The Elevated Presence Of Fishbourne

 

                                                                 INTRODUCTON

                 These following pages reveal, through one volunteer’s daily diaries how Fishbourne Roman Palace was slowly and passionately but sensitively freed from its many hundreds of years of interment.  

                                                                          1961

  Thursday April 6^th 1961

A very interesting day. Norman Morris took me over to Fishbourne, Chichester to see the new Roman site which Barry Cunliffe and his helpers under Frere’s aegis are digging. On the way we went into the beautiful Boxgrove Priory church which I think I have only entered once before. 

 Then we went to the cemetery, Portfield near Chichester to look for George Long’s grave. It seemed unlikely that we should find it. The superintendent was out but suddenly Norman came on it…a six foot long slap of bluish slate with well-cut lettering (George Long 1800-1879). He was a classical scholar of European fame who was a master at Brighton College from 1849 to 1871 in whose story I was interested in at the time.

 Then we went to Chichester. Lunched at the Dolphin and had a quick look round the cathedral where they are preparing to erect a stone screen in memory of Bishop Bell. The stones are laid out numbered in the transept.

 Then on to Fishbourne where we met Dr Wilson leaving and found Barry Cunliffe and a party mainly of undergraduates digging in the newly found site making remarkable discoveries. They seem certain that it is the public building of a town. Huge blocks of stone are appearing as well as a large drain cut in stone. Mosaic flooring is also coming up. They have 4 long narrow trenches in, being preliminaries to a summer dig. They have found 3 Claudian coins giving a pre Chichester date to the place, a brooch, a Purbeck or Sussex marble slab and masses of pottery.  They have only been going 2 weeks and have done a fine job. They stop at the end of next week. 

 Cunliffe seems to be running the dig most efficiently. He is a coming chap. At present he is reading archaeology at Cambridge. He is sandalled and bearded.

 We looked into Fishbourne church and had tea at the Norfolk Arms in Arundel. Home about 6.0.

 

 Tuesday August 29^th 1961

 Over to Fishbourne at last to see Barry Cunliffe’s remarkable site…a huge Roman villa by the main Roman road to the west with the earliest mosaics found in Britain. It all made me think of Pompeii. It was a gloriously hot day and I took a series of photos. Cuncliffe made me very welcome and showed me the plan and some small finds. I was interested in the stone masons’ waste material, the hippo sandals and the large column vase .It really is a great site being dug mainly by undergraduates about 40 -50 of them. Cunliffe bearded still, and looking like a wild man of the woods, was obviously running it very well indeed. Much of the site was already filled in and I helped for an hour wheeling barrows of top soil. Ian Richmond says the mosaics of both periods (c.50 and c.75 AD) are the earliest known in Britain.

                                                                           1962

 

    Thursday August 30^th 1962

   Went down to Chichester and eventually got a room at the Nag’s Head in East St.

 Went to Fishbourne and saw the fascinating site. Barry Cunliffe just gained a first in archaeology at Cambridge. He is doing wonderful work here, mainly this year on the first phase of the 4 phases. Masses of coins but more interesting the graffiti (circles, triangles, etc) on the waste chips of numerous foreign stones from the builders’ yard.

 I had a meal at the Wine Lodge and am now sitting watching a western. I have been in the Cathedral and seen the Bell-Arundel screen. Very difficult to get accommodation in Chichester.

 Friday August 31^st 1962

 Out to Fishbourne all day. Barry and his wife Frankie away. Worked with Ann? In Cutting 98. Well down in cutting coming to a ditch by a 1^st century road. Pottery. Meal in Globe. TV.

 Saturday September 1^st 1962

Out to Fishbourne all day on same job as yesterday. Pottery busy, small finds. Found 1^st century road surface. Very warm. Meal at pub. Cheap. TV.

 Sunday September 2^nd 1962

Early service in Cathedral. Out to Fishbourne by 10.0. Worked alone in 98 right into the water of the ditch. A good job which made me laugh. Much pottery (Samian, etc). Meal at Globe. TV. Back at the Nag’s Head.

 Monday September 3^rd 1962

Haircut. Out to villa. In the sludge. Cleaned for photo. Found a Roman coin (Claudius?) and a bronze ring. Dug away part of the road. Meal at Globe. TV.

 Tuesday September 4^th 1962

A wet morning. A lovely afternoon. Pump arrived and they got out the wooden planking of the well. I completed 98 and found much pot, the base of a glass jar, and a lead hook perhaps for a lamp, under the heavy stones. I also worked on the tiled drain of the 2^nd period, which ran into the robber trench and into the road. A most interesting and happy day. Wilson and Holden came over. Talked to Margaret Rule and her husband. Meal at Wine Lodge. TV. Bed early.

 Wednesday September 5^th 1962

A good day. Got out pottery and drain fragments in cutting 62. Hard work in robber trench in the road. Meal at Dolphin. TV.

 Thursday September 6^th 1962

Wet in morning but cleared about 11.0. Worked in 62 revealing buttress wall? Some diggers went to the New Theatre. Very tired.

 Friday September 7^th 1962

About finished 62. I finished my work here today. It is a splendid dig with very able youth at the helm. Most interesting to see the new generation of archaeologists at work. I am very impressed indeed with Barry Cunliffe, also his deputy John Peter Wild, also Tony Norton who goes to Theological College in a year’s time and may be going on a Voluntary Service abroad for a year in between times. They all look remarkable, extraordinary beards and so-on, but they have brains and also an ability to get on with people of all ages. There are others of the same calibre whose names I did not get.

Tuesday September 11^th 1962

 This afternoon Frith took me over to Fishbourne in the rain and Cunliffe showed us some of the small finds and we went round the site in the mud.

Tea at Binsted. A pleasant afternoon.

                                                                        

                                                                         1963

 

 

Sunday August 4^th 1963

Went over to the Nag’s Head, Chichester by 4.30. The proprietors are new. Went round the Cathedral and saw the interesting exhibition of photos of the tower collapse of 1861. Meal at Chinese restaurant in South Street.

 Monday August 5^th 1963

A good breakfast and out on foot to Fishbourne. Had a horrible feeling that I had got the wrong date. However, a large group were digging in the north corridor and west wing. It was Tony Norton’s 23^rd birthday. We drank vodka and lime at lunch time to celebrate and then smoked black Bulgarian cigarettes, one of his presents. He did not go on the year’s voluntary service but is going into the church.

  I met Pickard’s daughter Caroline just down from Oxford. He used to dig with us before the war at Cadburn and Highdown I think, and I believe met his wife on one of our digs. His wife’s maiden name was Richardson.

 With several people whose names I did not know, stripped turf and began digging a mosaic, part of which was uncovered in the 1^st year (room 11) worked very hard all day in lovely weather.

 Ann with whom I dug last year is here and found a Roman coin in her cutting… Nero probably.

 A magnificent mosaic of the 3^rd period has been uncovered…a figure on a dolphin in the middle. Hypocausts are appearing. The B.B.C. are putting on a television show on the 18^th. The Archdeacon has invited the diggers to drink wine with him on the 7^th.

 Meal a good one at the other Chinese restaurant. Watched T.V. Panorama…the Russian nuclear treaty…Lord Radcliffe on spies…the Stratford bye election.

