FORTHCOMING: St Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire: Archaeological Investigations and Historical Context by Philip Rahtz and Lorna Watts. Paperback; 205x290mm; 300pp; 140 figures, 39 tables, 21 plates. (Print RRP: £48.00). 611 2021. ISBN 9781789694826. 
This book is forthcoming in Spring 2021. Click here to download the pre-order form and save 20%
St Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire: Archaeological Investigations and Historical Context is the result of circa 20 years of work on and around the church of St Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire. It is primarily concerned with material relating to approximately the late 8th century onwards, detailing the fabric as well as excavations around the church and in the fields immediately adjacent. Associated material culture was sparse but reflected high-status. It is open to doubt whether any building was identified to equate with the earliest Anglo-Saxon artefacts, although these are considered too numerous to have been introduced to the site subsequently. A succession of three church buildings are linked to a putative focus on the north side of the church, to which, it is argued, pre-Conquest elite burials were orientated. A pre-Conquest 'building site' to the north of the churchyard overlays an area of earlier burials.
Against the background of this data, it is argued that the area of Kirkdale may have been linked to the neighbouring Roman villa of Beadlam. The church's dedication to St Gregory is suggested to be important in understanding the milieu of its Christian origins and to its regional significance at one stage of its development. A possible evolution in the character of lordship is explored, from circumstances marked only by high-status objects to conditions that can be linked more securely to a secular family associated with the nearby town of Kirkbymoorside. Finally, Kirkdale's position in the landscape is considered and an explanation sought for the long use of this non-settlement locale.
About the Authors
Professor Philip Rahtz† was founder of the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, where he was primarily interested in equipping students with techniques that would enable them to be able to excavate and produce reports on all periods.
Lorna Watts has worked as a freelance archaeologist since the 1970s.
Provisional Table of Contents
Summary ;
Preface ;
Chapter 1: The Site of Kirkdale ;
Investigations in and around the Church ;
Chapter 2: The West Exterior ;
Chapter 3: The North Exterior ;
Chapter 4: The South Exterior ;
Chapter 5: The Chancel Exterior ;
Chapter 6: The Church Interior ;
Investigations in the locality ;
Chapter 7: Adjacent Fields ;
The Human Bones ;
Chapter 8: Human bones ;
The Artefacts ;
Chapter 9: The Artefacts ;
Synthesis ;
Chapter 10: Overview and Interpretation ;
Notes ;
References
This book is forthcoming in Spring 2021. Click here to download the pre-order form and save 20%
St Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire: Archaeological Investigations and Historical Context is the result of circa 20 years of work on and around the church of St Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire. It is primarily concerned with material relating to approximately the late 8th century onwards, detailing the fabric as well as excavations around the church and in the fields immediately adjacent. Associated material culture was sparse but reflected high-status. It is open to doubt whether any building was identified to equate with the earliest Anglo-Saxon artefacts, although these are considered too numerous to have been introduced to the site subsequently. A succession of three church buildings are linked to a putative focus on the north side of the church, to which, it is argued, pre-Conquest elite burials were orientated. A pre-Conquest 'building site' to the north of the churchyard overlays an area of earlier burials.
Against the background of this data, it is argued that the area of Kirkdale may have been linked to the neighbouring Roman villa of Beadlam. The church's dedication to St Gregory is suggested to be important in understanding the milieu of its Christian origins and to its regional significance at one stage of its development. A possible evolution in the character of lordship is explored, from circumstances marked only by high-status objects to conditions that can be linked more securely to a secular family associated with the nearby town of Kirkbymoorside. Finally, Kirkdale's position in the landscape is considered and an explanation sought for the long use of this non-settlement locale.
About the Authors
Professor Philip Rahtz† was founder of the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, where he was primarily interested in equipping students with techniques that would enable them to be able to excavate and produce reports on all periods.
Lorna Watts has worked as a freelance archaeologist since the 1970s.
Provisional Table of Contents
Summary ;
Preface ;
Chapter 1: The Site of Kirkdale ;
Investigations in and around the Church ;
Chapter 2: The West Exterior ;
Chapter 3: The North Exterior ;
Chapter 4: The South Exterior ;
Chapter 5: The Chancel Exterior ;
Chapter 6: The Church Interior ;
Investigations in the locality ;
Chapter 7: Adjacent Fields ;
The Human Bones ;
Chapter 8: Human bones ;
The Artefacts ;
Chapter 9: The Artefacts ;
Synthesis ;
Chapter 10: Overview and Interpretation ;
Notes ;
References
The Archaeological Activities of James Douglas in Sussex between 1809 and 1819 by Malcolm Lyne. Paperback; 148x210mm; vi+60 pages; illustrated throughout in black & white with 5 plates in colour. 350 2017 Archaeological Lives . Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784916480. £15.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784916497. £10.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £15.00 (Exc. UK VAT) 
James Douglas (1753-1819) was a polymath, well ahead of his time in both the fields of archaeology and earth-sciences. His examinations of fossils from the London Clay and other geological formations caused him to conclude that the Earth was much older than the 4004 BC allotted to it by his contemporaries. He had come to this conclusion by 1785 and published these findings in that year, long before other researchers in the same field. His Nenia Britannica, published in 1793, reveals a remarkably accurate grasp of the dating of Anglo-Saxon burials; further illuminated by the contents of his common-place book for 1814-16, discovered by the author in a second-hand bookshop. This common-place book, correspondence with his contemporaries and other sources resulted in the present publication recounting his archaeological and other activities in Sussex during the first two decades of the 19th century.
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