TREE-RING ANALYSIS OF TIMBERS FROM 1 VICARS' CLOSE, LICHFIELD, STAFFORDSHIRE
Author(s): Alison Arnold, R R Laxton, Cliff Litton
Thirteen samples were taken from this building, 2 from first-floor timbers with the rest being from roof timbers. Four of these were not analysed because of their short ring sequences. The analysis carried out on the remaining nine samples resulted in the construction of three site chronologies.The first of these, LVCASQ01, was of 88 rings and contained four samples. This site chronology was matched at a first-ring date of AD1359 and a last-ring date of AD1446. One of the four samples, LVC-A04 was from a timber which had complete sapwood, some of which was lost in coring. By estimating how many rings had been lost it was possible to calculate a felling date for the timber represented of cAD1451. The average heartwood/sapwood boundary ring date for the other three samples is AD 1428, giving an estimated felling date range of AD 1443-68 for the three timbers represented. The second site chronology, LVCASQ02, of 76 rings was found to span the period AD1356 to AD1431. The average heartwood/sapwood boundary ring date of the two samples which make up this site chronology is AD1427, which gives an estimated felling date range for the two timbers represented of AD1422-67. The third chronology, LVCASQ03, again of 76 rings, could not be matched and the two samples which go to make up this chronology are undated. Sample LVC-A09 was individually matched at a first-ring date of AD1396 and a last-ring date of AD1449. This sample was again from a timber which had complete sapwood. However, a couple of rings are estimated to have been lost in sampling which would in fact give the timber this sample represents a felling date of cAD1451. The analysis has resulted in seven samples being successfully dated. Two of these are from timbers felled in cAD1451 with felling date ranges for the other five timbers making it likely that they were also felled at this time. This indicates a construction date for the house in the middle of the fifteenth century, about 50 years earlier than the date of c AD1500, suggested on typological grounds.
- Report Number:
- 14/2002
- Series:
- CfA Reports
- Pages:
- 20
- Keywords:
- Dendrochronology Standing Building
