| AGM 2019 |
The AGM on 3rd April 2019 resolved to retain subscriptions for 2019/20 at £12 for individual membership and £18 for families.
Mike Coles has taken over the role of field officer, but as co-ordinator only: members are encouraged to search out fieldwalking sites. Other officers and committee remain unchanged, Terry Dymott becoming an ordinary committee member. |
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| More on millstones |
| 19/8/2020 |
A request for more information about quernstones, as a result of someone reading our article, led to more research on the use of millstones. We often think of them as only milling grain but in fact more applications were used for millstone grit ones, especially after French burrstones took over bread milling.
The photo shows one other use, that is milling (or pulping) apples for cider making (from Jersey). This shows a millstone being used on its edge, unlike the flat horizontal stones used for milling grain.
Other uses included pulping wood chippings for paper manufacture, with Canada and Scandinavia being big markets for millstone grit stones. In fact the last of these was shipped to Norway in the 1960's. Malt was also milled for beer manufacture and bark for tanning. Ores and pigments are also mentioned as being crushed using millstones. Of local interest is the fact that Kings Lynn was a major export port for millstone grit mill stones. | |  |
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| Work still going on |
| 9/7/2020 |
Although the group has not had any organised excavating or field walking during the coronavirus lockdown, a lot of work has been carried out behind the scenes. The Clopton map shown here is the result of several people's efforts - Paul Blinkhorn who analysed the pottery finds, John Waterhouse who revised our spreadsheets based on the analysis and Bill Franklin who generated the distribution plot.
The plot shows where the medieval finds were concentrated, right by the western boundary of the scheduled area. The Bronze Age, Roman and Saxon finds were all concentrated in the same area. | |  |
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The only exception was during the Iron Age when the concentration appears to be further west, as seen in this map.
There are areas of the lower field that we never completed walking so this will be a target when the dreary lockdown is suspended. We hope everyone is still well and look forward to meeting each other later in the year. | |  |
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| A find from the past |
| 6/4/2020 |
As Coronavirus has stopped all our planned activities, it gives us time to start sorting through the many items (especially in my garage) that we had always planned to document.
The photograph shows one of the stranger items we have recovered. Those who attended the Johnston's Pond excavations at Wimpole may remember the trove of strange finds that had been buried in the brick tank. The remains of an alarm clock do not often figure in excavation reports but here is the one we found. Sadly corroded to almost extinction we don't know the manufacturer, or its date, but we believe it to be of WW2, or just after, vintage.
We hope all our members and followers are surviving this difficult time but hope that the end to this pandemic is getting closer day by day. Keep well and go careful. | |  |
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| ***END OF THE SPRING SEASON*** |
| 23/3/2020 |
| Our Spring season has been brought to an end prematurely by the coronavirus outbreak and the ban on group socialising. When the group will start activities again is unknown at present, keep in touch with the website and we will try to keep you updated. Hope all remain in good health during this difficult time. |
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| 40th Anniversary and Val Whittaker Prize Presentation |
On 6th November 2019 we held a social event at the McDonald Institute to celebrate the Group's 40th anniversary and presented Leigha Crothall,a Cambridge University undergraduate, with the Val Whittaker Memorial Prize for 2019. Leigha's winning paper was on glass trade beads. To read Leigha's paper click here. Photo - Leigha being presented with the award by the chairman.
To read Barrie Fuller, our chairman's words and thanks to those who have supported the Group, made at the event, click here.
Sadly we have to report the death of our treasurer, Dudley Pusey, the following day. Dudley was a long-term member of the Group and will be greatly missed.
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