carr Road, Stanage Edge
John Barnatt in typical habitat
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Alice Through the Looking Glass She’s best known as one of TV’s most popular history presenters, but ALICE ROBERTS prefers to be known as a biological anthropologist, as she tells editor ROLY SMITH
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didn’t seek out my broadcasting career,” explains Prof Alice Roberts in the bar at Chesterfield’s Winding Wheel on the final date of her ‘Digging into Britain’s Past’ lecture tour. “It found me, and to be honest, I’m so glad it did.” Alice’s big breakthrough to becoming such a familiar face on our TV screens through series such as Coast, Digging for Britain and Britain’s Most Historic Towns, came in 2001 when her field archaeologist husband Dave was asked if he knew anyone who was an expert on bones for the Channel 4 series Time Team. “Dave recommended me as a friendly local osteologist and the rest, as they say, is history,” said Alice, in that familiar, smiling Bristolian accent. “I loved working with the lovely Mick Aston, Tony Robinson and the rest of the team, and being a small part of the series which did so much to popularise archaeology to the general public.” One of Alice’s earliest and most exciting Time Team digs was in Derbyshire at Carsington Pastures in 2003. “The Pegasus Caving Club of Nottingham had discovered a lot of human remains in a
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mud-filled, rather difficult to access, cave,” she recalled. “But a team led by Andy Chamberlain, then of Sheffield University, revealed a wealth of finds dating from Neolithic to Roman, including a load of human remains, many of which appeared to have long noses. Typically, Tony described it as a cave of Peakland Pinocchio’s!” According to the account on their website, Alice soon endeared herself to the Pegasus cavers for her tenacity in negotiating the excavated crawls, squeezes and climbs past a partly calcified skull, named with typical speleological humour as Yorick. Such was the impression she made that a section of the cave was actually named in her honour – the rather impolite “Alice’s Back Passage.” She’s convinced that she got the job as an archaeologist on the widely-successful Coast series on BBC 2 by default. “My good friend, biologist Miranda Krestovnikoff, and I were both called for interview in 2005 with about 10 others,” she recalled. “While we were waiting for the results, we both said to one another: ‘But I’m not an archaeologist. Are you?’ “However, it didn’t seem to matter to the producers, and we both got the job and had a fantastic time exploring Britain’s wonderful coastline for a few years.”
One of the sites she visited for Coast was Howick in Northumberland, where Clive Waddington, of Bakewellbased Archaeological Research Services, had excavated then led the reconstruction of a turf-covered Mesolithic round hut, partly during a raging blizzard. During her Chesterfield lecture, Alice asked Clive, who was in the audience, whether the hut was still there? To gales of laughter, Clive replied: “No, the cows ate it!” Although she is at pains to point out that she is not an archaeologist herself – she trained as a surgeon and later became a clinical anatomist – interpreting science to the public has always been important to 46-yearold Alice. This is reflected in her current position as Professor of Public Engagement in Science at Birmingham University, a chair she has held since 2012. “I just love making TV programmes which explain the worlds of science and anatomy to the public, and I’m so lucky to have been able to do that,” she says. A good recent example was her series of Royal Institution Christmas lectures last year. “I have a long-held affection for the RI’s Christmas lectures, and have fond memories of watching them as a child,” said Alice. “I still believe that science is very much part of our culture, providing knowledge of the world around us, as well as being a wonderful source of stories and helping us make sense of who we really are. “I think we’ve spent far too long thinking of ourselves as separate from the rest of Nature,” concluded Alice. “Biology tells us we’re part of it. We’re not the pinnacle
“I just love making TV programmes,” says Alice
of evolution, just another twig on the great tree of life.” Now embarked on her eighth series of Digging for Britain, when she’s not filming, Alice lives deep in the Somerset countryside with Dave and their two children. She loves being in the great outdoors and, inspired by the late Roger Deakin, is a keen wild swimmer. She is a pescatarian, a humanist and president of Humanists UK. “I believe humanism is both the most rational and positive philosophy for life,” explains Alice. “And it’s not a new thing – the history of humanist thought is deep and inspiring.”
Alice sorting bones from the Carsington Cave
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Andy photographing graffiti
Where there’s muck there’s magic For the past three years, National Park countryside maintenance ranger ANDY BENTHAM has been conducting a survey of graffiti in Peak District farm buildings
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here is something very human about a desire to leave our mark and, during an idle moment, many a farmworker has inscribed their initials into a timber door frame or smooth stone quoin. Where older plaster survives, usually on storage lofts or in harness rooms, the smooth surface has occasionally encouraged large amounts of graffiti in pencil or incised with the sharp point of a knife.
Being an important part of the working farm, horses were a regular subject for graffiti. This is from Farlows Paddock on the Chatsworth Estate
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The Peak District is an area where historic farmsteads have survived well and is rich in traditional farm buildings. Most of these were constructed before 1900 and, as the workplace for generations of farmworkers, it is no real surprise to find that some of these buildings contain older graffiti. The graffiti can record practical details associated with the business of farming, for example the weights of corn ground, quantities of lime purchased and the weather. Then there are the drawings and doodles, the jokes, poems and banter, which all give a fascinating insight to life on the working farm and events in the world at large. Little of the graffiti recorded so far in Peak District farm buildings dates from before the 19th century. But graffiti doesn’t have to be old to be significant. In 1967 Bob Townsend recorded the result of foot and mouth arriving in Edale, a moving inscription hidden away in a wall cupboard of the farm office. Apotropaic marks Perhaps more surprising is that within traditional farm buildings it is possible to find marks and symbols which are thought to reflect past superstitious beliefs. Today these marks are described as “apotropaic,” “witch” or “ritual protection” marks.
Although some marks are quite obvious, the simple technique of using strong LED lighting, shone obliquely across the surface reveals others that have gone unnoticed for decades. It’s a case of if you aren’t looking for it, you won’t always see it. Recent findings of so-called witch marks in the caves at Creswell Crags (see p29) are claimed to be the largest collection ever recorded. These are considered to have been made as protective devices, acting as wards against misfortune and averting evil, helping keep a building, its contents and occupants safe from perceived harm. With more than 30 farm buildings already identified as having some form of apotropaic mark, it is clear that the use of such marks and symbols was not uncommon, and in some cases continued until at least the late 19th century. Two main forms of apotropaic marks have been recorded, the first being a range of circular designs, including the ubiquitous hexafoil or daisy wheel, and the second are flame-shaped burn or scorch marks. Inscribed into plaster walls, the timber of roof trusses and on plank doors, most circular designs seem to be found on haylofts and in granaries, but examples are seen in stairwells, stables and single storey barns. Deliberately applied, flamed-shaped, burn marks have also been noted in a growing number of Peak District farm buildings. A common feature of early buildings, it is only in recent years that it has become widely accepted that the vast majority of burn marks were made deliberately, and should be included among those marks considered to have apotropaic qualities. As burn marks appear to have been made in similar locations to the circular marks, it is not unreasonable to suggest they had a similar function. A current popular idea is that burn marks offered some protection against fire. By touching the building with flame, it became inoculated against a further disastrous fire – a form of sympathetic magic.
