Issue 5, Spring 2011: Special AGM Edition

Welcome!
The fifth edition of our CBA SW Newsletter is a special one, with one very
specific focus and that is our forthcoming Annual General Meeting. We have
also found room for two items of local news, to illustrate the diversity and
geographical spread of our member organisations within the South West
region, as well as ever-welcome advice on a possible source of funding and
support for local projects. In our next edition we will be providing progress
reports on a number of regional initiatives, and we would very much like to
include your news! Our editor’s contact details can be found on the back page.

restricted to CBA regional members only.

By giving as much notice as possible of the
date and venue, we hope to encourage both
current and prospective members to come
along, to find out more about our work over

AGM
the past year, and to contribute their ideas
and energies, as we plan for the year to come.

OF THE

Coldharbour Mill is an important and living

07.05.2011
This year, the AGM of the South West Region
of CBA is being held from 10.30 am to 12.30
pm on Saturday 7 May at the Coldharbour
Mill, Uffculme, Cullompton, Devon EX15 3EE.
The AGM in the morning will be followed by
a talk, on a topic yet to be agreed. The day
is open to all, but voting at the AGM will be
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illustration of the history of the textile
industry in the South West. It was built by
Thomas Fox in 1799 to spin woollen and
later worsted yarns, and is a rare example of
a Georgian enterprise whose architecture
and industrial facilities have survived intact
to an impressive degree. It is now run by the
Coldharbour Mill Trust, who will host our visit.
Tea & coffee will be available, and the
restaurant and shop will be open for lunch.
In the afternoon, Nigel Wood, who is both

a trustee of Coldharbour Mill and a CBA SW
committee member, will lead a guided tour
of the mill, while another trustee will be
on hand to demonstrate the operation of a
number of the looms.
for further information about the CBA SW AGM:
contact Barry Lane, Chair, CBA SW
(for details, see back page)
for further information about the Coldharbour Mill
phone 01884 840960
web http://www.coldharbourmill.org.uk
THE SOUTH SOMERSET
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH GROUP
SSARG is a community-based archaeology
group run by volunteers. Members carry out
a variety of archaeological projects in and
around South Somerset, covering periods
from the prehistoric to the post-medieval.
These operate all year round, and everyone is
welcome to take part, from complete
beginners to retired professors of
archaeology! Activities include excavation,
geophysical and landscape survey, finds
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processing and post-excavation work;
together with outings, talks and workshops,
which this season include a major
presentation by Julian Richards.
to find out more about the South Somerset Archaeological
Research Group:
email diggerbri@supanet.com
web www.ssarg.org.uk
NORTH DEVON ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY: THE WEST YEO FARM
PROJECT
In 2009, flint artefacts were found in fields
near West Yeo Farm, Witheridge. The farm is
recorded as early as 1243, and is located on
a south-facing slope just below a ridge over-
looking the river Little Dart. There is evidence
of a number of interesting features, including
a ‘medieval causeway’ leading down to the
Little Dart across the river flats, plus a lost
chapel, the old road from South Molton to
Witheridge, and some abandoned cottages.
NDAS therefore decided to undertake a com-
plete archaeological survey of the farm, to
include documentary research, earthwork
survey, geophysical survey, fieldwalking,
excavation and recording. The initial aim of
the project was to locate the foundations of
the old farmhouse, which had burned down
in the late 1800’s.
NDAS were delighted to receive a grant of
£500 from CBA in September 2009, to pur-
chase a laptop computer on which to store
the results of earth resistance surveys. The
Society already owned a TR earth resistance
meter which had been used successfully else-
where in North Devon, and had
borrowed gradiometry equipment from CBA
SW (complete with extensive training!) for
use in surveying and training exercises.
Fieldwalking in two fields has produced an and this has produced a couple of Victorian
interesting collection of Mesolithic flints and coins, but most of the finds represent farm
a number of rough arrowheads, together with implements, harnessing and similar items.
some Neolithic arrowheads, and evidence of
quartz working. The number of arrowheads
and microliths is taken to indicate that this
was a good hunting area. These finds have
been analysed and recorded with the help of
Ann Plummer, who sadly died in December.
Some of them will be on display at South
Molton museum from 14 March 2011. The
flints will form a separate and significant Fig 2: The wall revealed in Trench 2, apparently running in a
study and there is more fieldwalking to be south westerly direction in line with a boundary on the Tithe
Map
done.

