On the Coins of Uriconium

Abstract

This paper investigates for the first time the imagery of the octagonal crossing-tower at Ely Cathedral, attempting a reconstruction of the original programme in the light of newly-discovered sculptural fragments and antiquarian drawings. The scheme is shown to have been extremely sophisticated, articulated through a variety of media, including wall-paintings, stained glass and sculpture in stone and wood. The relationship between Ely and Westminster is touched upon and the view of recent research that there was a much closer connexion between works executed at the Court and those in the provinces than had formerly been supposed is supported by the discovery of an Ely model for some of the wall-paintings in the palatine chapel of St Stephen, hitherto seen as rather isolated in mid fourteenth-century England. The iconography of the Octagon's imagery and its original place within the great architectural works then being undertaken at Ely is also analysed, and it is suggested that the man responsible for drawing up the Octagon's programme was the monastic sacrist, Alan of Walsingham.     

Further Notes in Reference to the Discoveries at Ickleton and Chesterford

Abstract

Although it is generally well-known that a number of cathedrals and major abbeys in medieval England especially had detached bell towers, the towers themselves have never been considered as a group. Nor has a ‘complete’ listing been attempted. Their existence is difficult to explain because the majority of these buildings also had central towers and some had western towers. No doubt because so many of the detached towers have been destroyed, they are less well-known than the examples on the Continent, especially in Italy. Surprisingly, towers seem to have been rare in Romanesque and Gothic France and Germany. The Insular ones appear to have been less ‘standardized’ in their design and more variable in their location vis-à-vis the church building than those of Italy. The history of detached towers in England (and Scotland) is here traced from their earliest appearance, in wood in the 12th century and in stone c. 1200, to the end of the Middle Ages.     

Remarks on an Ancient Reliquary,in the Possession of MR. George Isaacs

Abstract

This short paper reports the recent discovery of an oyster shell containing paint, within the fabric of the ruined north aisle wall of the Norman nave of St Mary's church, New Shoreham. Microscopic paint analysis has identified the pigment as pure yellow ochre, and subsequent radiocarbon dating has shown the shell itself to be mid- to late Saxon in origin. The shell represents a medieval colour-dish, used as such by a 12th-century artist at the church, prior to the reuse of the dish as mortared rubble in the nave wall. On current evidence, this colour-dish represents the oldest dated example, and the oldest dish found in physical association with a building, from medieval Britain.     

From Langford to South Cerney: The Rood in Anglo-Norman England

Abstract

Two fragments of a figure of Christ crucified from South Cerney parish church comprise the sole survivor of a Romanesque wooden Rood with an English provenance. This paper argues that it is an example of a Triumphkreuz originally located at the chancel arch of South Cerney church and seeks to establish its relationship to both pre-Conquest monumental stone Rood sculpture and wooden Triumphkreuze in northern Europe and Scandinavia. The Triumphkreuz appears to have been a standard feature of the greater churches of Norman England, but how common it was in post-Conquest parish churches is less clear. While church dedications suggest that devotion to the Holy Cross was particularly strong in south-west England, late-11th- and 12th-century mural painting and sculpture of chancel arches in parish churches over a wide area exhibit a close connection with the Rood.     

Communication of Discoveries of Medieval Paintings,Etc

Abstract

Until 1965 Holy Trinity parish church, Much Wenlock (Shropshire), was believed to be wholly Norman and later. In that year it was proposed that the south chancel chapel and south nave aisle were Anglo-Saxon. Two vertical strips of squared stones, built into the upper part (a later heightening) of the aisle's south wall, were interpreted as Anglo-Saxon pilaster strips of the type later classified by Dr H. M. Taylor as ‘long-and-short’. If the upper part of that wall was Anglo-Saxon, the lower part must have been earlier Anglo-Saxon, and so must the chapel south wall, which is integral with the lower part of the aisle wall. The Norman nave and chancel must have been added to an-existing Anglo-Saxon structure.

We believe, however, that the aisle and chapel must have been added to an existing Norman structure, for the Norman nave had originally a south-east external clasping buttress. Structural and documentary evidence shows that the strips are probably of the later thirteenth or earlier fourteenth century. Moreover similar strips occur in another part of the church that is probably of that date or later. ‘Pilaster strips’ of ‘long-and-short’ appearance may evidently be looked for elsewhere in twelfth-century or later contexts, especially in the heightened parts of unsupported rubble walls.     

