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EDITOR:  Duncan  Berryman.  School  of  Geography,  Archaeology  &  Palaeoecology,  Queen's  

University  Belfast,  BELFAST,  BT7  1NN  Email:  newsletter.ulsterarcsoc@gmail.com  

THE ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

 

 

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FROM  THE  EDITOR    We  come  to  the  end  of  another  busy  year  for  the  UAS.    This  year  has  seen  new  adventures  for  the  Society  with  the  introduction  of  our  British  field  trip  in  September  and  our  Survey  Group  exploring  new  sites  by  sea  and  continuing  to  grow  in  strength.    This  year  has  also  seen  a  full  programme  of  interesting  lectures  and  workshops.    And  2013  is  already  looking  set  to  be  just  as  action  packed  and  enjoyable.    This  year  has  also  been  notable  for  the  coverage  of  archaeology  in  the  media  (and  not  just  because  the  Mayan  calendar  ends  in  December  2012).    The  highlight  over  the  past  six  months  has  been  the  crannog  excavation  at  Cherrymount,  Fermanagh,  with  some  really  amazing  early  medieval  finds  being  produced  from  this  excellently  preserved  site;  many  shining  a  new  light  on  our  understanding  of  this  period  in  Ireland.    We  have  also  been  following  the  news  of  the  excavation  of  Richard  III  in  a  Leicester  car  park.    But  in  November,  Brian  Williams  reminded  us  of  the  economic  value  of  Northern  Ireland’s  archaeological  heritage  and  indicated  that  the  UAS  membership  will  have  an  important  role  to  play  as  the  changes  to  public  administration  mean  that  planning  decisions  will  be  at  a  local  level.    This  will  provide  opportunities  for  our  members  to  use  their  knowledge  of  their  local  landscape  to  help  protect  archaeological  sites.    

Duncan  Berryman  Newsletter  Editor  

!2013%Subscriptions%

!Subscriptions!for!membership!of!the!UAS!for!2013!are!due!as!of!!1st!January!2013.!!Rates!are!the!same!as!last!year!>!£20!for!standard!membership!and!£7.50!for!retired!membership.!!Send!your!payment!to!John!Moore,!along!with!the!form!on!the!back!page!of!this!Newsletter.!

 

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Newsletter  Online    You  can  now  view  a  digital  version  of  the  Newsletter,  with  additional  content  and  colour  images.    Go  to  http://issuu.com/ulsterarcsoc  to  view  the  latest  issue  and  the  previous  edition.    We  will  also  be  emailing  out  a  pdf  copy  to  our  members.    Don’t  forget,  you  can  get  the  latest  news  about  the  Society’s  events  and  activities  by  following  us  on  Twitter  and  Facebook  

http://tinyurl.com/uastwitter    http://tinyurl.com/uasfacebook    

ULSTER  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  SOCIETY  EVENTS    Lectures  8pm  Elmwood  Building,  Queen’s  University  Belfast    Monday  25th  February  -­‐  Michelle  Comber  (NUI  Galway):  Excavations  in  

Caherconnell  Townland,  Co  Clare  -­  searching  for  the  Early  Medieval,  finding  Neolithic  to  17th  Century  AD  

 Monday  25th  March  -­‐  Mark  Gardiner  (QUB):  Mapping  Lost  Worlds:  A  Survey  of  the  

Archaeological  Landscapes  of  the  Antrim  Plateau    Monday  29th  April  -­‐  Nick  Maxwell  (Wordwell):  Archaeology  Ireland:  25  Years,  

100  Issues    Monday  27th  May  –  Conor  Brady  (Dundalk  IT):  Old  Questions  and  New  

Technologies,  The  Hill  of  Slane  Archaeological  Project    Field  trips    3rd  –  5th  May  –  County  Trip:  Donegal    Mid  September  –  Continental  Trip:  Portugal    The  Donegal  trip  is  fully  booked,  but  you  can  add  your  name  to  a  waiting  list  and  you  should  register  your  interest  in  the  Portugal  trip  ASAP  (contact  Anne  McDermott  -­  annemacdermott@aol.com  or  028  90  761  454)    

 

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ANNUAL  GENERAL  MEETING     MONDAY  28  JANUARY  2013    

The  71st  Annual  General  Meeting  of  the  Ulster  Archaeological  Society  will  be  held  in  the  Lecture  Theatre,  Queen's  University  Elmwood  Building,  Elmwood  Avenue,  Belfast  BT9,  on  Monday  28  January  2013,  commencing  7.45pm.    

