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Fittleworth Fieldwalk CDAS and WAS - Saturday 17th – Friday 23rd February 2018

6/3/2018

 
The Fittleworth Fieldwalking team met up at 8.45am each morning on the sunny but chilly ploughed field to await our instructions and collect our finds bags for the days’ work. The Gazebos were already in place on the hillside as shelter for the flint and finds specialists. Our brief was to spot and pick up any artefact or item that does not naturally occur in this geological area.
The field sits within in the narrow band of the Lower Greensand group which, according to Geology of Britain (www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/geologyOfBritain), consists of mainly sands and sandstones with some silts and clays. To the north is the Wealden clay geological group and to the south is the chalk and flint South Downs. The view from the field with its outlook across the river Rother and Arun valley to the Downs is truly inspirational. It’s clear why this piece of land and its surroundings may have been used by the earlier roaming hunter gatherers of the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods through to the agricultural practices of the Neolithic period. The field would have provided a superb vantage point for watching for herds of animals passing below or gathering on the banks of the rivers. It was easy to imagine the Stone Age hunters knapping and preparing the flint they may have collected or mined and brought back from the chalk Downs and planning the days hunt.
We were organised into groups by Steve Cleverly from CDAS and sent out to walk in straight rows next to each other, examining the ground for artefacts, across a grid mapped out to cover all of the designated area.
The field walkers from both WAS and CDAS had become experts at spotting the flint tools because of the study days sorting and cataloguing the worked flint, found by Mr Smith on his land, under the watchful eyes of our flint specialists Bob and Gill Turner. We spotted some finely knapped Mesolithic curved blades, bladelets and microliths that were made from the best black flint and some cores with several flakes taken off. We found a good
scattering of flint tools from the Mesolithic and Neolithic across the field throughout the week as well as pottery sherds from later periods and even a
Victorian penny. Everything we had collected we put into our bags with a grid number to be properly identified and recorded by the finds team in the
Gazebo. It is now the job of Steve Cleverly and Bob Turner to sort out the results of the fieldwalk and work out a distribution map of all the different
artefacts that were found. Overall a really enjoyable experience.

January 9th 2018 Lecture - Robert F. Turner on “The First Brexit”

31/1/2018

 
Bob Turner started his lecture with the premise that island Britain is imbedded in the British psyche. Dover Cliffs epitomise national identity, but it has not always been that way. The separation of Britain from Europe affected the indigenous people.
Showing the AHOB chart of glacial and interglacial periods, he explained post-glacial sea rises, but said that 450,000 years ago most of Britain was accessible to migration from Europe. The only block was the river system (Thames, Rhine, Seine) all going to the Atlantic. Migrants probably did not come from Brittany, but via Germany and Belgium.
A domed chalk ridge linked England to France, of which Dover cliffs were part, with the same chalk escarpment left on both sides of the Channel.
Some of what followed of current thinking remains speculation/guesswork, he suggested we come back in a couple of years to test it. Mesolithic Britain separated from France 6200BC, but was separated before. Research in 2007 using new technology followed the palaeo-Arun offshore extension, and discovered a sudden drop-off into a cut valley running down the channel, and similar results occurred from the Solent. Elongated islands and funnel shape resulted from strong tides, with very little silt – carved out by a lot of water very quickly. In the northern Channel a series of islands with elongated flat tops pointed at the end were found – classic catastrophic flood terrains.
As the ice melted a lake formed where the North Sea now is, developing behind the chalk ridge. The first Brexit was 450,000 years ago as the chalk ridge started to overflow. Dover being prone to earthquakes, the dam was breached, and the water began to gouge channels. These rifts would have silted up repeatedly. There were two major breaks, 450,000 and 150,000 years ago, when a million cubic metres of water per second for several months would have poured through. At the end of the last glacial, rising sea levels meant a final break, after glaciers scooped the bed of the ice sheet.
A maximum of 28,000 years ago the ice slowly retreated releasing waters. Doggerland provided an access area to Britain, but by 6500BC was a low lying area of marsh and small islands linked to Europe. It had a good climate (warmer than today) and good land. An undersea landslide in Norway (the Storegga slide) created one of the greatest tsunamis the world has ever known. It could have been caused by unstable land, and earthquake, or an explosion of methane hydrate.
All Doggerland was submerged, and England was an island. Funnelled from the North Sea, the water broke through the last remnants of the Channel chalk ridge. The impact would have been catastrophic.
Goodbye to Europe – again!