There is a real fondness for their traditional buildings among farmers and owners, but of course most are unsuited for today’s farming practises. Many have and will hopefully continue to find new uses. But for now, there is a window of opportunity to record what is literally inscribed on the walls, looking past the dust, cobwebs and muck you can sometimes see a little bit of magic. I am indebted to the many farmers and owners who have granted access to their buildings and whose kind cooperation and interest has allowed recording to take place. I would be very interested to hear from any readers who have come across other examples of marks and symbols in farm buildings in and around the Peak District to add to the records. Contact: peakfarmgraffiti@gmail.com
Circular designs on a 19th century roof truss in a cart shed in Edale
Bob Townsend’s pencil graffiti inside a wall cupboard describes the result of foot and mouth arriving in Edale in 1967. “Foot and mouth broke out here Nov 17th 1967 562 sheep killed 4 cows . RR Townsend” – sometimes events in people’s lives are so big they feel the need to record them.
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A day in the life of... Matt Nicholas, Science Advisor (East Midlands) for Historic England
A Science Advisor
Portrait of the archaeologist as a young prospector: Matt panning for gold as a young boy at Creswell Crags
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longside my colleague, Lisa Moffett, I am one of two Historic England Science Advisors based in the Midlands. Our job is to provide support and advice to colleagues in Historic England (such as the Inspectors of Ancient Monuments), county archaeologists and archaeological units carrying out excavations. We cover all aspects of the investigation and analysis of the historic environment to enhance its understanding and management. I grew up not far from the borders of Derbyshire in Worksop. Previously my career had seen me work and study predominantly in the south (apart from a stint digging in Leicester). This role was, therefore, a chance for me to return home. My childhood was filled with explorations of the area: running around the ruins of Bolsover Castle, learning about the plague on school visits to Eyam, and being enthralled by tales of mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers at Creswell Crags while the tang of sewage hovered in the summer air. Indeed, so formative was the latter that even today a whiff of hydrogen sulphide and I am whisked to world of ‘80s perms and the Upper Palaeolithic. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this role has been getting to know Derbyshire better. I thought I had a good understanding of the heritage of the area, but my work supporting archaeologists in Derbyshire and the
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Peak District has revealed to me just how exciting the historic environment here is, and how much more there is to discover. This has particularly been the case on the less well studied landscapes in the southern hinterlands of Chesterfield and Derby. Here the excellent work of the County Archaeologist and team over the years has begun to reveal fascinating new knowledge about the area during the Romano-British period. The input we provide can run over the course of several years on a project. I may comment on the methodology for an excavation, visit the site to discuss environmental sampling strategies, and discuss the application of scientific techniques in a post-excavation assessment. On the Derby and Chesterfield sites mentioned above this has included discussing the proposed use of Organic Residue Analysis (a process in which pottery sherds are analysed for substances like fat which has seeped into them during use), trying to understand Roman coal use, and the presence (or lack thereof) of sweet chestnut in Roman Britain. This all feeds in to building our understanding of the diet, technology and economy of the past. With this we can better understand the significance of a site and help make more informed decisions about studying and managing our heritage. It also helps provide wider context for other parts of Derbyshire, and with this new information we can begin to re-examine the wider economic and social networks surrounding better studied areas such as Roman lead mining and military installations. Archaeological science is a broad church with many areas of specialist knowledge, and it is impossible for one to know everything. Luckily Historic England employs a range of leading specialists (many of them based at our laboratories at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth) that I can draw on for input on cases. Synthesising advice from many different sources and ensuring that I communicate effectively it in an understandable way to non-specialists is a big part of what I do. Recently this has included talking to our Scientific Dating Team (world leaders in their field) and getting their input on radiocarbon dating strategies and Bayesian statistical modelling for archaeological investigations associated with the Our City Our River flood alleviation work at Little Chester in Derby. The job isn’t just about site specific case work. We spend a lot of our time engaging with the many others working in the heritage sector. Lately this has included being involved in the steering group for the East Midlands Historic Environment Research Framework (see p21). The project has been very successful, producing detailed summaries and research questions for the region. All of this is freely available on their website, which also features the ability to add information on new discoveries and questions. If you are undertaking research in the area (or just interested to see what the current evidence base is and where the gaps in our knowledge are) then I would highly recommend having a look if you haven’t already done so. I may not get to dig holes or work in a laboratory these days, but it is a constant privilege to see the wide variety of high quality work and exciting discoveries occurring in Derbyshire and the region every day.
After the horse has bolted… EMMA GRANGE – former Historic Buildings Consultant with Archaeological Research Services – investigates an often overlooked aspect of large estates
The red brick exterior of the stable block at Oaklands
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tately homes represent the unimaginable wealth of bygone eras. They showcase architectural styles which are no longer replicated. It is thus unsurprising that these mansions and their landscaped gardens are the focal point in attracting visitors. But there are few exceptions where stable complexes take centre stage alongside the mansions; usually they have been converted into cafes and gift shops. However, elite stables often replicate the homes they accompany, providing a physical representation of the importance of horses in the past. Historic stable complexes belonging to the elite members of society are only one type of stable building. Horses were a necessity for work. For example, breweries, farms, and other industries required horses, and stabling, before alternative power transmission was sourced. Archaeological Research Services Ltd was commissioned to record two local stable complexes which illustrate this. The first was located at Oaklands, Derby and the second at Castern Hall, near Ilam in Staffordshire. The coachhouse complex at Oaklands forms an L-shape, comprising a coach house, three stalls, a former officers’ mess, bedrooms, a kitchen and bathrooms. All buildings are constructed from brick with minimal stone detailing. Internally, three stalls still remain and, predominately, have herringbone styled flooring, a tiled north wall, drains and metal rings for securing horses. The interior however had undergone modifications with the removal of interior fixtures including feeding/ water troughs. Furthermore, the inner brick walls, dividing the stable into three stalls, appear to be later additions. Horses do not tend to be segregated by solid walls, but by partitions with openings. On the upper floor false walls were installed to subdivide the space for accommodation. Usually upper floors consisted of a single space for hay.
Recording also enhanced understanding of the stable complex; one stall did not equate to the stabling of one horse. In each stall, two metal rings to secure horses were found and in two of the stalls there were two drains, suggesting two horses were stabled per stall. The coachhouse complex at Castern Hall comprises three ranges which form a U-shape, enclosing a rectangular courtyard with a drystone wall. The buildings are composed of course rubble with hammer dressed ashlar quoins and clay pitched rooves. Internally, part of the northern range has been converted; the remaining buildings contain the former tack room, stalls and hay storage space. Studying the coachhouse complex at Castern Hall revealed the current stable design does not conform to the elite 19th century style and has probably been modified. Firstly, the stalls have possible concrete partitions. Wooden partitions, with a metal component, were commonly used for partitioning stalls and concrete tends to be a later material. The second modification is the floor in the former main stable block. Quite often 19th century stables had tiled flooring laid in a herringbone or stretcher bond style (or similar) as is the case at Oaklands. A third non-conformity concerns the stable walls. Wooden planks (or tiles) often lined 19th century stable walls to keep the rooms dry and insulated. The walls showed no indication of wooden planks – perhaps they were removed during the inter-war period when farm building walls were often painted with lime wash paint for the antimicrobial properties that provided sanitary benefits for animals. These sites have both commonalties and differences. Both are 19th century stable complexes, built for relatively wealthy families and contain ventilation slots, stalls and hay lofts. Furthermore, both sites were used for motor vehicles before becoming redundant. The study of stables is only in its infancy, and as wider arrays of historic stable complexes are studied then further themes and differences may be established. Interior of the Castern Hall stable block, showing the concrete partitions of the horse stalls
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A multi-period landscape explored MARTINA TENZER of Wessex Archaeology shows how LiDAR has lit up the Dove You can ask what a landscape is like, but not how much of it there is. Hind, D. (2004)
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he quotation from Danny Hind (above) is only true in part for the historic landscape along the River Dove in the Peak District National Park. My research dissertation for MSc Applied Landscape Archaeology at the University of Oxford in partnership with Historic England, Aerial Investigation and Mapping Team, and the Peak District National Park Authority was a fantastic opportunity to explore a beautiful part of the White Peak from all angles and in depth. Before the Environment Agency announced the full coverage of England with LiDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) by mid 2020, the availability of this data in high resolution is scarce for the Peak District. One of the LiDAR datasets in 50 cm resolution along the River Dove, between Milldale and Dovedale, provided an opportunity to visualise and investigate the timedepth of the landscape with previously unknown detail and precision. Supported by Google Earth imagery and aerial photographs held at the Historic England archives in Swindon (below), amazing details of the historic landscape came to light – which in many cases were invisible on the ground and in some cases unknown until now.
