Lyminge archaeobotany

A chance online link led to a short paper on recent archaeological digs at Lyminge, that has some fascinating descriptions of botanical finds from the early Medieval period.

The paper Seeds and status: the archaeobotany of monastic Lyminge is by Mark McKerracher (2017).  The relevant paragraphs on botanical diversity are worth repeating in full.

The Lyminge Archaeological Project has reaped a tantalizingly rich harvest of archaeobotanical data. In each season of excavation from 2008 to 2014, bulk soil samples have been taken...   the presence at monastic Lyminge of several relatively unusual plant species is notable.

Anglo-Saxon archaeobotany as a whole is fairly monotonous in character. Evidence of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices is minimal in the extreme, and compares very poorly with the panoply of exotic introductions in the Romano-British record, a disparity not entirely attributable to differential preservation biases.

While hulled barley remained commonplace, the Roman preference for spelt wheat gave way – apparently quite abruptly – to an Anglo-Saxon emphasis upon bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), which has prevailed in English wheat cultivation ever since.

The repeating wallpaper of charred bread-type wheat and hulled barley is indeed the botanical backdrop to many Anglo-Saxon sites. Yet while cereals inevitably dominate the assemblage from monastic Lyminge, they are here accompanied by an unusual diversity of other possible taxa – edible, medicinal or otherwise useful – which are either absent or exceedingly rare elsewhere in this period. 

True, there are stray occurrences of Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.) and garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) in seventh-century contexts at Lyminge. But it is the eighth and ninth centuries that herald a veritable feast of variety: flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), apple/pear (Malus L./Pyrus L.), plum/sloe (Prunus L.), elder (Sambucus nigra L.), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L. agg.), cherry (Prunus avium L.), opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.), hemlock (Conium maculatum L.), and tentative identifications of black mustard (Brassica nigra L.), damson (Prunus domestica ssp. insititia (L.) Bonnier & Layens) and grape (Vitis vinifera L.).

Background video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcZrqh7zau8

Kingsdown Churchyard

To my discredit I rarely post about Kingsdown these days, so I should rectify that. In truth, I rarely blog at all, so that should change too, albeit it is mostly shouting into the ether.

We visited Kingsdown Church - the one on the east coast, not the Pugin one by the M2 - one evening recently, for the first time in many years.... and were astonished by the botanical marvels displayed there.  

We'll revisit to carry out a full survey, but many of the expected chalk grassland species were there, even Fairy Flax and Dwarf Thistle, with good quality habitat throughout as just narrow paths had been mown. Somehow, presumably due to an existing good sward and plenty of hard work, it has come together perfectly, with few rank grasses and large areas of herbage.

 Clearly the invertebrates appreciate it.

We often visit churchyards, frequently as a place to sit, rest and have a snack, and when we do we sometimes rate their habitat management on a scale of 1 to 10.  We have not seen a 10 before, so Kingsdown is special and this is confirmed by the plaque at the gate - Best Churchyard 2019. And perhaps would be again if KWT still gave out the awards.

The Lynch Revisited

 Back in 2011, I did some half-hearted grassland management on a small piece of relict chalk grassland above The Lynch between Kingsdown and Ringwould. An old post reminds me what it looked like then.

The bank is by an old track to the nearby farm, which now has a better road and so has no need for the track. The scrub quickly encroached and overwhelmed the track and some of the grassland. My work in 2011 and more by the parish council and other local volunteers since then tried to hold back the tide of Blackthorn, Bramble and Sycamore, but now it's only a shadow of its former self.

There is, however, hope, and some herbs remain, even under scrub. And the parish council have agreed to put some more effort in to recover what it can. A couple of hours with a small team of locals showed what can be done, with before and after photos below.

It doesn't help that this year has been a good Sycamore year, when the ground is covered with seedlings.

The chalk bank had been covered completely by Traveller's Joy, Sycamore and other brutes, and when these were pulled away we could see some stalwart species underneath, well worth saving.

The next event is Saturday 4 July 10-12 , and the plan is to meet on the first Saturday each month till the end of the year.