Description
In this issue:
– THE LONDON‘S BURNING: A 17th-century warship sunk in the Thames
– THE FENWICK TREASURE: Colchester during the Boudiccan War of Independence
– REWRITING THE ORIGIN OF THE BROCH BUILDERS: Exploring fortifications and farming at Old Scatness
– SELBORNE PRIORY: Building for salvation
Plus: News, Reviews, Comment, Sherds, Odd Socs, and more!
From the Editor:
In March 1665 the London sailed up the Thames to collect her captain. Although this ship was laden with munitions, ready for action in the Second Anglo-Dutch War, her Thames voyage provided an opportunity for a pleasure cruise. Numerous ladies were on board when the London’s powder store was accidentally ignited, sending the ship – and most of her passengers – to the bottom. Now, investigation of the wreck is offering a glimpse of 17th-century naval life.
The fire that ravaged Colchester in AD 60 or 61 was anything but accidental. Boudicca’s warriors systematically sacked this colony for Roman military veterans and slaughtered its inhabitants. The discovery of a hoard of jewellery concealed in a clay floor has provided a poignant insight into a couple who found themselves inBoudicca’s path. Bones among the detritus subsequently strewn across the floor testify to the human cost that accompanied the death of a city.
At Old Scatness it was the ground, rather than any jewellery hidden within it, that was valued by the local community. They maximised the yield from their fields by artificially enhancing the soil. Dates from the broch that once dominated the site indicate this monumental status symbol was raised surprisingly early.
By the medieval period, founding religious houses was a popular way for prominent figures to show off their wealth. One such priory was established at Selborne, but it fizzled out before the Dissolution of the Monasteries,preserving a wealth of information about its operation.
Matt Symonds
Cover Date: Nov-2015, Volume 26 Issue 8