Star Carr Archives Project
Nicky Milner, Hayley Saul, Ben Elliott, 2013. https://doi.org/10.5284/1019856. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © University of York unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Prof
Nicky
Milner
Department of Archaeology
University of York
King's Manor
Exhibition Square
York
YO1 7EP
England
Tel: 01904 323940
Fax: 01904 323902
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 1335
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1019856
- How to cite using this DOI
Overview
The main emphasis of this study has been the location of the material excavated by Clark, 1949-1951 because that constitutes the majority of the archive. However, an attempt has also been made to locate the archives generated by John Moore (1948 and 1951) and those generated by the Vale of Pickering Research Trust (1985 and 1989), published in Mellars and Dark (1998).
At the start of this project, a group email was distributed to UK museums and archival institutions via the Society of Museum Archaeologists, which acts as a central node in curatorial networks. Additionally, a list of fifty-five small, local museums was contacted following web-based research.
Museum visits proceeded over the autumn of 2011, spring of 2012 and autumn of 2012, conducted by Nicky Milner (The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge), Hayley Saul (The Natural History Museum, The Rotunda Museum Scarborough, Whitby Museum, The Yorkshire Museum), Ben Elliot and Pat Hadley (The British Museum).
A spreadsheet was used for recording artefacts. Clark's original artefact recording system inspired the design of the spreadsheet, since most researchers will approach the Clark archive through acquaintance with the (1954) monograph.
In some cases the code was not marked on the artefact and so the descriptions in the schedules have been used where possible: in some cases it is not possible to be 100% confident of the code. These entries also recorded the artefacts storage location (cabinet number, box number, accession number), a category of artefact type (eg., faunal, floral, flint), and the artefact material. A photographic record was made of all the Star Carr holdings at each museum and photographs were given a unique code that relates them to their museum location.
It quickly became obvious during the museum visits that the amount of faunal remains from Star Carr that are without a Clark code is substantial. For the purposes of rendering this mass into searchable categories, two approaches were taken. The first was to allocate classes of artefact by keyword. The keywords vary in the resolution of what they describe, depending on whether or not the artefact could be related to the identified faunal remains in Clark (1954). Similarly, flint cannot be linked directly with the Clark monograph and so we have instead noted where the flint has been located and where possible the quantities.
Accessing the collections
The ADS database can be accessed by going to the query page and searching for different categories of artefact/ecofact or the paper record. In addition individual codes (for example, P141, for barbed point 141) can be searched, and will either produce a single catalogue entry at one of the museums, or will state a narrowed range of possible locations/photographs if the coded number was not visible on the artefact. Search options also include the Museum that holds the object, as well as the museum accession code. Where appropriate, records are accompanied by a photograph.
The downloads page contains a CSV version of the original database deposited with the ADS, alongside two short reports:
- Archive Mapping Report (2013) by Hayley Saul and Nicky Milner.
- Finds from the 1980s excavation (2013) by Ben Elliott and Nicky Milner.
Artefacts on display
At the time of writing the following museums have artefacts from Star Carr in their exhibitions:
- The Yorkshire Museum have a year-long exhibition on Star Carr from May 2013 with artefacts on display, a virtual reconstruction of the prehistoric landscape and sounds from the Mesolithic.
- The British Museum have a permanent cabinet on the Mesolithic period in their Prehistory galleries which features a frontlet/head-dress and a couple of barbed points from Star Carr.
- The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Museum in Cambridge have a frontlet/head-dress on display in a cabinet on the top floor of the museum.
- Whitby Museum has their collection from Star Carr on permanent display.
The collections in store
The collection at Scarborough is housed at Woodend, managed by Scarborough Museums Trust and can be accessed through making an appointment or through a store tour with the curator of Scarborough collections (http://www.scarboroughmuseumstrust.org.uk/our-venues/collections.html).
The extant collection of the 1980s artefacts are housed in the Yorkshire Museum and can be accessed through an appointment with the curator.
Some of Clark's collection is housed at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Museum in Cambridge and can be accessed through an appointment with the curator. There is an online catalogue (http://maa.cam.ac.uk/maa/category/collections-2/catalogue/).
The British Museum store a small proportion of Clark's collection. Researchers who want to visit this collection should contact the curator of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic collections.
The Natural History Museum holds a large proportion of Clark's collection. The faunal collection is housed in the Vertebrates division and the barbed points are housed in the Anthropology division. Researchers who want to visit these collections should contact the relevant curators.