View southwards across the study area along the River Dove showing the palimpsest of the landscape with Bronze Age bowl barrows and quarry/limestone kiln (centre right and below centre left) (33007_048 29-NOV-2016 Š Historic England Archive).
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Archaeological hot spot map of the Dovedale showing areas of preservation of monuments from the Bronze Age and Iron Age in the present landscape (values represent the cumulative age of monuments in each hexagon) (© M. Tenzer; data source: Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2019. All rights reserved).
LiDAR visualisation using Relief Visualisation Toolbox (RVT), Multi-Hillshade from 16 directions, 35 deg. sun angle, 315 deg. azimuth, showing details of the historic landscape of the study area with the River Dove running north-south through the centre (© M. Tenzer; data source: Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2019. All rights reserved).
Tofts and crofts and a network of hollow ways surrounded by ridge and furrow field systems tell the story of the once much larger hamlet of Stanshope on the Staffordshire side of the study area. Just across the River Dove in Derbyshire lies Grange Farm with intriguing ‘humps and bumps’, evidence for a once much more extensive range of farm buildings. Bronze Age bowl barrows dot the fields, having withstood farming activity in the landscape through the ages. Rakes and mines scar the surface and drystone walls overlie the monuments of the past as a final act of man dividing the land for pasture. How did these monuments impact on the perception of following generations? It is this fascinating palimpsest of historic remains – laid out before the viewer when explored with LiDAR – that reveals millennia of human activity along the River Dove and is guiding further exploration on the ground. One aim of the research is to analyse and visualise the entirety of time-depth in the historic landscape, where research usually tends to focus on monument types or periods. Geographic Information System (GIS) software was used to explore different representations of the multi-period essence of the landscape (above and left). So, how much landscape is there and what is it like? Exploring the landscape from the bird’s eye view (with the special lens of LiDAR) does allow us to map how much of the historic landscape there still is – adding previously unknown features to the Historic Environment Records and our knowledge of the past. It is, however, the stories we create from it that bring past landscapes back to life. 2020 | ACID
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Derbyshire’s heritage online for all The 8th-9th century crypt at St Wystan’s Church, Repton (HER entry MDR4289) © Michael Garlick
Derbyshire County Council Archaeologist STEVE BAKER describes a new digital resource which makes our heritage available to all
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ave you ever wondered how to find about more about the heritage on your doorstep? Derbyshire Historic Environment Record (HER for short) is a map-based digital database of all the known historic sites in Derbyshire (including the part of the Peak District National Park within the county). The technical term for this is a ‘Geographical Information System’ or GIS – meaning that sites are shown on a map background but that you can then click through for more information on each. The HER is curated by Derbyshire County Council and has a long history as a planning and research tool from its early days as a card index, evolving into digital form in the 1990s. It includes designated sites like Listed Buildings and Scheduled Monuments, but also includes a wealth of non-designated heritage and archaeological records – from Roman roads to colliery tramways, medieval house platforms to WW2 searchlight sites, flint scatters to cotton mills, and spanning a period from the Ice Age to the Cold War. The HER is constantly being updated as new archaeological discoveries are made – 237 new records were created in 2019, and 2,452 existing records were enhanced with new data.
Now for the first time Derbyshire County Council is making the HER fully accessible online for everybody to use. The Derbyshire HER website is at: her.derbyshire. gov.uk. You can search using an interactive map or using a Google-style search box, which enables you to search for a place, a period, a type of site, or anything else you’re interested in. You can choose a mapping background – satellite imagery, Ordnance Survey or OpenStreetMap – and against this you can turn various layers of information on or off. The HER ‘Monuments’ layer is the key data source which includes a wealth of historic sites both designated and non-designated, but you can also view Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, Registered Parks/Gardens and Conservation Areas. Clicking on a site on the map will bring up the HER entry for that site, with information about the monument and a list of sources for further information. Where source information exists in digital form you can click through to view archaeological reports and/or photographs of a monument or site. However, the flow of data is not just one way. There is also the opportunity to feed information back using the commenting tool within the website, whether you have discovered a new site or have new information about an existing one, or you want to upload photographs of a particular monument. The historic environment belongs to everyone and we’re delighted that Derbyshire HER is now publicly available online. We’re particularly excited about the interactive tools meaning that everyone can play a part in discovering and looking after the county’s heritage. We hope that the HER resource will appeal to schools, local historians and anyone who is curious to explore the time depth in their local landscape. On my own doorstep I’ve already found some surprising sites – a medieval hermit’s cave and a Victorian cheese factory. What can you find?
HER screengrab, showing prehistoric landscapes near Aston-on-Trent © Derbyshire County Council, background mapping © Ordnance Survey
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A new framework for the past DAVID KNIGHT and VICKY OWEN of Trent & Peak Archaeology and consultant BLAISE VYNER report on a new interactive digital resource for historic environment research in the East Midlands
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unding from Historic England has enabled conversion of the research framework for the historic environment of the East Midlands (see ACID 2013) to an interactive digital resource that we hope will inform and inspire research into the region’s archaeological and built heritage (https:// researchframeworks.org/emherf/). The contents of the Resource Assessment and Research Agenda and the Updated Research Agenda and Strategy, published in 2006 and 2012 respectively, have been converted to a series of interlinked web pages which we hope will encourage contributions from readers with interests in the past. The website was launched in 2017 and restructured in 2019, enabling it to occupy a new platform that is being developed to host all the English regional research frameworks (https://historicengland.org.uk/research/ support-and-collaboration/research-frameworkstypologies/research-frameworks/). The updated web resource includes an overview by period of archaeological, built environment and palaeo-environmental data from the region, defines key questions for future research and outlines potential strategies for advancing understanding. Development of the Agenda and Strategy involved extensive consultation with community groups, independent researchers and members of university departments, local government authorities, contracting units, consultancies and other organisations with interests in the region’s archaeology and built environment. The framework provides, therefore, a rare example of a document which has been prepared with these partners rather than for them, with questions and strategies defined in close liaison with stakeholders. The greatest challenge is to ensure maintenance and enhancement of the framework into the future. We encourage input from across the historic environment sector and hope to spur readers to consult the digital resource, update it with their discoveries, and provide feedback on how the site might be improved. Therefore, we are keen to receive details of archaeological projects, building surveys and other work that sheds light on key research questions. We would also like to receive information and comments on the regional overview, Agenda and Strategy, along with details of forthcoming meetings, fieldwork opportunities, exhibitions and other events. This will assist creation of a digital research hub that is readily accessible and easy to use. To achieve this, we rely heavily on comments from users and welcome feedback via the website or by email at emherf@yorkat.co.uk.
