Cover Story
‘Not so much a residence as a tradition’: the evolution of St James’s Palace from leper hospital to royal court Buckingham Palace has been the main London residence of the British monarch since 1837, when Queen Victoria chose it as her base, but St James’s Palace remains the official seat of the sovereign, as it has since 1698. Newly appointed… Features
Marks of devotion: exploring historic graffiti in St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall The distinctive red sandstone edifice of St Magnus Cathedral is an unmistakeable landmark in Orkney’s largest town – as well as a fascinating repository of Kirkwall’s history. A recent graffiti… 
Pitch perfect: tackling a previously unknown Roman villa at Dings Crusaders RFC Between 2016 and 2018, Cotswold Archaeology’s excavation of disused rugby pitches in Stoke Gifford, just north of Bristol, provided the opportunity to explore the layout of a Roman villa estate.… 
The sky’s the limit: surveying the aerial photography of Harold Wingham Almost 2,000 images taken by Harold Wingham (1924-2021), an unsung pioneer of archaeological aerial photography, have been made available to the public for the first time in a new project… News
Ogham inscription discovered on Pictish cross found near Doune Such inscriptions are relatively rare in Scotland, with only 35 currently known 
Roman villa and bathhouse unearthed in Kent Small finds included 3rd- to 4th-century Roman pottery – comprising local coarse ware, Oxfordshire ware, and a few shards of Samian ware – as well as a small number of… 
Rare investigation in Verulamium Excavations at Verulamium Park in St Albans during the summer uncovered the corner of a possible mansio – a stopping place on the Roman road network – as well as… 
Historic England announces its 2022 Heritage at Risk Register Historic England recently published its Heritage at Risk Register for 2022. 
First Palaeolithic DNA from Britain successfully sequenced The study suggests that two Palaeolithic individuals - one from Kendrick’s Cave in Wales, and the other from Gough’s Cave in Somerset - came from two completely separate populations. 
Highlights from the CARD Fund: community radiocarbon-dating fund continues to unlock new secrets A specialist grant that helps volunteer and community groups date their finds has opened applications for its 2022 funding cycle. Maryne Baylet and Roger Doonan discuss some of the key… 
An updated chart for determining the age-at-death of human remains In this month’s ‘Science Notes’, we explore a recent paper that tests some of the assumptions behind Brothwell’s chart relating dental-wear to age and develops a more up-to-date one. 
New dietary evidence for The Cairns ‘Elder’ New isotope analysis of a jawbone found buried against the outside wall of an Iron Age broch at The Cairns on South Ronaldsay, Orkney, has shown that seafood was probably… 
Railway siding from the 19th century revealed in Huddersfield It is believed these were used to house and maintain trains on the Manchester & Huddersfield Railway Views
BUY TICKETS NOW for Current Archaeology Live! 2023 What's on We are pleased to announce the latest details of our upcoming conference. Current Archaeology Live! 2023 will be on 25 February at University College London’s Institute of Education. Buy tickets… 
UK exhibitions, events, and heritage from home in Winter 2022 and Spring 2023 Museum, What's on There are many great historical and archaeological events on offer this winter, including newly opened heritage experiences and exhibitions, lectures, and events. Or, if you would prefer to get involved… 
UK museum news: Jorvik Viking Centre celebrates milestone and Manchester Museum reopens Museum, What's on The latest on exhibitions, acquisitions, and key decisions. 
