Church of St John the Baptist, Myndtown, Shropshire:Tree-Ring Analysis of Oak Timbers Incorporating a Survey of the Roofs
Author(s): Alison Arnold, Robert Howard, R Meeson, Cathy Tyers
Analysis was undertaken on samples from timbers representing two phases of roofs within both the nave and the chancel, from the bell-cote and two bell levers, and from three ex situ timbers recovered from the nave wall during restoration work. This resulted in the successful dating of 58 samples. The oldest timbers identified are from the surviving remnants of an earlier nave roof, dated as felled in the range AD 1225–50, and two of the ex situ timbers recovered from the nave wall which have a felling date range of AD 1218–43 and hence appear plausibly to be coeval with this roof. The extant replacement nave roof dates to around a century later being constructed from timber felled in AD 1326–48, as do the remnants of the earlier chancel roof which utilises timber felled in, or around, the winter of AD 1332/33. The third ex situ timber and one of the timbers of the bell-cote also belong to the first half of the fourteenth century, having felling date ranges of AD 1301–36 and AD 1314–49 respectively. The latest timbers are those belonging to a reconstruction of the chancel roof which were felled sometime in the range of AD 1570–95. The majority of the reused beams utilised within the bell-cote have a felling date range of AD 1567–92, and thus appear likely to be coeval with the present chancel roof. In addition, the bell levers also appear likely to be of sixteenth-century date with termini post quem dates for felling of AD 1515 and AD 1548.
- Report Number:
- 43/2022
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 74
- Keywords:
- Dendrochronology Standing Building