This photograph of Padley Hall near Hathersage shows the surviving range of the 14th century manorial hall, now in use as a chapel (photograph: ArcHeritage)
Abandoned river channels often permit study of human impacts on the landscape: a key, over-arching theme of the framework. The Lower Derwent Valley is particularly significant in this respect, as shown in this LiDAR image of palaeochannels (yellow outline) and ridge and furrow earthworks near Little Eaton (source data Š Environment Agency)
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In at the Deep end
The arching in the process of being rebuilt.
Due to the threat of imminent collapse of the main access point to the Deep Ecton Mine near Warslow in 2018, an ambitious restoration was undertaken, as JOHN BARNATT reports
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n the second half of the 18th century, Deep Ecton copper mine belonged to the Dukes of Devonshire and was one of the most important and the deepest mines in Britain. It is thought the mining here paid for the creation of Capability Brown’s landscaped park around Chatsworth House and The Crescent at Buxton. The level gives access to impressive engine chambers which are among the highlights of the Peak District’s underground mining heritage, including flooded workings that go down over 300m below river level. Until very recently these had not been seen since the 1850s, when the mine pumps were finally turned off. In May 2019, trials of a new type of remote submersible were undertaken and shafts and vast workings were explored. At the time of writing, the many thousands of photographs, as well as sonar and laser surveys, are starting to be analysed, and this exciting project will be reported in a future edition of ACID. To make this exploration possible and to restore long term access, it was necessary to repair the first 10m of the entrance passage. The repairs were undertaken for the Ecton Mine Educational Trust by a local firm – D-GEO – with the arched passage expertly restored by Pete Roe, one of the few people in Britain who had previous experience of such tasks. The work included digging a 4m deep hole from surface to access the top of the arching, with damaged parts then being rebuilt. The whole was covered in reinforced concrete to prevent future collapse. The level before restoration, with 1980s Acro-props and the new bulge to the left.
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The 1884-85 portal above the 1980s iron beam, with the site of the doorway just behind.
Various things were learnt. An original 1884-85 portal and doorway, built after the outer part of the 1774-75 level had collapsed and a new passage built, were found hidden behind the 1980s shoring. The original passage walls and their replacement were both set within a vertical-sided cut through natural gravel and mine waste above, then the arching was built before the ‘cutand-cover’ trench above was backfilled. The level had been extended beyond the portal when an early 20th century creamery was built on the site and a railway siding was built above it. Just inside the 19th century portal, a collapse had occurred in the mid-20th century, resulting in a large hole in the arching. In an attempt to gain entry around 1970, cavers burrowed their way through this, but it collapsed behind them and second hole in the arching was dug from surface by their friends to free them.
The innermost hole in the arching, with bulge beneath.
Portable Antiquities Scheme: Find of the Year
A Shakespearean angel SIMON NICOLSON, a volunteer with the Derbyshire Portable Antiquities Scheme, describes his ‘Find of the Year’
The Mapleton angel
They have in England a coin which bears the figure of an Angel. (Merchant of Venice)
See Thou shake the bags Of hoarding Abbots, Imprisoned Angels set at liberty. (King John)
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An interesting fact about the angel is that it was sometimes used in the ceremony of Touching for the King’s Evil. It was believed the monarch had the power to cure scrofula. An angel, touched and blessed by the monarch, would be placed around the neck of the sufferer. This is also mentioned by Shakespeare.
y choice for this year’s Find of Year has to be the gold coin known as an ‘angel’, found by a detectorist near Mapleton in the Derbyshire Dales.
The name angel comes from the image on the obverse which depicts the Archangel Michael slaying a dragon, a scene from the Book of Revelations. The reverse shows a ship with the royal arms flying from the mast. This particular angel dates to the reign of Henry VII, circa AD 1490. There is an H (for Henry) and a rose by the mast of the galley. Interestingly, the reverse of this coin appears to have been double-struck. The angel was an iconic coin of the 15th and 16th centuries, worth about ten shillings (50p), although its precise value varied over time. By the Tudor period, most people would be familiar with it, even if they were not rich enough to have one in their purse. It would have been equivalent to almost three week’s wages for a skilled workman. It is referenced several times by William Shakespeare:-
The mere despair of Surgery he cures Hanging a Golden stamp around their necks. (Macbeth) The Mapleton angel is recorded in the PAS database as record DENO-C5A99E. To view it and learn more about the Portable Antiquities Scheme, visit www.finds.org.uk
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Looking south-west across the barrow ring ditch towards Doveridge
Teenage deaths in the Bronze Age PATRICK DANIEL of Wessex Archaeology describes the finding of a previously unknown Bronze Age barrow at Doveridge
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he Peak District is well-known for its wealth of prehistoric burial mounds. Many of these monuments, such as Wigber Low near Kniveton and Gib Hill near Parsley Hay, occupy hilltops, and are so easily visible that their presence has probably never passed from living memory. Unfortunately, their prominence has been detrimental to our understanding of them, as such conspicuous sites often attracted the attention of early antiquarians, whose excavations records, where they exist, are often sketchy and many finds are now lost. Barrows were also constructed away from the limestone uplands of the White Peak, but these are harder to identify, often due to being ploughed flat and because the local soils mean that buried features here are less visible on aerial photographs. One such previously forgotten barrow has recently been excavated at Doveridge, on the south-west fringes of Derbyshire.
The excavation When digging exploratory trial trenches ahead of a housing development on the edge of the village, a team from Wessex Archaeology discovered three small pits containing cremated bone. Representing the local planning authority, Steve Baker, Derbyshire county archaeologist, recommended further work, so the site was stripped of topsoil, exposing the remains of a barrow. The monument consisted of a complete ring ditch (max. 2.3m wide by 0.5m deep) enclosing a 22m-diameter area. The mound itself consisted of natural gravel, probably upcast from the digging of the ring ditch, and was poorly preserved, seemingly having been ploughed out in the past. Seven cremation burials (two in urns and five not, spread across six graves) and a deposit of cremationrelated debris were found within the area encircled by the ring ditch. The urn The most eye-catching find from the site was an almost perfectly preserved collared urn, which had been placed in the ground upside-down. Such pots were made in the Early Bronze Age around 2200–1500 BC, and were usually used for the burial of cremated bone. The urn was successfully lifted intact and CT scanned at a hospital, so that the original arrangement of its 24
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contents could be recorded. This work revealed the urn did indeed contain bone, and that this had probably originally been placed in the urn in two bags. The scan also revealed a bone artefact at the base of the urn. Only then was the urn finally turned the right way up, to allow Jackie McKinley, Wessex Archaeology’s Principal Osteoarchaeologist, to excavate the vessle’s content under laboratory conditions. Her initial work has confirmed the results of the CT scan: at the base of the urn was the bone pommel of a knife; this was burnt and probably represents a pyre good. Towards the base of the urn was a bag containing the remains of a sub-adult (aged 12–14 years at death), which was followed by a second bag containing a second individual, this one a juvenile (10–12 years). Finally, burnt bone fragments from an elderly animal were placed over the human remains.
