You may be grumbling about seeing premature Xmas advertisements on the TV but we need to plan our December meeting. As many of you will know, it is a long-since well-established custom of the Medieval Section to hold a Xmas tea after the lecture in December. We had planned originally to invite someone from the Newport Ship project to talk on 13th December but, because of the speaker’s changed family circumstances (there has been a new addition to the family), that arrangement has, sadly but understandably, fallen through.
However, I am very pleased to tell you that Robert Richards has kindly agreed to talk to us about All Saints Church in York.
Medieval Section Xmas party (2013)
Last year’s meeting was very enjoyable as I’m sure those who attended will testify (see above).
Hot from the YAS Press……is the latest volume – the 17th – in the Wakefield Court Rolls series. This is an edition of the manorial court roll for 1436-7. It follows from the edition of the court rolls for 1433-6 published as volume 15. The Wakefield series is by far the longest- running edition of manorial records series ever published. It was established by the YAS fifty years ago, to make as much as possible of this remarkable archive easily available to readers.
The manor was one of the largest in the country: over 100 square miles, compared to an typical size of only 6, and its records span eight centuries, from 1274 to 1925. Their national importance was acknowledged in 2011 when the archive was inscribed on the UK register of UNESCO’s Memory of the World. The story of how the YAS came to own this remarkable archive, and how the society has promoted it from 1898 to the present, is the subject of an anniversary essay in the new volume.
The series has published court rolls from all periods, from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century. There are four more medieval volumes in progress, by editors at work in West Yorkshire, Scotland and Canada.
Volumes are published every other year. You can subscribe to the series for £9 in the UK and, because of the alarming cost of postage, £13 if you live abroad.
My thanks to Brian Barber for writing this for the Medieval Section blog.
I attended the Society for Museum Archaeology‘s two-day annual conference at Colchester (5th-6th November 2014) called ‘With Fresh Eyes’. The theme of the conference was using digital techniques of interpretation and using collections in new ways. I saw some brilliant innovations in the use of digital technology on sites and in museums and I’d like to share the Medieval examples in particular with section members. They may have applications on some of Yorkshire’s rich Medieval sites. Philip Wise, Collections and Curatorial Manager, Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service (CIMS) opened the conference with a presentation about the work to redevelop Colchester Castle and its displays. A son-et-lumiere tells the story of the site’s long and eventful history from the time of the Roman colonia and its destruction by Boudicca to the construction of a castle by the Normans. CIMS’ strategy was to open up more of the original fabric of the castle interior.
Medieval section of son-et-lumiere at Colchester Castle
This was followed by a presentation about the use of new technology at Falaise Castle in Normandy by Charlotte Lapiche, Head of the Heritage Service of the Commune de Falaise. Though it may not be politic to say so in the present climate, the work on this and other Anglo-Norman castles was funded by the European Union. The French used digital reconstructions and augmented reality (AR) to give visitors a sense of what the castle looked like, especially during the pre-12th century period, about which less was known.
Medieval augmented reality interpretation Room interior augmented reality: what’s on the tablet screen is what the room looked like in the Middle Ages and it’s responsive.Castle Interior with furnishings
Stereoscopic binoculars were used outside to allow visitors to compare the present condition of the ruins with how it is thought the castle would have looked during the Middle Ages. Tablets show interiors complete with drapery and other soft furnishings, creating a much warmer impression of what it was like to live there in the aula of the Keep. If the archaeologists aren’t completely sure of the detail because of earlier ill-judged conservation work that sadly destroyed the evidence, it is still worthwhile because it makes the castle more accessible. At Caen Castle visitors use touch tablets and the speaker readily conceded that although this provided better visualisation there was a danger that the technology overshadowed the monument. visitor survey showed very high rates of visitor satisfaction (97%).
Dr John Davies, Norfolk Museums Service talked about the use of new technology in the redisplay of Norwich Castle Museum. though described as ‘one of the most elaborate of Norman donjons in Europe’, ‘… more sophisticated than any other great tower’ and ‘unrivalled in its ostentation’, the castle was the least well-known of Norman donjons. The first earth-and-timber castle erected by the Normans in 1067 was rebuilt in stone between 1090 and 1120. It had a very colourful history: there were no less than five occasions when the castle was besieged, attacked or involved in revolts, and it was twice stormed. Its importance waned after the 13th century and the castle was used as a prison until it was made into a museum during the later 19th century. The Victorian architect, Boardman, who renovated the structure, inserted a floor at the wrong level making it difficult for visitors to understand the building.
