Somerset has been a fertile hunting-ground for Current Archaeology since the magazine’s inception. There is a wealth of archaeological sites and landscapes there, from the uplands of the Mendips to the lowlands of the Levels and many points in between, including some significant urban settlements. In addition, there are strong personal connections that led the founders of Current Archaeology, Andrew and Wendy Selkirk, to visit the county regularly, including with the archaeologists Philip Rahtz (1921-2011); John Coles (1930-2020) and Bryony Coles (born 1946), John’s research partner and later wife; and Mick Aston (1946-2013) – all of whom worked, and in some cases lived, in the county at different times.
To do justice to this rich heritage, I will spread my coverage of the county over two issues. The first half of this double column will focus on central and south Somerset, and is primarily rural; and next month the second half will look to Bath, Bristol, and their environs, and is more urban in focus. Before anyone writes in to complain, yes, I know that this does not stick within the official county boundaries, but I could think of no other way to tell the story of such an extraordinarily rich archaeological area.
The Coleses of the Levels
Telling the story of Current Archaeology’s coverage of Somerset is easy: you begin at the beginning, in CA 1 (March 1967), where the second-ever site visited was that of prehistoric (primarily Bronze Age) Meare Lake Village, near Glastonbury. CA 27 (July 1971) and CA 77 (May 1981) returned there, and this site and these names then set me up neatly for the next step in my Somerset story – that of its wetlands. Covering some 25,000 acres, the archaeology there is inextricably linked to the Coleses. The first overview of these sites came in CA 38 (May 1973) from John and, at that point, Bryony Orme (her maiden name – the pair married in 1985). This feature provides a superb snapshot of both research and practice at this time and place. CA 52 (September 1975) returned with their examination of the Walton Hurdle, a length of Neolithic trackway dating to c.2200 BC, which was discovered, excavated, and lifted prior to the site’s destruction due to peat-cutting.
