Bentley Hall, Derby Lane, Hungry Bentley, Near Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Tree Ring Analysis of Timbers
Author(s): Alison Arnold, Robert Howard
Dendrochronological analysis of material from Bentley Hall produced a single site chronology, HBNASQ01, comprising 36 of the 44 samples measured, its 232 rings dated as spanning the years AD 1444–1675. Interpretation of the sapwood indicates that while a few timbers were felled in the first- to third-quarter of the seventeenth century, a high proportion, particularly floor joists from the main range, were felled in the late seventeenth to early-eighteenth century (two timbers were certainly felled in AD 1671). Such a date would suggest that the hall is later than the early- to mid-seventeenth century date previously ascribed to it, or that it represents an earlier house extensively remodelled at this time. A small number of timbers from the ceiling of the ‘New House’ were also probably felled towards the end of the seventeenth century or in the first quarter of the eighteenth century, such a date being supported by documentary evidence. Of the 44 samples measured, eight remain as ungrouped and undated individuals. A further 20 samples were rejected from this programme of analysis as having too few rings for reliable analysis.
- Report Number:
- 33/2009
- Series:
- Research Department Reports
- Pages:
- 49
- Keywords:
- Dendrochronology Standing Building