 Tuesday August 6^th 1963

Over early to Fishbourne and worked all day getting another spit over room 11. We found the plaster along the partition which divides the earlier room. We also just reached the mosaic…a black and white geometric one, we believe, in one or two places. Martin? Is here more or less in charge. Two St.Mary’s Hall school girls were present, and a rather pleasant woman, whose husband was a nervy sort of man, worked on another part of the site. It was a very happy day. Dined at the French restaurant newly opened in Little London.

  Wednesday August 7^th 1963

Today we cleared a great part of the black and white second period mosaic floor finding a collection of broken jars on the floor on the south side, which had perhaps fallen from a shelf in the final destruction. The floor is in good condition with small patches missing.

Another 3^rd period floor came up today with a motif a little like the Rising Sun at St Albans. This occurs in two others of the 3^rd period floors. In the magnificent 3^rd   period host room is a large piece of red and white (salmon?) wall plaster which has appeared and is about 2ft high.

 In the evening we all went to Archdeacon Mason’s home, his lawn comes up to the city wall. Steer was there and his pleasant cheerful wife who says rightly that he overworks. Michael Redgrave the actor came in…very much a personality.

 Bed early after a poor curry at the Chinese restaurant in East Street.

 Thursday August 8^th 1963

 Another hard working day on Room 11. Slightly antagonistic colleagues. Martin Brewys is an    exuberant schoolmaster with a recent degree in Classics who showed up at his best in excitement when he found a Faustina coin lying right on the floor of his room…a large bronze (I don’t know which Faustina). Much iron ware has come up and the pottery on the edge of the mosaic in the S.E is prolific, but only there.

 The B.B.C. Arrived with their tower to have a trial T.W. before next week. It looked like a last war concentration of vehicles.

  The young boy who irritated me on the first day was pushed off our cutting on Tuesday and is now annoying others and all the school masters, several itch to clout him. We are all allergic to him.

  Tony Norton, our immediate boss, amuses me. He looks deadly with long hair. He flits in, says “good” or “goody” or makes cluck noises and then vanishes. A very good chap with a great sense of fun I remember him at Torberry. His brother is now removing the rest of the turf of Room 11 which had already been excavated in 1961. We going to have this fully excavated for the B.B.C. next week.

 Friday August 9^th 1963

 A very happy hard working day. Finished clearing the south part of the floor.

 B.B.C. vans and tower for next week arrived. An apsidal building is now appearing at the west of the site near the greenhouses.

 Saturday August 10^th 1963

To the bank and drew £10.

 To the site and had a happy day tracing what happened to a robbed wall coming towards the robbed main south wall. Found an earlier rubbish dump. Cloudy and inclined to rain today. Watched TV in evening till 9.0. A meal at the pub in South Street.

 Sunday August 11^th 1963

To the Cathedral to Matins……….

  Monday August 12^th 1963

Rather a wet day but it cleared. I worked on the new cutting which is either a pit or a ditch. Pottery, nails, glass etc. Michael Pratt back from Nigeria came up and dug all afternoon.

 Dined at the French place in Little London.

 Tuesday August 13^th 1963

It rained heavily at first but became a lovely day to follow. I worked over the hedge in the newly discovered west wing with a pleasant hard- working lad. We found a floor robbed of its tesserae except in one place where a fine patch of 2^nd period mosaic in black and white design appeared. We had a most interesting hard working day. Rose the rather bossy schoolmistress was the site leader but she was quiet today.

 The B.B.C. arrived in force…eight or nine large vehicles. They have erected a tubular steel tower on which Barry stood ruminating. Big Brother is watching. I did enjoy today.

 Wednesday August 14^th 1963

  I dug 3 cuttings today. First we completed yesterday’s cutting and found more mosaic and the room wall. Then after tea break I tidied up my ditch cutting of a day or so ago. Another ditch cutting is going on a few feet away producing much wall plaster. I returned to the west wing and with three youngsters …two boys and a girl… did a 7ft square cutting looking for a T-junction. We went at it with great vigour and by the close had found our walls and a fine corner of black and white second period mosaic.

 Today Professor Ian Richmond came and I think the B.B.C. did a film of us in case of rain tomorrow. There are B.B.C. vans on masse in our field. It must cost an enormous amount of money to do such a production but I really cannot see why. This evening they did some local production of a concert group in our field.

 Dined and wined at the Dolphin and then watched TV.

 Thursday August 15^th 1963

More clearing in the west wing. A little annoyed with Tony Norton who overworked me. At 5.0 most were sent home.

 About then the B.B.C. did a recording of the programme. I took part with others in peopling the site but as far as I know I did not appear, unless in a long range photo from the tower. The programme was to be live but the recording was so good that is was finally used. Barry Cunliffe and Professor Richmond did the talking and very well as far as I could hear from my position scrapping a robber trench near the dolphin mosaic. There were maps, models and a few exhibits and a man demonstrating stone cutting etc.

 Frankie, Barry’s wife was photo’d cleaning the large mosaic. Nothing of the west wing appeared. We saw little bits of the programme in one of the vans and under the tower.

   Returned home tired and had a meal at the French place. I drank with Professor Richmond and others at lunch time at the pub.

 Friday August 16^th 1963

I had not intended to go to the site today and could not anyway as it poured with rain. I went into Brighton.

  Saturday August 17^th 1963

  A wet morning. I went over to Fishbourne at lunch time and had a most happy afternoon clearing my 2^nd period mosaic in the west wing with a very pleasant girl assistant. We found part of a 3^rd period wall on top of the mosaic. A very interesting and well done afternoon’s work.

 I am reading Aubrey’s “Short Lives”.

 Sunday August 18^th 1963

To the 10.30 service in the cathedral. Then out to Fishbourne to an excellent afternoon’s digging in the west wing, mostly shovelling and forking earth over what we hope is a good patch of mosaic floor. Took photos from the tower. A wonderful view of the whole main villa for they have marked out the filled-in rooms on grass. I worked with John? A St.Alban’s School chap hoping to go to Cambridge…rather a bore and not a very good worker and Judith?  With whom I uncovered this mosaic   yesterday. 

Pratt came in the evening. I took him to the pub by the station for dinner.

 Monday August 19^th 1963

Mike Pratt drove me to the site. Finished clearing a mosaic. Chequer pattern with a feature set on top which was not understandable.

In the afternoon, started a cutting looking for the stone drain of the courtyard. Miss Keef came up most cheerful and friendly. A very good day though I worked too hard. Mike gave me a meal at the Fountain.

 Tuesday August 20^th 1963

Mike and I toiled all day in the cutting and eventually came upon the well-built outer wall of the courtyard, and we hope to find the stylobate in position. Two rather pleasant ladies worked next door to us who had never been on an archaeological dig before. They were staying at Bognor. A long cutting has been put in against the modern garden walls of the Fishbourne houses.

 Mike Pratt works for Unilever’s (seconded to Guinness) in Nigeria. He is well-paid but does not really like it there. I should say that he is buying a cottage in Ringmer for his return in two years’ time.

  Wednesday August 21^st 1963

 Mike and I were disappointed to find that the styobate had been robbed out in the area we dug. We found 6 courses of the strong wall intact, but only the trench for the stone drain. We practically finished our trench to natural except for a gully just in front of the drain which yielded pottery.

