An Early Medieval Building Tradition

James, Simon; Marshall, Anne E.; Millett, Martin

doi:10.1080/00665983.1984.11077775

Cited by 30 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The long sequence of early medieval occupation which unfolded on the Tayne Field plateau came to an abrupt end when the hall complex was taken out of commission, an event which is unlikely to have occurred much later than AD 700 on the parameters of the available dating evidence. Without a thorough reappraisal 38 Millett and James 1983;James et al 1984. of the remains brought to light by Canon Jenkins in the churchyard (located 180 m south-west), it is impossible to know whether there was a chronological overlap between the royal complex sited on Tayne Field and the Christian cult focus which first enters clear historical light as a royal nunnery at the turn of the 7th century. 39 What can be said with certainty, however, is that within a relatively short period of time the latter had superseded the former as the monumental core and gravitational focus of the settlement: the great hall complex thus sits at the cusp of a decisive transformation in Lyminge's monumental trajectory as a theatre of royal power.…”

Section: Occupation Sequencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Mead-Halls of theOiscingas: A New Kentish Perspective on the Anglo-Saxon Great Hall Complex Phenomenon

Thomas¹

2018

Medieval Archaeology

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THE GREAT HALL complex represents one of the most distinctive and evocative expressions of the Anglo-Saxon settlement record, and is widely cited as a metaphor for the emergence of kingship in early medieval England. Yet interpretation of these sites remains underdeveloped and heavily weighted towards the excavated findings from the well-known site of Yeavering in Northumberland. Inspired by the results of recent excavations at Lyminge, Kent, this paper undertakes a detailed comparative interrogation of three great hall complexes in Kent, and exploits this new regional perspective to advance our understanding of the agency and embodied meanings of these settlements as 'theatres of power'. Explored through the thematic prisms of place, social memory and monumental hybridity, this examination leads to a new appreciation of the involvement of great hall sites in the genealogical strategies of 7th-century royal dynasties and a fresh perspective on how this remarkable, yet short-lived, monumental idiom was adapted to harness the symbolic capital of Romanitas. 262

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Section: Occupation Sequencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 Jones 1976Sawyer 1983;Campbell 1986;Charles-Edwards 1989;Yorke 1990, 7-9, 162-7;Blair 2005, 275-9;Roach 2011. 6 James et al 1984;Marshall and Marshall 1991;1993. 7 See Hamerow 2012, 18-22.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mead-Halls of theOiscingas: A New Kentish Perspective on the Anglo-Saxon Great Hall Complex Phenomenon

Thomas¹

2018

Medieval Archaeology

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“…In this case the already considerable challenge is compounded by the fact that the Bishopstone structure displays several unusual characteristics that are impossible to parallel in combination on contemporary rural settle ments. In this respect the Bishopstone evidence exemplifies a Late Anglo-Saxon trend towards a greater diversity and innovation in building styles, contrasting with the rather more homogeneous architectural traditions of the sixth and seventh centuries (James et al 1984;Reynolds 2003, 99;Gardiner 2004).…”

Section: Tower Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 92%

The Symbolic Lives of Late Anglo-Saxon Settlements: A Cellared Structure and Iron Hoard from Bishopstone, East Sussex

Thomas

Ottaway²

2008

Archaeological Journal

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This paper examines the character and significance of a cellared structure discovered during recent excava tions on the site of a later Anglo-Saxon settlement at Bishopstone, East Sussex. The structure in question formed a focal element within an estate centre complex administered by the Bishops of Selsey from c. AD 800, otherwise surviving in the celebrated pre-Conquest fabric of St Andrew's parish church. The excavated footprint of this cellared structure is examined in detail and conjectural reconstructions are advanced on the basis of comparative evidence garnered from historical and archaeological sources. The collective weight of evidence points towards a tower, pos sibly free-standing, with integrated storage/cellarage accommodated within a substantial, 2 mdeep subterranean chamber. This could represent a timber counterpart to excavated and extant masonry towers with thegnly/episcopal associations. The afterlife of this structure is also considered in detail on the grounds that it provides one of the most compelling cases yet identified of an act of ritual closure on a Late Anglo-Saxon settlement. Alongside being dismantled and infil led in a single, short-lived episode, the abandonment of the tower was marked by the careful and deliberate placement of a closure deposit in the form of a smith's hoard containing iron tools, agri cultural equipment and lock furniture. One of the few such caches to be excavated under controlled scientific conditions, it is argued that the contents were deliberately selected to make a symbolic statement, perhaps evoking the functions of a well-run estate centre.

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“…In the absence of any other evidence these buildings can be compared with those at Whitby (Cramp 1976: 229), and may be interpreted as serving a variety of functions as part of an organized community. These buildings fall into the early medieval building tradition postulated by James, Marshall & Millett (1984), in that all are built of substantial earthfast timbers and use both posthole and wall trench techniques of construction. The buildings appear to be precisely laid out.…”

Section: The Excavationmentioning

confidence: 99%