Oswestry & Border History & Archaeology Group

Transcription

1 Oswestry & Border History & Archaeology Group Newsletter Issue 13 January 2017 Llanforda Hall: Birthplace of Edward Lhuyd The Walled Garden Oswestry Castle Research Project

2 OBHAG UPDATE In September OBHAG linked with the Oswestry and Beyond Forum in the very successful Heritage Open Days programme. Margaret Harrison judged the cake designs for the Heritage Bake Off Competition while Roger Cooper and his team s two week long excavation at Oswestry Castle welcomed hundreds of interested visitors. Derek Williams led a fully booked walk to the romantic ruined garden of Llanforda Hall, the birthplace of Edward Lhuyd, one of Oswestry s most illustrious sons whose life and achievements are one of Derek s many interests. On the previous day a two hour pilgrimage to the Victorian Tower and Bronze Age cairn on Selattyn Hill gave spectacular views across Shropshire and included people from the original working group which had restored the tower in the 1990s. Regrowth of the vegetation and trees is threatening to close the path and damage the monuments again. Special thanks to James Lloyd and family of The Pentre Bronygarth where the open afternoon with guided tours of the house and tea in the gardens was enjoyed by well over a hundred people. Robert Woosnam Savage of the Royal Armouries attracted a full house for his first hand account of the amazing discovery of Richard III s body beneath a Leicester car park. Careful analysis of the appalling injuries to the skeleton helped to reconstruct the events which caused the king s death. With such interest in Richard s demise we are now planning to visit Leicester in the summer. The autumn continued with Bob Sylvester s fascinating introduction to historic estate maps, and Shelagh Hampton s expert review of hillforts. At the Christmas meeting, despite technical gremlins, Marion Loveridge s work on farming inventories, Jessie Hanson s introduction to her new book on Baschurch school and Roger s account of Bronygarth (see later) combined to make a crowded evening and everyone was very ready for the festive refreshments! The new programme for 2017 promises another very varied and enjoyable year. Please note our new home is the Methodist Church Hall on Castle Street. Many thanks to the hard working committee, and to Sherie Soper and Mary Evans who have recently stepped down, also a warm welcome to new member Tom Lerwill. The committee now needs at least two more members. It s friendly and informal and If you are thinking of standing, please don t hesitate just get in touch and help us out with your skills and new ideas. Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year Heather Hidden, Chairman

3 Evening Visit 10th May 7.00pm Oswestry Town Walls and Castle Dig Timed for a Wednesday evening to link with Oswestry Castle Research Project s first excavation of We will meet at the Castle where Roger will give an update on progress and Margaret Hill will then lead a walk following the line of the town wall with updates on recent findings. Evening Visit 9th June 7.00 pm The Berth Baschurch Limited to 35 Booking essential A rare chance to visit this atmospheric and enigmatic site. The Iron Age 'hillfort' of the Berth is a particularly unusual and important example being originally set on two islands in a lowland mere (now mostly dry) Archaeological evidence suggests that it was still in use in the Roman period The larger mound is surrounded by a single irregular rampart enclosing an area of 3.1 ha, while to the north east is a smaller univallate enclosure of about 0.5ha with two entrances. Connecting the two enclosures is a causeway of gravel 120m long, and they are all linked to the rising ground to the south by another causeway 240m long. This southern causeway is now cut by the stream which drains Berth Pool and it was at this point that the late Iron Age/Roman bronze cauldron was found prior to The monument is on private land and there has only been limited excavation but further work is planned this year and we hope to be able to give an update on this.

4 All day visit to Leicester Saturday 8th July Coach departs Oak Street Car Park 8.00am Returns 6.00pm Tickets 25 Includes Coach, Entry and Guided Tour of the Richard III Centre and Optional Guided Tour of the Cathedral with Richard s Tomb The Visitor Centre stands on the site of the medieval friary of the Grey Friars where Richard III s remains were buried over 500 years ago Visitors learn more about the King s life and death, the dramatic events that led to his hasty burial, and the eventual discovery of his remains. They share in one of the greatest archaeological detective stories ever told which features the first-ever genome sequencing of ancient DNA The exact place where Richard s remains were buried has been transformed into a glassfloored contemplative space for visitors. An attractive area of open green spaces, paths and artwork links the Centre with the Cathedral where the remains are interred in a specially designed tomb. The Centre can provide a light lunch ( 5.95) and there will be a guided tour of the Cathedral in the afternoon. Alternatively members can choose to spend the time exploring other attractions such as the nearby Jewry Wall Museum (Roman Leicester), the Medieval Guildhall, the Haymarket Shopping Centre, and Leicester Market- the largest covered market in Europe. Early booking please - we think this trip will be popular and numbers are limited to 48. Contact heather.hidden@btinternet.com Tel

