Medieval Archaeology 19

A re-evaluation in the light of recent archaeological work of the traditional, saga-based history of Trondheim's origins. A selection of finds of metal, bone, stone and wood is illustrated. It is suggested that the heart of the early town was around Vår Frue Church, with the royal and ecclesiastical centre on the higher ground to the S.

To aid understanding of large medieval timber bridges, available evidence from smaller examples at castles and moated sites is summarized. Nearly all the moat-bridges, from late 11th to 16th centuries, have their posts tenoned into transverse sole-plates, but the enduring type with symmetrical lateral braces does not appear until 13th century. Various specialized forms are noted. Earth-fast piles, rarely used in minor bridges, may have become usual in major bridges of the late middle ages. Au(abr)

ST 801576. The house built in 1430 was examined and reinterpreted during recent repair and consolidation. Limited excavation inside and outside produced pottery groups (discussed by J W G Musty) preceding and contemporary with the construction of the house. Au(abr)

Consideration of the name and its distribution point to a wealdham being a settlement of the early Saxon period, before c 550. The name always seems to be applied to a royal estate close to a forest, and there are often traces of earlier occupation on the site. Au(adp)

[TL 8506]. Identifies the W wing of the present vicarage as the building ordained by D'Arcy, and describes its structure and wall-paintings. Although simple, the building is of high quality with two bays, gabled and jettied on the S, with double bracing above the jetty and a central cross quadrate crown-post on a cambered, arch-braced tie-beam. The median date calculated from the various datable structural features is 1445, only four years from the documentary dating. The hall and E cross-wing were added c 1550 following the suppression of chantries.