Preliminary Coal Grading

2. Taff Merthyr Colliery - Preliminary coal grading
Raw coal screened and graded by size prior to washing, small unwashed material removed to store.

Taff Merthyr Colliery preliminary coal grading

A Look Back At Blog Post In 2009

A recap of blog posts during 2009, for new and old Heritage of Wales News subscribers.

Aerofilms Collection Project News Friday, 11 December 2009
The Aerofilms Collection contains lots of early aerial photographs of ...

Digital Past 2010: Conference At National Museum Wales Friday, 4 December 2009
Preparations for Digital Past 2010 are now in full swing. This years’ conference is ..

Hidden Histories II Tuesday, 17 November 2009
The Commission has again been caught up in the excitement of another ..

Glamorgan The Early Christian Period

Glamorgan  Vol 1 Part 3
The Early Christian Period

In its first century, the Royal Commission has produced more than 55 major publications. These have already made an enormous contribution to the understanding of the archaeological, built and maritime heritage of Wales, and many more books are in the pipeline. All of the publications are available in public and institutional libraries throughout Wales as well as in the Commission’s library and archive search room in Aberystwyth. Books still available for sale are listed in the Bookshop.

This title is now out of print, but is available as an eBook.
Buy eBook Now Glamorgan Inventory: Vol.1, part 3 The Early Christian Period at Google Play. 

Glamorgan Volume 1 Part 3 - The Early Christian Period
By Stephen Hughes
Published 1976.

Review of Contents
The first volume of the series in preparation for the former County of Glamorgan deals with sites and monuments up to the Norman Conquest. It is published in three parts, in a chronological succession made possible by departure from the presentations by parishes that was adopted in earlier Inventories.

Each part contains introductory sections on the physical background and the early communications of the periods under review, and proceeds to the detailed discussion and dsecription of the relevant classes of structure. Individual site entries are in the format already familiar, illustrated by photographs and original surveys, and distributions are plotted on a common base map distinguishing soil type as well as relief.

This third part covers the early medieval period from the withdrawal of the Roman administration. Field monuments are rare, being almost confined to the few earth and stone dykes described. Evidence of early monastic establishments is more historical than archaeological. The most numerous monuments are the Early Christian memorial stones, mostly now in churches and museums. These are described in great detail, with analytical discussion of their epigraphy and iconography.

Part I of this volume covers the caves and megalithic monuments of the Stone Age, and the burial and ritual sites of the Bronze Age. Part 2 deals with the defended and open settlements of the pre-Roman Iron Age, and the military and civil sites of the Roman occupation.

Contents
Map of Ecclesiastical Parishes
List of Plates
List of Figures
Chairman's Preface
Report, with list of monuments selected by the Commissioners as especially worthy of preservation
List of Ecclesiastical Parishes, with incidence of Mounments
Abbreviated titles of references
Presentation of material
Conversion tables, Metric to Imperial

Inventory. Part III: The Early Christian Period
      Introductory Note
   Communications in the Early Christian Period
   Dykes
   Domestic Remains
   Early Monastic Sites
   Inscribed and Sculptured Stones
      Early Christian Monuments
      Pagan Sculpture
   Unclassified Structures
Names of Places in Glamorgan
Glossary
Index of Grid References
General Index
Map of Civil Parishes

Related Publication Links:
Gwerthu Llyfrau
Book Sales

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Do You Recognise This Place in Wales?

Every so often the Royal Commission finds a photo with little or no information of where it is or what it depicts.

Can you help us?

Unidentified cottages in Snowdonia, taken 1970
DI2009_0848

Have a look to see if you recognise this place. Click on the image to see a larger version of the unidentified cottages in Snowdonia.
If you think you know the site name or location of the photograph, please contact Gareth Edwards quoting the DI number displayed in the photograph's caption.

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Ryder Cup Course 2010 Aerial Photography

Celtic Manor Golf Course Aerial Photograph July 2010
AP_2010_3180     NPRN: 402681

Aerial photography is one of the most powerful ways to document the changes in the landscape of Wales from earliest times to the modern day. From high above archaeologists can look down on centuries of landscape change, photographing known monuments, discovering long-hidden sites, and providing a new perspective on our cities, towns and built heritage.