  Perhaps the most interesting find on the site this year is the section through the 8ft deep ditch.  This could be the military ditch of period 1. It contains early Samain ware and an early coin. Was there a military camp connected with the granaries?

   Thornburgh and family came over in the new car with a dear old aunt. The car was driven up to the side of the great mosaic so that the old lady could see them. She is over eighty years old and her sight is going but she saw enough to get great enjoyment.

 Amused with Pratt as we wove a story that St Paul lived here and had it as a holiday home for all those people mentioned in the Epistles…which led on to wondering whether the skeleton could have been his, and the price for relics.

 Thursday August 22^nd 1963

 Pratt’s last day. We cleared the little gully in the sludge in our deep cutting, and then took over part of the clearing of one of the mosaics which was in line with the portion of later walling which lay on top. Rather an interesting day. An apse has been found in the west wing. The site further south in the west wing is complicated.

   Friday August 23^rd 1963

   A fairly quiet day cleaning up in the west wing. Dined at Chinese restaurant Chow-chow.

Cunliffe is really running this excavation remarkably well. I am most impressed with his skill in handling people.

  In the morning we were filmed for a short Rank Organisation feature in a month’s time.

Miss Keef arrived at her most friendly and I took her round the site.

 Saturday August 24^th 1963

A wet start. I was interested last night to hear from two Goodwood enthusiasts that they had met James “The Weasle” who is wanted by the police for his part in the great banknote robbery, at Goodwood yesterday.

 Up about 11.0 to the site. Was moved to do a little gentle scrapping on the main site near the “Claudian” ditch. Frere came in the afternoon…now a father. He was very friendly.

  Sunday August 25^th 1963

  It rained much of the time and I stayed and read.

  Monday August 26^th 1963

  Went into Brighton to the school.

  Tuesday August 27^th 1963

  Returned to Chichester and out to Fishbourne by 1.30. Margaret Rule back. Michael Pratt there. A rather nice American girl who has been digging in Chios, a Greek island, worked by us. We looked for wall plaster, and there was quite a bit of decorated stuff over the red tesserae of the corridor by room11.

    The bookmaker, I hear, who is often at the Nag’s Head, was tight at 6.10 when we returned, and he bought us a drink. He was in a state.

   Wednesday August 28^th 1963

    Pratt came once again. I worked with the American girl on the corridor. Later Pratt and I moved back to the west wing. I left at 3.0 and went to the tea party given by the Mayor and Mayoress at the Assembly Rooms to actors from the theatre and the diggers. A good show but as so often I felt lost and longing to get away.

 I went at 7.0 to the Festival Theatre and for 5/- (shillings) got standing room and saw “St Joan” with Joan Plowright as Joan. The theatre is remarkable and the acting fine but I think it is a dull play. I don’t know really what it means. I liked the Dauphin of Robert Stephens as much as any.

  Thursday August 29^th 1963

    Worked on the fallen lump of column in the west wing. A superb corner of the great courtyard styobate has been found with a large drum of a column at the north- west corner of the courtyard. An interesting day. Norman Cook and Roper came today.

   Friday August 30^th 1963

    Moved to a red tessellated pavement between the Dolphin pavement and the middle “shell-like” pavement. We moved the tesserae and found quite an occupation layer underneath. A silver coin of Septimius Severus was found by my girl partner. I found pottery and glass. We still have much to dig out tomorrow. Merrifield came today.

  Saturday August 31^st 1963

  We continued yesterday’s cutting…a good deal of pottery. Samian ware and glass and I found a bronze stilus in good condition.

 Barton came up with some Worthing people and an interesting Swedish journalist tagged on to them while I took them round.

  Dined with a half a bottle of wine at the French place.

 Sunday September 1^st 1963

 Wet to start with. Completed my cutting. More Samian ware and a bronze circular object, not a coin I think. Very few diggers here today. Wine in the supervisors hut at lunch time. I have made no mention of David Baker the excellent photographer who is one of the leaders of the excavation. He went to Woodchester the other day to photograph the recently uncovered villa floors there. Very methodically and successful. Barry and Frankie there. The Rules were here with their little son, also Tony Norton, a good chap with his long felted hair.

Arthur Rule began after lunch to put down the cosy-wrap and polythene cover over the mosaics which are to be filled in tomorrow.

The site supervisors are very severe to onlookers who come when the site is closed. I personally thought they were rather too sharp and rude.

 Wilson never came to visit us. He is ill I hear and his sight is failing.

   Monday September 2^nd 1963

   I went round Chichester trying to find a map of Portfield which would show Longs’ house. No success.

  Went to Bognor… back to Brighton by train.

 

  Saturday October 12^th 1963

 Taught three periods. Gave a lecture on “Fishbourne” to Boothroyd’s Social Studies Group. Rather enjoyed it.

 Tuesday October 15^th 1963

 Ordinary teaching. Stamp Club. 3 periods in the afternoon. Lectured on “Fishbourne” to a very small group of the newly formed College Historical Society.

 Monday October 21^st 1963

Over by train to East Grinstead where Mr Margary met me. He gave me a meal at his pleasant house and then I lectured to the local Society, (Mr Hall was Sectretary?), on “Recent Archaeological Excavations in Sussex” (Ranscombe, Glynde and Fishbourne). Some slides were rather grubby but I was in good form and thoroughly enjoyed it.

                                                                            1964

 

 Friday July 31^st 1964

I went over to Fishbourne for the day and found Barry and his large gang at work on the north, east, and west wings and with a cutting feeling for the south wing. The plan of last year’s dig seems to suggest that the west wing with a hall in the middle may be the main block.

 Several team leaders as last year. Tony Norton, now engaged to Caroline Pickard (not here at present). Ian Mchellan, David Baker etc. John Peters is not here. A crowd of volunteers unknown to me…some Americans.

 I worked on Tony Norton’s cutting in the north wing on an early level. Found much pottery. Very tired today and came home early.

 Saturday August 1^st 1964

 Again to Fishbourne where I felt in good form all day. Worked in the same cutting with a chap whose name I never knew. He is a graduate who will work under Cunliffe on a thesis, and he is one of the few paid workers other than supervisors.

A skeleton has been found, either yesterday or the day before, buried in a mosaic floor with no dating evidence. The Press had been most interested.

 Today I found a very nice pair of bronze tweezers, another bronze toilet instrument, which was said to be a pimple remover, and a quantity of large amphorae. I also found much pottery. I had a most interesting day.

  I am amused to see the beards lessening with age. Tony now at theological college has lost his, and Barry now a lecturer at Bristol has trimmed his. They are an able lot here and I greatly admire their work.

Sunday August 2^nd 1964

Over again to Fishbourne for the day. Went to the Nags Head and fixed a room for later in the month. Continued work in the same cutting (172:64) I think. A new floor has appeared in the west wing with a leaf design with the use of yellow tesserae similar to the one found last year. There is also a new mosaic floor of the 1^ST building period just by our cutting, and one of the 1961? floors are being uncovered again. I hear that Margary has produced more money for the preservation of the site.

  I talked with old Mr Ledger the former owner of the land, a dear old lame man always in a blue shirt with no collar or tie, talking in broad Sussex. He wished his father could have seen the work. They had long known there was Roman stuff about…Roman treasure they thought and it has been a treasure to him, for I believe he got £50,000 for the land.

