St Helens Historical Society Zoom Meeting, 7:30pm, 18/01/21(Mon)

Historical Society is back! Although we are still not able to meet in person, the following talk has been scheduled to be delivered via Zoom:

"The Industrial Heritage of St Helens" - to be given by Maurice Handley.

Further details to follow soon.

Cancellation of March & April Meetings

Please be aware that our next two meetings are cancelled due to the developing situation with the coronavirus.

Monday 16th March (tomorrow) - cancelled

Monday 20th April. - cancelled

This is disappointing but we look forward all the more to meetings in the future!

Digs & Discoveries: Monthly Talk, 17 February 2020

In February, we were pleased and privileged to welcome Mr Robert Skinner, an Archaeological and Heritage Consultant based in Bristol and (of equal importance to us) grandson of founding St Helens Historical Society member and current Secretary Mrs Mary Presland. Much of Mr Skinner’s work involves co-operation with building and development organisations to assess the impact on local archaeology of their proposed undertakings; he is currently engaged in projects in the Vale of Glamorgan and in the northern part of the Somerset Levels.

Robert and Mary

The Vale of Glamorgan is known as an area featuring many pre-Roman settlements, particularly from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. This is evident partly from remains of old buildings, but also from the prevalence of burial sites, including chamber tombs. There are also several instances of field enclosures – field enclosures are generally accepted as having been of ritual significance where offerings would have been made to the spirits worshipped before the arrival of Christianity. Moreover, aerial photography during prolonged dry periods can uncover signs of settlement, such as traces of concentric ditches which in their turn are sure indicators of a burial site or “barrow”. Aerial photography is one means by which archaeologists can find out that a particular area merits investigation, another example being the surveys carried out by builders and developers; conversely, until well into the 20^th Century, builders and farmers would proceed without bearing archaeology in mind, making things rather trickier for those carrying out investigations today.

Settled and stable population was the exception rather than the rule in the Vale of Glamorgan down to the Roman period and beyond. One result of this is that although there are some instances of dwellings known as “long-houses”, much of the evidence we have of human activity at all pertains to the burial of the dead and it would appear that certain sites were considered favourable for burials. One such site could be an ancestral home which could be converted into a barrow. Some bodies were cremated and the recent discoveries suggest that the cremated remains would be buried separately from the charcoal which fuelled the burning. There are also instances of entire skeletons being buried, a practice known as inhumation. Interment plots are kept separate and often appear to have been sited with deliberate reference to other plots round and about. Sometimes a ring of columns indicates a burial site, in other instances the plots are aligned in such a way that they point to a plot of particular significance. If an individual was buried with certain items – ceramics have been found in Vale of Glamorgan burial plots – this could be a sign that the individual was considered significant by those responsible for the burial.

Robert describing an aerial photograph

The northern part of the Somerset Levels has long been of archaeological interest. It was an attractive area for people to settle as the topography made for easy defence against potential aggressors, with the concentration of remains matching the density of the population. This density and continuity of inhabitation means that industries specific to the area could conceivably have developed and one such instance could be shoe-making. Moreover, it would appear that some houses would have been occupied over many generations and that once a building (whether a long-house or a round-house – both have been found) became uninhabitable, this would be marked ceremonially with a ritual offering in recognition of what had taken place in the house over the years.

Although political situations would change with time – a particularly striking arrival being the arrival of the Romans – in many instances, day-to-day life would remain fairly stable. In the Somerset Levels, burial practices appear to have been largely unaffected. There are instances of adult inhumation in designated barrows, but it would appear that children (including children dying as a result of miscarriage) would be buried in the home. One inhumed skeleton has been found in a seated position; this is encountered only infrequently and may be an indication of the importance of the individual concerned.

Inhumed skeleton in seated position

Recent digs have uncovered traces of buildings stretching out in a line over several kilometres. It is not yet clear what purpose these buildings would have served, but it is very unusual to come across a concentration of structures set out in this way from this period; there is speculation that it they could have formed an industrial settlement, perhaps linked with preparing locally-caught fish for transport elsewhere.