 

Agenda 1.  President's  Address.      2.  Minutes  of  70th  Annual  General  Meeting  held  on  Monday  30th  January  2012.        3.  Honorary  Secretary's  Annual  Report  for  2012.      4.  Honorary  Treasurer's  Annual  Report  for  2012.      5.  Honorary  Editor  Ulster  Journal  of  Archaeology  Annual  Report  for  2012.      6.  Honorary  Editor  UAS  Newsletter  Annual  Report  for  2012.    7.  Election  of  Officers.      8,  Election  of  two  Ordinary  Committee  Members,  General  Committee  (3-­‐year  term).      9.  Election  of  Honorary  Auditor.        10.  Business  of  which  notice  has  been  given.      11.  Any  other  business.      Notices  of  motion  and  nominations  for  officers  and  committee  positions  should  reach  Mr  Ken  Pullin,  Hon  Secretary,  Ulster  Archaeological  Society,  c/o  School  of  GAP  (QUB,  Belfast,  BT7  1NN)  not  later  than  Monday  14  January  20  13.      The  President,  three  Vice  Presidents,  Honorary  Secretary,  Hon.  Treasurer,  Hon.  Editor  Ulster  Journal  of  Archaeology,  Hon.  Editor  UAS  Newsletter  and  Hon  Auditor  are  elected  annually.    Two  Ordinary  Members  of  the  General  Committee  retire  annually  and  are  not  eligible  for  re-­‐  election  for  one  year.      Following  the  business  of  the  AGM  there  will  be  a  PowerPoint  presentation  of  the  Society's  field  trips  during  20  12  and  an  illustrated  account  of  the  activities  of  the  Survey  Group  during  the  year.        

 

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SURVEY  GROUP    Our   2012   survey   season   progressed   despite   the   challenging  weather   conditions.     In  August,  we  visited  a   very   interesting   farm  site   at   Johnston’s  Green  at  Divis.     From  a  distance,  this  site  did  not  look  too  difficult,  but  on  closer  inspection  there  were  a  whole  range   of   interesting   features,   including   the   remains   of   the   farm   buildings,   a   well,  possible  flax  retting  ponds,  lazy  beds  and  boundary  walls.    The  remains  appeared  to  be  very  old  and  stimulated  much  debate  about  the  people  who  might  have  lived  there  and  their  part  in  the  social  economy  of  this  area  in  the  past.      In  September,  we  were  due  to  return  to  Divis  as  Mal  had  identified  at  least  three  sites  for  us.    We  hoped  to  split  into  three  groups  and  bring  all  our  equipment  into  use,  but  we   had   not   anticipated   the   widespread   traffic   chaos   resulting   from   the   Ulster  Covenant   parades.     Instead,   we   made   our   way   to   Rowallane   to   begin   our   report-­‐writing   efforts,   as   we   had   built   up   quite   a   backlog   of   work.     This   proved   to   be   a  worthwhile   decision,   as   three   new   reports   were   quickly   completed.     These   reports  (Rough   Fort   Rath,   Limavady,   Castle   Ward   Gasworks   and   Divis   Cashel)   are   now  available  on  the  UAS  website,  bringing  our  total  to  30  completed  survey  reports!    This  is  a  tremendous  achievement  by  the  members  of  the  survey  group  and  represents  a  lot  of  private  research  and  preparation.    Well  done  to  all  concerned.    In  November,  our  President,  Barrie  Hartwell,  held  a  lithics  course  (flint  to  you  and  me)  at   Queen’s   University.     Twenty-­‐five   members   of   the   survey   group   attended   and   all  agreed   that   the   course   was   extremely   interesting   and   informative.     This   course  followed  on  from  a  ceramics  (pottery  to  you  and  me)  course  that  Barrie  held  in  March.  We  are  indeed  fortunate  to  have  someone  of  Barrie’s  calibre  to  provide  such  courses  and  very  much  appreciate  his  help  and  support  for  the  activities  of  the  survey  group.  Our  last  outing  of  the  season  is  planned  for  Rowallane  on  24  November.    We  don’t  hold  a  December  meeting  as  it  usually  clashes  with  the  Christmas  holidays,  but  I  suspect  we  would  get  a  few  members  along  if  we  did!!    2012  has  been  a  very  successful  year  for  the  survey  group  and  membership  continues  to  grow  steadily.    Members  are  not  expected  to  turn  up  for  every  outing,  but  there  is  a  hard  core  who  do,  and  to  them  I  would  like  to  say  a  heart-­‐felt  thank  you  for  their  loyal  support.     Also,   our   efforts   have   been  made   substantially   easier   due   to   the   help   and  support   of   Mal   Conway,   who   has   been   a   willing   and   enthusiastic   supporter   of   the  survey  group  since  its  inception.    

