TREE-RING ANALYSIS OF TIMBERS FROM THE ROOF OF ST JOHN CHAPEL, AND THE CONNECTING ROOF, WORCESTER CATHEDRAL
Author(s): Robert Howard, R R Laxton, Cliff Litton
A total of forty-three samples from the roofs of St John Chapel and the connecting roofs of Worcester Cathedral were analysed by tree-ring dating. This analysis produced five site chronologies. This first site chronology, WORCSQ07, consisting of twelve samples, has 80 rings and spans the period AD 1667 - AD 1746. Interpretation of the sapwood on these samples indicates that a number of timbers used in the Chapel roof were felled in AD 1743 with one timber being felled in AD 1746. The connecting roof contains one timber felled in AD 1743 and a number of others felled in AD 1746. This suggests that the last time that this roof was repaired was in AD 1746. The second site chronology, WORCSQ08, has 131 rings spanning AD 1286 - AD 1416. The estimated felling dates on these timbers, used in both the St John Chapel and the connecting roofs, shows that they could have been felled in the early or mid-fifteenth century. The third site chronology, WORCSQ09 has 128 rings spanning AD 1495 -AD 1622. It is made up of samples from St John Chapel only and suggest the timbers have a felling date in the range AD 1635 - 40. The fourth site chronology, WORCSQ10, contains samples from three ex-situ beams found in the St John Chapel roof. The site chronology is 90 rings long spanning AD 1352 -AD 1441. The felling date of these timbers cannot be reliably estimated, but it is unlikely to be before AD 1456. A fifth and final site chronology, WORCSQ11, is made up of oak boards covering the St John Chapel roof. This 63 ring sequence could not be cross-matched with any reference chronologies and the samples therefore remain undated. This analysis shows that the roof of St John Chapel and the connecting roof contain much reused timber and that the last major repair phase was in the AD 1740s.
- Report Number:
- 50/2001
- Series:
- CfA Reports
- Pages:
- 31
- Keywords:
- Dendrochronology Standing Building