Artist’s impression of the Bigod entrance
However, between 2008 and 2014 the museums service had worked on re-interpreting the castle as part of the Norman Connections project. They have made fairly modest interventions such as projecting onto the Bigod arch to give an idea of how colourful the original appearance would have been.A replacement glazed window on the site of the chapel was brought alive by inserting a light box behind it. Medieval doors will be replaced complete with Norman style wrought iron decoration. They are also displaying material from the period borrowed from the British Museum.
AR interpretation showing Henry I’s visit to Norwich Castle in 1121.
Before further work is undertaken there needs to be large-scale recording of the fabric, which is complex and important. The various initiatives will enable the visitor to reconnect with the site as a Norman castle. It would be interesting to find out what Medieval Section members think of these initiatives. At the conference these presentations prompted a great deal of discussion about the accuracy and authenticity of the interpretations. Words like ‘reconstruction’ were used but as the French speaker pointed out they did not claim to have reconstructed the rooms shown in the AR interpretation and they used the word ‘evocation’ as in ‘giving a sense of’. This point was taken up in the final session by Hedley Swain from Arts Council England, who argued that the greater the ‘authenticity’ the greater the inauthenticity of the history or archaeology interpreted. He said it was the authenticity of the emotional experience in response to the site – this might be facilitated by artists – that was important.
I attended yesterday’s AGM at which a report was made about the proposed dramatic but probably inevitable changes: the transfer to University of Leeds Brotherton Library of the society’s archive and library and the closing of Claremont prior to sale.
The reason for these changes is the society’s difficult financial situation. Money raised from subscriptions has gone down and the society is no longer able to afford the upkeep of the Claremont building and other expenses. Indeed it is only thanks to the generosity of members and an exceptional level of donations and legacies that the society has been able keep itself in the black over the last few years. Brian Barber, the Treasurer, is confident that the society can support itself over the next year but the deficit is unsustainable.
The result for members of the society and section members is that in future we will have to go to the Brotherton Library to access the library. This is very sad because one of the great benefits of membership has been the privilege of browsing the bookshelves at Claremont. The transfer agreement allows YAS members to access the University of Leeds’ collection, so, as one wag described it on Saturday, it could be seen as an extension of the library… Society members will be treated as external readers.
The University will not accept duplicates of books it already has on its shelves and one consequence of this is that the Medieval Section will be asked to identify books which the section has bought in the past specially for the library. If you can think of books we have bought as a section please would you let me know so that Kirsty can mark them up on the shelves in the library as requiring special treatment. An appeal was made for volunteers to help Kirsty with preparing for the move. If you might be able to help please contact the library in advance so that this can be planned. There will be discussion with all the sections about what happens to section books. It was stressed that this work is at an early stage but we do need to identify books affected by the move on which we would have a claim as a section.
At yesterday’s AGM a proposal was made to transfer the Wakefield Court Rolls to West Yorkshire Records Office which now has support for a new premises. The Management Board was not in favour of such a transfer and after discussion a vote was taken and the proposal was turned down by a substantial majority.
Meetings will be held elsewhere at a venue still to be decided. For those Medieval Section members who attend the monthly lectures this will mean a change of venue but all I can do is keep you informed via the Section blog and by post if necessary. The Medieval Section Committee will continue to organise lectures but I cannot tell you yet where they’ll be held. Sylvia Thomas appealed at the following Council meeting in the afternoon for members to let her know what facilities they’d like to see at a new Society venue. There will have to be meeting room with AV facilities. I have requested that the new venue also has a kitchen a space for consumption of buffet type food because of the Section’s popular Xmas tea. The Society will keep runs of its publications for reference at the new site. It is not clear whether it will buy or rent new premises at the present time.
The library at Claremont will be open until the end of the year but after January there will be restricted opening: open as normal on a Saturday but open only by appointment Tuesday to Thursday.
New volume of the Wakefield Court Rolls
One last bit of news: the next volume of the Wakefield Court Rolls has been published. The price is £9 for members.
Medieval Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society 