Harry  Welsh  Fieldwork  Co-­ordinator    

 

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UAS  TRIP  TO  WESSEX  16th  –  23rd  SEPTEMBER  2012    The  very  name  WESSEX  conjures  up  images  of  Stonehenge,  Alfred  the  Great  and  the  writer  Thomas  Hardy.    This  English  region  was  the  venue  for  the  UAS  Main  Field  trip  for  2012  as  part  of  the  now  legendary  Anne  MacDermott  organised  tours  which  get  more  and  more  popular  with  every  passing  year,  2012  being  our  first  residential  trip  to  Great  Britain.    On  arrival  on  Sun  16th  Sept  our  base  for  the  week  was  the  most  attractive  city  of  Salisbury  staying  in  the  comfortable  well  located  Middleton  Hotel  on  the  edge  of  the  city  centre  less  than  fifteen  minutes  walk  from  all  the  major  city  attractions.    As  we  visited  many  sites  during  the  week  the  report  will  go  through  the  main  and  most  interesting  sites.    Monday  morning  our  first  port  of  call  was  to  nearby  Stonehenge,  a  World  Heritage  site,  a  must  for  all  devoted  followers  of  archaeology.    We  were  keen  to  get  there  early  before  the  daily  queues  of  'pilgrims'  begin  to  overwhelm  the  site,  which  is  still  in  the  process  of  the  development  of  a  new  visitor  centre  expected  to  open  in  2013.    We  spent  an  exciting  hour  walking  round  the  site  around  the  roped  off  centre  stones  speculating  on  various  theories  as  to  site  origins  and  meaning  within  the  wider  Neolithic  landscape.    Short  visits  then  were  made  to  nearby  Woodhenge  and  Durrington  Walls  monuments,  believed  to  date  back  to  2,300  BC.    Later  heading  westwards  towards  the  Dorset  border  we  arrived  in  the  town  of  Shaftesbury  in  time  for  lunch  before  we  visited  Shaftesbury  Abbey.    Now  a  shadow  of  its  former  self  having  reached  its  zenith  in  the  early  Middle  Ages  after  the  time  of  Alfred  the  Great  it  was  virtually  destroyed  during  the  time  of  Henry  VIII's  Dissolution  of  the  Monasteries.    The  abbey  prospered  in  the  Middle  Ages  with  endowments  from  various  kings  and  it  was  said  to  have  become  the  wealthiest  nunnery  in  England.    Still  we  were  able  to  see  from  the  ground  plan  along  with  the  reconstructed  sections  in  the  Abbey  museum  how  grand  the  structure  was.    The  abbey  gardens  were  a  delight  in  the  afternoon  sun.    Our  next  visit  was  to  Old  Waradour  Castle  en  route  to  our  hotel.  This  hexagonal  shaped  castle  dated  back  to  the  times  of  14th  Century  and  it  survived  till  the  English  Civil  war  of  1649  when  its  then  occupants,  the  Arundells,  lost  and  it  was  destroyed  in  the  struggle  with  Cromwell's  forces.    Later  on  in  the  18th  century  a  pavilion  or  banqueting  house  was  built  overlooking  a  lake  at  the  edge  of  the  castle  bailey  and  this  seems  to  blend  in  with  the  formal  gardens  designed  by  Capability  Brown.    Tuesday  we  headed  north  first  to  drop  into  a  most  exclusive  school  Marlborough  College  where  the  daughter  of  a  past  President  of  UAS  (Tom  Hayes)  was  previously  on  the  teaching  staff.    Our  objective  was  to  look  at  a  motte  within  the  grounds.    Past  pupils  of  the  school  include  Kate  Middleton  and  her  sister  Pippa.    Prince  Andrew’s  two  daughters  Eugenia  and  Beatrice  were  also  pupils  as  were  the  wives  of  both  Prime  Minister  David  Cameron  and  Chancellor  George  Osborne.    We  were  fortunate  not  only  to  look  at  the  Motte  but  also  to  see  a  small  display  in  one  of  the  school  buildings  of  the  history  of  the  school  since  its  establishment  in  1843.    We  then  made  our  way  a  few  miles  away  to  what  is  obviously  the  most  spectacular  concentration  of  important  Neolithic  monuments  in  Wessex  that  justifies  a  World  Heritage  tag,  perhaps  even  more  compelling  than  Stonehenge.  

