REPORT NUMBER 001 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DOWSING SURVEY BISHOPS SUTTON NEAR ALRESFORD HAMPSHIRE. D P BRYAN BA (Hons) MARCH 2012

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1 REPORT NUMBER 001 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DOWSING SURVEY AT BISHOPS SUTTON NEAR ALRESFORD HAMPSHIRE D P BRYAN BA (Hons) MARCH

2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1.1 Project Background Page Site Location Page Aims and Objectives Page Risk Assessment Page 4 2. Methodology 2.1 Summary Page Written Sources Page Photographic Sources Page Survey 3.1 Grid Lay Out Page Dowsing Survey Page Interpretation Page Results 4.1 Drawn Linear Feature Page Conclusions and Recommendation Page Acknowledgements Page 14 Appendix 1 Risk Assessment Page 15 Appendix 2 TurboCad Results Page 16 Appendix 3 Historic Environment Record Page 17 2

3 1. Introduction 1.1 Project Background The Officers and Committee of HADS decided that there was a need for a formal training session on methods of dowsing, surveying and the recording of underground features. Ideally this training would take place where there were known to be areas of historical and archaeological interest. The location of the site of the Bishop s Palace at Bishops Sutton was known by Don Bryan, Archaeological Director HADS as he had visited the site before. A meeting was arranged by Paul Herbert, Chairman of HADS at which Don Bryan, Paul Herbert and the land-owner Mr Peter Mills discussed the possibility of carrying out an archaeo-dowsing survey of the site of the Bishop s Palace on land behind Sutton Manor. The outcome of this meeting was very positive with permission being granted by Peter Mills to carry out such a survey. 1.2 Site Location The proposed site of survey lay in the meadows to the north of Sutton Manor. Site of Palace OS Copyright

4 1.3 Aims and Objectives Areas of survey (Sites 1 & 2) The aim of the weekend research programme was to train members of HADS how to locate the remaining buried walls of the Bishop s Palace (Site One) and a site of possible other structures to the west (Site Two) by using basic archaeology and dowsing techniques. The objectives were to identify buried walls, mark on the surface their shape and dimensions and then record them to scale so that a report could be produced. 1.4 Risk Assessment A risk assessment was written before any research activity was carried out on the site. Every member of the HADS working party was issued with their own copy and this was read by all participants before they were permitted onto the site. A copy of this risk assessment can be found in Appendix 1 of this report. 4

5 2.0. Methodology 2.1. Summary Don Bryan, HADS Archaeological Director, had visited the site many years ago and was shown the area where it was thought that The Bishop s Palace had stood. Before any field work was commenced, a desk based research programme was carried out. Various reports were studied, maps and photographs were examined. It was decided that normal archaeological best practices would be followed in all cases Written Sources The written sources for this site are very limited, in Six New Towns of Bishops of Winchester it states that The first to be considered in detail is New Alresford, seven miles ENE of Winchester, near the junction of the rivers Alre (Arle) and Itchen and less than three miles from the source of the latter. Near the source was the Episcopal Manor of Bishop s Sutton, acquired in 1136 and soon the site of a palace which was a resting place on the London Road and near the wooded hunting country by Alton. The bishop s presence here, together with his household and visitors, was a natural incentive to bring trade outside the palace gate. King John stayed here, and from the king the village obtained a fair and probably its market charter. From British History on Line we have an interesting description of the manor as it was in the time of Edward VI ( ) Sutton is distaunte from Alererford a myle, and the manor howse being a verie old howse, sometime walled around abowte with stone, now decaided, well watered with an olde pond or moote adjoining to it, and the ferme house being sett and within a stones cast of the said manner howse, thowsing being but for a fermer, lying neer to Sutton Cherche. There is a xii score beneth the said manner howse a corn-mille holden be copie, the ponde being the hed dam of the said mill, and a lyttell beneth that a faier great fermhowse belong to the Lorde Chief Justice (Western Court Farm). The very olde howse mentioned by the surveyor was no doubt the Bishop of Winchester s Palace, concerning which Mr Duthy in his Sketches of Hampshire (1839) writes: Within the memory of many persons now living considerable vestiges of a strong and extensive building stood in the meadows to the north of the church, which were the dilapited remains of an ancient palace of the bishops of Winchester. The walls were of great thickness and composed of flints and mortar, but it was impossible to trace the disposition of the apartments or the form of the edifice. He conjectures that it was destroyed in the course of the Civil War. This conjecture seems a plausible one, for many skirmishes must have taken place in the neighbourhood both before and after The Battle of Cheriton (1644). 5