 

  August 7^th to August 22^nd 1964

  I dug with the B.H.A.S. under Eric Holden on the Lodsbridge “Motte” site.

 

  Friday August 21^st 1964

  In the afternoon 15 of us in 3 cars, Eric’s, Hilda’s and Crossland’s went over to Fishbourne, dropping my trunk off at the Nags Head in Chichester on route, and Barry Cuncliffe, well dressed from having lunch with Sir Mortimer, took us round the site. He has now a stone Period before Period 2. So that there are 1A and 1B of the granary Period and 1C, a stone building pre- Period 2 of the great house, and signs of other alterations between Period 2 and Period 3. Also 3 or 4 new floors have been exposed.

 We went on to Chilgrove, where Alex Down is digging a most interesting Roman villa with an apsidal ended hot room and 2 or 3 mosaic floors. Many Roman roof slates of local stone, and some high walling of inferior quality. We had a glorious drive through Harting and Midhurst…a really lovely afternoon.

 Monday August 24^th 1964

 Over to Chichester to stay at the Nags Head…St Pancras again.

 Tuesday August 25^th 1964

 To Fishbourne, meeting Dr Wilson outside the pub. He looked well but his sight is failing… poor man. Barry was busy card indexing, he is indefatigable. I worked on a period 1 pit which produced much pottery. Working with me was a rather irritating youth and a pleasant Singalese.

 Very comfortable at the Nags Head. All the rooms have been done up. Very good breakfasts.

  Wednesday August 26^th 1964

 At Fishbourne all day. Barry is away in Somerset lecturing I believe. Yesterday I met Harden of the London Museum, and today Cook of the Guildhall. You never know who will be turning up at Fishbourne. I finished my pit and found part of another.

  Thursday August 27^th 1964

Over to Fishbourne all day. Finished the second pit off. It was a very hot today and there was a fairly slack air about the site, which is not usual, but they have been working a long time.

 Budden came over and with the aid of his truck erected a wonderful scaffolding for David Baker’s photography. I cleaned part of a concrete floor and I was, I believe in a photograph for some educational scheme.

 A very good cold meal at the French place in Little London.

  Saturday August 29^th 1964

  A day at Fishbourne working over and into a compact gravel floor, not particularly interesting, but part of the job at Fishbourne.

 Anne with whom I dug two years ago, is back here for the weekend… a cheerful girl.

 Barry now has evidence of another 1^st period building. A one armed chap and his daughter are digging out a posthole which we just missed in an earlier cutting.

 I am tired of the transistor radio, the same tune all day…extraordinary.

 Sunday August 30^th 1964

To Fishbourne and I had a happy day on another part of the gravel floor, finding pottery, and then on to a burnt red floor in the next cutting.

 Monday August 31^st 1964

To Fishbourne and worked on the clearing of the red daub, and the floor, around which are pits or post holes. Nick the schoolmaster from Devon who had worked at Gwithiam with Charles Thomas worked with me in this cutting. He is camping in the field but now finds that no more food will be supplied in the school in Orchard Street where the bulk of the diggers are living. The Nags Head for me, I am too old for this caper.

 There is a fat man in the Fishbourne pub who is there most middays whom I cannot stick. An irritation, otherwise the Woolpack is a good spot. Every day I have a pint of ginger-beer shandy with a lump of ice and a steak and kidney pie, hot or cold. Today Barry and Frankie his wife, Godfrey the architect, and a youngish anthropologist named Rumford joined me there. Barry made me laugh by talking of when he would be an old man “about fifty”.

  I heard, that one day Tony Norton who is not here now, last year dressed up to go to an interview. He general looks the wildest of diggers. He returned still well dressed to join the group in the shed. A little girl of nine seeing them called out “look mummy, they’re all beatniks in there except one” Tony was furious not to be counted as a beatnik.

  A very expensive meal in East St.

  Tuesday September 1^st 1964

   All day at Fishbourne. To my surprize Mike Pratt suddenly appeared from Sierra Leone and dug all day.

    Gloriously hot again. Dug out a section of pit. A coin was found, not by me, in our cutting.

 

  Thursday September 3^rd 1964

  25 years ago today. A day I well remember. I was making sandbags at the Warden’s post in Withdean Road when a maid called out that we were at war. It was a lovely summer day.

 At Fishbourne all day. Pratt came later. Yesterday they found a fine but broken sculptured head in one of the robber trenches in the north wing. I understand that Cuncliffe on realizing what it was said “good heavens, it’s a moosh” …a word I do not know the meaning of but it seems a fine bit of understatement from the great archaeologist. He also realised that the so-called statue bases in the small courtyard are almost certainly bases for pillars of an Aisled Hall. A small cutting on the other side seemed to confirm this.

 Pratt and I dug in the main courtyard, it was hard work, but we found much pottery and some nice glass.

 Friday September 4^th 1964

 Over to Fishbourne late. Did a little work finding a lot of pottery including Samian ware, in the drainage ditch.

 We had a party in the evening at the French Place in Little London-La Soupiere, where Barry and I provided the wine. Amongst others were Frankie, Baric and Hattie now engaged, Ian Mclellen, Scragg’s daughter Rose and Michael Pratt. A pleasant meal rather slowly served. We liked Barry’s story of the time when he was doing a year’s teaching and a small boy in a physics’ form had caused an explosion and was standing with the remains of his apparatus in his hand. Barry went towards him and the child kept saying “it’s my birthday today sir”.

 Saturday September 5^th 1964

 Worked all day with Pratt in the courtyard cutting. The bulldozer was working in the west wing. The cosy-wrap was down over the mosaics and Fishbourne 1964 was running down. A big dig next year.

 Tuesday 8^th September 1964

 Worked unsuccessfully at the Record Office. (I’ve been tracing my ancestry this year with much success and had been several times this holiday to the West Sussex Record Office). Then came home from Chichester complete with my heavy trunk.

 

                               Excavations at Fishbourne August 5^th to September 4^th 1965

 

   Thursday August 5^th 1965

   I went over by 9.30 to Fishbourne   and found about 100 people digging, more than usual. It is more a training dig this year. Some large cuttings had been dug…in the west wing where the lower half of the apsidal hall had been uncovered plus a drain and a wall belonging to the Period 1 building. Some cuttings have been put in the great courtyard and post holes of a Third period wooden building have appeared. I worked near a small cold bath of Period 3 in the courtyard of the east wing. I also worked in the 2-3 period rubbish and found a bronze stilus, a small one, and a little pottery which included some Samian.

 Barry and Frankie Cunliffe were there of course, as was Mrs Rule and Tony Norton… who should have been in Jerusalem with his wife Caroline Pickard, whose father dug with us before the war. Martin, whose surname I cannot recall, supervised the part of the site I was on. Rose, as tough as ever was there. Also present was the American school master with a number of his boys.

 New proprietors at the Woolpack, food good but I miss Mine Host. My fat irritation was there at lunch time but very affable.

  I dined at the Globe and talked to a pleasant elderly American, a cattle breeder from Wyoming, who talked in a slow charming American way…a very nice man.

 Friday August 6^th 1965

 To Fishbourne by 9 30. Continued in my cutting and then moved to the corridor on the North Side of courtyard. Not a particularly interesting day archaeologically. I saw Frankie who is expecting a baby early next year. Also David Baker and his wife Betty were there. The Rules had a meal with me at the pub, a delicious home-made beef steak pie, wonderful stuff.

