Medieval Archaeology 39

Excavations on the summit of a prominent hill overlooking the river Neath revealed evidence for high status occupation from the sixth century to the tenth century, based on the finds of imported pottery and glass. A subsequent reoccupation in the latter 12th century has also been identified. Includes `The Roman pottery' by David R Evans (16--18), `The early medieval pottery' (18--19), `The continental glass' (19--22), `Beads' (22--3), `Amber' (23 --4) all by Ewan Campbell, `Objects of copper alloy' by G Lloyd Morgan (24), `The medieval pottery' (24--7) and `Objects of stone' (27--30) both by Mark Redknap, `Animal bone' by Martin Locock (30--3). `The site: a general discussion' (33--6) is provided by P F Wilkinson, Ewan Campbell & Jeremy K Knight adds `Hen Gastell in its contemporary setting' (36--45)

Quarries in the East Midlands supplied building stone to a large number of the cathedrals, castles, monastic buildings and parish churches both in the region and further afield. Stone from Nottinghamshire was mostly used locally but the Lincolnshire limestone quarries, which included Barnack, supplied a large number of buildings in East Anglia and the south. The documentary evidence is lacking in most cases and in this paper building accounts and place-name studies are examined to identify the sites of medieval quarries, to demonstrate the widespread use of the stone, and to discover the means by which it was transported.

Notes the discovery of polychrome relief tiles in two London excavations. Nothing is known about their function and they need not have been used a floor decoration. Conjecture as to the nature of the buildings from which these fragments might have come forms the basis of an analysis of the emergence of the street plan of this area.

Attention is drawn to a fourth example of a thin-walled, internally divided, two-storied `proto-keep'. It is proposed that the development of structures of this nature implies a degree of defensive intention.