6 2.2. Written Sources (continued) In 1830 remains of the palace were used as a malt house, but only the site remains. The bishops of Winchester kept a kennel from very early times in Bishops Sutton. In the early part of the thirteenth century, mention is made of the expenses of keeping the king s hounds at Bishop s Sutton, which suggests that the king paid frequent visits to the bishop for hunting, and brought his hounds with him. The bishop also had a park in Bishop s Sutton, covering an area of 250 acres, which in 1649 was sold to Sir John Evelyn, together with all the warrens of conies within it. A fair was held at Bishop s Sutton on the Feast of St Giles and the following days from very early days. It seems to have been a popular one, for as long as it lasted seven men acted as constables and two others were employed to guard the woods, presumably against poachers. As late as the of the 19 th century two fairs were held one on the Thursday after Holy Trinity and the other on 6 th November but they seem soon afterwards to have died out. At the time of the Domesday Survey there were four mills, but now there is only one, situated a little to the north-west of the site of the Bishop s palace, and probably occupying the site of the mill which in the reign of Henry VI was situated near the Court of Bishop s Sutton. 2.3 Photographic sources No photographic sources exist of the remains of the bishop s palace at Sutton. There is a map dated 1839 which clearly shows a standing structure on the site of the palace. The map also shows the remains of a mill pond. Standing structure Mill Pond? 6

7 HAMPSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL DOWSERS: BISHOP SUTTON Map of

8 HAMPSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL DOWSERS: BISHOP SUTTON 2.3 Photographic sources (continued) Site of the Bishop s Palace (Site One) Site of other structures (Site Two) 8

9 3.0 Survey 3.1 Grid Lay Out. In order to accurately record located underground features and to abide by archaeological best practices, a 10 metre square grid was set up over the both the palace site and over the site of the other feature identified from the Google images to the west. The system involved the use of measuring tapes and pigtails The diagonals of each grid were accurately measured to ensure that each grid was square to an accuracy of 10 cm. The pig-tails were used to identify the corners of each grid. Setting out the 10 metre grid on the palace site. (Site One) Working on the grid on Site Two 9

10 3.2 Dowsing Survey Members of HADS were allocated a series of 10 metre grids to survey. By simply walking across the ground surface it was possible to locate by dowsing the lines of possible walls beneath the surface. At intervals a flag was placed on the ground surface to indicate the location of the possible walls. Extra attention was paid to the corners of possible buildings and possible doorways. Both the corners and doorways were clearly marked by extra flags. To clearly identify possible rooms or buildings, red and white hazard tape was used to mark out any of the features located. These would then be drawn to scale for further reference and then photographed. Buildings on Site One 10

11 3.2 Dowsing Survey (continued) Possible buildings on Site Two 11

12 3.3 Interpretation Over the course of the weekend several possible features or buildings were located. On Site One, substantial walls were located, especially to the south and western side of the site whilst a possible gate-house was located on the northeastern corner of the site. On Site Two, long linear features were recorded. These may have been used as domestic buildings such as barns or storehouses. On both sites, the structures dowsed, marked with flags and the identified with hazard tape before being photographed, recorded and the drawn. 4.0 Results 4.1 Drawn Linear Features All features located were recorded onto graph paper to a specific scale. These drawings were later reproduced in a TurboCad format. These TurboCad diagrams appear in this report as APPENDIX 2. Sketch of possible buildings on the palace site (not to scale) 12

13 4.1 Drawn Linear Features (continued) Sketch of possible buildings under Site Two (not to scale) 5.0 Conclusions and Recommendations. Overall the weekend was a resounding success. Both experienced and novice dowsers were able to locate possible buried walls and features of the Bishop s Palace at Sutton. The two areas of archaeological interest both revealed some evidence of structures, although the features identified on Site Two remain a mystery. The features identified on Site Two are quite substantial and are definitely part of the demolished palace. The recording of these buried structures was satisfactory but more time should have been allocated to record them in greater detail. The laying out and use of the 10 metre grid was a success with some members being trained to carry this exercise out for the first time. A Geophysical Survey would offer the opportunity to check on the dowsing results. Resistivity results taken on other sites have supported HADS findings. Perhaps such a survey could be undertaken in the near future? 13

14 6.0 Acknowledgements Firstly, HADS would wish to thank Mr Peter Mills for his permission to carry out the archaeo-dowsing survey at Bishops Sutton. It is an intriguing site and we are so grateful for opportunity to survey it. We would also like to thank Peter for his interest in the project and for showing us the 1836 map of the palace site. I would also wish to thank all those members of HADS who gave up their time to assist on this weekend of dowsing activity. Without their support this exercise would not have been possible. I would also wish to thank the staff at the Historic Environment Record at the Hampshire County Council for providing the archaeological and historic information on the site. Finally, we owe a vote of thanks to the staff at The Ship Inn for providing meals on the two days of survey and for the use of other facilities. Don Bryan Archaeological Director Hampshire Archaeology Dowsers 14

15 APPENDIX ONE - RISK ASSESSMENT 15

16 APPENDIX TWO - TURBOCAD RESULTS 16

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19 APPENDIX 3 - HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT RECORD 19

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