Amy Derrick excavating the collared urn
The urn also contained an unusually large amount of charcoal, ash and burnt stones from the pyre site, suggesting there had been little separation of the bone from the rest of the pyre material prior to burial. This might imply that whoever had buried these youngsters did not want to leave any bone behind on the pyre site. It is hoped that further analysis including radiocarbon dating will clarify the date, age and sex of those buried at the site, which will be published in due course. Despite the often destructive work of the early antiquarians, the identification of the barrow at Doveridge suggests that Derbyshire may contain many more such sites yet to be discovered. Furthermore, scientific advances offer insights into the Bronze Age barrow builders that our archaeological forebears could not have imagined.
Alfreton’s medieval farming heritage
A farm on the outskirts of Alfreton has revealed evidence of its medieval foundation, as EMMA METCALFE of Wessex Archaeology reports
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utseats Farm is shown lying on the eastern edge of Alfreton on maps dating from 1880 up until its demolition in the 1980s. Recent work by Wessex Archaeology, ahead of the construction of a housing estate built by Wheeldon Brothers Ltd, has revealed that the roots of the farm may extend as far back as the Middle Ages. A group of three well-planned rectangular ditched enclosures was found on the site, 100m to the east of where the farmhouse once lay. These are thought to have been paddocks for handling livestock. Within one lay an evenly spaced line of pits that may have served as watering holes. Pottery suggests the enclosures date to between the 13th and 15th centuries. A deposit of iron smithing slag was recovered from one feature. Although probably not in situ, it does indicate a medieval blacksmith worked on or near the site. The farmhouse at Outseats may have been built in the 18th century, with evidence of it being extended a
The stone-lined well
number of times during the 19th century. Between the farmhouse and the enclosures, a stone-lined well was discovered. Finds from the well include post-medieval pottery and clay pipe fragments. The well is not depicted on historic maps, which would imply it fell out of use before the maps were drawn up, indicating it is likely to date to the early 19th century at the latest.
Framed by a rainbow, a team from Wessex Archaeology at work on site
The kiln
The most intriguing feature within the farm complex was a keyhole-shaped, stone-lined crop-drying kiln, found not far from the well. This had a grindstone built into its floor, but contained no other finds, and so its precise date is unknown. Charred plant remains from the kiln are, however, consistent with crop processing in the medieval or post-medieval periods. The place-name ‘Outseats’ is thought to refer to a small outlying settlement or fold, which matches well with the excavated remains. It is possible that the site began as an agricultural outpost serving a medieval precursor to the Grade II* listed 16th to 17th century Carnfield Hall, which lies 180 m east of the site boundary. The work at Outseats Farm tells a previously unknown story of mixed farming on the site from the medieval period, with the post-medieval farm shown on historic maps probably developing from the newly-discovered medieval enclosures. Further study of the finds and documentary sources will undoubtedly shed more light on the history of the site. 2020 | ACID
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Interpreting the Peak District’s Lake District ANNA BADCOCK describes the work of the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership based at eight different sites. One of these is the plantation at Lodge Moor, near Redmires Reservoirs. This site has a very interesting 20th century history. A camp for the Sheffield Battalion was built here in 1914, and their practice trenches can be seen a few hundred metres away on Hallam Moors. During WWI, the camp housed prisoners of war. The camp was rebuilt on a much larger scale in WWII and held mainly German and Italian prisoners of war. A significant amount of research has been carried out on this site by individuals, ArcHeritage, Heeley City Farm and the University of Sheffield. Archive sources include Red Cross sanitation reports, personal letters and paintings and drawings. In March last year, undergraduate students from the University of Sheffield carried out further research and a survey of the site, as part of the first stage of Watercolour of the former POW camp at Lodge Moor (Picture Sheffield)
Map of the Sheffield Lakeland area
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he Sheffield Lakeland Landscape lies between the city of Sheffield and the uplands of the Dark Peak, over half of which lies within the Peak District National Park. It is an outstanding example of a living landscape, rich in history, with diverse habitats abundant in wildlife, vibrant communities and strong traditions. “Sheffield Lakeland” covers 56 square miles (145 sq km), centred on the village of High Bradfield. The 14 reservoirs in this area form such a distinctive aspect of the landscape that in the 1950s, they inspired a bus company to establish tours from the city to visit “Sheffield Lakeland.” This is a special and unique area, and the work of the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership seeks to identify, protect and celebrate these special qualities. The Partnership received £2.6m funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2018, which has been met with matched funding from core partners to deliver a £3.4m package of projects, which will run until 2022. Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust is managing the Partnership and it coordinates the work of more than 20 partner organisations, with the aim of conserving and celebrating the natural, built and cultural heritage of north-west Sheffield. “Hidden History” is a series of community archaeology activities
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Linocut of the camp in 1946 (Picture Sheffield)
fieldwork for the Landscape Partnership. They investigated the layout of the WWII camp and recorded the foundations of a wide variety of buildings and traces of the boundary fence. The students looked at how the woodland is used today and considered the key access routes through it. They also investigated the materials that were used to construct the camp. This work will help to inform the programme of further investigations at the site, and will also be used in the creation of interpretive material. The results will also be useful for Sheffield City Council – understanding which parts of the woodland contain sensitive heritage features will help it manage the woodland effectively in the long-term. If you would like to know more about Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership or find out how you can take part in any of their projects, please email sheffieldlakeland@wildsheffield.com or follow events and news on Twitter @SheffieldLakes
Sarah Fowler (centre) and other volunteers recording a sluice gate
Sarah joins the SW Peak volunteers CATHERINE PARKER HEATH, South West Peak Cultural Heritage Officer, provides an update on the latest projects
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arah Fowler, Chief Executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, joined over 70 trained volunteers in the South West Peak Landscape Partnership. Between them they recorded more than 300 heritage assets and 100 field barns in the Barns and Buildings and Small Heritage Adoption Projects. Both projects are supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. A number of barns are now being repaired and a barn trail has been created around the Warslow Moors Estate. By the end of the project, 25 heritage assets will be adopted, including mileposts, sundials, horse drinking troughs, a bridge, and a set of ore bins. The ore bins are part of the surface remains at Dale Mine, Warslow. These surface remains were surveyed by
Volunteers Paul and Frances Slater adopting a stoop in Longnor
John Barnatt in the summer of 2018, bringing together a thorough historical analysis and the results of an underground survey completed by John in 2015-2016. Further work is planned to consolidate the ore bins and excavate the site of one of the steam engines, and as part of this project, a Crowdfunder scheme has been created that is aiming to raise money to help support this work. SWP volunteers will carry out the work alongside John, after which they will adopt the ore bins, continuing to monitor and care for them for the foreseeable future and creating on-site and off-site interpretation for visitors. For more details of any aspect of the Barns and Buildings and Small Heritage Adoption Projects contact: SWP Cultural Heritage Officer Catherine Parker Heath at catherine.parkerheath@peakdistrict.gov.uk
John Barnatt describes the ore bins at Dale Mine to volunteers
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News
Focus on engagement Ros Westwood
MBE for Ros
Derbyshire County Council’s Museums Manager Ros Westwood received an MBE in last year’s New Year’s Honours List. Ros, who has run the Buxton Museum and Art Gallery for over 20 years, was nominated by the Council Leader, Coun. Barry Lewis. In that time she has transformed the service, visitor figures to the museum have doubled, and the county has received many awards for its exhibitions and events. Ros has also led and developed significant partnerships with more than 30 organisations, ranging from the British Museum to the Buxton Civic Society, and has recruited more than 100 volunteers to support various museum projects (see feature in ACID 2019). The recent £1.5 million redevelopment of Buxton Museum and Art Gallery took place under her supervision, has transformed the interior and exhibition space. Coun Lewis said: “Ros is a tireless advocate for all museums. This honour is well deserved, and I’m extremely proud that her work on behalf of Derbyshire has been recognised in this way.” Ros commented: “When I found out about this honour I was speechless, and I am incredibly humbled by it.”
