Whalley Abbey, Whalley, Lancashire: Tree-Ring Analysis of Timbers from the Great Hall and North Range
Author(s): Robert Howard, Alison Arnold
Tree-ring analysis undertaken on timbers of the great hall roof and the north range resulted in the construction and dating of a single site sequence containing 48 samples and spanning the period AD 1362–1559. Timbers of the great hall roof have a felling date range of AD 1493–1518. In the north range, the primary timbers associated with the whole of the stables roof are thought to have been felled in AD 1521. Timbers reused as backing rafters to modify this roof have been dated to AD 1490 and AD 1504, whilst a series of purlins are believed to be a mixture of reused, primary, and later insertions with felling dates ranging from the late fifteenth/early sixteenth century to the third quarter of the sixteenth century. A ground floor ceiling beam in the stables also dates to AD 1521, whilst a lintel was felled a few years later in AD 1524 and two other lintels were also potentially felled in the AD 1520s. Again, in the north range, the bothy roof contains what appear to be primary timbers felled in AD 1559 but also appears to utilise reused timbers from AD 1504. The roofs over the north range carriage house and lobby each contain at least one, presumably reused, timber of AD 1496–1521 and AD 1480–1505, respectively. The partition wall between these two areas contains timber of AD 1524 and AD 1550–75.
- Report Number:
- 3/2015
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 65
- Keywords:
- Dendrochronology Standing Building
