Medieval Archaeology 13

[NZ 338652; 390570.] The report describes and briefly discusses the results of excavations between 1959 and 1967. At Monkwearmouth work on the S side of the church has revealed traces of a S porticus, a lay cemetery, an oval ?mausoleum and a gallery-like structure which possibly formed the western part of a claustral plan. The gallery had opus signinum flooring, walls with painted plaster and was partly roofed with lead sheets: associated debris included window glass and, less certainly, baluster shafts and stripwork. Post-dating these buildings were late Saxon and Norman structures, hearths and an 18ft-deep pit. At Jarrow part of the 1769 church plan has been confirmed. Parallel to the church on the S there were two substantial buildings in the first phase of the monastery. One, interpreted as a refectory, had a stone frieze and buttressing; both were plastered internally and externally and preserved fragments of their opus signinum flooring and window glass. Further S, in an area of industrial activity, were timber buildings. Norman re-planning took no account of the Saxon lay-out. Appendices treat wood and pollen samples and the pottery, noting particularly the presence of local wheel-thrown wares in the Middle Saxon period. R N B

The Burghal Hidage is the only document which enables the burhs (fortifications) of Southern England to be placed in their 10th century context. It contains administrative detail, apart from the list which it provides. This article provides a critical text and translation, enabling the assessments contained in the Burghal Hidage to be checked. All versions are printed and a table of variant readings given. The topographical significance of the text may now be applied by archaeologists to the thirty-three sites listed. DH(Au)

Documentary, philological and archaeological evidence combine to suggest an identification of the 12th-13th century woollen cloth known as haberget. Old French and Latin texts mention `hauberge', `halbergetum' and variants thereon, while Magna Carta defines it as a cloth of two yards width. Made principally at Stamford, and woven in various qualities, it was worn by all social classes from royalty downwards, and its distinctive feature must have been its texture. Etymological connection with `hauberk' suggests that the cloth was reminiscent of chainmail, which was conventionally depicted in contemporary sculpture, MSS and embroidery by a criss-cross or diamond pattern. Such a pattern is seen in specimens of cloth woven in broken diamond twill from Viking and earlier contexts. The disappearance of haberget from the written records was probably due to the introduction of the horizontal loom and greatly refined techniques of finishing which removed the distinctive pattern of haberget woven on a warp-weighted loom.

Three additions to the corpus noted in 69/383 are described. Two are of uncertain provenance; the third comes from Faversham where it was embedded in the corrosion products of a sword. This is the first example of gold braid in a male grave. Minor corrections to the first article are also noted.