 

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First  we  were  treated  to  a  visit  to  West  Kennett  Passage  grave  by  walking  up  to  the  hilltop  site  to  take  in  the  landscape  including  nearby  Silbury  Hill,  the  largest  man  made  structure  in  northern  Europe.  We  then  spent  some  4  hours  in  and  around  Avebury  with  its  massive  number  of  standing  stones  within  the  henge  area  that  includes  a  village  of  Avebury  with  the  parish  church  and  a  museum.    Wednesday  was  a  day  off  from  the  coach  so  we  concentrated  on  Salisbury.  First  most  of  us  walked  from  hotel  to  nearby  Old  Sarum,  the  forerunner  of  medieval  Salisbury.    The  site  dates  back  to  the  Iron  Age  when  a  hillfort  was  established,  then  a  Roman  site  which  continued  to  be  a  focal  point  into  the  Middle  Ages.    With  its  spectacular  view  of  the  surrounding  countryside  we  took  in  the  old  site  of  the  former  castle  and  the  ground  plan  of  the  nearby  Cathedral.  Due  to  a  fallout  between  the  castle  and  cathedral  the  Church  decided  to  move  to  a  new  more  central  site  New  Sarum  (Salisbury).    We  then  walked  into  central  Salisbury  to  join  a  tour  of  the  Cathedral  mostly  built  in  13th  Century,  the  close  it  is  situated  in  is  one  of  the  finest  architectural  settings  anywhere  in  Britain.  The  Cathedral  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful  masterpieces  of  medieval  architecture  and  its  elegant  West  façade  plus  the  graceful  soaring  spire  rising    to  404  ft.    To  round  it  off  we  visited  the  Chapter  House  to  see  one  of  the  original  few  surviving  copies  of  the  13th  Century  Magna  Carta.    After  lunch  most  of  us  headed  to  nearby  15th  Century  Kings  House  which  houses  Salisbury  and  South  Wiltshire  museum  in  the  Close  where  we  were  taken  around  by  museum  curator.    Here  we  were  able  to  pick  up  a  lot  of  the  archaeology  of  Wessex  from  sites  already  visited  plus  the  history  of  development  of  modern  Salisbury.    They  included  General  Pitt  Rivers'  Wessex  collection.      Thursday  we  went  to  Down  Farm  Museum  in  the  Cranbourne  Chase  in  the  chalklands  area  west  of  Salisbury,  a  private  museum  created  by  farmer  Martin  Green  on  his  own  land  who  has  become  an  archaeologist.    The  museum  is  housed  in  what  was  originally  a  chicken  shed  and  contains  three  galleries.    Two  of  the  galleries  related  to  local  geology  and  domestic  and  industrial  history.    The  third  one  was  devoted  to  archaeology  of  the  district  and  we  were  privileged  to  have  Martin  with  us  and  able  to  get  copies  of  his  book  'A  Landscape  revealed'  about  the  10,000  year  history  of  the  area.    Much  of  the  local  area  had  been  investigated  by  General    Pitt  Rivers  himself.    Certainly  it  was  a  highlight  of  the  day  and  probably  one  to  remember  of  the  entire  week.    Afternoon  visits  were  made  to  Rockbourne  Roman  Villa  and  Museum  where  we  saw  bath-­‐houses  and  later  before  returning  to  Salisbury  we  visited  St  Marys  Church  at  Breamor,  an  important  church  dating  back  to  Saxon  times  1000  AD.    Friday  we  were  privileged  to  get  access  to  restricted  MoD  sites  on  Salisbury  Plain  with  our  guide  Richard  Osgood.    The  Army  have  been  there  since  1897  taking  in  approx  ten  per  cent  of  the  county  of  Wiltshire  in  an  area  some  25  miles  by  10  miles.  It  contains  well  over  2,000  archaeological  sites  from  4,000  BC  to  near  modern  times.    The  army  have  been  working  in  close  partnership  with  Wessex  Archaeology  to  preserve  and  maintain  sites  as  best  as  possible.    We  were  fortunate  to  make  a  stop  on  the  Plain  to  get  a  group  photograph  beside  an  abandoned  tank.  Later  we  made  a  rather  sad  visit  to  an  abandoned  village  called  Imber  which  was  taken  over  in  1943  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  the  Allied  forces  for  D  Day  invasion  in  1944  and  due  to  be  returned  after  the  war  but  it  has  never  happened.  

 