Last spring, the Peak District National Park Authority published its Corporate Strategy for 2019-24. The Mission was “to speak up for and care for the Peak District National Park for all to enjoy forever.” One of the aims is to ensure that our cherished cultural heritage is better understood and looked after. New engagement activities will be developed to help people explore and learn about the amazingly diverse and wonderful heritage of the Park. Some portable ‘mini digs’ have already been created, which are great for budding archaeologists. Everyone loves to do an archaeological dig, especially if you can find some real Roman pottery! Keep an eye out for our family-oriented Archaeology Activity Days in our summer events calendar.
Children delving into ‘mini-dig’ boxes
Heritage at risk Every year the National Park authority collects statistics on the condition of heritage assets so we can report on those that are deemed to be “at risk.” Collecting this data can be very labour intensive. Within Derbyshire and the Peak District there are almost 9,000 listed buildings and 975 scheduled monuments – and some of these are in very remote locations. It’s a Herculean task to get up-to-date information about all these sites. The National Park is lucky to have a wonderful cohort of volunteer rangers who help it by monitoring the scheduled monuments in their areas. A monument survey training programme for new volunteer rangers is being devised, and other long-term volunteers have been trained to help with listed building surveys. The Park also worked with its IT department to create a new method of recording the data so it is properly integrated into its mapping system. This makes is much easier to analyse and report on the data, and to look for potential patterns. We hope that this will help to prioritise interventions and enable the authority to protect more of our valuable heritage sites. 28
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Volunteers doing a listed building survey
News
Crimes against heritage Heritage crime is defined as any offence that harms the value of heritage assets and their settings. For example, it could be graffiti or damage to a listed building. Perhaps one of the heritage crimes we hear most about is the theft of lead from the roofs of churches, but there are many other types. At a national level, Historic England together with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and a range of partners across the heritage and law enforcement sectors, has set up a Heritage Crime Programme. Local authorities like Derbyshire County Council also play a crucial role in the fight against heritage crime. Within the police service, officers who deal with heritage crime are often also responsible for wildlife crime. Last September, staff of the Peak District National Park came together with a number of other bodies, including the Derbyshire Rural Crime Team and the Head of Heritage Crime Strategy from Historic England, for a day-long training workshop to share knowledge and best practice. They learned which types of crime affects their area the most, and how they could best report, tackle and prevent these crimes in the future. If you think you have seen evidence for a heritage or wildlife crime, please report it straight to the police. There is also really good guidance available on the historic England website:https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/caring-for-heritage/ heritage-crime/
Making their marks “Can you see what I’m seeing?” said incredulous Wiltshire caver Hayley Clark to her colleague, Ed Waters. They had been attending Subterranea Britannica’s (a group which investigates man-made or utilised underground places) autumn conference in Nottingham, and had taken the opportunity to explore the Double V marks Creswell Crags caves. Deep inside Robin Hood Cave – the largest in the complex which honeycomb the spectacular Magnesian limestone gorge – Hayley’s headtorch picked out two or three distinctive incised marks carved into the cave walls. “The overlapping Vs, PMs and Christian crosses could only mean one thing,” recalled Hayley. “These were protective – or witches’ – marks. And they had never been noticed before.” As Hayley and Ed explored further into the 50-metre-long depths of the cave, they soon realised there were literally hundreds of these marks, previously dismissed as Victorian graffiti, covering the walls. They have since been discovered in all the six major caves in the gorge, making Creswell’s the largest concentration of protective marks ever found in British caves. A double V mark, framed by a cobweb
A quantity of stolen lead (Graham Holland Associates)
Offroading damage to a scheduled monument
Witches – or protective – marks are technically known as “apotropaic”, a word which comes from the Greek apotrepein, meaning “to turn away.” And that’s exactly what the marks were intended to do – to turn away witches or evil spirits which superstition led local people to think dwelt in such places. The double Vs are believed to refer to Mary, Virgin of The group who discovered the marks, Virgins, and PM stands outside Robin Hood Cave for the Latin Pace Maria. But not all the marks had a religious significance, according to Alison Fearn, a University of Leicester expert on protective marks. “These marks, which include Nine Men Morris merrills and mazes, were made by people from the 16th to early 19th centuries in much the same way that we today cross our fingers or throw coins into a fountain. They were made to protect yourself from whatever you were afraid of,” explained Alison. And she is certain that further investigation of many of the White Peak caves and lead mines – notorious for their superstitious customs – could produce an equal or greater number of such protective marks. 2020 | ACID
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Just how old is The Old House? Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the opening of Bakewell’s Old House Museum, GEORGE CHALLENGER, of the Bakewell & District Historical Society, outlines the various ideas on its history
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he building now known as The Old House, in Cunningham Place, Bakewell was known as Parsonage House for most of its life. This meant that it was the house that went with the parsonage land vested in the rector, in this case, the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield Cathedral. In the 1950s, when the southern part of the building was scheduled for demolition as a slum, it was examined by Charles Bradbury, a local builder with a keen sense of history. He wrote: “There is no doubt that it “housed either priests or monks... When my mother was a girl it was always known as the Monks’ House.” Bradbury’s mother had actually lived in a nearby cottage. Bradbury found three features which he thought reinforced his claim that the building was medieval: • The wattle-and-daub screen behind layers of wallpaper and behind one of the staircases provided by Richard Arkwright when he converted the building into six tenements for his workers at Lumford Cotton Mill in 1778 • The Tudor cupboard which had been made into shelving dividing the alcove from the rest of the parlour. • The great fireplace in the houseplace (hall) Acting on the strength of these findings, Bradbury successfully urged to have the demolition order lifted; and the Bakewell & District Historical Society was formed in 1954 as a result, and work began on its restoration. The founder of the society, John Marchant Brooks, also believed at first that the Old House had been used by priests and asked another founder member, George Butler, to produce illustrations of monks in the house. One was labelled ‘Priests of the Chantry of Our Lady’. The ‘secret chamber’ discovered after the two northern cottages came to the Society in 1966 was said to be a priests’ hole. Trevor Brighton (now president of the society), with his knowledge of Civil War politics and religion, firmly dismissed the
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idea of a priests’ hole being needed. It is now proudly displayed as the garderobe (internal toilet). The history of the Old House, as now told to visitors, is based on research by Trevor Brighton. He found the 1534 lease to Ralph Gell of Hopton from the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield and wrote: “The absence of a suitable habitable house on the site in 1534 is indisputable, since the Dean and Chapter have Ralph Gell ‘covenant and grant … to build and make on the said parsonage a competent dwelling for that ground.’ The house thus belongs to the reign of Henry VIII and should not be termed a medieval house.” However another member, Ted Meeke, later put forward an alternative theory based in part on detailed measurements of the parlour and solar showing discrepancies in thickness of walls and other oddities. He concluded that the original four-room building was half-timbered and was encased in stone in Tudor times. His evidence includes: • The solar roof was not attached to the east gable wall (resulting in the need to rebuild that wall) and its floor joists don’t meet that wall. • Timber above the upper porch which leads to the solar and small bedchamber continues above the stone north wall of the four-room house and is joined to the wattle and daub screen. • The ‘boundary ditch’ found during an excavation in 1978 may have resulted from the removal of the base of a timber-framed wall after the stone wall was built beyond it. A successful Open Day was held at the Museum on June 15 last year, when various activities were staged for children and other visitors. The Old House Museum is open every day from March 25 to November 5 from 11am to 4pm. Parties are welcome: see www. oldhousemuseum.org.uk George Butler’s painting of the ‘slum’ saved from demolition by the formation of the Bakewell Historical Society in 1954.