Southchurch Hall

Abstract

In 1437 Sherborne Abbey church was deliberately set on fire as the result of a quarrel between certain parishioners and the monks. The tower and chancel of the church were being rebuilt at the time. This paper records the results of a detailed study of the masonry which had been discoloured by scorching, and the conclusions deduced therefrom. These include: some modifications of the story of the fire as interpreted by Professor R. Willis in 1865, and deductions on the course and extent of the fire, the stage that the rebuilding had reached and its sequence of construction. The survey also proves that the fan vaults and clerestory windows of the east end were completed after the fire to their original design. The paper ends with some discussion about the possible architect, and an assessment of the design and influence of the fan vaults.     

The development of all-metal water towers

Abstract

This paper discusses the development in Britain and Ireland of all-metal water towers as used for water supply. Although concentrating on those provided for bulk public water supplies, an outline is given of parallel developments, especially in railway engineering, during the 19th century. After 1900, panel tanks formed of steel flanged plates generally supplanted earlier forms of tank construction found on water towers and it was not until the 1950s that other, more pleasing, styles came to be erected, although these found little favour in the water industry and few were ever built. The aesthetic and long-term maintenance problems associated with all-metal water towers are also considered. The data contained in this paper is part of a larger study into the development of all forms of water tower being undertaken by ICE's Panel for Historical Engineering Works.     

Notes on the Seals of Endowed Grammer Schools in England and Wales

Abstract

Excavation and architectural analysis at Kirkham Priory between 1978 and 1984 have led to a re-appraisal of the structural development of that important Augustinian house which was perhaps founded in 1122 and suppressed in 1539. In particular, the early development of the church was resolved, an important western axial tower identified, and the thirteenth-century presbytery placed in context. The ground-plan of the fourteenth-century gatehouse was recovered and its twelfth-century predecessor identified. A new study of the standing remains has identified the development pattern of the claustral ranges which can now be related to the economic history of the priory. In addition, the discovery of a ceramic water-main of later-twelfth-century date provides a rare example of the use of pottery water-pipes in England.     

The Parish Community Through the Vicarage Window: Nineteenth-Century Clergy Visitation Returns

Abstract

This article uses the visitation returns of the clergy to Archbishop Thomson at his primary visitation of the diocese of York in 1865 in order to look at the relationships which defined the parish community as seen, idealised and criticised by the clergymen of this mainly rural diocese. Their collective view highlights key elements which helped make or break the community with the parish church at its centre: the support given by local landowners; the central importance of the school; and the relationship with the farmers of the parish and impact of farming practices on church attendance. Though the ideal parish community rarely existed it inspired conscientious clergymen to work for its creation in sometimes difficult circumstances. The study also illustrates the value of visitation returns for the local historian and gives pause for thought as the closure of village schools and churches to-day undermines the communities our forebears strove to create.     

THE BYZANTINE CHURCH OF THE NUTRITION IN NAZARETH REDISCOVERED

Abstract

Although Nazareth has usually been seen by scholars as a relatively minor Byzantine pilgrimage centre, it contained perhaps the most important ‘lost’ Byzantine church in the Holy Land, the Church of the Nutrition – according to De Locis Sanctis built over the house where it was believed that Jesus Christ had been a child. This article, part of a series of final interim reports of the PEF-funded ‘Nazareth Archaeological Project’, presents evidence that this church has been discovered at the present Sisters of Nazareth convent in central Nazareth. The scale of the church and its surrounding structures suggests that Nazareth was a much larger, and more important, centre for Byzantine-period pilgrimage than previously supposed. The church was used in the Crusader period, after a phase of desertion, prior to destruction by fire, probably in the 13th century.     

A Holiday Journal of 1774

Abstract

Early illustrations of Ledsham church do not show carvings around the Anglo-Saxon doorway into the tower, and examination of the physical condition of the stonework suggests that it is unlikely that the carvings could have survived from the Anglo-Saxon period. The peculiar features of the doorway and its carvings are best explained by the work being a nineteenth-century replacement by the Victorian architect, Henry Curzon.     

The Concepts of imitatio and translatio: Perceptions of a Viking‐Age Past

The author presents the results of excavations at Mare Church, North Tr?ndelag. Medieval sources indicate that Mære was the religious centre for Inner Tr?ndelag in pre‐Christian times. It was also the place where the first church (shire church) in Sparbyggjafylke was erected. At Mære if anywhere, therefore, it should be possible to test archaeologically the theory about cult continuity from pagan to Christian times.