Highlighting hieroglyphs at the British Museum and the Petrie Museum Museum, What's on This autumn marked 200 years since the ‘hieroglyphic code’ was cracked, allowing scholars to read and understand the ancient Egyptian script for the first time in centuries, and revolutionising our… 
‘One of the most valuable women that ever lived’ The Picture Desk During archaeological works beneath the floor of Bath Abbey between 2018 and 2020 (see CA 348), Wessex Archaeology recovered a stunning piece of an 18th-century bas relief marble sculpture. It… 
Excavating the archives… from Fife to Moray Comment, Places This stunning coastal location is better known for its Pictish carvings, but researchers have shown that it has a much longer, and more enigmatic, prehistoric pedigree, dating back at least… 
From the Princes in the Tower to Northumbria’s Golden Age Comment Beneath the foundations of the staircase, the workmen found a wooden chest containing human bones and pieces of velvet. Charles II arranged for the remains to be reinterred in Westminster… 
The London Gasketeers Groups The London Gasketeers (the name alludes, one assumes, to the swashbuckling heroes of the Alexander Dumas novel) are a newly created group set up to campaign for Britain’s historic gas… 
Finds tray – Chinese lion figurine Objects This is a rare find – at least within Britain – that was recently discovered by archaeologists from Pre-Construct Archaeology at Bermondsey Square in Bermondsey, London. It is a stoneware… Reviews
Clachtoll: an Iron Age broch settlement in Assynt, north-west Scotland Review by Ronan Toolis The excavation of Clachtoll in 2017 examined the interior of a broch buried beneath a conflagration that had occurred during the early 1st century AD and… BUY TICKETS NOW for Current Archaeology Live! 2023 We are pleased to announce the latest details of our upcoming conference. Current Archaeology Live! 2023 will be on 25 February at University College London’s Institute of Education. Buy tickets… UK exhibitions, events, and heritage from home in Winter 2022 and Spring 2023 There are many great historical and archaeological events on offer this winter, including newly opened heritage experiences and exhibitions, lectures, and events. Or, if you would prefer to get involved… UK museum news: Jorvik Viking Centre celebrates milestone and Manchester Museum reopens The latest on exhibitions, acquisitions, and key decisions. 
The Marlborough Mound: prehistoric mound, medieval castle, Georgian garden Review by Stephen Rippon Silbury Hill in Wiltshire is one of our best-known prehistoric monuments, but was it unique? It seems not, as a similar – if somewhat smaller –… 
Walking the Antonine Wall Review by Andrew Tibbs Stretching for 38 miles across central Scotland, between the Firths of Forth and Clyde, the Antonine Wall is perhaps not as well-known as its southern counterpart,… Highlighting hieroglyphs at the British Museum and the Petrie Museum This autumn marked 200 years since the ‘hieroglyphic code’ was cracked, allowing scholars to read and understand the ancient Egyptian script for the first time in centuries, and revolutionising our… 
Frontiers of the Roman Empire: the Roman frontiers in Wales Review by Al McCluskey The Roman Frontiers in Wales is one of the latest tranche of publications in the ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire’ series. Co-authored by David Breeze and… 
The Watlington Hoard: coinage, kings, and the Viking Great Army in Oxfordshire, AD 875-880 Review by Murray Andrews This exciting new book is the definitive publication of the Watlington Hoard, a remarkable find of precious metal coins, ingots, and jewellery hidden in Oxfordshire in… 
Dying Young: a bioarchaeological analysis of child health in Roman Britain Review by Claire Hodson Over the last decade, numerous studies have challenged the traditional assumptions that the words ‘Roman Britain’ may incite. Included within this re-evaluation has been the increase… 
From the editor
Following the recent accession of our new king, Charles III, it seems a good time to explore the history of one of the most-senior but least-well-understood royal residences in London: St James’s Palace. This month’s cover highlights the splendour of its buildings, but its story is turbulent and often surprising, beginning on the site of a medieval leper hospital, later serving as a 17th-century army garrison and prison, and remaining the official base for the royal court today.
From palaces to Roman villas, a site-type that is also often associated with luxurious living, excavations near Bristol have provided a rare opportunity to explore the entire outline of one such complex of buildings, shedding fascinating light on how these estates may have functioned.
We next take a tour of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney (the first of a planned trio of articles drawing on my recent visit to the islands; watch out for the others in subsequent issues!). There, a graffiti survey has recorded over 600 markings, reflecting the activities of centuries of worshippers, pilgrims, and secular visitors.
Finally, we take to the skies to celebrate the work of the late Harold Wingham, an unsung pioneer of aerial photography. Almost 2,000 of his images documenting ancient monuments, historic buildings, and relics of industry and infrastructure have recently been made available online for the first time; in this month’s ‘In Focus’, we survey his life and archaeological impact.
Speaking of celebrating: I’m delighted that CA Live! 2023 will return as an in-person event on 25 February next year. Voting is now open for the 2023 CA Awards, too; turn to p.60 to find out more about the conference and nominees.
