TREE-RING ANALYSIS OF TIMBERS FROM THE BARN AND COTTAGE, ABBEY FARM, THETFORD, NORFOLK

Author(s): Robert Howard, R R Laxton, Cliff Litton

Eighty-one samples obtained from the timbers of Abbey Farm barn and cottage were analysed by tree-ring dating. This analysis produced four site chronologies. The first site chronology consists of thirty-one samples that are all from the eastern half of the barn except for one sample from the cottage. This site chronology has 205 rings spanning the period AD 1332 - AD 1536. Interpretation of the sapwood on the samples would indicate that all the dated timbers in this group were probably felled in the period AD 1533 - 6. The second site chronology also consists of thirty-one samples, having 192 rings spanning the period AD 1237 - AD 1428. The majority of samples in this site chronology come from the western half of the barn and also from the cottage, although some do come from the eastern half of the barn. Interpretation of the sapwood on the samples in the second site chronology suggests that the timbers used in the cottage have an estimated felling date in the range AD 1405 - 30. The timbers used for the western end of the barn have an estimated felling date in the range AD 1414 - 39. The third site chronology consists of three samples, having 73 rings spanning the period AD 1556 - AD 1628. Interpretation of the sapwood on these samples would indicate that the timbers in this group, all from the east gable and replaced roof of the barn, were felled in AD 1628. The fourth and final site chronology also consists of three samples, having 74 rings. This site chronology failed to date.

Report Number:
48/2000
Series:
AML Reports (New Series)
Pages:
61
Keywords:
Dendrochronology Standing Building

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