WAS 2018 New Year’s Walk Angmering to Highdown - ‘There and Back Again’.

31/1/2018

 
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The National Trust tells us that ‘winter is the best time to wrap up warm, throw on some wellies and go for an invigorating walk’ and this is how a group of 16 WAS members, wearing our warmest layers, celebrated the New Year on January 7th.

We chose a simple but favourite 3 mile route from Angmering to Highdown and back again ending up at the cosy traditional pub The Spotted Cow for drinks and lunch. We crossed the A280 dual carriageway via the footbridge and along Ecclesden Lane passing the historic Ecclesden Manor House with a view of Ecclesden Mill beyond.

The manor house is a Grade 2 listed building was first recorded in 1324 and rebuilt by John Forster in 1634. ‘Two storeys and attic. Seven windows. Faced with flints and some red brick. Horsham slab roof, partly replaced with tiles. Casement windows with stone mullions. Central gable with kneelers and ball finials raised aloft on iron uprights resting on brick and stone piers. Round-headed doorway with pilasters and keystone over. Modern additions to north’ [britishlistedbuildings.co.uk] This beautiful 7 bedroom 5 reception house is currently up for sale for a just under 3 million pounds – the description and images in the Savills brochure are astonishing (where’s my lottery ticket!). You can read more about Ecclesden, the manor, village and farm, the owners and tenants in Angmering Village Life http://www.angmeringvillage.co.uk

A little further along the lane and on the hill behind the manor is the once ‘topless’ windmill known as the Ecclesden Mill or Highdown New Mill. There have been several mills including a watermill built on or near to this site over the centuries but this one was built in 1826. It had a very short life as it was only working until 1872. ‘In 1880, the cap and sails were blown off.

By the 1930s the mill was an ivy clad ruin. It was converted into a house in the early 1970s’ [Highdown New Mill in Wikipedia]

The former mill and attached house are also currently for sale and Strutt and Parker describe it as ‘a truly unique property’. The owners have also re-capped the mill so it doesn’t look quite as quirky as the photo from Wikipedia.
We continued on our walk and soon the neat lane turned into a deep furrowed muddy track. We passed a large chalk pit to the left of the path which is named on an 1875 map as ‘the old chalk pit’ and now has a fine modern house and stables with landscaped gardens built in it.
Highdown Hill began to appear above the trees and we knew that sooner or later we would have to leave the relatively sheltered path and stride out into the wind and climb to the summit. Our leg muscles soon began to groan, the altitude of the brow is about 81 metres, and Jennie suggested that we walk backwards to ease the pain! The views from the top were stunning - you could see as far as Beachy Head one way, Arundel Castle and the spire of Chichester Cathedral the other.
We stood within the ramparts listening to Brenden's fascinating and thought-provoking talk about the early evidence of the Hillfort from Bronze Age through to Iron Age. He also told us about the extensive Saxon burial ground that was excavated in 1872 and the artifacts that were found. Alex explained his theory of flint mines that could possibly be hidden within the Hillfort area. He pointed out the known flint mining areas such as Cissbury, Church Hill and Blackpatch visible from our vantage point. The group discussed the ancient track-ways, possible barrows and other earthworks and, of course, the Roman Bath House that was excavated by Worthing Archaeological Society in 1937/38.
After paying our respects to the ‘Miller’ and admiring his tomb, we headed back down the slope. We searched for the lime kilns on the 1875 map (we’ll find them next time Connie) and crossed the Bath House field, through swamps and marshes and barbed wire fences to Angmering and our friends in the pub.
Thank you to all of the valiant walkers and brilliant speakers, to Keith for sending us his notes and illustrations and to Gill who had us all kicking over mole hills in search of flint tools and Roman pottery.
The AA describes our New Year’s route as a ‘bracing hilltop walk’ and it was positively invigorating in the cold easterly January winds.

