Every Spring the Society publishes a journal which we call our Transactions. Usually 250-300 pages in length, its main contents are reports of archaeological excavations and articles of historical research. Taking one year with another, we keep a balance between Bristol and Gloucestershire and between archaeology and other topics. Articles are peer-reviewed before publication. Abstracts of the articles in recent issues follow this introduction. In addition the 'Archaeological Review' is a highly-regarded feature. It presents brief summaries of research and fieldwork during the year. It is the only comprehensive survey of current archaeological activity in Bristol and Gloucestershire. The Transactions also includes a classified list of recent publications with reviews of some of the books, a summary of additions to the Gloucestershire county archives and a review of the activities of the Society. Articles to be considered for publication should be sent to the Editor, James Lee, History Department, University of the West of England (UWE), St Matthias Campus, Oldbury Road, Bristol BS16 2JP.
Notes for Contributors may be downloaded here as a PDF file.
Alan Saville, ‘Anatomising an Archaeological Project – Hazleton Revisited’ (pp. 9–27).
This presidential address revisits the author’s archaeological excavation of a Neolithic long cairn at the Cotswold village of Hazleton in 1979–1982. After a summary of the findings of the excavation a personal account is given of the reasons for the project, how it developed and was achieved, its post-excavation aftermath, and its continuing legacy. Although making no claim to social history, the address considers some aspects of the Hazleton project in the archaeological context of its time – a time which is already beginning to seem remote.
David Evans, ‘Two Neolithic Pits at King’s Stanley, Gloucestershire’ (pp. 29–54).
Excavation in King’s Stanley, Gloucestershire in 2004 and 2005 revealed two Neolithic pits. The first of these, dating to c. 2370 cal BC contained pottery of the Peterborough Ware, Mortlake substyle, and Grooved Ware traditions. Also present was a small incised limestone plaque, a wristguard fragment, a possible bead, flints and animal bone. The second pit contained flints and animal bone. These pits, which were of uncommon shape, were rapidly filled after digging. It would appear that their purpose was for the formal deposition of materials relevant to the economy of the time.
Richard Cuttler, ‘Iron Age and Romano-British Activity at Arle Court, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, 1999’ (pp. 55–72).
An excavation was undertaken at Arle, Court, Cheltenham in 1999 on the lower lias clays of the Severn Vale. This revealed a limited number of mid to late Iron Age settlement features, in the form of ditches and gullies with associated pottery, together with a possible Romano- British enclosure dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries AD. The function of the enclosure and its relationship to an area of domestic settlement is unclear. The site was re-occupied in the Saxon period, a phenomenon that may be paralleled elsewhere in Gloucestershire. Given the limited number of late prehistoric and Romano-British sites excavated in the Severn Vale the site provides a useful comparison for sites of this date recorded in the wider region. The site also contributes to the ongoing debate regarding continuity between late Iron Age and Romano-British occupation.
Kevin Colls, ‘The Avon Floodplain at Bristol: Excavations at Templar House, Temple Way, in Bristol 2004 and 2005’ (pp. 73–120).
An archaeological excavation was carried out by Birmingham Archaeology between November 2004 and January 2005 at Templar House, Temple Way, Bristol (NGR ST 59435 72589) prior to site redevelopment. Despite intense periods of development, archaeological features were recorded which were subsequently found to represent four distinct phases of activity. This began with 14th century activity recorded on the alluvial floodplain and included the development of the Spring Garden (late 17th to early 18th century), the Great Gardens Estate (1725 onwards) and the construction, in 1965, of Templar House itself. A comprehensive post-excavation programme was undertaken, alongside documentary and palaeo-environmental research. The result is an important dataset providing insight into the history of the site’s locality area, seen within the wider context of Bristol.
Andrew King with Rod Burchill †, Reg Jackson, Ticca Ogilvie, Julie Jones, Ann Linge and Lorrain Higbee, ‘A Royalist Bastion? Evidence from 30 Gloucester Lane, Old Market, Bristol’ (pp. 121–145).
An excavation carried out before the redevelopment of 30 Gloucester Lane, Old Market, Bristol, in 2002 recorded an ‘L’-shaped length of a defensive ditch dating from the Civil War period. The ditch would have formed part of the Royalist outworks guarding the historic eastern approaches to the City from London and Gloucester. A short time limit and restricted working area prevented full excavation of the ditch; however three sondages into the backfill deposits recovered finds dating from the mid 17th century, including the partial remains of a scabbard. Environmental analysis of samples showed evidence of a waterlogged, weed-infested ditch used for the disposal of food remains. The excavation provided a rare glimpse of an important section of Bristol’s Civil War defences that were briefly the scene of intensive and significant fighting for control of the City, yet for over three hundred years were largely forgotten. The size and location of the ditch would suggest that, as with the villages of Clifton and Bedminster, widespread demolition of surrounding buildings must have occurred between 1643 and 1645 in this outer suburb of Bristol.
Patrick Mansell, ‘An Earl’s Land Lease Revisited: Notes on the 8th-century charter sometimes referred to as ‘The Bibury Charter’ with an alternative suggestion regarding its Bounds’ (pp. 147–160).
The so-called ‘Bibury Charter’ in Latin and Anglo-Saxon is one of the oldest relating to Gloucestershire. It is also considered the earliest English land-lease. G.B. Grundy offered an interpretation of the bounds and its way-marks published in 1935 by B.G.A.S. This article reassesses his conclusions and offers alternative bounds, including a new reading of the curious landmark ‘Leppa’s Quarries.’
John Fendley, ‘Abel Wantner and his History of the City and County of Gloucester’ (pp. 161–187).
Abel Wantner (1639–1714) worked for over forty years on a History of the City and County of Gloucester. No publication resulted, but the many documents that he accumulated, now in the Bodleian Library, contain much that is valuable. Wantner was at his best as a recorder of the contemporary scene, and this article includes transcriptions from his accounts of the city and the cathedral of Gloucester.
Owen Ward, ‘The House of Pinney and Garnett’s Patent Rollers’ (pp. 189–205).
The Pinney family of Bristol was a successful West India sugar factor and plantation owner through most of the 18th century. This account shows how their success lay partly in their cautious, practical attitude to investment and innovation, and how they called upon local expertise, both in Bristol and in the West Indies, for guidance.
Christopher Elrington, ‘List of Sheriffs of Gloucestershire’ (pp. 207–227).
In the foreword to his list of the sheriffs of the county of Gloucester to the year 2006–7 the late Christopher Elrington points to two lists of sheriffs compiled by the antiquary Abel Wantner (d. 1714). For own list Professor Elrington draws on that published in 1898 in the Public Record Office’s Lists and Indexes series and on supplementary records carrying the list forward to the year 2006–7 and contrasts the information in Wantner’s second list (1154–1712) with that in the PRO list down to 1377. Significant differences between the two lists after 1377 are noted. Also provided is a list of under-sheriffs from 1833, the year when the appointment of such officers became compulsory by Act.