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The  abandoned  village  church  was  opened  for  us  and  we  were  able  to  see  inside  the  current  state  and  surviving  architectural  features  and  the  adjoining  churchyard  has  still  been  used  for  burials  of  villagers  in  recent  times.    After  lunch  we  headed  eastwards  to  Danebury  Fort  to  near  Andover,  an  impressive  oval  Iron  Age  hillfort  site  where  archaeologist  Barry  Cunliffe  worked  for  over  30  years.    It  was  occupied  for  at  least  500  years  till  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar.    Apart  from  a  small  group  who  went  on  to  nearby  Andover  Museum,  most  of  us  climbed  up  from  the  car  park  to  the  top  through  the  ditches  and  where  the  gate  had  been  situated  to  the  top  and  here  standing  inside  it  one  gets  the  impact  of  how  large  the  site  was.    Saturday  saw  us  heading  to  Basingstoke,  the  new  town  is  one  of  the  20th  Century,  but  we  were  heading  for  nearby  Basing,  a  multi  period  site  with  a  castle  built  by  the  de  Port  family  after  1066,  spanning  from  1100  AD  to  modern  times.    It  was  particularly  important  at  time  of  English  Civil  War  when  the  huge  palace  was  destroyed.    It  was  of  considerable  size  having  as  many  as  360  rooms.    First  we  went  through  the  few  surviving  parts  of  the  site  namely  the  large  Tithe  Barn  which  gives  an  idea  of  how  vast  the  complex  was.    We  were  entertained  by  a  group  of  actors  specialising  in  living  history  themes  with  King  Henry  and  his  many  wives  making  an  appearance.    After  lunch  we  headed  for  Roman  Silchester  which  actually  dates  further  back  to  the  Iron  Age  times,  a  fantastic  site  with  the  parish  church  included  in  the  complex.  Even  a  quick  walk  around  some  of  the  walls  which  stretched  for  some  2.4  km,  gave  us  an  idea  of  the  extensive  site  which  has  not  been  fully  excavated  and  which  spread  over  32  hectares.    There  was  also  a  nearby  amphitheatre.  Our  last  port  of  call  was  to  nearby  Whitchurch  Silk  Mill,  a  fascinating  museum  devoted  to  silk  industry  from  times  of  late  medieval  trade  with  China  and  Central  Asia.    The  mill  itself  was  a  water  mill  built  on  the  River  Test  in  1800  and  connected  to  Winchester  Cathedral  and  converted  into  a  silk  mill  in  1817.    A  museum  was  opened  in  1985  by  the  well  known  local  resident  the  Master  of  Rolls  the  Lord  Justice  Denning.      Sunday  was  our  last  day  and  our  luck  ran  out  with  the  weather  which  had  been  great  up  to  that  point,  dry,  warmish  and  sunny  spells  to  be  replaced  by  heavy  rain.    After  a  morning  at  leisure  in  Salisbury  we  spent  the  afternoon  in  nearby  Winchester  where  we  headed  for  the  Great  Hall  to  see  what  is  reputed  to  be  King  Arthur’s  Round  Table.    It  has  been  dated  by  archaeologists  (dendrochronology)  to  about  the  late  13th  Century,  it  fitted  in  line  with  popular  tradition.  There  was  time  to  look  at  adjoining  museum  display  on  archaeology  by  Martin  Biddle  and  history  of  Winchester.    Most  of  the  group  had  a  look  around  Winchester  (in  the  rain),  some  of  us  were  fortunate  to  get  inside  the  Cathedral  which  had  been  closed  till  5pm  for  a  special  service.  There  we  could  compare  and  contrast  the  Cathedral  with  Salisbury.    Here  we  have  more  of  the  old  Norman  Cathedral  features  to  be  seen  in  contrast  to  Salisbury.      After  boarding  the  bus  we  sped  towards  nearby  Southampton  Airport  for  a  flight  back  home  to  Belfast.    

Ian  Forsythe  

 

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UAS  TRIP  TO  WESSEX  16th  –  23rd  SEPTEMBER  2012    

Stonehenge  

Woodhenge  

Photos  by  Pat  O’Neill  

Silbury  Hill  

 

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Inside  the  chamber  of  West  Kennett  Long  Barrow  

Interior  of  Salisbury  Cathedral  

Winchester  Great  Hall  and  Roundtable  

 

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Knowlton  church  and  earthworks  

Danebury  Hill  fort  

Salisbury  Plain  

 

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SEPTEMBER  LECTURE    

In  September,  the  first  of  the  Ulster  Archaeological  Society’s  autumn  series  of  lectures  was  delivered  by  Professor  Audrey  Horning,  Queen’s  University,  Belfast.    Professor  Horning’s  research  interests  are  focused  on  comparative  colonialism  and  the  relationship  between  archaeology  and  contemporary  identity.    Her  lecture  was  entitled  “Telling  Tales,  A  tale  of  five  sites  (and  counting):  Deciphering  the  archaeology  of  Goodland,  North  Antrim.”  

Audrey  began  by  placing  Goodland  in  its  geographical  context  on  the  North  coast,  between  Fair  Head  and  Tor  Head,  taking  its  name  from  the  fertile  soil  conditions  created  by  the  underlying  chalk  deposits.    The  most  notable  archaeological  feature  of  Goodland  is  its  129  earthen  huts,  with  opposing  doors,  but  what  always  struck  Audrey  was  the  intervisibility  of  the  site  with  the  Mull  of  Kintyre  in  Scotland.    The  title  of  the  lecture  ‘Telling  Tales’  was  chosen  to  emphasise  how  archaeologists  construct  stories  from  their  interpretation  of  sites  and  how  these  tales  are  influenced  by  the  prevailing  theories  of  the  time.    Tale  #1  

