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News from around the County: 2012Lectures & Conferences
Outings and Events Site Visits and Surveys Other News News Archive: 2008 - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 LINCOLNSHIRE ESTATES Conference Venue at Riseholme  St Giles Estate, Lincoln c1930  Estate Cottages, Brocklesby
Over 80 people, most of them SLHA members, attended a conference on the theme of Lincolnshire Estates at Riseholme Hall, University of Lincoln, on Saturday 5 May. The six well-qualified speakers, who took a wide range of themes and provided a very stimulating day, were:
Read Summaries of these lectures.  Barlings Abbey:surviving fragment  Belton House, gardens, c1920  AHWorth holdings: potato planting
May 2012 ELLYS MANOR HOUSE & RUTLAND RAILWAY MUSEUM SLHA group at Ellys Manor House  Wall Painting detail  Holy Cross Church, Great Ponton
A coach outing to Ellys Manor House, Great Ponton, and 'Rocks by Rail' (Rutland Railway Museum), Ashwell, was enjoyed by thirty SLHA members on Saturday 21 April. The Manor House was rebuilt in stone in the Tudor period by the Ellys family, wealthy Lincolnshire wool merchants. Its distinctive crow-stepped gable on the prominent eastern elevation is similar to contemporary houses in northern Europe of the Renaissance period. Of outstanding interest are the early 16th century wall paintings on the first floor, widely recognised as among the country’s best examples in a domestic setting. The Ellyses were also responsible for rebuilding the large tower of Holy Cross church adjacent to the Manor House in 1519.  The engine workshop  Part of the working line  22RB crane-dragline (made in Lincoln)
The afternoon was spent at the Rutland Railway Museum near Ashwell which is currently being upgraded and re-branded as 'Rocks by Rail'. The museum location is the railhead for an extensive area of ironstone quarries which were served by a network of temporary lines, though only a relatively short section of line survives. There are a large collection of working locomotives, almost all of which worked in ironstone quarries here or elsewhere, a wide range of wagons and other related rolling stock, and excavators to undertake quarry work.
THE WEST FRONT OF LINCOLN CATHEDRAL Lincoln Cathedral, west front On 18 April Dr David Taylor of the University of Nottingham spoke to a large audience, swelled by the presence of several Cathedral Guides, about his research on the early west front of the Cathedral. David has spent several years exploring the many chambers and voids and recording them stone by stone. As a result he has been able to suggest that there were three Romanesque phases, the second a rebuild of the first, and the final one begun by Bishop Alexander and completed by his successor Chesney. The research has already produced an article in the latest issue of The Archaeological Journal and a book on the form of the Cathedral before St Hugh is planned in conmjunction eith Professors Philip Dixon and David Stocker. This publication will explain the functions of the various chambers, from the huge garderobe in the north-west corner to the tiny rooms provisionally interpreted as singers' holes.
THE DECLINE OF STAMFORD BULL-RUNNING, c.1788-1840The winner of the 2012 Undergraduate Dissertation prize awarded by the Royal Historical Society in association with the magazine History Today is Richard Lowe-Lauri of the University of Durham. His study on the famous bull-running in Stamford was considered by the judges "a remarkable review of the historiography of an increasing compassion for animals, set within a wider debate over changing leisure patterns and the decline of traditional sports in a rapidly industrialising Britain". An extract will appear in a future edition of History Today. GOLD MINING IN EGYPTAt an SLHA meeting in Lincoln on 14 March, Barbara Tratsaert described her research into Roman gold-mining in eastern Egypt. Her interest in that region stemmed from participation in the international project at Berenike, an important Red Sea port in southern Egypt in antiquity. Barbara Tratsaert examined the evidence for techniques used in extracting the gold, and compared them to those investigated in the gold-mines in North-West Spain and at Dolaucothi in south-west Wales. She has also demonstrated that the people used in mining were skilled technicians, not unskilled slave labour. SUTTON BRIDGE DOCK AND FOUL ANCHOR Gunthorpe Sluice (SW)  Gunthorpe Sluice (from the NE) Members of the SLHA Industrial Archaeology team visited sites in and around Sutton Bridge on Thursday 22 March. David Clowes and Beryl Jackson (local SLHA members) were the guides and interpreters of the complex system of sluices and bridges where the North Level Main Drain joins the River Nene at Foul Anchor to the east of Tydd Gote (TF 467180). The history of drainage of this area bordering Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk is long and involved; there are helpful modern interpretation boards at two sites; examination of Beryl’s comprehensive collection of maps, diagrams and photographs was also invaluable.
