BAS Saturday Lecture (online)

Saturday 9 October:  From Cuneiform to Codex
Speaker: Michael Ghirelli, Editor of the BAS Newsletter
CuneiformThe earliest books were written by impressing signs on flat squares of soft clay that were then baked hard under the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

Register now for this online lecture Here  (We will email the Zoom meeting invitation to you).

 You can find the full BAS Lecture programme Here

Our lectures are free and (normally) located in the County Museum, Church Street, Aylesbury HP20 2QP starting at 2.30pmLasting about one hour plus time for discussion.  Refreshments are available after the event.

Just published by the Bucks Archaeological Society

This new book brings together, in an easily accessible form, information from all currently known archaeological and documentary sources about the 700-year history of pottery production sites and potters across Buckinghamshire, gathering excavation reports, field names, parish records and national censuses alike to portray a once-important Buckinghamshire industry.

Pots, Potters and Potteries
of Buckinghamshire 1200-1910.

Published October 2019.

Full details >>>

 

HS2 Archaeology Conference – 2020

HS2 Archaeology – 

This meeting will now take place via an online webinar (same date and time).  You will be able to access the meeting from your home via the device you use for the internet.  Invitation instructions will follow once they have been confirmed.

CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY THE BUCKS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

on Saturday 4 April at Winslow Public Hall, Elmsfield Gate, MK18 3JG.   1pm-5pm, £3 on the door.  The county’s biggest archaeological dig, on the route of the high-speed rail line, is turning up various unexpected settlements. From Mesolithic to Medieval plus a complex area under investigation in Warwickshire.  Speakers from the HS2 (Fusion) Archaeology team.

RECORDS OF BUCKS 2019 EDITION now available.

Records of Bucks Vol 59

Records of Bucks (volume 59) includes articles on newly-discovered Romanesque wall painting at St Mary’s Church, Old Linslade, the effects of the Wars of the Roses on Chesham, and Marlow’s medieval manor hall.

For full list of contents and ordering.

Price to non-members: £15.00, plus £3.50 for post and packing. Members receive Records volume 59 free – so why not JOIN THE SOCIETY?

Marlow Archaeology re-open Rookery Park excavation (27 & 28 July)

After a successful excavation in 2013, MAS are revisiting the site in Rookery Park, Marlow in an attempt to put a date on the earlier building that was revealed.

Marlow Archaeology will be reopening an excavation in Rookery Park, Marlow on Saturday and Sunday 27 & 28 July, as part of the National Festival of Archaeology.

The excavation will take place between about 10.30am and 3.30pm on each day.

Between 2011 and 2013, Marlow Archaeological Society (MAS) carried out excavations to investigate the remains of The Rookery, a Victorian villa in what is now the park. It was the location of a 18th Century farmhouse, which was replaced by the villa in about 1850. This was subsequently altered and extended, being demolished in the 1960’s and the area turned into a park. There was also a suspicion that there were also much earlier buildings, possibly a Chapel associated with the Knights Templar of the 13thC. Excavation revealed parts of the 1775 farmhouse and a cellar with chalk block walls. Evidence associated with the cellar walls indicated a construction date around 1670, but no records have been found of an earlier building on the site.

It seems unlikely that this was the site of a chapel, but the nature of the earlier building remains a mystery. Our excavation may shed light on the entrance to the cellar and provide further evidence of its origin.

It is important to investigate and record our historic heritage assets in order better to inform planning decisions and maintain the distinctive character of Marlow.

Everyone is very welcome to come and see what is revealed.

University of Cambridge reveals ‘changing face of UK’ in aerial photos

A news item from the BBC:

A collection of aerial photographs described as the “historical Google Earth” has been made available online by the University of Cambridge. RAF pilots were asked to capture the bomb-scarred post-war period to the emergence of motorways and new cities. The collection dates back to 1945, with more recent images captured in 2009 for a university project. The first 1500 images of 0.5million are now available on the Cambridge Digital Library http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/   including this one of Dorchester on Thames in 1948.

Recording History of Pubs and Breweries.

The history of the local pubs and their associated breweries is a common subject of interest in a town or village.
The Society had a project to investigate and record local pub buildings. The records and template worksheets are available on this site. These could very useful to anyone carrying out a similar exercise in your locality.