Jean  Graham’s  excavation  in  the  1950s  uncovered  flint,  pottery  and  a  cist  burial,  which  she  interpreted  as  a  Neolithic  village.  The  presence  of  glazed  ware  and  a  pipe  stem  were  explained  simply  as  the  remnants  of  rubbish  from  recent  centuries.    This  tale  was  told  in  the  context  of  increased  interest  in  the  study  of  the  prehistoric  period,  focused  on  major  sites  like  Lough  Gur.  Tale  #2  

Our  second  tale  centres  on  Humphrey  Case  who  took  over  the  excavations  at  Goodland,  but  failed  to  credit  Graham  for  her  work  on  the  site.    The  1952-­‐53  excavations  revealed  twenty  six  pits  surrounded  by  ditches.  These  pits  contained  the  remains  of  broken  Neolithic  pots,  flint  and  dark  earth,  which  is  typically  associated  with  domestic  occupation.  Nevertheless,  Case  ignored  the  dark  earth,  as  well  as  a  large  quantity  of  glazed  ware,  and  a  15th/16th  century  silver  brooch,  concluding  that  all  the  Neolithic  objects  had  been  brought  to  the  site  from  elsewhere.  What  would  have  driven  the  Neolithic  occupants  of  the  site  to  have  engaged  in  such  an  activity?  Case  argued  that  Goodland  was  part  of  a  Neolithic  ritual  landscape  and  the  ritual  of  depositing  objects  in  pits  aimed  to  encourage  ‘flint  growth’.    Audrey  stated  she  was  all  for  creative  interpretations,  but  would  leave  the  final  judgement  of  his  interpretation  to  those  present.  A  twist  in  the  tale…  

Eimear  Nelis  reanalysed  all  lithics  from  the  previous  excavations  in  2003,  which  provided  evidence  for  production,  use  and  discarding  of  flint  tools  on  the  site,  so  not  Humphrey  Case’s  Neolithic  ritual  landscape  after  all!    Tale  #3  

The  third  tale  presented  by  Prof.  Horning  was  that  of  Estyn  Evans  and  his  view  of  Goodlands  as  a  ‘most  interesting  and  extensive  collection  of  booley  [huts]’.    Evan’s  viewed  the  area  as  a  marginal  place  and  through  evidence  in  the  OS  Memoirs  and  the  architectural  form  of  the  structures,  concluded  it  was  a  transhumance  site.  This  tale  illustrates  a  different  view  from  that  of  a  fertile  Neolithic  landscape,  highlighting  the  role  of  interpretation  in  understanding  archaeology.  Between  the  tales  

In  2002  a  survey  was  conducted  at  the  Goodland  site.    The  survey  recorded  100  hut  sites  and  other  features,  half  of  which  were  single  roomed  structures  with  opposing  doors,  similar  to  many  known  booleying  sites  in  Ireland.    The  regularity  of  the  huts,  with  their  long  axis  to  the  sea,  suggesting  regularity  and  contemporary.    Perhaps  they  represent  another  tale  to  be  told?  Also,  on  inquiring  about  the  medieval  and  post-­‐  medieval  material  uncovered  in  previous  excavations  by  Case,  Audrey  could  find  no  trace  of  the  artefacts,  which  she  believes  were  discarded  as  they  were  viewed  by  previous  archaeologists  as  ‘post-­‐interesting’.    

 

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Tale  #4  Audrey  moved  on  then  to  her  own  tale,  that  of  Goodland  as  a  Scottish  settlement.    She  

stressed  the  long  standing  connection  between  the  north  of  Ireland  and  Scotland,  especially  during  the  16th  and  17th  centuries,  and  the  English  concern  with  this  relationship.  Evidence  for  Audrey’s  tale  can  be  elucidated  from  cartographic  evidence  including  Ralph  Lane’s  map  which  states  the  area  was  where  the  Scots  lit  their  warning  fires,  while  Murlough  Bay  provides  landscape  evidence,  as  it  is  one  of  a  small  number  of  possible  landing  points  and  historically  there  is  documentation  which  expresses  the  English  anxieties  of  the  Scottish  aiding  the  Irish  during  this  period.  However,  Audrey  acknowledges  the  challenge  of  identifying  the  settlement  as  Scottish  or  Irish  in  an  archaeological  context,  due  to  the  shared  cultural  zone,  practices  and,  at  times,  language  between  the  two.    Audrey’s  tale  continues  into  the  17th  century  with  the  role  of  Randal  McDonald  in  the  unofficial  Plantation.  During  the  1630s  the  area  of  Goodland  was  regranted  to  Alexander  and  Donal  Magee  under  the  condition  of  bringing  Roman  Catholic  tenants  from  Scotland  to  their  land,  establishing  a  permanent  plantation  of  Catholic  Scottish  tenants.    Audrey  parallels  Goodlands  with  Finlaggan,  the  centre  of  the  Lordship  of  the  Isles,  as  the  Scottish  settlement  has  similar  structures,  but  were  constructed  of  stone,  not  earth.    Nick  Brannon  and  Audrey  Horning  had  the  opportunity  to  excavate  part  of  a  damaged  hut,  in  which  they  hoped  to  uncover  ‘post-­‐interesting’  material,  but  discovered  a  spread  of  charcoal,  pottery  and  flint  instead.    With  an  eye  of  faith  and  an  attachment  to  her  story,  Audrey  saw  an  Ulster  coarse  ware  fragment  as  evidence  of  her  story,  but  in  reality  the  jury  was  out  until  a  date  for  the  spread  was  obtained.    Dramatic  interlude  