Any Indication Of What Happened To The Silures

Question on Twitter
@Jonessurname @RCAHMWales any indication of what happened to the Silures? #Romanhistory

The Ryder Cup 2010 Celtic Manor Golf Club

Aerial photograph of Celtic Manor Golf Club home of the Ryder Cup 2010, taken 1999
CD2003_610_014     NPRN: 402681

The coming days (1st-3rd October) sees the start of the Ryder Cup 2010 tournament at the Celtic Manor Golf Club, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK.

Raising Coal & Stone Extraction

Before Taff Merthyr Colliery closed, the Royal Commission identified the mine’s principal surface features and recorded their function in detail. Recording what actually happens at industrial sites and how they operate is known as process recording. The following describes what happened to coal once extracted from the coal face and brought to the surface:

1. Taff Merthyr Colliery - Raising coal and stone extraction


Cut coal raised to pithead, conveyed to stone extractor plant. Oversize material separated to breaker; coal removed to rejoin main flow whilst waste stones discarded.

Taff Merthyr Colliery raising coal and stone extraction

Glamorgan Iron Age and Roman Occupation

Glamorgan Vol 1 Part 2
Iron Age and Roman Occupation

In its first century, the Royal Commission has produced more than 55 major publications. These have already made an enormous contribution to the understanding of the archaeological, built and maritime heritage of Wales, and many more books are in the pipeline. All of the publications are available in public and institutional libraries throughout Wales as well as in the Commission’s library and archive search room in Aberystwyth. Books still available for sale are listed in the Bookshop. 

This title is now out of print, but is available as an eBook.
Buy eBook Now Glamorgan Inventory: Vol.1, part 2 The Iron Age and Roman Occupation at Google Play.

Glamorgan Vol 1 Part 2 Iron Age and Roman Occupation
By Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
Published 1976.

Review of Contents
The first volume of the series in preparation for the former County of Glamorgan deals with sites and monuments up to the Norman Conquest. It is published in three parts, in a chronological succession made possible by departure from the presentations by parishes that was adopted in earlier Inventories.

Each part contains introductory sections on the physical background and the early communications of the periods under review, and proceeds to the detailed discussion and dsecription of the relevant classes of structure. Individual site entries are in the format already familiar, illustrated by photographs and original surveys, and distributions are plotted on a common base map distinguishing soil type as well as relief.

This second part covers the pre-Roman Iron Age and the Roman occupation. A general historical treatment of the Iron Age is followed by detailed analysis of the defensive enclosures by form, situation and individual development. Undefended settlements are few and poor by comparison. Roman military history is particularly well exemplified by the marching camps of early campaigns, by successive refortification of auxiliary forts, and by a good road system. Finally the civil settlement of the country is characterised by well documented excavations of villas at Llantwit Major, Whitton and Ely.

Part I of this volume covers the caves and megalithic monuments of the Stone Age, and the burial and ritual sites of the Bronze Age. Part 3 deals mainly with the inscribed and sculptured stone monuments of the Early Christian period, but contains useful sections on boundary dykes and early monastic sites.

Contents
Map of Ecclesiastical Parishes
List of plates
List of figures
Chairman's Preface
Report, with list of monuments selected by the Commissioners as especially worthy of preservation
Lists of Commissioners and staff
List of Ecclesiastical Parishes, with incidence of Monuments
Abbreviated titles of references
Presentation of material
Conversion tables, metric to imperial
Inventory. Part II: The Iron Age and the Roman Occupation
        Introductory Note
    The Physical Background
    Communications. Iron Age and Roman
        Hill-forts and Related Structures
        Unenclosed Hut Settlements
    Roman Remains
        Forts
       Other Military Works
       Roads
       Civil Sites
       Appendix: The Glamorgan section of Iter XII and the site of Bomium
Names of Places in Glamorgan
Glossary
Index of Grid References

General Index
Map of Civil Parishes 

Related Publication Links:
Gwerthu Llyfrau
Book Sales

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Glamorgan The Stone and Bronze Age

Glamorgan Vloume 1 Part 1
The Stone and Bronze Age

In its first century, the Royal Commission has produced more than 55 major publications. These have already made an enormous contribution to the understanding of the archaeological, built and maritime heritage of Wales, and many more books are in the pipeline. All of the publications are available in public and institutional libraries throughout Wales as well as in the Commission’s library and archive search room in Aberystwyth. Books still available for sale are listed in the Bookshop.

This title is now out of print, but is available as an eBook.
Buy eBook Now Glamorgan Inventory: Vol.1, part 1 The Stone and Bronze Ages at Google Play.

