The Chapter-House of St Albans Abbey: Reconstructing its 15th-Century Vault

Before the 1978 excavation of the chapter-house site directed by Martin Biddle and the late Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle, nothing was known about the 15th-century building, beyond the brief documentary references in the Register to its remodelling during the second half of the century in the time of abbots John of Wheathamstead and William Wallingford. However, the exceptional quantity of late Gothic masonry fragments uncovered during the excavation has made it possible to attempt to reconstruct features of its design, particularly the vaulting, and has transformed our knowledge of this important building. This article reviews the information derived from the study of the fragments of the vault, assesses its significance in the development of late Gothic vaulting, and speculates on the identity of its designer.     

Abbots and Aristocrats: Patronage,Art and Architecture at Hailes Abbey in the Late Middle Ages

This article focuses on the art and architecture of the Cistercian abbey of Hailes, home of a famous relic of the Holy Blood, in the two centuries before the Suppression. It is intended to be a contribution to evolving literature on late medieval monasticism, showing the enduring spiritual vitality and relevance of Hailes between the 14th and early 16th centuries. The article discusses the planning and architecture of the late medieval monastery, the extent of and motives for the internal and external patronage and the relationship of the monastery with its sister Cistercian houses, especially those in northern England.     

Earthworks: The geopolitical visions of climate change cartoons

This paper asks how climate change cartoons work to communicate geopolitical visions of time, space and power. I make the argument that visuality is integral to climate change communication in ways that are frequently paradoxical. Dominant visual forms of evidence and iconic images help to make climate change real while simultaneously impeding full understanding of the debates and issues around climate change. In this context, at a time when visuality and climate change discourse have become co-constitutive, the paper explores the capacity of political cartoons to effectively represent the geopolitics of climate change. The empirical focus is the data set of cartoons submitted in 2008 to an international political cartoon competition called Earthworks. The entries collectively represent different geopolitical visions of climate change. They also suggest a critical role for cartoons in climate change communication – not as purveyors of visual evidence of climate change but as effective forms of visual commentary on the relations of power and knowledge within which climate change communication and debates are located.     

The Early History of Abingdon,Berkshire, and its Abbey

IN THE LAST decade knowledge of Salin's Style I Ornament in East Scandinavia has increased through the studies of Erä-Esko and through the remarkable finds at a workshop site at Helgö in Uppland. A characteristic feature of East Scandinavian Style I is the frequent use of small ornamental fields bordered by high ridges. In this article it is suggested that the ridges served to canalize the heat of the melted bronze during casting, and so prevent the mould from cracking. This was specially important in East Scandinavia where high-tempered bronze seems chiefly to have been used. That the fragility of the moulds was a real problem is hinted at by the relative numbers found at Helgö. The majority are for casting relief-brooches—which are comparatively rarely found cast. There are fewer moulds for the more frequently found cast bronzes, such as clasp-buttons; because the moulds for these were smaller, they were probably less prone, to damage during casting.

Because of the small size of their ornamental fields and the extensive corrosion which characterizes the bronzes found in East Scandinavia the ornament has often been misunderstood and described as highly degenerate. Through the systematic work of Erä-Esko we now know that East Scandinavian Style I was highly developed and deliberate. The rich finds from Helgö when fully interpreted will probably emphasize further the international character of this style. This appears of greater importance when it is realized that the style seems to have flourished at a time immediately preceding the Vendel period, which is specially rich in East Scandinavia.     

The History and Charters of Ingulfus Considered

The current Bronze Age settlement model for the middle and upper Great Ouse valley is based on the distribution of ring ditches from aerial photography, their excavation and the occurrence of stray finds. This settlement study, which is part of a broader survey programme, has initially concentrated on obtaining flint distribution patterns by field walking to see in what ways these could amplify and perhaps solve the problems posed by present evidence. It was also intended to assess its value as a tool for problem solving in the context of landscape archaeology and settlement studies. Although the areas examined were small and selective, the flint distribution patterns, when considered with other evidence suggested that ring ditches were part of complex and extensive settlement locations. However it was evident that the ring ditches were set away from the main habitation foci.     

Reconstructing Nineteenth-Century Midwest Foodways: Ceramic and Zooarchaeological Information from the Moore-Youse House and Huddleston Farmstead

Settled by families from the South and the Northeast, during the 1800s Indiana was a cultural crossroads. Ceramic and faunal data recovered from excavations conducted at the Moore-Youse house and Huddleston farmstead in east central Indiana provide a relevant archaeological example of midwestern foodways during the nineteenth century. Vertebrate faunal material from the two sites reveals early use of wild resources followed by greater reliance on beef and pork after the 1850s. Stratigraphic analysis results of zooarchaeological information are also presented to illustrate diachronic trends in faunal use at the two residences.