In conclusion, Mr Skinner reminded the audience that although nowadays we have a tendency to divide the past into distinct periods (Neolithic Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman period and so on), for the people living at those times it would not have been so clear-cut. As an example, while there is much evidence in his current work of technological advancement with time and of some aspects of life changing accordingly, other elements of daily existence (most strikingly, burying children and the unborn within the house rather than in separate graves) continued much as before.

Selected Sources

Questions were then invited. The first was to ask if the recent weather conditions had adversely affected any of the sites Mr Skinner is currently investigating. While these specific ones hadn’t, this had been an issue in the past and can lead to difficulties where (for example) a dig becomes flooded and developers are reluctant to accept their responsibility to deal with it.

A second question queried population levels in the areas covered by tonight’s talk. It would appear that by the standards of the time, they were indeed densely populated and this would have required no small degree of infrastructure and civil engineering; examples would be the construction of sea walls and connecting this part of Britain with wider trading networks. As is generally the case with the Romans, slave labour would have been used where today technology could be employed.

A third question concerned fishing practices in the period. High water levels in general and the saltiness of the water were not particularly conducive to fishing, but it nevertheless took place. We know that boat construction had reached a sufficiently advanced state that travel from one side of the Severn Estuary to the other could happen and did happen; indeed, boat was often the best way of travelling longer distances at that time.

The talk concluded with a vote of thanks. It was pointed out that the subject matter was very different from that normally covered at St Helens Historical Society and that it was fascinating to learn so much about the British people of the Roman and pre-Roman period. It was also interesting to note that a lot of archaeology today is financed by developers.

The Runcorn Locks Project

2020 got off to a great start for St Helens Historical Society. Graham Wallace, Chairman of "Unlock Runcorn" http://www.unlockruncorn.org/ gave an uplifting talk on Monday 20th January. He outlined just what can be achieved for our local towns and areas of historical interest.

Graham gave an overview of the history of the Runcorn canal and its important role at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. In fact the building of the Bridgewater canal inspired an intense period of canal building across the country. For the first time goods could be brought inland and transported out to the ports more cheaply and efficiently. First opened on 21st March 1776 the canal went from Manchester to Worsley via the Duke of Bridgewater's coal mines; then crossed the Mersey at Barnton before entering the river Mersey itself via a series of 10 locks at Runcorn. In 1965 the locks were filled in due to a decline in canal use.

Due to an increase in recreational boating in recent times and the opening of the new Runcorn - Widnes bridge; Runcorn has the opportunity of restoring the canal and making it one of the major canal centres in the country. After many years of local volunteers campaigning, there is a business plan in place and funding imminent. Work is due to commence this year with the forecast for completion in 2023. Unique features will include a vertical boat lift that will take boats down to a lower part of the canal, new locks will be built with historical accuracy and an "Inclined Plane" system that will take boats to the Manchester Ship Canal.

The new route for the Runcorn Ring.

The Unlock Runcorn project has come a long way since the creation of this 10 minute film, but it gives us a clear vision of the history of the Runcorn canal and the plans to re-invigorate it for future generations.

Graham's talk sparked a host of interesting questions from Historical Society members. It was clear that "Unlock Runcorn" and Graham in particular have left no question unanswered as to how to make the most of this historic project. For example "Will the local population of Runcorn be employed to construct and run the canal? "Absolutely! As a community based charity the agreement is that any contractors that are employed are required to use the local volunteers or provide apprenticeships to train young people. That way the people of Runcorn will be at the heart of the new canal and businesses that result. 

Are there plans from the Council to bring the buildings in Runcorn town centre up to spec? Yes the Council are already committed to a "themed" town. In particular the Canal Quarter where current derelict buildings will be turned around to face the canal. Also the railway station is due for regeneration and a new road system will be built to access it. 

What are the plans for the Marina? The plan is to have 50 residential boats in the Marina to generate an income and pleasure craft will run day trips around the Runcorn Ring. People who come to visit will have the opportunity to go into Runcorn itself and explore the Canal Quarter and therefore generate income for the town.

An artistic impression of the new marina and car park

We await developments with great interest in the coming years and look forward to future excursions for the Historical Society. Many thanks to Graham Wallace for taking the time to give us such an inspiring talk.