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Plympton, Devon
31 January 1999
It is frequently difficult to appreciate the wealth of history around us, hidden as it is by more modern structures. This was what Time Team found in Plympton in Devon, a village that had had its heyday in the Middle Ages. They looked in back gardens and public spaces, under stairs, in cellars and in attics for clues to the village's antiquity, but their biggest surprise came in the grounds of a nunnery!
This piece of glass, found at Tan Cottage in Plympton, was probably from a Venetian glass goblet (or an English copy) made at the beginning of the 16th century, Mick Aston.
Reconstruction of the goblet by Sue Francis.
Victor Ambrus' and Steve Breeze's reconstruction of what Fore Street would have looked like in the Middle Ages.
Fore Street (drawing by Victor Ambrus)
Further reading
The British House by Edmund Gray (Barrie & Jenkins, 1994) paperback £8.99
This book charts the architectural development of the British house from the earliest prehistoric dwellings to the 20th century. It contains a useful list of open-air museums and smaller houses open to the public.
Houses and Cottages of Britain by R W Brunskill (Gollancz, 1997) hardback £30
Previous books by the author have dealt with the exteriors of vernacular buildings. This volume concentrates on the developmental history inside houses and cottages, and on how to separate out medieval remains included in a modern building.
Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages by Christopher Dyer (Cambridge University Press, 1989) paperback £12.95
Between 1200 and 1520, the inhabitants of medieval England had to contend with war, pestilence and rebellion. This book discusses how different social classes adapted to the problems of everyday living, from gathering taxes (for aristocrats) to surviving wet weather (for peasants).
Traditional Buildings of Britain by R W Brunskill (Gollancz, 1992) paperback £12.99
The unrivalled introduction to vernacular architecture. With its clear diagrams and reference to existing structures, this is just the thing for budding 'house detectives' curious to find out about the buildings surrounding them.
Museums
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Royal Albert Memorial Museum
The collection is the largest and most important in Devon comprising more than 200,000 prehistoric, 20,000 Roman, 50,000 medieval and 50,000 post-medieval artefacts.
www.exeter.gov.uk/tourism/museums/albert/albert.html
Organisations
Devon Archaeological Society
c/o RAM Museum
Queen Street
Exeter
Devon EX4 3RX F1929
Programme of lectures and visits, publishes a newsletter and journal, and has its own library. A very active society that maintains a register of volunteers and has a training programme for volunteers.
Devon County Council
Environment Directorate
Matford Offices
County Hall
Exeter
Devon EX2 4QW
Tel: 01392 382246
Fax: 01392 383011
E-mail: fgriffit@env.dept.devon-cc.gov.uk
Curator for Devon. Maintains computerised Sites and Monuments Record. Provides planning advice. Undertakes aerial reconnaissance. Provides regular input to the Devon Archaeological Society training programme.
Young Archaeologists Club, Devon Branch
61 Thornton Hill
Exeter
Devon EX4 4NR
Tel: 01392 75332.
Websites
Time Team enthusiast Kevin Owen, a stalwart of the local Plympton Pathfields Preservation Group, recorded the Time Team visit and has compiled a website full of pix of the team and crew.
General history and description of the County of Devon
Covers Devon's history from Roman times to the present day.
www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/DEV/index.html
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