Glamorgan Volume 1 Part 1 The Stone and Bronze Age
By Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
Published 1976.

Review of Contents
The first volume of the series in preparation for the former County of Glamorgan deals with sites and monuments up to the Norman Conquest. It is published in three parts, in a chronological succession made possible by departure from the presentations by parishes that was adopted in earlier Inventories.

Each part contains introductory sections on the physical background and the early communications of the periods under review, and proceeds to the detailed discussion and dsecription of the relevant classes of structure. Individual site entries are in the format already familiar, illustrated by photographs and original surveys, and distributions are plotted on a common base map distinguishing soil type as well as relief.

This first part covers the Stone and Bronze Age of the whole county. Evidence of use of the limestone caves includes not only the notorious 'Red Lady' palaeolithic burial at Paviland but extends down to the early medieval period. Among the megalithic tombs Parc Cwm and Tinkinswood are key sites in the interpretation of the Severn-Cotswold type. Finally the numerous burial and ritual sites of the Bronze Age, though often unspectacular individually, prove interesting in analysis of their form and location.

Part 2 covers the defended and open settlements of the pre-Roman Iron Age, and the military and civil sites of the Roman occupation. Part 3 deals mainly with the inscribed and sculptured stone monuments of the Early Christian period, but contains useful sections on boundary dykes and early monastic sites.

Contents
Map of Ecclesiastical Parishes
List of Plates
List of Figures
Chairman's Preface
Report, with list of monuments selected by the Commissioners as especially worthy of preservation
List of Commissioners and Staff
List of Ecclesiastical Parishes, with incidence of Mounments
Abbreviated titles of references
Presentation of material
Conversion tables, Metric to Imperial

Inventory. Part I: The Stone and Bronze Age
      Introductory Note
   The Physical Background
   Communications before the Roman Period
   Caves. Palaeolithic and Later Periods
   Open Settlements. Mesolithic Period
   House Structures. Neolithic Period and Bronze Age
   Burial and Ritual Structures. Neolithic Period
      Chanbered Tombs
      Henge Monuments
   Burial and Ritual Structures. Bronze Age
      Cup-marked Stones
      Single Round Cairns and Barrows
      Group of Small Cairns
      Standing Stones
   Cooking Mounds. Bronze Age and Later Periods
Names of Places in Glamorgan
Glossary
Index of Grid References
General Index
Map of Civil Parishes

Related Publication Links:
Gwerthu Llyfrau
Book Sales

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North American Mustang P51 - Storm Crash 1945

Event and Historical Information:
On 20 June 1945, a North American Mustang P51 was caught in a severe thunderstorm and crashed into the sea near RAF Valley. The Mustang was from 356 Fighter Group, based as Martlesham Heath. The pilot was killed.

First Archaeological Flight Over The Smalls Reef, Pembrokeshire

Passing Grassholm Island on the way to The Smalls, 9 miles west of the mainland.
AP_2010_3298     NPRN 404206

On the 9^th September 2010, the Royal Commission’s Aerial Investigator Toby Driver made the first archaeological flight to The Smalls reef, nearly 18 miles off the Pembrokeshire mainlaind, to survey the lighthouse and its rocks at low tide. The treacherous reef which extends for miles around The Smalls has claimed many wrecks over the years, the oldest and most famous being a Viking shipwreck. This was indicated by the find of a Viking sword-guard by sport divers in 1991 beneath a modern wreck which remains one of the finest Viking artefacts known from Wales.

Entire Suit of Roman Armour & Weapons Found on Dig

Oblique aerial photograph of Roman Barracks in Prysg Field, Caerleon in 1999.
CD2005_611_006     NPRN 402679

Archaeologists digging at the fortress of Caerleon in south Wales have uncovered an entire suit of Roman armour and some weapons.

The rare discovery was made during an excavation at Caerleon, one of Britain's best known Roman sites.

Pembrokeshire Inventory Digitised & Available to Download

The Pembrokeshire Inventory is now fully digitised and available to download, view other electronic books from the Royal Commission.

The Pembrokeshire Inventory (1925) was the last of the old-style county inventories produced by The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire.

Royal Commission Closed on Tuesday 28th September 2010

Aerial photograph of Crown Building; RCAHMW, Plas Crug, Aberystwyth in 2004.
AP_2004_0783     NPRN 23275

Ni fydd y Comisiwn Brenhinol, y llyfrgell a'r gwasanaeth ymholiadau ar agor ar Dydd Mawrth, 28ain Medi, 2010.

