Winter Webinar - Static Structures on a Dynamic Foreshore - A Saxon Fish Weir Near Ashlett Creek, Hampshire, with Dr John Cooper
09/12/2020 | 4 p.m.
Online
The remains of a wooden V-shaped fish weir and associated structures were discovered near Ashlett Creek on the tidal mudflats of Southampton Water in Hampshire. Radiocarbon dating of oak roundwood stakes taken from the main weir structure date it to the middle Saxon period. Clusters of as-yet undated roundwood posts within the catchment area of the weir are interpreted as the frames for fish traps that are assumed to pre- or post-date the operational period of the weir itself. The weir is contemporary with wooden V-shaped fish weirs found elsewhere in southern and central Britain, and also Ireland, but its circular catchment ‘pound’ remains restricted, in these islands, to the Solent and Severn estuaries: it has a close parallel with another Saxon-era weir on the nearby Isle of Wight. It also shows striking structural similarities with examples in use today in Basse Normandy, on the southern shore of the English Channel (Cooper et al 2017).
In this webinar Dr John Cooper discusses the function and operation of the weir, and places it in its social and historical context.
Register for this free online event here, following which you will receive an email with instructions on how to join the webinar.