 Sutton Bridge Dock, jetty  Sutton Bridge Dock, crane position In the afternoon we looked at the remains of the former Sutton Bridge Dock, now the site of the local Golf Club. The 13-acre dock was completed in 1881, but within a few weeks several lengths of the concrete faced banks had collapsed and could not be satisfactorily repaired and stabilised. The overall profile of the dock can still be recognised and several features remain, notably the 750-foot timber jetty along the face the south-east quay. Measurements and photographs were taken for a full report which will appear in the society’s journal in due course.
CANON DAVID PINK (1934-2012)Revd Canon David Pink, who has recently died in Swarby, served almost all his priesthood in the Lincoln Diocese. He read History at Cambridge and throughout his life maintained an active interest in the subject, both as a writer and speaker. At one time he was a member of the SLHA Local History Committee; he was also an active member of the Lincoln Record Society, and served on the Council of the Historical Association.
WOMEN QUAKERS; LINCOLNSHIRE POTATOES; BARDNEY ABBEY Another successful “Sunday Special” provided 3 short talks on varied themes to a packed audience at Jews’ Court on 18 March. Dr Erin Bell of the University of Lincoln spoke about Women Quakers. The Society of Friends, almost alone amongst the Christian denominations, had women taking leadership roles as early as the seventeenth century. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries women Quakers were also prominent in actively opposing the Slave Trade. Decorative items with anti-slavery inscriptions were manufactured for personal wear and household use. (Read about Dr Erin Bell and details of this anti-slavery movement).
(Illustration from the cover of "Quakerism in Lincolnshire" by Susan Davies)
  The recently published SLHA book “Growing Better: Lincolnshire and the Potato” was the subject of the talk given by Stewart Squires, one of the book’s joint-editors. He underlined the significance of Lincolnshire in the development of the potato industry and used a selection of the book’s excellent photographs to illustrate potato planting, cropping, storing, processing and eating over the years. (Details of how to buy the book about potatoes.) (Illustrations of potato harvesting: left: early 20th century hand picking; right: 21st century machinery.)
 Paul Cope-Faulkner, from Archaeological Project Services, Heckington, has worked with local volunteers to excavate part of the extensive Benedictine abbey site at Bardney. The refectory, with its benches and table supports, has received special attention. He explained that much of the work has allowed a close comparison with the excavation carried out in 1909 by Revd Charles Laing, which was well photographed at the time. An exhibition about the recent work and its finds is to be held in the parish church. (Read about Paul Cope-Faulkner and APS and pick up more details of the excavation)
(Illustration: volunteers begin to strip the turf from the abbey ruins at Bardney.)
HALLATON TREASUREOn 15 February Vicki Score of University of Leicester Archaeological Services described the remarkable Hallaton treasure and its possible significance. This was a surprise discovery of large groups of over 5000 silver and gold Late Iron Age coins, principally dating to the last generation before the Roman conquest, found at an unpromising location in Leicestershire in 2001. There were also some surprising but valuable objects, including a silver bowl and a Roman parade helmet whose conservation and detailed decoration has recently received national publicity (the coins themselves have previously featured in Hello! magazine!). On the other side of a ditch with an entrance (‘guarded’ by a carefully-buried large dog) were a large number of pig bones, presumably from feasts. Detailed study of the coins and the names on them at the British Museum has suggested that this may have been a meeting place for leaders of various sub-tribes of the Corieltavi. The finds are now on display at Harborough Museum.
