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Chairman's 2006/2007 Report Chairman’s Report September 2007 Dear Members, Your Society met for six well attended meetings last season. Tom Mayberry (County Heritage Officer), Bob Croft (County Archaeologist) and Richard Brunning (Levels and Moors Archaeologist) introduced the County’s plans working towards the designation of the ‘Somerset Levels World Heritage Site—A Cultural landscape’. After the Annual General Meeting Tim Hopkinson-Ball spoke about Chilton Priory and ‘The Chilkwell Street Abbey Fragment’. Prebendary John Roberts (Wells Cathedral Administrator) described the ‘Wells Cathedral Development Project’. John Brunsdon read a paper giving a personal view of 45 years in the life of Glastonbury. Vicky Dawson (Consultant Curator of Glastonbury Abbey) spoke of the Abbey Trustees’ plans to assure the abbey’s future and I finished the season with an evening of contemporary descriptions and views of Georgian Glastonbury. Recent acquisitions to the library include the two volume report by Warwick Rodwell on his recent discoveries at Wells cathedral, copies of the 18th century drawings of the cathedral by John Carter and the latest volume of the Victoria History of Somerset. To make use of their library members are invited to contact the Society’s Hon. Librarian, David Orchard, who is available at the library on Monday afternoons between 2.00pm and 4.00pm or at other times by arrangement:— ring (01458) 833078 or mobile 07717 442 747. We are grateful to David for providing this service. The Committee agreed to further analysis and investigation of the Glastonbury Bowl, comparing it with the similar Spettisbury Bowl and the Fore Bowl, recently found in an Iron Age burial in a hill fort in West Meath, Ireland. Dr Peter Northover of the Material Science– Based Archaeological Group in the Department of Materials, Oxford University, who has analysed the Spettisbury bowl, took a small sample in order to carry out electron microscopy to determine the composition of the metal and optical microscopy. Dr Northover has made arrangements for the bowl to be x-rayed to determine details of the manufacture and repair of the bowl. Initial investigation suggested to him that the upper part including the rim is from a different article than the main part of the bowl and that its date is not likely to be before the mid 1st century BC. Bryony and John Coles drew our attention to their concerns about the methods used by our tenant to manure the Lake Village site. The farmer is proud of his role, following that of his father, in looking after the site. We have confirmed with the tenant the advice from English Heritage Inspector, Robert Isles and Levels and Moors Archaeologist, Richard Brunning that he applies the guidelines for the current best practice for the highest appropriate conversation status. We are grateful to Sean Miller for the development of the Society’s Website. Please go to glastonburyantiquarians.org where you will see us gradually filling the site with data and facilities that will enable you to:— engage in our queries and comments pages; see our latest planned lectures and events; and eventually, to see all of the information, plans and illustrations we have about the earlier properties in Glastonbury. Please let me have your comments, queries and suggestions for this site so that we can expand this resource to be of value to you and others with an interest in our town’s past. Since the closure of the Society’s exhibition in the rear of the first floor of the Tribunal—and the subsequent lack of any interpretation area showing the development of the town of Glastonbury—your committee has commenced discussions with Glastonbury Town Council about the possible provision of another display area within the Town Hall where some of the Society’s material could form the basis of a public exhibition. We are currently costing the provision of a cabinet with specialist lighting in the alcove opposite the bar—close to the exhibited 18th century weights and measures. Because of additional pressure on Nick Cottle this year the committee appointed my wife, Mrs Dawn Bonham as Membership Secretary. The Subscription year starts on 1st September and the Society has a modest subscription rate: Individual Membership £5 per year; or Family Membership £7.50 per year. We hope that all will feel able to help Dawn make our membership list complete with fully paid-up members, using the appropriate enclosed form which contains: The complete programme for this season is: Friday, 5th October 7.30pm in Glastonbury Library Friday, 9th November at 7.30pm in St John’s Church, High Street, Glastonbury Friday, 7th December at 7.30pm in Glastonbury Library Friday, 18th January at 7.30pm in Glastonbury Library Friday, 15th February at 7.30pm in Glastonbury Library Friday, 14th March at 7.30pm in Glastonbury Library If you would like to present a paper to the Society or if you would like to arrange to cover any specific subject please contact me at (01458) 832657 or at neill@bonham.go-plus.net I look forward to meeting you at the AGM and at our lecture evenings and thank you for your continuing support. Yours sincerely, Neill Bonham (Chairman) |