Somerset Archaeol Natur Hist 136

A brief account of the jewel's early history in a Somerset context.

In 1989-90 a continuous watching brief was undertaken during pipeline construction. Seven RB sites were recorded in the Somerset area. Five of these were only observed during pipe-laying operations; two were seen in advance and some slight preliminary examination was possible. A gazetteer of features and finds of all periods along the pipeline is included as an appendix (55-9). Pottery ranged from prehistoric to medieval.

A series of rescue excavations and watching briefs 1984-88 revealed evidence for large-scale engineering works during the Late Saxon period. The White's Garage/Heritage Court site revealed a massive ditch. A radiocarbon determination carried out on wood from the ditch suggested a pre-Conquest date for its construction, and the feature has been interpreted as the western side of a monastic enclosure ditch. A series of rescue excavations at the Fairfield and the Convent Field, undertaken in advance of development, suggested the existence of a large artificial waterway. A radiocarbon determination carried out on a timber revetment stake from the waterway indicated a Late Saxon construction date. Levels taken on the base of the waterway and a survey along its route pointed to its probable function as a closed-end canal. Further excavation at Heritage Court failed to establish the route of the suggested canal at that point, but did find important evidence for a late medieval tanning industry.

Reports the 1992 evaluation and subsequent excavation of the site. The main period of activity was in the twelfth to fifteenth century, and two major archaeological elements were identified. A ditch immediately west of the current street, and aligned roughly parallel to it, appeared to represent a former boundary ditch, maintained and replaced over several centuries. Further away from the street a series of linear features was observed. The exact function of these features was unclear, but they may have originated from horticultural activity associated with nearby occupation. Pottery was a major find type recovered, being predominantly local in origin and comprising products from Ilchester and Donyatt. Small faunal and carbonised seed assemblages were also found. Pre-medieval finds were limited to a small collection of worked flint, including diagnostic Mesolithic pieces. There are sections on `Pottery' by L N Mepham (109-11), `Worked flint and chert' by R Montague (111), `Animal bone' by Mary Iles (111), and `Carbonised plant material' by Joy Ede (111).

The exhibition of this map, dating from c1600, throws new light on the Elizabethan city. There is a fold-out of the map itself, with details of the suburbs, Bath Abbey Church, the baths, development within the walls, and the site of the dissolved priory.

Documents work during the year.

Short note on a clay pipe maker working at Stratton-on-the-Fosse from c1650. Fieldwalking in the area during 1990-91 produced more than fifty clay pipe bowls.

Tribute to a former president of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society.