Upon  taking  up  her  position  at  Queen’s  University,  one  of  the  first  things  Audrey  did  was  send  a  sample  for  radiocarbon  dating.  The  date  came  out  as  late  18th/  early  19th  century,  but  Audrey  was  not  convinced.  When  the  site  at  Goodland  is  compared  with  other  sites  of  this  period  there  is  a  distinct  lack  of  detritus  to  suggest  an  18th  century  origin.  Tales  #5  

Audrey  posed  a  potential  fifth  tale  for  us  to  consider.  Near  the  site  are  a  number  of  limekilns  and,  she  hypothesised,  perhaps  the  charcoal  spread  was  from  a  lime  worker  taking  shelter  and  lighting  a  fire  in  the  remains  of  a  hut,  but  as  before,  this  is  just  another  tale  and  further  work  will  need  to  be  carried  out  in  the  future  for  a  wider  understanding  of  the  site(s)  and  their  chronology  at  Goodland.    Conclusion  

Audrey  concluded  by  stating  the  past  exists  in  the  present  and  the  present  gazes  at  the  past.    Tales  told  about  the  excavations  reflect,  to  an  extent,  what  we  want  to  find,  and  as  archaeologists  we  look  for  material  to  complete  our  tale.    Graham  and  Case’s  conclusion  focused  on  the  Neolithic,  which  was  the  foci  of  archaeological  research  at  the  time,  while  Evan’s  booley  theory  was  treated  differently  as  it  was  viewed  as  an  authentic  Irish  tradition.    Audrey’s  tale  in  itself,  she  admitted,  could  only  be  told  in  a  post-­‐Troubles  era  in  Northern  Ireland.    I  wonder  what  other  tales  are  still  to  be  to  uncovered  at  Goodland?    

Aaron  McIntyre    

 

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OCTOBER  LECTURE    The  Society’s  October  lecture  was  given  by  Roisin  O’Reilly;  she  is  an  osteoarchaeologist  and  currently  carrying  out  PhD  research  at  Queen's  University  Belfast.    Roisin  presented  some  of  the  research  that  formed  part  of  her  undergraduate  dissertation,  which,  appropriately  for  the  Hallowe’en  period,  was  on  the  archaeology  of  witchcraft  in  Ireland.    Rosin  began  by  stating  that,  although  witchcraft  is  a  topic  that  has  wide  appeal,  there  has  been  very  little  archaeological  research  on  the  subject.    She  then  went  on  to  discuss  some  of  the  folk  beliefs  that  were  prominent  from  the  16th  Century  up  to  the  20th  Century.    These  included  concealing  shoes  in  buildings,  creating  witches’  bottles  and  mummifying  cats.    The  majority  of  Roisin’s  lecture  was  about  the  different  archaeological  objects  that  were  associated  with  folk  beliefs  in  witches  and  the  practice  of  witchcraft.    The  St  Brigid’s  Cross  appears  to  be  a  very  Christian  object,  but  it  has  much  older  folk  associations.    Brigid  is  connected  to  an  ancient  fertility  goddess  and  a  number  of  rites  developed  to  ensure  the  success  of  the  crop  and  animals,  such  as  hanging  out  bacon,  sprinkling  chicken  blood  in  the  corners  of  the  room  or  leaving  a  cake  out  for  a  witch.    Traditionally  they  were  made  by  the  women  of  the  household  and  hung  up  or  given  away  to  protect  against  fire  and  illness.    Artefacts  known  as  thunderstones  were  believed  to  be  stones  that  fell  from  the  sky  and  caused  lightning.    In  fact,  they  were  prehistoric  stone  axes.    These  axes  were  believed  to  protect  people  and  houses  from  disaster  and  to  cure  illness  in  animals  and  people.    They  were  often  built  into  buildings  or  placed  in  roofs.    Witchstones  were  another  common  artefact;  they  were  hung  to  avert  evil,  famine,  illness  and  storms,  they  also  prevented  ‘nightmares’  (when  a  witch  rode  the  horse  during  the  night).    It  was  a  common  practice  to  incise  a  daisy  wheel  pattern  on  door  posts,  windows  and  especially  on  the  mantelpiece  of  the  fireplace.    These  patterns  were  believed  to  prevent  a  witch  entering  the  building.    There  are  a  number  of  skeletal  remains  associated  with  witches  and  witchcraft.    Many  animal  skulls  have  been  found  buried  under  the  floors  of  houses.    It  has  been  suggested  that  these  were  sounding  boxes  for  musical  performances,  as  they  created  an  echo  and  amplified  the  sound.    An  alternative  theory  is  that  these  represent  ‘foundation  sacrifices’  for  a  new  building,  the  skull  of  the  first  animal  to  die  after  completion  was  buried.    The  Museum  of  Witchcraft  in  Cornwall  contains  a  number  of  skulls  (one  of  which  was  used  as  a  cup  by  a  warlock),  a  mummified  hand  and  the  tarred  head  of  a  woman.    Throughout  the  lecture,  Roisin  discussed  a  number  of  examples  of  witch  trials  in  Ireland  (such  as  the  Islandmagee  witch  trials)  and  England.    But  the  most  interesting  was  that  of  Ursula  Kemp.    A  sixteenth  century  English  cunning  woman,  she  was  tried  and  hanged  for  bewitching  her  neighbours  and  killing  some  of  them.    In  1921,  two  skeletons  with  iron  nails  were  exhumed  from  a  garden  in  her  home  town  (one  believed  to  be  Kemp).    The  burial  became  a  tourist  attraction,  later  the  skeleton  was  sold  a  number  of  times.    Eventually  science  showed  that  it  was  not  Kemp  and  the  nails  had  been  added  later.  