 In the afternoon my American friend of last night Mr Cameron from N.E. Wyoming who owns 400 head of cattle came to see the site, and he gave me tea in the village. I showed him round and later we had a meal together at the Globe Hotel. We talked the usual English and American stuff. He was quite angry that we want to hang on to Gibraltar, I was surprised. He has 5 sons, one is an officer in a Polaris submarine near Glasgow. He himself was a naval officer in the Pacific during the war engaged on anti-fly and mosquito protection of personnel. I liked him a lot.

  Saturday August 7^t

 After a haircut, I went to Fishbourne and had a pleasant day. I found little but worked hard. The cold bath of Period 3 with its drain was beautifully cleaned ready for David Baker’s superb photography. He is unlikely to consider the cleaning sufficient.

 The Thorneburghs came over and I showed them round after lunch. They had been over once more to Erringham which they thought was closing down. Eric did not find what he expected.

  A nice elderly man named Edwards, an F.S.A. and now President of the Monumental Brass Society is digging. He is a short bald-headed man and wears shorts. A very pleasant man, and I talked to him after lunching in the Pub.

 Yesterday C.A Morris who dug with us at Plumpton, visited us with his wife. Also came was Collins from Chichester, who has rather strayed from the archaeological fold.

 In the courtyard cuttings under Beric’s supervision postholes of Period 1 are appearing. Walls of Period 1 are coming by and under the Audience Chamber in the west wing. The east Entrance Hall is being partially excavated and there is a section across the eastern road.

 I dined at the Soupiere, the French Restaurant to which I went in other seasons.

 My site leader, Martin Henig is one of Frere’s pupils.

 Sunday August 8^th 1965

To early service at the Cathedral taken by the Bishop and Canon Lippiatt. Large congregation.

 To Fishbourne. Worked for some time in the robber trench of the courtyard drain and then moved to another cutting altogether but still in Henig’s area. I scrapped a burned layer over a hard gravel surface and found some pottery.

 The 1^st stone phase is extending into the area of the former nursery garden which Margary has recently bought.

  Last year’s mine host of the Woolpack and his wife looked in, otherwise I saw no visitor I knew.

  Dined on grilled salmon at the Globe reading the Hatry case in the Sunday Telegraph.

  Monday August 9^th 1965

 A lovely day at Fishbourne. I worked on my 1^st period grave floor and eventually put a shallow cutting through it. Got irritated with a young American girl whose interest in archaeology was infinitesimal but whose interest in boys was excessive. She had been very irritating with Richard a few days before making him empty her barrows etc. She was working on the other side of the cutting I was in.

 Barry Cuncliff after tea break took everyone round the site. His mastery of its problems was extremely good. We have interesting 1^st period features especially in the west wing.

 Dr.Wilson came up. His sight is bad, poor man. Otherwise I saw no visitor I knew.

 I sent off over a dozen 1^st day covers of the new Salvation Army stamps this morning. I hear Cunliffe is a stamp collector purely as a speculation.

 Tuesday August 10^th 1965

 I worked on genealogical research at the Chichester Record Office and went into Brighton for the evening.

Wednesday August 11^th 1965

  A glorious hot day at Fishbourne. I worked on my own in my cutting finding features…a layer of soapstone fragments, and a possible beam slot etc. A Miss Picton Jones, an archaeological reporter, came up and in the temporarily absence of Barry, question me about the periods of the site. She had been choked off by George Holleyman I vaguely remember at Itford one year.

 The site run by Beric in the courtyard is yielding fine features. Postholes of two buildings, one 1^st and the other 3^rd period. Beam slots and a ditch of period 1 I think. Much 1^st period stone walling in the far western cutting.

  Dined, very tired, at the Globe. Rather depressed. Feet sore not from excavating but vein trouble.

Thursday August 12^th 1965

 A gloriously hot day. Over to Fishbourne. I got down to water in my drainage ditch and worked in gumboots. Nigel Jaques and his parents came over and I showed them round and they gave me lunch at the Woolpack. I like Nigel very much. He is now on the staff at Eton. When I returned Roper was there with a niece.

  I had foot trouble most of the day. After seeing a bit of T.V I dined at the Globe and talked to a pleasant couple about Fishbourne, teaching, Bognor etc.

Friday August 13^th 1965

 I went to London and spent the day genealogising.

Saturday August 14^th 1965

 A happy day at Fishbourne   except for a very sore left foot which got quite worrying. I worked with a young engineer whose name I do not know who had dug in many places including the Hebrides. We cleared a runnel and found some nice pottery and a bronze object. Afterwards we scrapped the cobbles and cleaned the sides and thought we had found some postholes. Near us a huge 10 x 30 foot cutting is being started. Martin Henig is in charge of all this area. I like him. He does well but is learning the supervisor’s trade. Barry I thought was a little rough with him particularly over the straightness of the sides of the cutting, in which he was perfectly right, but could have done it more gently.

 Crowds of visitors came in large groups. Budden came down and was taking Barry out to Chorlton to see more sites on his farm this evening. Tony Norton has gone back to his Theological College at Lincoln. He is soon to be ordained. I hope he will not be completely lost to archaeology. Mr Penny who has driven some of them silly has left us. Another chap who knew everything about everything… quite a pleasant other bloody schoolmaster, has also gone.

 Rose is having difficulty with fledgling wrens in the tool shed. Odd nesting place. I had a meal at the French place and a long night’s rest for my foot.

Sunday August 15^th 1965

 Over to Fishbourne and worked on the two postholes in the grave filling while my engineer friend cleared part of the original turf line and found some nice pottery including a thin Butt beaker.

 Barry lifted the marble blocks in the 3^rd period cold bath but there was no inscription underneath. A nice length of red brick water pipe has come up in the courtyard. I found broken bits near the east road a year or so ago.

 The talkative Mr Hewitt has gone. Hatty, her surname I forget, has returned having been unwell with strain, I imagine of supervising. It is dealing with people which tires, not physical work. I hear Beric was much the same at one time. I was interested in this. The people here are excellent, like the supervisors, but there is the odd difficult customer no doubt. But fundamentally the Fishbourne digs are most happy affairs, excellently directed.

 I dined at La Soupiere and watched T V at the Nags Head.

Monday August 16^th 1965

 To Fishbourne. Foot trouble again. I had a cleaning day getting down to natural in trench 270. My recent work has been in 271. A very large trench parallel to these two is in process of excavation.

  After tea break Barry took all of us round the site. The great entrance to the palace shows the 1^st period road beneath it. I do not entirely follow the 1 A and 1 B periods in these cutting the stream and the ditch etc.

    In the central courtyard they are following the brick water pipe to the south. The cuttings in the west wing are nearly finished to the half way schedule. Old Mr Edwards left today.

    I was tired in the afternoon and had an early tea at the café. I have been very lame in my left ankle. Most unpleasant for I felt very fit otherwise.

 Dined at the Dolphin and sat with a very friendly foreigner from the dig…a Russian by birth working in London for American broadcasting to Russia. We saw a young chap in the room who had just started at Fishbourne and invited him to our table. We had thought him an American but he was a 25 year old French archaeologist working in Pakistan and Baluchistan who had never been to England before. A most pleasant exuberant chap whose English was good. We had coffee together. He said that Wheeler had recommended Batt’s dig to him as being excellently done.

