Archaeology in Hampshire - Annual Reports

post-medieval copper-alloy sword belt

Photo of a post-medieval copper-alloy sword belt fitting from Mattingley from the 2021 Portable Antiquities Scheme report.

Introduction

Up until 2003 Hampshire County Council published an Annual Report of Archaeology in Hampshire. The first volume was published in 1977 (for the year 1976) and for over a quarter of a century it proved to be a valuable resource bringing together in summary fashion archaeological work carried out in a particular year, whether it was by professional organization, academic institution or local society. The report ensured that knowledge of such work was easily and conveniently available to all interested parties. The final report was published in 2004 (for 2003). The absence of a summary covering the years 2004-07 was felt throughout the county's archaeological community and it was logical that the Hampshire Field Club, as the pre-eminent association for the study of the county's past, should become involved in producing a new series of reports. It was decided that the best way to proceed was to publish a round-up of the "missing" years. For 2008 and subsequent years the report will be published annually.

Developments in technology have forced a re-think about the most efficient way to go about the publication of interim statements and it was decided that an electronic format (i.e. a PDF document) provided a convenient and cost-effective solution. It also offers the option of printing only what is required.

Structure and Content

There are reports for the years 2004-21 and each one closely follows the format established for the previous series of reports. Each is organized by District and then alphabetically by location. Individual entries consist of a location that includes a grid reference. This is followed by an identifier, usually a Site UID, which links it to a record held in the AHBR database. The records for Southampton, Portsmouth and Winchester have also provided information about work carried out in these cities and identifiers that relate to their respective databases are given. It is through the identifier that further information about a particular project can be acquired. Where a project has already been published a full bibliographic reference is provided. In addition to archaeological fieldwork each report includes records of building surveys. Survey projects that encompass large numbers of sites, for example by the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology or Berkshire Archaeological Surveys are included, although it has not been possible to provide details of individual projects.

Hampshire County Council Museum's Service Identifications

Hampshire County Council Museum's Service have for many years offered an identification service for the general public and a list of finds from the various museums in the county was included in the Annual Report. The lists for the years 2004-10 have been included under their respective years. There is no report in this section for 2011-18.

Hampshire Buildings Survey Group

A short report of the activities of the HBSG is available from 2015-2017.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS)

A number of local societies already publish a selection of the finds recorded on the PAS database for their county. There has not however been a regular publication of PAS finds from Hampshire. Katie Hinds, the Finds Liaison Officer for Hampshire, has kindly agreed to compile a selection showcasing some of the most interesting and important finds. These range in date from prehistory through to late medieval times and include a variety of different materials.

Acknowledgements

The data for each year was assembled and edited by Nick Stoodley. However it would not have been possible to produce this work without the assistance of several individuals and organizations. The Hampshire Field Club are acknowledged for financial assistance. I am particularly indebted to William Illsley of the Environment Department (HCC) for providing information from the AHBR database. I am grateful to Dr Andy Russel (Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit) and Ingrid Peckham (Southampton City Council, HER), Jennifer Macey (Portsmouth Museums Service) and Tracy Matthews (Winchester City Council, HER) for assembling information from their respective databases. Thanks must go to Katie Hinds for bringing together so admirably the PAS finds. Finally I would like to offer my gratitude to Dave Allen for helping to organize the project and to offer advice whenever required.

Contact
Nick Stoodley
Editor Hampshire Archaeology Reports
email Nick Stoodley