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January 2013: The West Yeo project is being written up into the final report. We are delighted to announce that we have made a successful bid to the Council for British Archaeology Challenge Funding, and have been awarded £500 towards the cost of the final report. We would like to thank the CBA for their generous help in supporting this project.

The report will include detailed descriptions and photographs of the field walking, surveying and excavations carried out between 2009 and 2012 by members of North Devon Archaeological Society. The lithics found during fieldwalking will form an Appendix to the report, so they can be studied separately in the future.

Interim reports have been included in the CBA (South West) newsletters recently.

Finds from the project will be archived with the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon although some may be used by the farm owner as part of educational visits to the farm.

When the final report is published, the website will be updated.

Derry Bryant Chairman NDAS, 17 January 2013

If you haven't done so already read the Update to West Yeo Progress - Spring 2012 and the Completion of Excavations by following the Link

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Winter Programme of Talks 2012 - 2013

All lectures take place in the Castle Centre, Castle Street, Barnstaple at 7.30pm (parking in the large car park adjacent to the Library) Visitors welcome (£2.50)

Tuesday 19 March 2013	NDAS AGM plus Dowsing for Devon's Heritage: Alan Neal (Professional Dowser and Author)
Tuesday 16 April 2013	Some Designed Landscapes of Exmoor and North Devon: Simon Bonviosin (Historic Landscape Consultant)

For more information contact Derry Bryant
Email derrybryant@tiscali.co.uk
Telephone 01769 572963

OUR NEXT BIG PROJECT

I am delighted to tell you that we have an exciting new project near Merton, North Devon, which means we will be having an excavation in May this year. Chris Preece, archaeologist and member of NDAS, will be Director of the excavation and has written a summary below of what we expect/hope to find. All members of NDAS are welcome to join in the project and come along to the dig, whether experienced or not. There will be other jobs to do as well as digging, so please don’t be shy..so please read on and if you are interested in taking part, in whatever capacity, please contact Chris Preece on his email, or if you let me know I can forward your details on to him. The site is in a field at Little Potheridge, close to Merton. More details will be issued shortly.., we would ask members not to walk in the field before the excavation as the farmer has a crop in there at the moment. If you could give Chris chrispreece@btinternet.com your details as on the attached spreadsheet, that would be great.

So here are the details:

Little Potheridge Excavation 11th – 26th May 2013

Starting on 11th May and running until the 26th, there will be a unique opportunity to take part in the excavation of an area known to have been used for clay pipe production. Alan Peacey, the authority on clay pipe kilns, has noted that whilst a number of C17 and C19 kilns have been found, evidence from the C18 is scarce. Documentary evidence suggests a family of pipemakers in the area by the names of Pardon/Pearn and there have already been finds of 'kiln furniture' as well as numerous pipe types with makers marks, suggesting a strong possibility of finding a kiln - this as far as I'm aware would be a first in Devon and is a really exciting prospect.

As there will be national interest in this site we will have to ensure adequate manpower (or should that be personpower?). As this is an NDAS project, first priority will be given to NDAS members but we do need people to sign up as there is already outside interest. We can accommodate all skill and fitness levels and some training will be given where necessary. There will be various roles, from cataloguing to finds washing to gentle digging to planning so please don't be put off by the thought of heavy mattocking. Surface finds suggest there will be a lot of artefacts to process. We don't need a commitment for both weeks - one week, week-ends or odd days will be fine. If members could let us know roughly their availability by the end of March at the latest, it will give us time to recruit reinforcements, if necessary!

Many thanks, Chris Preece

Other Links

Download the Autumn 2012 Newsletter - Link

North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and English Heritage are looking for volunteers to help with their Heritage at Risk Survey - Link

Volunteers are also needed to help with the Hillsborough Heritage Project and there are opportunities for practical conservation work on the archaeological monuments. Further details can be found on their Newsletter - Link

The Devon Record Office are looking for volunteers to help with their Tithe Map Apportionment Digitization Project, for further details follow the - Link

Hartland: The Hartland Peninsula Society has prepared three guided walks with historical and archaeological interest. You can find these described with notes through their website - Link

PUBLICATIONS

The North Devon Archaeological Society Golden Anniversary Book

The book is available from local shops and retail outlets at such as the local museums and attractions or by post from NDAS. The publication team have tried to include as wide a selection of articles as space permits to reflect both the Societies broad interest and also the amount of work being undertaken within northern Devon.

Fully illustrated with a colour section on the Harvest Jug exhibition and also an index from the Portable Antiquities officer for Devon of recent finds. In all 17 wide ranging articles of interest to Archaeologists, Landscape Historians and Historians in general.

Available from NDAS - Order Form

A Field Guide to The Archaeology of the Taw and Torridge Estuaries

Man has always used the environment for his own ends and an estuary is a choice place for exploitation. It is a natural resource, a haven, an entrance and an exit, a birthplace and a graveyard for ships.

This guide gives details of all the important sites of the estuary. Geographically, this survey ranges from either side of the estuary mouth, to include the beaches of Westward Ho! and Saunton and the Burrows of Northam and Braunton. Upstream, it goes as far as Barnstaple on the Taw and Annery (Weare Giffard) on the Torridge.

As well as being available from a number of local outlets the book is also available from NDAS - Order Form