 

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NIEA  LECTURES    Northern  Ireland  Environment  Agency  2013  programme  of  public  lectures  in  the  Monuments  and  Buildings  Record  (MBR).    The  lectures  will  take  place  in  the  public  reading  room  of  Waterman  House,  5-­‐33  Hill  Street,  Belfast,  BT1  2LA.      Information:  028  90  543  159  or  email  hmenquiries@doeni.gov.uk.    Admission  is  free.    All  welcome.    Space  is  limited  at  these  talks,  so  please  come  early  to  avoid  disappointment.    Friday  1st  February  -­‐  Brian  Williams,  Strategy  Group:  Realising  the  Value  of  Northern  Ireland’s  Historic  Environment.    Friday  1st  March  -­‐  Colin  Hatrick,  Architect:  A  Tale  of  Stained  Glass  featuring  The  Clokey  Studios  and  Supporting  Cast.    Friday  5th  April  -­‐  Rory  McNeary,  Centre  for  Maritime  Archaeology:  Airborne  Laser  Scanning  (ALS-­‐LiDAR)  for  Cultural  Heritage  Management.    Friday  3rd  May  -­‐  Andrew  McClelland,  University  of  Ulster:  Crisis  and  the  Northern  Ireland  Heritage  Revolution  of  the  1960s.    Friday  7th  June  -­‐  Ruairi  O’Baoill,  Centre  for  Archaeological  Fieldwork:  The  Archaeology  of  Derry  City  and  its  Environs.    Friday  5th  July  -­‐  Jonathan  Barkley  and  Colin  Dunlop,  Northern  Archaeological  Consultancy:  Enigmatic  Structures  on  the  A8  Road  Scheme.    Friday  2nd  August  -­‐Dr  Geraldine  Carville,  Historian  and  Author:  Secrets  of  Cistercian  Music  in  Ireland  1142-­‐1541:  Cistercian  Abbey  Churches  Where  the  Very  Stones  Sing  the  Psalms.    Friday  20th  September    1:00pm  -­‐  Liam  McQuillan,  NIEA:  Consolidating  Ruins:  Some  recent  projects  on  Scheduled  Masonry  Monuments.  

6:00pm  -­‐  Terence  Reeves-­‐Smyth,  NIEA:  The  Flowering  Legacy:  The  Parks  and  Gardens  of  the  National  Trust  in  Northern  Ireland.    Friday  4th  October  -­‐  Cormac  McSparron,  Centre  For  Archaeological  Fieldwork:  “…and  they  won  land  among  the  Picts  by  friendly  treaty  or  the  sword”  new  thoughts  from  archaeology  on  Dál  Riadic  migrations  to  Scotland.    Friday  1st  November  -­‐  Malachy  Conway,  National  Trust:  Title  to  be  confirmed.   Friday  6th  December  -­‐  Prof  Audrey  Horning,  Queens  University  Belfast:  Ireland  in  the  Virginian  Sea:  Comparative  Archaeology  of  Early  Modern  Atlantic  Expansion.  

 

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