Tuesday August 17^th 1965

  Worked in the Record office… then over to Fishbourne.

Wednesday August 18^th 1965

  An interesting day at Fishbourne, though in great foot trouble. I wonder if I have chipped an ankle bone. Worked in the Roman 1st period drainage trench with Richard the American teenager. We found 2 coins, 1^st century I think, the second found by me for a change. I have not found a Roman coin for years. We got a lot of excellent pottery, which included the base of an amphora and a handle, chips of glass, and much Samian ware. The Booth-Jones came over with a Brigadier who lives very near the Bignor villa and had a most pleasant time showing them round during the afternoon. Bayliss and his son came just as I was deepest in the “goo” which must have amused the boy.

  Meal at the Dolphin.

Thursday August 19^th 1965

 A very happy day at Fishbourne working with the young American Richard Cheek, he is in the water of Cutting 256 scooping up gollups of galoptious “goo” in which we found a fine tray-full of pottery, three small trays from this cutting now. A broken melon bead, some small fragments of thin glass, including dark green, blue and almost clear. Also found was the whole profile of a small Samian cup with the beginning or ending of a maker’s name.

  In my former area… Martin’s… they found a coin of Domitian in the make-up of the 2^nd period road. Our coins from yesterday will eventually be identified but Margaret Rule could not be sure of them. She could see the CASE inscriptions but no more. They are pretty certainly 1^st century. They had better be. Martin’s other cutting by the cold bath has produced part of the stone backing of a 1B period bridge over the stream with possibly a ford before it. Toby’s (I don’t know his surname) cutting in front of the main entrance is showing a great area of fallen masonry.  

The Russian journalist, Victor Frank by name I think, and the young Frenchman and I lunched together at the pub.

 My foot which had been painful in the night I strapped up and it carried me through this interesting day.  Dined at the Dolphin.

  Victor Frank has had a remarkable life. A Russian, half Jewish whose father was a scholar at St. Petersburg. Caught up in the revolution which had not worried them as children…no school! And pushed out in 1922 into Germany still a Soviet citizen. In Germany till 1939. Out to France and then to England. Now he is broadcasting to the Russians for the Americans. Practically his master. He has sent his wife and children to Italy but insists on staying and digging Fishbourne.

Friday August 20^th 1965

 To Fishbourne. Did not dig in the ditch today though Richard Cheek did and found two more coins. I worked on a 90’ section of the trench in the field by the railway made by the mechanical excavator. This with Caroline Norton, Tony’s wife, whose father O. Pickard dug with us before the war. She had worked with Kathleen Kenyon in Jerusalem and admired her greatly. I had a letter today from the Axamskys… enclosing a newspaper cutting from the Sunday Bulletin, Philadelphia 15/8/65 about an excavation of an Indian settlement and grave group in Lancaster County.

 Dined at the Globe with the Frenchman. A most cheerful young man, a good type. Speaks English inaccurately, but without shyness.

 Saturday August 21^st 1965

 A soaking morning. I went over to Fishbourne about 11am. Wrote notes for Caroline’s trench 302 which we had sectioned yesterday. Spent a rather happy afternoon cleaning some lumps of painted wall plaster and eventually washing them with Rose and Mrs Anderson and at first with another lady. A slow job but rewarding. This was wall plaster taken up some years ago.

  Annie, I never hear anyone’s surname, who looks after the girls in Orchard St and I think now Margaret Rule has gone is looking after preservation of objects, showed me a nice carved amethyst found in the Roman levels. They have now got permanent metal shelving in the workshop part of the museum.

  Barry had a mechanical excavator at work in the former nursey garden area. It found two walls and a continuation of the 1^st period culvert.

  Mr and Mrs Philip Miner came and I took them round and Roger Miner after all my trouble said it was an incomprehensible site. Philip is staying a week digging.

Frankie, Barry’s wife, made me laugh. She was talking of the new Polish woman running the fruit shop in Fishbourne. Frankie is expecting a child and the Polish woman will say to her “are you married?” She is thinking of replying “no, just good friends.”

Sunday August 22^nd 1965

 For the last two days I have had a most pleasant breakfast companion in an old very fit man who designs scenery for the Festival Theatre. He maybe shooting a line a little but he was most interesting about Sir Lawrence Olivier. He does not drink nowadays as he strictly diets himself. The old man had some share in the production of the film of “Henry V” which I so much liked. He says it is Olivier’s favourite film.

 I went to early service at St Pancras. Then to Fishbourne. Dug a little in the road area of Molly’s cutting but in the afternoon continued cleaning wall plaster with Rose Phinny. Enjoyed it. Today part of the carved sides of a fountain appeared in a cutting near old Mr Ledger’s house. Talked to Mrs Anderson whose house covers the 1^st period bath building but is also scheduled as an ancient monument. So here we have two historic monuments of very different dates on top of each other.

 Meal at the Globe. The Frenchman was there. Such a pleasant chap…the eldest (25) of a family of 4, brother (18), sister (12), and I think another brother. His mother very young and mistaken for his sister. He did love his family. We walked to the bus stop and saw the Cathedral bathed in flood lighting, a lovely sight.

Monday August 23^rd 1965

 I enjoyed today at Fishbourne. In the morning cleared the east side of the N-S mechanically excavated trench W of the main house and spent all the afternoon with Hatty, again I don’t know her surname, is it Hatfield? She has been on the site several seasons and is a psychologist by profession. She is engaged to Baric now supervising the interesting cuttings in the courtyard.

  She and I, she holding the tape, drew 30’ of the E side of a cutting. This cutting has gone right into the deep ditch we found two years ago which could be military. There are distinct signs of a rampart made of flints and clay with a red clay front, (this is inaccurate).

   I forgot to say that early this morning I taxied over to Chilgrove (12/6) and was shown round this interesting site by Alex Down. A very interesting villa with mosaics and lots of coins, and beautifully excavated. Down took me to his other site a mile away where so far he has uncovered a room with a nice red mosaic floor with a pattern of circles, a corridor, and a deep quarry? With masses of “slates” of Horsham stone. No doubt the site will grow into a big one. These two stone buildings are genuine villas and are not the same thing as the Fishbourne palace. They are more of the context of West Blatchington and Highdown. It is interesting to see them on the chalk. Beautiful country to be seen with the great Bowhill- Goosehill ridge. I like Alex Down. He is an enthusiast and a capable one. He got me a lift back to Chichester.

  Dined at the Dolphin with Victor Frank, a most interesting man. A wet day. I had wanted to complete Hatty’s drawings but it was too wet. I spent the morning cleaning wall plaster and then went back to the Record Office…

 Then at 6.30 I heard Barry talking at the school quite brilliantly on the 1^st phase of Fishbourne. Is the wooden granary tied to early Claudian pottery?  And the large wooden buildings, and the possible 1B phase of shops, or is it the first Palace? The 1^st period roads are now shown to be bridged over the stream to the north. He talked of the possible military fort… we must find ovens against the ramparts and then we will be sure. Also the possibility of the port to the south. He told me he hopes to publish the Fishbourne we have been digging in a volume of the Antiquaries with a possible second for its surroundings.

 Dined at the Dolphin. Had coffee with Frank and the Frenchman who is preparing a thesis on Prehistoric India, and then home to read.