WAS Lecture:  Nigel Rumble - The life of a common soldier in the English Civil War -  12th December 2017

24/12/2017

 
 As well as being an active member of WAS, Nigel is a Civil War re-enactor, so his talk was illustrated with a wide selection of reproduction clothing, weapons and accoutrements that would have been used by an English soldier (on either side) in the 1640's.  He also covered the organisation of military groups, with particular emphasis on the 'dignity' of soldiers - where the origin of the expression 'rank and file' comes from.
The life of an English Civil War soldier would not have been a pleasant one, at least by today's standards - though one of the motive for joining up would be to get a jacket and sword; 17th century status symbols!
As well as seeing and handling historic kit, we also had a taste of the period with caraway-seed biscuits handed round.  A fascinating, informative and fun evening.

WAS Windows on the Pier Installed

21/11/2017

 
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On the afternoon of Sunday 19th November 2017, there was a gathering on Worthing Pier to celebrate the installation of windows commemorating two of our eminent past members, John Pull (1899–1960) and Con Ainsworth (1917-2001).
Here is an extract of the speech given by Liz Lane:
"Worthing Archaeological Society is delighted to see our windows installed. There have been, and are,  many eminent Archaeologists in Sussex, but these our 'our' Archaeologists.
Very few of us now can say we knew John Pull, but we all knew of him. WAS owes him a lot, and this tribute is long overdue. There is a display dedicated to him in the Museum.
Many of us knew and appreciated Con's vast knowledge of the archaeology of Sussex, and he inspired many people to study and to get involved. This would have been his centenary year.
Sussex Archaeology Collections 2017 was recently published. The first article, on the flint mines of Long Down and Harrow Hill refers several times to John Pull. In an article on Binsted, Con is mentioned. They are both still significant in Sussex Archaeology.
We must say many thanks to Siobhan Jones, who designed and created the windows at the Forge. We wanted to show John Pull as Archaeologist, Geologist and talented Illustrator, hence his drawings of axes on the shepherd's crowns.
We couldn't easily illustrate Con's important dig at Binsted, but there is a pot in his window. Also Cissbury and the flint mines, Cissbury being significant for both gentlemen, for WAS and for Worthing."
Alex Vincent talked about how Con Ainsworth had encouraged his interest in archaeology, and Glyn talked about knowing John Pull as his postman!  Members of the families also gave short speeches.

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Above: Amanda O'Carroll, granddaughter of John Pull, and Sue Lyon, daughter of Con Ainsworth.  Below: Glyn reminiscing about John Pull.
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Study day: led by David McOmish: " Making Sense of Monuments: Landscape Archaeology of Sussex: The Bronze Age" - 30 September 2017

2/10/2017

 
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Although David McOmish hails from Glasgow, he has a deep love for the chalk landscapes of the south of England, from Wiltshire to West Sussex.  He started by showing us the pot-belly hill of Gobekli Tepe, from 9,500 BC. These circular temple monuments, with their 4 metre high, ‘T’ shaped limestone structures, have no apparent predecessors. They were made by hunter gatherers, before the invention of pottery. Yet these ‘T’ shaped stones have beautiful relief carvings on them, of vultures, bulls, foxes and cranes. The vulture link maybe to do with ‘sky’ burials and excarnation, although some have suggested there may be an astronomical link. These are not hunting scenes, although many bones of gazelle, boar, sheep and red deer have been found. This does not show a steady evolution, as they seem to have appeared out of nowhere. It is an example of ‘punctuated equilibria’ of prehistoric progress.

Archaeology is about the communication of ideas. It’s thought that Causewayed Enclosures and Long Barrows started in Kent and rippled outwards. The Orcadian monumental architecture near the Ring of Brodgar shows this invasion of ideas, known to have come from the Belgium area, where the rare Orkney vole comes from. The idea that ancient people built tombs and mounds in bursts of activity and not in a steady continuity was echoed on other sites such as Blick Mead near Stonehenge or on the South Downs at Black Patch.