The Royal Commission, library and enquiries service will not be open on Tuesday, 28th September 2010.

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Start Wales Festival at the National Botanic Garden of Wales

Aerial view of the Great Glasshouse under construction at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, 1998.
DI2010_1144     NPRN 307111

On the 7th and 8th September the Royal Commission attended the Start Wales Festival at the National Botanic Garden of Wales where Prince Charles launched The Prince’s Regeneration Trust’s new publication, The Green Guide to Historic Buildings. The Start project aims to show people new technologies and techniques to make better use of our natural resources. The Royal Commission’s exhibition and book on the Welsh Cottage generated much interest from everyone there, complementing the other stands that were promoting green ways of renovating and insulating houses with natural materials such as lime and sheep’s wool, and giving historical context to these newly revitalised crafts.

Related Show Links:
Discover more: Gardens in Wales Coflein

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Mining Heritage Conference - The Richest Lode

For your information - Next weekend, 18^th-19^th September,  a mining conference will be held at Lampeter University.

 

Mining Heritage – the richest lode

Mining Heritage

Conference

18 – 19 September 2010

The study of heavy industries in Wales is a growing area of research for those interested in archaeology, anthropology, economics and politics.  However much of this study is currently focused on the coal and slate industries of north and south Wales, and is centred on the 19^th century. The metal extraction industries of Mid Wales in particular, are under studied with a subsequent lack of understanding of the histories of the people and processes involved.

Neglect of this area of study has led to a biased history of the Mid-Wales mining heritage. This biased history negates the fact that historically Mid Wales was one of the most important ore fields in the United Kingdom and which was once one of the leading areas in the metal production revolutions of the Bronze Age and the expansion of industrial production which took place in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries.

This conference aims to examine the understudied areas and periods, increase the profile of metal mining studies within academia and finally promote links between interest groups and the public.

Speakers on their specialist areas include:

Dr Stephen Hughes, RCAHMW

Professor Roger Burt University of Exeter

Dr Simon Timberlake University of Cambridge

Professor David Austin University of Wales, Trinity Saint David

Mr Graham Levins Welsh Mines Preservation Trust

 Subjects will include:

Use of Gunpowder in Mining

Mining Histories & Landscapes

25 years of Mining Archaeology

The Strata Florida Project

Cutting Edge Surveying Techniques

 

 

The conference is organised under the auspices of David Sables and Trinity Saint David

 

For more information or to book your place on this conference please contact Christine Logan at the Research & Development Office on 01570 424970 or email at metalmining@lamp.ac.uk.

 

 

*The conference will run for 2 days from 10am – 5pm and include an optional trip to a local mine.

 

 

 

Industrial Archaeology Of The Swansea Region

Industrial Archaeology of the Swansea Region
Cover: Copperworks in the Lower Swansea Valley, c1865

In its first century, the Royal Commission has produced more than 55 major publications. These have already made an enormous contribution to the understanding of the archaeological, built and maritime heritage of Wales, and many more books are in the pipeline. All of the publications are available in public and institutional libraries throughout Wales as well as in the Commission’s library and archive search room in Aberystwyth. Books still available for sale are listed in the Bookshop. 

Industrial Archaeology of the Swansea Region
By Stephen Hughes and Paul Reynolds
ISBN: 0950844829
Published 1992 - Out of Print

iwa Conference: History, Heritage & Urban Regeneration

A iwa conference on the 14^th October will launch the start of a new project ‘History, Heritage and Urban Regeneration: The Global and Local Worlds of Welsh Copper’. This project, funded by the ESRC, is a partnership project led by Swansea University with the RCAHMW, the University of Glamorgan, the National Museum of Wales and the City and County of Swansea and aims to use the extensive high quality research that has been carried out on the Welsh Copper industry to increase academic and public awareness of what is seen as the first truly global industry.

RAF VALLEY hosts Fortress Study Group Conference 2010

Conference participants exploring Fort Belan near Caernarfon

The Fortress Study Group is the only international society concerned with the study of all aspects of military architecture and fortifications and their armaments, especially works constructed to mount and resist artillery. Every September the Fortress Study Group holds a weekend conference with a programme of lectures and visits to local fortifications, and this year North Wales was chosen.