ENGINEERING FACULTY AT UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN Siemens trainees at work on turbines  Dr David Waugh & SLHA visitors
NON-CONFORMITY IN LINCOLNSHIRE: WEEKEND CONFERENCE Bishop Grossteste University College The annual SLHA residential conference was held at Bishop Grosseteste University College over the weekend 10 to 12 February on the theme of Non-Conformity. Topics covered were:
On Saturday afternoon visits were made to two Lincoln High Street churches: the Unitarian Chapel and Central Methodist Church. See images AYCOUGHFEE HALL: THE HISTORY OF A FINE BUILDING The South Holland History Group enjoyed a very interesting and well presented talk by Julia Knight, the Museum Officer, about Ayscoughfee Hall in Spalding on 27 January. This beautiful house was built about 1420 for Richard Ailwyn, a wool merchant, and it is believed that it was granted to Sir William Ayscough from Stallingborough in north Lincolnshire sometime after 1506. The hall was subsequently known as Ayscoughfee, the suffix signifying the territorial grant made to a knight of the realm. RECENT EXCAVATIONS IN LINCOLNThe opening archaeology lecture of the 2012 season on 18 January provided City Archaeologist Mick Jones with an opportunity to describe the highlights of fieldwork and research in Lincoln in the past year. Among the excavations summarised were investigations at both Bishop Grossesteste University College, where work adjacent to the library revealed Roman and medieval suburban remains, and at Lincoln College, where Roman burials as well as occupation associated with the Dominican Friary to the west were uncovered. A trench at Edward King House also found medieval pits and part of a Roman building, and on Auden Close more graves were found, within the precinct of medieval St Giles’ hospital. More details of these excavations and others outside the city will be given at the 14 November meeting by the excavators themselves. DENNIS AND JOAN MILLS Long-standing SLHA members, Dennis and Joan Mills (shown left), have recently been made Life Members of the Society in recognition of their outstanding contribution. Through their research and publications, as well as their advice and willingness to share their experience, they are inspirational members of the Society. In March 2011 SLHA published Lincoln Connections: Aspects of City and County since 1700 as a tribute to Dennis on his eightieth birthday. Details of the book WEST SUSSEX TOUR PREVIEW; MUSEUM ARTEFACTS; GEORGE BOOLEIn the now well-established tradition, SLHA members were treated to a variety of short but entertaining talks in a “Sunday Special” on 22 January. Ken Hollamby gave an illustrated preview of the attractions in West Sussex and Hampshire being visited in this year’s study tour. These include Chichester (where the University provide our accommodation), Fishbourne Roman Palace, Weald and Downland Museum, Amberley Museum, Arundel Castle and Cathedral, and Fort Cumberland. We hope this very interesting programme attracts a large group. Booking details  Recent acquisitions at The Collection were the theme of Antony Lee’s talk. He first mentioned the Roman intaglio ring, Anglo-Saxon pendant (right), bronze boar statuette and Roman gold coins already featured in Lincolnshire Past and Present, and then described in detail six gold coins, minted under Charles V of Spain in the period 1790-1801, which are part of a much larger hoard found near Lincoln over recent years. The museum has also recently acquired a Chinese Hellbank Note, of no monetary value as currency but burnt at funerals as part of a traditional ritual.
 Dave Kenyon of the University of Lincoln spoke about George Boole (1815-1864), who was born in humble circumstances in Lincoln. Boole developed his interest in Mathematics while running a small school in Pottergate in the city (left) and the exceptional quality of his work led to a professorship in Maths at Queen’s College Cork. His seminal work on the logic (Boolean Algebra) which underpins computer science is widely recognised. Dave is doing all he can to ensure there will be appropriate international celebrations of Boole’s birth/death in 2014/15. Read a more detailed biography.
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