Hen Domen, Montgomery A Timber Castle on the English-Welsh Border

by Higham, Robert; Barker, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780859896528
• ISBN10: 0859896528
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-01-01
• Publisher: Liverpool University Press

Summary

This final report on the Hen Domen excavation brings the discussions of the structural and environmental evidence up-to-date, since the first publication in 1982, and discusses all of the artefactual evidence recovered since 1960. The excavations uncovered evidence for prehistoric and Roman uses of the site, the earliest construction of the castle, the transformation of its palisades and defensive features and the likely physical and economic shape of the castle and its environs during the 12th century. Chapters also discuss the pottery, metalwork and wooden objects, environmental and metallurgical analyses, Geophysical and landscape surveys and a consideration of work done elsewhere in the Montgomery regio. Amongst the numerous illustrations are artists' reconstruction drawings of the castle during its various phases of occupation as well as a photographic memoir of the excavations.

Author Biography

The late Philip Barker was formerly Reader in British Archaeology, University of Birmingham. He has directed a number of excavations and published several books. Robert Higham is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Exeter. His research interests cover two broad topics relating to the medieval period: the general theme of defence, in both its military and social aspects, and the medieval archaeology of South West England. He has directed a number of excavations and published several books.

He has particular interests in the interplay between archaeological and historical data in the medieval period. Specific areas of research include urban defence, the archaeology, social and settlement history of castles and castle-building society, and the settlement history of Greater Exmoor.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	ix
Acknowledgements	xiii
Summary	xv
Introduction	1	(10)
Background and Earlier Work on the Site	11	(14)
Pre-Castle Phases	25	(10)
The Bailey	35	(26)
The Motte	61	(80)
The Artefactual, Environmental and Survey Evidence
Pottery from the Motte	83	(11)
Stephanie Ratkai
Metalwork from the Motte	94	(4)
Ian
Alison Goodall
Metalwork and Other Material from the Bailey	98	(13)
Robert Higham
Mike Rouillard
Wooden Objects	111	(6)
Sean Goddard
Sue Rouillard
Tree-ring Dating	117	(4)
Ruth Morgan
Metallurgical Slags	121	(5)
Gill Juleff
Animal Bones	126	(9)
Sue Browne
Geophysical Survey	135	(2)
Peter Barker
Survey of the Pre-Castle Plough-Soil Surface	137	(4)
Jonathan Freeman
Landscape History and Fieldwork around Montgomery	141	(42)
Conclusion
The Dating Evidence	159	(5)
The Structural Evidence	164	(7)
General Discussion	171	(12)
Appendix: A Photographic Memoir	183	(4)
References	187