Cover story: Young Archaeologists’ Club
My Mesolithic granny!
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y name is Kit Bailey and I am a nine-year-old We also went to the Bakewell Museum which is an old member of the Peak District Young Archaeologists’ house made of wattle and daub. Originally built as a Club (YAC). I have always loved digging things Tudor tithes collector’s house, it holds many ancient up and as I am also interested in history, this led me to artefacts. During its history, it has been converted into archaeology. I first heard of archaeology when watching mill workers’ cottages and other things, so it has been in a TV documentary on the subject. I wanted to have a go use for centuries. and was very excited to join YAC but I had to wait till I was In June we went to Buxton Museum and saw the eight. I joined the very next meeting. ‘Hoards: a hidden history of Britain’ exhibition. It was We usually meet at Ilam Hall but this year we are lucky very interesting. Among the exhibits that caught my eye to have lots of visits to other places. There are about were one that was found by a child who dug 1.5 metres 20 members in our group. What we usually do is have down in his garden and found an early type of piggy a discussion about our subject and then activities, bank with a collection of coins, a spoon and a ring in sometimes a craft or maybe a practical activity, either it! Some of us wondered about the spoon, why it was inside or outside. Our trips allow us to practise our there and what it was for. It was an unusual spoon with archaeological skills, to visit historic a very long, thin handle. We thought that I always look places, and see objects which are too it could possibly be that the spoon was for forward to YAC fragile or precious to be moved. taking coins out of the piggy bank. Our first topic this year was the meetings because In another display the hoard was hidden Mesolithic. In the first session we learned inside a hollow flint nodule found by a we learn a lot how long ago this period was using a tape builder. When he was holding it, he shook about the past measure (one centimetre represented one it and a few coins fell out so he poured his year), and we found out how many generations back to cup of tea in to wash out the rest! It was interesting your Mesolithic granny – 240 generations! Our second to think about both stories for each hoard; who had session was about microliths, tiny, ancient flints, and hidden it and why, and also who had found it. we did soap-knapping! We pretended to be Mesolithic Another thing we did there was pretend to be hunters knapping their flints and this created a pattern archaeologists ourselves. We used metal detectors to of flint (or soap) shards. This means that when we are find copies of real coins hidden underneath the fake looking at Mesolithic camps with waste flint scatters, or turf then excavated to find the hoards. Each of us had a in our case, soap shavings, we can not only tell where job: metal detectorist, archaeologist, curator etc. When somebody was sitting but also how they were sitting we had found the coins, we had to put them into bags e.g. kneeling or crouching. to ‘transport’ them from the dig site to the museum The third session was all about tracks and signs of where we displayed them for the ‘visitors’ or the YAC the Mesolithic, such as footprints. We made our own leaders and our Buxton Museum tour guide. This was footprints using Plaster of Paris and sand. an activity to learn about how real hoards are found, Our first YAC trip this year was to Bakewell. We went excavated, preserved and displayed. It was fun to do. to examine the rather special gravestones there, I always look forward to YAC meetings because we called cross slabs. They have no writing on them but learn a lot about the past and we have fun at the same are marked by pictures. These pictures are a baffling time. Natalie Ward and the other leaders plan our code which, if you can read them, tells you who the sessions so that we can learn about many different gravestones were once laid over. From swords to shears historical places and periods, and different types of to chalices, these stones have lots of symbols which archaeology. Most of all, I like the practical activities, you only can decide what they mean to you, but we especially when we have the chance to take part in a might never know the real answer to all of them. real archaeological dig. 2020 | ACID
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Bookshelf: reviews by Roly Smith
Monastic Granges of Derbyshire Mary Wiltshire and Sue Woore W & WP, £15.99 pb There are estimated to be at least 45 medieval granges in Derbyshire and the Peak District, and “grange” is still a common place name to be seen on any Ordnance Survey map. Grange is the name given to an outlying farm belonging to a religious house or monastic community, although it has since been adopted to many more modern country houses. Now those indefatigable Ashbourne landscape detectives, Mary Wiltshire and Sue Woore, have turned their magnifying glass onto these common but still enigmatic features of our landscape. This meticulous and comprehensive gazetteer of the granges of the county is complete with many modern photographs and detailed historical notes. For me, the most exciting of these illustrations comes from the National Archives and forms the cover of the book. It is a coloured plan of Meadow Place Grange, and the land between the deserted village of Nether Haddon and Over Haddon, dated 1528. And of course, Meadow Place Grange still exists. This seminal work is supplemented by Brian Rich’s detailed description of medieval roads and tracks in the county which were used by the monastic houses to reach their granges in the county. Some were as far away as Bedfordshire, Flintshire, Shropshire and Lincolnshire, showing the power and influence of these religious houses in the Middle Ages, still visible in our landscape today.
A Village Life: Hartington 1933–55 Compiled by Richard Gregory Hartington History Group, £7.99 pb
A Village Life
Hartington 1933–55 Based on the diaries of John Sherratt and community memories
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A Village Life records aspects of life in the West Derbyshire village of Hartington during the middle part of the 20th century, based on the diaries of a lifelong resident, John Robert Sherratt. Published by Hartington History Group and compiled by one of its members,
The Archaeology of Underground Mines and Quarries in England John Barnatt Historic England, £30 pb This comprehensive survey of the archaeology of English mine and quarry workings by the former Senior Survey Archaeologist with the Peak District National Park was the winner of the Peter Neaverson Award for Outstanding Scholarship from by the Association of Industrial Archaeology. As might be expected, Derbyshire and the Peak District figure strongly in this seminal work, which is illuminated by some stunning underground photographs, mainly by the late master of that particular art, Paul Deakin of Stoke-on-Trent. So there are sections on lead (galena), barytes and fluorspar production in the Peak but also black and grey ‘marble’ (actually a polished limestone) and chert from places like Ashford-in-the-Water and Bakewell. Perhaps less well known are the coal mines of Whaley Bridge and Buxton. The author’s survey of the earliest datable workings is perhaps the most enlightening, good local examples including in the Masson and Devonshire Caverns at Matlock Bath and the extensive copper mines at Ecton in the Manifold Valley. The book is available from the Peak District National Park online shop and the Peak District Lead Mining Museum in Matlock Bath.
Richard Gregory, the book has been supported by the South West Peak Landscape Partnership/Heritage Lottery Fund and Hartington Charities, and all proceeds accrue to Hartington Community Funds. Sherratt’s matter-of-fact diary entries are supplemented by text and photographic illustrations designed to provide explanation, identity, context or insight for the benefit of the 21st century reader. Much of the background has been drawn from a rich fund of community memories. It is an absolute gem. Quite seriously it is the best local history book I have read. The content, style and format are all in perfect harmony. I feel as though I know the people and places as though I had been there. As a history of a country village from the mid 1930s to the mid 1950s I do not think it could be bettered. It deserves to be read widely by not just Derbyshire folk but all local history enthusiasts.