Wednesday August 25^th 1965

 To Fishbourne and worked all day in the mechanically dug trench to the west. I about finished the drawing of 61’ of the section and dug out a posthole which had a sherd of decorated Samian in it. In the newly found rampart Richard and a boy from Worthing found an oven behind the rampart exactly as Barry hoped in his lecture.

     At teatime there was a great fall of earth in the deep ditch. Fortunately Barry who in spite of my warnings had done his section without shoring up the sides, was not there at the time.

  Fishbourne is now developing to the west of the great house.

 Dined with Victor Frank and Jean Francois Jarrige at the Dolphin, a most pleasant affair. I made two good friends and shall write to them. Frank goes after lunch tomorrow.

 Today wood was found in one of the stake holes of the 1^st period bridge? With-in Martin’s cutting.

Thursday August 26^th 1965

  A day of clouds turning to solid rain in the afternoon. I did not do very much at Fishbourne. The Davidsons came over from Hickstead and I showed them round. They were interested but especially the little daughter who was obviously fascinated and very intelligent about the periods.

 Barry worked himself on the oven behind the “Military” rampart. He is not entirely satisfied that it belongs to 1^st period. It does not lie very deep and the stratification is no help.

 My Russian born friend Frank left after lunch. I have asked George Holleyman to send him a copy of Curwen’s book.

  I worked on the section drawing with Hatty who is not well. Toby is having a great time in the great entrance hall gradually working down. Martin is in great form in the next cutting to where I started this season. 2 coins (1 Nero) were found this morning.

  I went back to Chichester early and made my way to Brighton to get some clean laundry.

Friday August 27^th 1965

 Worked in the Record Office without any but negative success. In the afternoon instead of going to Fishbourne I went to bed till 8.30 sleeping and reading Forster’s “The General”. I had had a very expensive lunch in North St so had a cheap sandwich supper and went off to bed and slept a good night’s sleep.

Saturday August 28^th 1965

 To Fishbourne and spent the morning drawing a plan of the 1^st period outer wall foundations.

  In the afternoon worked in Martin’s cutting scrapping and finding a new occupation level. I enjoyed today. Not much happened but is was a happy day.

  In the evening I dined with Jean Francois at the Globe and talked long over coffee. He is a very pleasant chap with a great love of France and his family at St. Etienne.

 Sunday August 29^th 1965

 Early service at St. Pancras. To Fishbourne by car. An expert in Samian ware whose name I forget the second authority to Hartle, was staying at the Nags Head took me over.

  Worked in Martin’s cutting digging out the road trench and gully. I found another coin very corroded, which was my third at Fishbourne, and some nice decorated Samian ware (55-70AD according to the expert). Worked all the afternoon in gumboots in the “goo” clearing the ditch. Enjoyed it, but had had enough at teatime. Pottered about afterwards.

  Old Mr Ramsdell, my breakfast companion, who paints scenery at the theatre, came in the morning and I took him round the site. I have taken a great liking to the old man. He has a keen sense of humour. I liked his story of Edith Evans (or was it Sybil Thorndyke?) being introduced to a nervous Mayor as a member of “the oldest profession in the world”

 Monday August 30^th 1965

  Foot trouble during the night so did not dig all day. Washed wall plaster and marble fragments until tea time looking for tool marks or outlines on the fragments. Did this with rather a pleasant girl. Two others did some of the pieces but deliberately slowly to spin out the job till tea time. Cleaned also a large piece of quern found in Martin’s cutting to the east. I enjoyed today. Had a chat with Mrs Anderson about old Mr Ledger who apparently was rolling in money even before Margary bought the land. His father who could not read or write amassed a fortune. They were really misers in a way. I like Ledger who seems a real Sussex peasant. I have never seen him in a collar and tie. Always dressed the same, old collarless shirt, blue waistcoat and blue serge trousers and leaning on a stick. Very friendly to all diggers. Talks with a delightful Sussex accent.

 There is a strange girl on the pottery washing, a little odd perhaps, suffering from a migraine. At 11.15 Barry took a conducted tour of the site as usual. Very clear and understandable.

 Dined at the Globe with Jean Francois. I was delighted to find my long lost mackintosh here.

Tuesday August 31^st 1965

 Fishbourne…. early.  Cleaned two large pieces of wall plaster which Annie had brought in from the north wing which were found last year and reburied. Difficult to clean.

 I went into Chichester, having phoned, to get Curwen’s book which George had sent me. I gave the copy to Jean Francois Jarrige. I have also sent a copy to Victor Frank.

  I dug in Martin’s cutting in the afternoon and after tea. Many 1^st period features are appearing. Cottrill from Winchester came today but I did not meet him.

The site was closed to sightseers after 5.o’clock today for good. The finds are being stored in the museum on site. Rose doing good work on the storing.

  Frankie does a lot of work on the site. She is very good at organising the pot washing and plays a big part. A young couple whom I met on Torberry are here with their little baby. Much baby talk as the Cunliffe’s future archaeologist is expected in January.

 I dined at the Globe with Jean-Francois and an Anglicised French woman, Alice Mummery, who has done much work on the villa at Rockbourne near Fordingbridge in Hampshire. She is full of vitality. She tells me that the poor girl who has done so much of the pot washing suffers from occasional fits. She had implied that to me yesterday.

 Today they found a stake hole on the east side of the bridge. Martin’s three cutting at this point are as interesting as any at Fishbourne showing Period 1 ford and bridge for the road over the stream. Also Period 2 courtyard drain with part of the stone work out of position, and Period 3 cold bath in the courtyard.

 Toby (Parker) on the great entrance hall found a pottery “persona” or theatrical mask, very small but definite.

Wednesday September 1^st 1965

  I took a day off Fishbourne today and went down to Portsmouth.  A lovely sight.  I went over the Victory for the first time since the end of my school days and wondered what was original and what was not.  One deck has original timbering and 15 of the guns.  I went round the most interesting museum.

 Then up Commercial Road by bus and had a good cheap (6/-) lunch.  Then I thought of a cinema but remembered I had never seen food on the Isle of Wight so caught the 14.40 ferry to Ryde.  I found that 4 new stamps had come out today so bought 10 of each and sent them off as first day covers.  Then I had a haircut and after approaching the hovercraft people and finding that I should have to wait a long time to cross on one, I returned by ferry and soon came to Chichester talking about the wonders of my Greek holiday with a young Athenian.

 I had sandwiches at the Wine Lodge and am on my way to bed to read an Agatha Christie.  A most happy day.

Thursday September 2^nd 1965

 Fishbourne all day.  I spent the morning drawing the stones in cutting 288 beside the gully.  It took a long time.

 In the afternoon I showed friends of Barry’s round the site and then Dr and Mrs Parker and son and friends.  Dr Parker had been refused admission by Frankie, rightly for the place is shut, but had seen me and persisted and was then worried that he had been rude to Frankie.  He made the silly remark of saying that the pub named the Black Bull in Fishbourne might indicate a Mythical survival.  I could not believe he was serious, but he was, so I humoured him.  Most odd!

 A most tremendous drive has been going on with supervisors and Barry, all digging in the garden area, in front of the west side of the great entrance where signs of monumental flower beds, reminding me of Vaison-La-Romaine have appeared, the only ones in Britain, I believe.  They are most definite.  We worked on till 6pm.  I had a pleasant meal alone with my Agatha Christie book in the Rousillon Bar of the Dolphin – an early bed.