5 Heritage Open Days 2017 Sleeping Beauty s Tower, Selattyn hill. Just as in the story walkers battled through the vegetation to reach their objective! The 3000 year old cairn beneath the tower is almost completely obscured. Margaret Harrison of OBHAG and Margaret Edwards of Oswestry Country Market selected the finalists for the Oswestry Heritage Bake-Off. A glorious afternoon at Llanforda Hall where the remains of 17th century fish ponds can be identified An ancient stone head now set into the wall at Bronygarth was found in the field near a spring. Investigating the central length of the south facing wall, now partly collapsed, which was once heated with hollow flues Some fruit trees survive & these small pears were almost ripe.

6 Oswestry Castle Research Project Roger Cooper with the wonderful replica cake presented by Mark Hignett, Oswestry Town museum to celebrate the success of Oswestry Castle Research Project s two week excavation. With a team of 16 multitasking volunteers the excavation attracted hundreds of visitors from the Oswestry area and further afield. At times the site was so busy that the Information Officer needed two others to help out. The investigation also attracted much professional interest with visits from numerous archaeologists including two from Shropshire Council and two English Heritage Ancient Monument Inspectors, and all thanked the volunteers for their efforts Roger bottoms the trench and makes an interesting find. The findings which are still being analysed, are highly significant and will be fully reported on our OBHAG web site later this year The Bronygarth Project During renovation work at the Pentre, Bronygarth a whole range of objects which could be considered as apotropaic giving protection against witches and evil spirits were discovered. OBHAG committee agreed to sponsor a project which it was hoped would shed light on the building s past and which would record and describe the marks and finds. This work has included a short rescue excavation led by Roger Cooper and other volunteers and a follow up study of the finds and documentary history of the site. Roger reported briefly at the OBHAG Christmas Meeting and a more detailed record is being compiled.

7 Two examples of the apotropaic marks. A wide variety were found on the roof and wall timbers of several rooms and recorded as part of the project Finds included four lead weights thought to be from a loom, one of which is pictured below Numerous bones were found at the base of the walls and beneath the entrance to the house 40th Anniversary In October OBHAG celebrates 40 glorious years. Read the first Newsletter from 1977 and find more news and information at our dedicated website oswestry.histarch.uk

8 Spring and Summer Programme th Jan Clothing the poor in the late eighteenth century Sarah Thursfield, tailor and dress historian 10 th Feb Oswestry's forgotten Grand National winner: the story of Thomas Jackson, Zoedone, an Austrian Empress and a Bohemian Count John Pinfold, author and leading racing historian 10 th March A banker, a distiller and a watchmaker - the ancestry of Edward and Mary Salter, builders of Plas Wilmot, Wilfred Owen s birthplace. John Pryce Jones, OBHAG President. First Friday 7 th April Sycharth A Baron s Stately Home Gareth Williams, formerly a Senior Lecturer in History at Glyndwr University, Wrexham. Wednesday 10 th May Oswestry s Castle and Town Walls. Walk and visit to a current excavation at the castle. Meet at the castle mound entrance, 7.00pm. Roger Cooper and Margaret Hill. 9 th June The Berth, Baschurch. Guided Walk. Meet at 7.00pm Full details to follow. Places limited and booking essential Saturday 8 th July Full Day Visit to Leicester. Includes guided tours of the King Richard III Visitor Centre, the Cathedral and Richard s Tomb Coach departs Oak Street Car Park. 8.00am Returns 6.00pm Provisional ticket price 25.Optional Light Lunch 5.95 Meetings are held at the Methodist Church Hall, Castle Street on the second Friday of the month at 7.30pm unless otherwise stated Entry fee: Members 1 Visitors 3 Membership Fee Reminder To renew please contact the Membership Secretary at one of our meetings or by post. Margaret Ward, 3 Llanforda Rise, Oswestry, SY11 1SY Tel : obhag@histarch.uk Membership fees: Adult 12 Family 16 Concessionary 10