Various areas of the farm are being surveyed

using the Society’s TR earth resistance meter,
by Society members old and new, and with
support from volunteers from the local
community. Results so far clearly show the
old byway running down the hillslope towards
the river.

Fig 3: A cobbled area already exposed, possibly part of the court

of the medieval farmhouse

for further information about the NDAS project at West Yeo

Farm:
contact Derry Bryant, Vice Chair NDAS
email derrybryant@tiscali.co.uk
web www.ndas.org.uk
for further information about West Yeo Farm itself:
web www.westyeofarm.co.uk
Fig 1: Earth resistance survey results of the meadow South of the
farmhouse. The house and garden are the blank area to the right
of the picture, the dark lines on the left show the old trackway.
THE COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY
In July 2010 the Society carried out an BURSARIES PROJECT
excavation to the rear of the current farm
buildings, in order to locate the foundations CBA is now seeking applications from
of the medieval farmhouse. Three trenches organisations wishing to host placements as
were dug and eventually a coursed wall was part of the Community Archaeology Bursaries
found (beyond the reach of the earth Project. This will fund nine 12 month paid
resistance survey!). A quantity of pottery bursary placements per year in support of
was retrieved during the excavation, most of community archaeology projects.
which was North Devon domestic ware,
although some sherds of early medieval (13th to find out more about the Community Archaeology
– 15th century) pot were located close to the Bursaries Project:
wall, as well as during fieldwalking. email bursaries@britarch.ac.uk
web www.britarch.ac.uk/community/bursaries/host-
Some metal detecting has been carried out, ing
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AND NOW – OVER TO YOU!
We hope that you have enjoyed this special edition of the CBA SW Newsletter, but – more
importantly – we hope that you will also become active contributors to future editions. We
want the news­letter to contain information about the full range of activities taking place in the
region, and we are keen to encourage comments and feedback on the articles; so as well as
advertising forthcoming events, we would very much like to include reports from members of
the archaeological community who attend these events and want to share something they have
learned that may be of general interest.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
We still need volunteers to join the CBA SW committee, which only meets three times per year.
If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch with our Chair, Barry Lane, whose
contact details are set out in the box below.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER; JOIN THE REGIONAL GROUP!

If you would like to become a member of the South West regional group, and receive a copy of this
Newsletter regularly through the post, please contact the Membership Secretary, Sandy Colby,
at 4 Ambion Rise, Market Bosworth, Nuneaton, Warks CV13 0NY; telephone 01455 290271;
mobile 07872 559705; email sandy.colby@virgin.net. Details of costs and an application form
can be accessed via our website at http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/top/why_join.html.

This Newsletter has been produced by the Council for British Archaeology for the South West;
independent charity no. 268532. It is published in January, June, and October each year.
If you think you may have something of interest to offer, please contact the Editor,
Alan Lambourne, (details in the box below) at any time, to discuss issues
such as deadlines, format and content.

to provide feedback on this newsletter

and its contents, or to submit items for a
future edition:
contact Barry Lane, Chair, CBA SW
the Chair
email barry.j.lane@btopenworld.com
address 2 Glencott, The Hollow,
Westbury-sub-Mendip, BA5
1HH
phone 01749 870457
OR Alan Lambourne, Editor, CBA
contact SW Newsletter
the
Editor
email alan-lambourne@clara.co.uk
address The Old Coach House, 70 East
Street, Ashburton, TQ13 7AX
phone 01364 654543