- Jeremy Grant Nolan
Bookshelf: reviews by Roly Smith
Reading the Peak District Landscape: Snapshots in Time John Barnatt Historic England, £30 pb John Barnatt, senior survey archaeologist for the Peak District National Park for nearly 30 years, has been a well-known and popular contributor to ACID for many years. His latest work must be rated his tour de force, and although the price tag might be a little off-putting, a more comprehensive and authoritative survey of the infinite variety of the Peak District’s landscape history has surely yet to be written. Barnatt wisely takes the greater Peak District – to include the surrounding townships of Glossop, Buxton, Matlock, Wirksworth and Ashbourne – in his survey, and goes beyond the touristy places which usually feature in accounts of the region’s archaeology and history, such as Arbor Low and Chatsworth, introducing a range of littleexplored sites and landscapes. The idea for the book arose from an unpublished historical landscape analysis which the author did for English Heritage about 20 years ago. The subjects – ranging from settlements, farming, the industrial landscape, transport and ‘polite’ and ‘conflict’ landscapes – are each described thematically, rather than giving them the traditional and rather hackneyed chronological treatment. The colour illustrations, mostly by the author himself but with some lovely, moody black-and-white photographs by Anthony Hammerton and underground studies by the late Paul Deakin, add greatly to the aesthetic appeal of the book. Available from National Park visitor centres and the online shop.
The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places Neil Oliver Bantam Press, £25 hb There are two Derbyshire entries over 15,000 years apart in the author’s self-confessed personal “love letter” to places which he says best illustrate the history of the British Isles. They are the caves of Creswell Crags (ACID cf), and St Wystan’s Church at Repton (see ACID 2019). The Saxon crypt of St Wystan’s Church, according to Oliver, is a place where you can breathe in history, a feeling most memorably expressed by John Betjeman as “holy air encased in stone.” The prehistoric rock art
Bonsall within Living Memory: memories of villagers over 50 years Bonsall History Group Bonsall History Group, £10 pb Too often, history is written by the aristocracy or the landed classes, and the lives and memories of ordinary people are ignored or forgotten about. So this fascinating account of the memories of over 40 residents and past residents of the village of former lead mining village of Bonsall over the last 50 years is a real credit to the Bonsall History Group, who put it all together. As editors Peter Greave and Peter Fellows say in their introduction: “Research by the group highlighted a considerable amount of unpublished information, held in the memories of people who grew up in the village and in their family photographs and heirlooms.” Interviews conducted over several years were transcribed and grouped into a series of topics residents considered important to them – to produce this delightful book. Their highly personal memories show that in the years following the First World War, the villagers were still largely self-sufficient. At the time there were an astonishing 20 shops, two schools, and no less than 10 pubs (there’s only two now). A nice touch is the potted biographies and photographs of many of the local contributors at the start of the book. And their contributions are also acknowledged throughout the text, so the reader can identify them with their individual memories.
of Creswell Crags is simply a “lost gallery of marvels” showing, as the author claims, earlier experiments with what it is to be human were already taking place. Despite its weighty 428 pages, the author’s story-telling skill gained in his previous career as a journalist makes this both a pleasurable and delightfully easy read, ideal just for dipping into or for reading straight through. Of course, Oliver’s hosting of TV’s long-running Coast series for 15 years gave him unrivalled access to most corners of the British Isles. His claim to have seen more of our islands in a shorter time than anyone else is unlikely ever to be challenged or beaten. So with such a knowledgeable and entertaining guide, you can’t go far wrong by joining this whistlestop tour into Britain’s multi-faceted history. Highly recommended. 2020 | ACID
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Our year in numbers What have the archaeology and heritage teams in the PDNPA and DCC been up to over the last year? We provide support and specialist advice to other teams across our organisations, to ensure minimal impact to our heritage in the planning process, and other land management schemes. We also help communities and researchers and look after our vital data. Here are just some of our key facts and figures for the year 2018/19.
20 360
Conservation Areas
6789
Listed Buildings
34
Community and research projects supported
Registered Parks and Gardens
638
Scheduled Monuments
1
136
World Heritage Site Countryside
27,368 Historic Monument Records
stewardship advice
3,450 HER records added/enhanced
Number of planning applications for which detailed archaeological/conservation advice was given ■ Monitoring
57
■ Building recording
59
■ DBA/Heritage statement
77
43
■ Preservation in situ
13
30
■ Other
6
■ Number of planning applications monitored and pre-application advice given
734
■ Excavation ■ Evaluation
Archaeological work resulting from planning process by type 2018–19
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Our year in pictures
Who are we? The key staff giving archaeological and built environment advice in our respective organisations are:
Derbyshire County Council (Archaeological advisors
Peak District National Park (Cultural Heritage Team)
Archaeologist & Development Control Archaeologist: Steve Baker
Senior Conservation Archaeologist: Natalie Ward
Development Control Archaeologist: Sarah Whiteley
Building Conservation Officers: Rebecca Waddington, Sue Adam, Helen Carrington
Historic Environment Record Officer: Dana Campbell
Assistant Conservation & Records Archaeologist: Del Pickup
Contact:
Cultural Heritage Manager: Anna Badcock Contact via Customer and Business Support Tel: 01629 816200 Email: customer.service@peakdistrict.gov.uk
steve.baker@derbyshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01629 539773
sarah.whiteley@derbyshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01629 539774
dana.campbell@derbyshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01629 533362
within the Conservation, Heritage and Design Service)
Heritage counts! New research into the economic benefits of archaeology work undertaken under the control of Local Authorities across Britain has been published by Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers. The report shows: ■ Commercial archaeology makes a £218m direct contribution to the economy ■ For every £1 spent on Local Authority Planning Archaeology £15 is returned ■ 5 000 (74%) archaeologists are employed because of the developmental management system ■ Work of local authority archaeologists contributes to an estimated £1.3bn in savings to construction industry through reduced delay costs in 2017–18 alone ■ The current provision of Local Authority based archaeological services saved £245m for the public purse in 2017–18 ■ The report can be found here: https://www.algao.org.uk/archaeology-development-management
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Picturing the past:
Lime Kilns, Millers Dale
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his extraordinary structure, looking like a lost Mayan temple, contains two enormous limekilns built in 1880 by the East Buxton Lime Company. The kilns are cut through solid limestone and operated continually, producing around 50 tons of quicklime a day. This would have been used for a variety of applications, including in the chemical and steel industries, and for building and agriculture. The rapid expansion of nearby towns and cities in this period created a huge demand for quicklime. The scale of limestone and quicklime production in Millers Dale was made possible by the building of the railway in the 1860s. The kilns were reinforced with concrete in the 1920s and fell out of use in 1944. Part of the former limestone quarry which they served is now a Derbyshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve. The kilns are located on the Monsal Trail, just a few minutes’ walk west from Millers Dale station and café, where the former goods shed is currently being renovated as a new interpretation space. Come and visit! This image was created by James Mills using coloured light and a long exposure to ‘paint’ the kilns at night. Visit Jamesmillsphotography.com to see his other photographs, including many prehistoric sites in the Peak District.