Tree-Ring Analysis of Timbers from the Abbey Barn, Boxley, Kent
Author(s): Dr Martin Bridge
This large medieval stone-walled structure is thought to have been built as the hospitum to a Cistercian monastery, but has been used as an agricultural barn for generations. Dendrochronological dating was requested to establish the date of primary construction, to see whether a floored area was original to the building, date some of the doorways into the building, and date the changes evident in the roof at the east end of the building. Eighteen dated samples show that the floor and western scissor-truss roof are contemporaneous, with a single timber retaining complete sapwood with a felling date of winter AD 1382/3, suggesting a construction date within a few years either side of this date. This is later than the expected date for the roof. The timbers in the eastern roof appear to be re-used and a single timber yielded a felling date after AD 1273. None of the door lintels could be dated.
- Report Number:
- 13/2005
- Series:
- CfA Reports
- Pages:
- 17
- Keywords:
- Dendrochronology Standing Building
