Shropshire Hist Archaeol 79

A programme of small-scale excavation and environmental sampling at three earthworks on the Long Mynd, Shropshire, took place in 1992. It was related to repairs to the monuments, and formed part of the Marches Uplands Survey. The results have contributed to an understanding of the land-use history of the area, and have also indicated the potential of upland earthwork sites in the region. The sites investigated were the Shooting Box barrow, and two cross-dykes at Devil's Mouth and at High Park Cottage. Radiocarbon dates were obtained from two of the sites, with dates in the Early Bronze Age from the Shooting Box barrow and the Middle Bronze Age from the Devil's Mouth linear earthwork. All three earthworks sealed ground surfaces, which were investigated using soil analysis and micromorphology and pollen analysis. Charred plant remains were also present. The environmental and soils analysis results from the Shooting Box barrow in particular were useful, relating to the contemporary environment, the construction of the earthwork, and associated activities. Includes

Paper on the history of Whittington Castle, built before 1138 as a motte-and-bailey with a tower keep within what may be a large ditched enclosure of the later prehistoric period, which was used as part of the castle's defensive circuit for its outer bailey. Whittington then became a small semi-independent Marcher lordship, and was an active base for border defence throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, becoming the chief residence of the Fitz Warin family by 1204. Following its destruction by the Welsh, the castle was rebuilt during the 1220s with a circuit of stone walls and five towers around the inner bailey. Its military role ended with the conquest of Wales, and in the early-fourteenth century its role was residential. The outer bailey became a pleasure garden with a viewing mound. The castle was sold in 1545 shortly after the abolition of the Marcher lordships; at that time it was intact, but had not been lived in since 1349. From that time the castle was abandoned apart from its outer gatehouse, and was used as a source of building stone in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. By the nineteenth century it was regarded as a romantic ruin, and is now being developed as a tourist and educational centre.

Article presenting a brief overview of two projects undertaken by postgraduate students under the aegis of the Ironbridge Institute and the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity. The first was aimed at recording the eighteenth-century charcoal-fired blast furnace and surrounding earthworks at Charlcotte in the parish of Aston Botterell, assessing the condition of the furnace, and determining its water supply. The second was to carry out a fully integrated digital survey of the landscape of the Clee Hills, and in particular the remains of stone quarrying at Titterstone Clee. The article highlights the possibilities of research using postgraduate students, arguing that this allows greater focus on the site than would normally be possible in a commercial environment.

Overview of the history of the barytes (or barite, barium sulphate or heavy spar) mining industry in Shropshire, focused in the area around Shelve and in the Breidden Hills, from the eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century.

Overview of the history of lead mining in Shropshire from Roman times to the early-nineteenth century, including some details of the technology and engineering aspects.

Brief summaries of work undertaken in the County of Shropshire and Unitary Authority of Telford and Wrekin in 2004 and subsequently reported to the Sites and Monuments Record, Shropshire County Council. Entries are arranged alphabetically by town or parish.