Calverley Old Hall, 14–24 Woodhall Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire: Tree-Ring Analysis, Radiocarbon Wiggle-matching, and Oxygen Isotope Dendrochronology of Timbers
Author(s): Alison Arnold, Robert Howard, Cathy Tyers, A Bayliss, Lukas Wacker, Neil J Loader, Danny McCarroll, Darren Davies, Giles Young
Tree-ring analysis undertaken on samples from several areas of Calverley Old Hall resulted in the successful dating of 100 timbers by a combination of ring-width dendrochronology, oxygen isotope analysis and radiocarbon wiggle-matching. The earliest phases of felling identified are to be found in the solar, where two rails have termini post quem for felling dates in the late-13th century. These rails could be late-13th century or early-14th century and represent the primary build, or alternatively may belong with either of the slightly later felling events identified in the solar dating to in, or around, AD 1324 and in the mid-AD 1330s–mid-AD 1350s. Also, from the solar, and dating to the mid-15th century, are a tiebeam and redundant rafter; while a second tiebeam was felled, at the earliest, in the late-14th century or early-15th century. The next phase of felling occurred in the last quarter of the 15th century when the great hall roof and chapel were built. A door lintel with a terminus post quem for felling date of AD 1461 may also be 15th century. Timbers from the 16th century have been identified in the parlour, where the roof and other main structural timbers were felled in the first half of the 16th century, with the ground-floor ceiling timbers being a little later, dating to the mid-16th century. Also, from the 16th century there are beams of the ground-floor ceiling of the lodging block, which were felled in the latter half of the 16th century, with the latest major phase of felling identified being timbers in the extant solar roof, dating to the very late-16th century or early-17th century
- Report Number:
- 92/2024
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 125
- Keywords:
- Dendrochronology Radiocarbon Dating Oxygen Isotope