Under the present church, which dates from the end of the twelfth century, the remains of an early wooden church surrounded by a churchyard were found, together with vestiges of at least two buildings from pre‐Christian times. On the evidence of loose finds, the oldest of these can be dated to the Migration Period (c. A.D. 500). A series of gold plaquettes were found associated with the later of the two buildings. This find is interpreted by the author as indicating that the building may have been a pagan cult building.     

Middle Anglo-Saxon Downham Road,Ely: extending the West Fen Road site

ABSTRACT

The large Middle Anglo-Saxon site at West Fen Road, Ely, represents one of the most extensively investigated English archaeological sites of the long eighth century. Recent investigations have significantly expanded its known extent, providing important insights into the origins, development and the nature of the site and modifying previous interpretations. The evidence demonstrates the existence of three separate extensive areas of ditched enclosures used primarily for stock management dating to c. 720/50–825/50, although craft activities and occupation also took place. These enclosures were connected by a network of routeways and droveways and have extensive open areas between them, linked to arable agriculture. The scale of activity and evidence for grid planning indicate that this agriculture landscape was controlled by the contemporary monastic community at Ely.     

Notices of New Publications

Abstract

This paper reviews an article by Francis Woodman confirming his conclusion that it was originally intended to extend the retrochoir one bay further west and to demolish the Norman apse but questioning whether this intention was carried out before the rebuilding of the presbytery in the fourteenth century. Some errors of fact and misleading indications in Woodman's diagrams are also corrected and his argument that the central vault of the retrochoir was rebuilt in the fifteenth century is refuted.     

AN ANALYTICAL RESPONSE OF CHURCH BELLS TO EARTHQUAKE EXCITATION

Occasionally there is an earthquake in the UK during which church bells are reported to have been set ringing. The motion of a medium sized church bell has been simulated and the response to earthquake records from the Parkfield earthquake of 1966 has been calculated. The response of the bells is found to depend on the mechanical properties of the bell and the tower in which it is hung. The analyses do show that for a bell to ring in an earthquake the peak ground acceleration is in the range 0.97 to 29.4 m s^?2 considerably in excess of the range indicated by the MMI VI “church and school bells ring” of 0.4 to 1.5 m s^?2. The best correlation between recognised earthquake parameters and the ringing of the bell was obtained by combining the spectral values for clapper-bell angle, obtained from the linearised set of equations, at the bells natural frequencies using the SRSS method. The values of this parameter to set the bell ringing was in the range 0.25 and 0.38 rad, compared with the actual striking angle 0.54 rad.     

Recent Historical and Archaeological Publications

It has been said that there was a stagnation in church building during the late sixteenth century, but this seems to be a myth, brought about because work of this period may be almost indistinguishable from earlier products and many church towers have been mistakenly attributed. A major breakthrough in campanological technology is demonstrated which led to over half the county's church towers being strengthened, improved or rebuilt. A notch found in newel stairs helps to identify those of this period, as does the revival of Decorated style features. The era is seen as one of Mixed Gothic motifs.     

Nuclear science and the story of a preserved leaf from a copy of the Great Bible

Three pressed leaves of Ulmus glabra (Wych Elm) were found within the pages of a copy of the Great Bible in the Library of the University of Western Australia. The Bible dates from AD 1540 and was originally housed at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire. A radiocarbon age on one of the leaves found it was about as old as the Great Bible itself, and stable C and N isotope and neutron activation analyses were carried out on the same leaf. The δ¹⁵N values were elevated and the content of iron, arsenic, bromine, silver, gold and mercury were relatively high. These analyses are consistent with an environment where water logging is present, as at Ely at the time, and the silver and gold content are probably consistent with the cathedral setting. The mercury was found to be associated with the red ink in the Bible. It is intriguing to ponder why Wych elm leaves were placed in the Bible, especially in the light that a copy of an original edition of the King James version of the Bible from Ely, also in the library in Perth has many dozens of U. glabra leaves also preserved within in its pages.     

Church and state in the Italian crisis

Abstract

This essay explores the ways in which the positions and policies of the church have changed during the three principal phases of relations between the Catholic Church and the State since the founding of the Italian Republic. The first came after the Second World War when the church embarked on its democratic novitiate; the second was dominated by reformist project of Cardinal Montini; the leading role in the final phase during the papacy of John Paul II and the broader crisis of which the church was also part was played by Cardinal Ruini.