So where do Bronze Age Beakers come from? DNA analysis across Europe indicates that the Beaker ‘package’ came over here from Holland and Rhineland area. But David McOmish has looked at the Early Egyptian material in the British Museum and thinks Bell Beakers are evident there and may have origins in Sudan in 3,200 BC.

The famous Amesbury Archer’s burial was surrounded by five Beakers, flint arrowheads, daggers and tools, but also copper knives and a cushion stone for metal working. DNA tests shows us that he came from a metal working area in the Alps, as did the young (25 yrs old) Boscombe Bowman. DNA testing tells us that the latter was related to the Amesbury Archer. The Bowman had visited the Alps, perhaps to see his family. Isotope analysis of skulls from the Amesbury area reveal that these people had visited Wales and the Lake District, where knowledge of mining and metalworking skills would be very useful.

Dave Field has investigated Bronze Age barrows, in their many forms, dating from around 1800BC. The South Downs barrows can be seen in clusters, on high points, often close to watersheds, or lower down, close to spring lines or to springs. On Petersfield Common at the head of the river Rother, water bubbles up in a variety of forms. It appears it was important for BA barrows to be near water.

Around 1600BC, a Bronze Age landscape of field systems emerges and LiDAR has transformed our understanding of these systems. In Denmark and NW Europe, radiocarbon dating shows that the field systems appear at the same time as Linear Ditches. This is the first time the landscape is marked and divided up. Maybe a special ritual accompanied the formation of field systems. This might explain one curious fact about them. Many of these systems are orientated to the Solstices – NW to SE or NE to SW. They cut across landscapes totally ignoring the topology of hills and vales. This act of creating Field systems is defining the land for the first time and was possibly done according to their belief systems linked to the sun – the giver of life. But as we see throughout prehistory, many field systems are abandoned and then reused, with pulses of these activities up to 750BC.

Midden or rubbish sites also appear in this period from 1600 – 800BC. The East Chisenbury midden sits on top of the meeting point of 6 Linear Ditches. It covers 3 hectares and is 3 metres deep. There is evidence of special pottery and exotic goods, and many sheep, cow and pig bones, also human bone. This shows that much feasting went on and a hierarchy was emerging. Similar evidence was found at Woolstonbury, Highdown and Mucking.

The workshop audience were asked which journals they read. Everyone saw ‘Current Archaeology’ and a few read British Archaeology. Few belonged to the Prehistoric Society or saw PPS – much to David McOmish’s chagrin, nor did they have access to the Antiquaries Journal, although Esme Evans noted that you can read this in the SAS library at the Barbican in Lewes.

Altogether David McOmish gave us a fascinating overview of the Bronze Age and we went away with a few questions and much food for thought.

Sue Brown

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  • Home
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  • Join Us
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    • Get started in archaeology
  • Events
  • Discoveries
    • Digs history >
      • Angmering
      • Brinsbury
      • Goblestubbs >
        • Rough Copse
      • Limekiln
      • Lower Farm
      • Parham
      • Slindon >
        • Field 20
      • Sompting >
        • Malthouse Field
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        • Blacksmith's Corner
  • Documents
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  • Archive
    • Journals
    • Photographs >
      • Beach Well
      • Bignor >
        • Bignor Hill April 2002
      • Binstead
      • Dig Location Unknown
      • Findon Place May 1996
      • Fishbourne >
        • Fishbourne August 1995
        • Dig FBH82.3 7 July 1996
        • Fishbourne Dig F
      • Fittleworth February 2018
      • Keepers Cottage Wood November 2001
      • Northbrook
      • People & Events >
        • Field Walk 1995
        • Salvington Mill open Day 1985
      • Rough Copse
      • Shoreham Marlepins Excavation February 2002
      • Slindon >
        • Slindon April 2002
        • Slindon 2018
      • Stain Street & Lambs Hangar January 2002
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