Friday September 3^rd 1965

 26 years ago today!  To Fishbourne where it rained almost all day but we worked on the great cutting in the great courtyard.  I barrowed most of the morning and scraped all the afternoon till tea-time finding part of the two post holes packed with large stones, probably part of the pergola of the garden.  I got rather irritated, tired probably, and stopped work at tea-time and returned to Chichester.  Slept, read more Boswell and had a bath.

 Yesterday a nice coin of Marcus Aurelius with a clear reverse appeared in the big cutting.

 One important feature, which I have not mentioned, but only saw yesterday were the seven or eight large piles (wooden stakes) which held up part of the house at least, found by the mechanical excavator on the preparation of the modern building to cover the north wing.  They are really remarkable.  The end of one has been brought up, sharpened perhaps by a saw to a point.

 This evening we had a very good party of the team leaders and a few others at the Swan in North Street.  Barry Cunliffe, Frankie, Hetty, Toby Parker, David Baker, the couple with the baby girl whose name I forget, Martin, Hatty, Baric, Annie Stevens, Rose Bhinney and Philip.  A nice meal with good wine and happy talk.  We adjourned to the pub and played games and had a very good evening.

Saturday September 4^th 1965

Old Mr Ramsdell left the hotel this morning.  A most charming and entertaining man who gave me great pleasure at breakfast.  We had a mutual liking for each other.  Yesterday, coming home he found a courting couple in the hotel doorway.  “Excuse me”, he said “May I pass?”  The proprietor said to him this morning “Were they trying to get in?”  “Not in that sense” said Ramsdell with a twinkle.

 He had met Shaw and a woman at dinner had said to him “Isn’t it strange, Mr Shaw that the only time the letter “S” is pronounced “Sh” is in the word “sugar”.  “Are you sure?” said he.

 Last and final day at Fishbourne.  Good sunny weather with a touch of autumn.  I drew a 32’ section of cutting 288 with Martin all the morning. 

 Took photos in the afternoon.  Cleaned a few tools.  I was given a drink by the fat major at the pub whom I disliked last year because he seemed to sneer at the dig.  But he was much more affable this time.  Old Ledger came in and also offered me a drink which I refused as I wanted to work.  He pulled out a great handful of pound notes.

 They finished the courtyard cutting finding more evidence of a garden.  Philip, whose other name I do not know, (he too was at the party last night) finished his deep cutting against the Anderson’s garden but could not go quite far enough.  Martin had great difficulty, in fact I think he failed, in getting up the wood from the bridge post holes.

 I had a meal at the Globe.  I hope to stay in Chichester till Monday and Ramsdell left me a pleasant letter. 

 

 

                                                                                     1966

 

Wednesday August 3^rd 1966

 I went over to Chichester by the 1.45 and was soon at the Nags Head which has again changed hands (Mr and Mrs Prodger & Mother-in-law).  Now they do lunches and evening meals.  I am in Room 12.  I went straight over to Fishbourne.  About 70 people in there, most of whom I did not know, except the leaders.  Barry Cunliffe looking incredibly fit, was in the museum when I arrived.  I only heard a day or so ago, I think, from Mr Holleyman that he had won the professorship of Southampton University.  His career is splendid and well deserved.

 I was glad to see Tony Norton here for a fortnight still with a full head of unkempt hair.  He is now a Curate in Bristol.  Caroline, his wife, was in charge of the cutting in which I found myself after tea.  This is in a courtyard of the Palace under cover of the fine new modern museum roof which now covers the north wing.  I do not like it from outside, but it is splendid within.  It is still in the process of erection.  Two mosaics … the Dolphin and another … have been uncovered at the cost of £200 paid by Margary during the year.

 David Baker, the photographer, was there and Philip, whose surname I do not remember, are now in charge of a team working in the great courtyard.  Jean Francois Jarrige (& his fiancée) are over again I was pleased to see.  I liked them both.  They are getting married on September 3^rd in Paris.  I saw Booth-Jones’ daughter working in one of the teams.

 I did an hours work after tea.  Went into the Cathedral and talked with the old man that worked at Fishbourne last year, the monumental brass man (Mr Edwards).  He seemed to me to be getting almost senile with his persistent talking.

 I had a good supper at the Nags Head.  Went to the Chichester Cross and back and then went to bed feeling rather sick. 

Thursday August 4^th 1966

 To Fishbourne and worked on Caroline’s cutting in the north wing.  I cleared a section of red tessellated floor and began looking for the drainage gully of the small courtyard.  A pleasant and rather tiring day.  Mr Hogan, the American, who I always thought was rather stand-offish was most friendly to me.  He had found a nice piece of stone drain in situ at the east end of the north wing.  I came away at tea-time.  At lunch time, rather annoyed with the publican who is rather overdoing the dirty boots business.  He would not let Jarrige and his fiancée sit with us because of their boots, which were not particularly muddy.  He is said to be a sick man who has to go to South Africa for his health, and who is giving up the pub, and his wife has apparently been awkward about the mud.  I do entirely blame her but something was done about it and she should stop nattering.

 At 8.30 Jean Francois Jarrige and his charming finacee Catherine and I dine together not at the Globe as we intended as it shut at 8 o’clock, nor at the French restaurant which was booked up, but at the Rousillon Grill at the Dolphin.  We had a very happy evening.  Jean forgot his money, but I had a £5 note which saved us.  I liked them both very much.  They are getting married soon and going excavating in Pakistan in November. 

 

Friday August 5^th 1966

 Delighted to see Daniel, the Cunliffe’s dear little baby, on the site.  He is grand, full of life and alertness … the only person at Fishbourne who did not care whether the Romans ever came to Britain or not.

 I dug partly with Nicholas, a Bedford school lad, and excellent worker.  We looked for stylobate seating and drainage gully in Caroline’s cutting. 

 I had my meal at the Bulls Head as I was not pleased with the Woolpack chap, but I shall return there in due course.

 Meal with Jean Francois and his fiancée at the Globe.  Quite good, but surly service and we talked long over coffee.

Saturday August 6^th 1966

 Not a very exciting day.  It rained very heavily practically all day.  I continued looking for my drain, and later went with one of the ladies to uncover a peculiar piece of walling covered with broken tile, some roof tiles set in a line with the flanges upwards, rather like the Highdown hot-room.  We cleaned this and shall eventually draw it.  It rained and rained and rained.

 I am very taken with the Cunliffe’s little son and delighted to see him in a cot by his mother who, instead of spinning or knitting, was cleaning Roman wall plaster.

 I dined at the Nags Head.  Very early to bed and do not now feel very well.

Sunday August 7^th 1966

 Not too well this morning, but went to the 10.30 service in the Cathedral and had a real sleep in the sermon.  Saw with difficulty Margaret Rule’s dig in the cloisters corner of the Paradise where she has gone into a brick vault and found a well (inaccurate). Lunched at the Nags Head.  The sun came out and I went to Fishbourne and then took Jarrige and his fiancée to Bosham, which looked lovely and delighted them.  We had tea there and then returned to Fishbourne.  Meal at the Dolphin.  Met Elliot whom I used to teach years ago. 

Monday August 8^th 1966

 Bought Werth’s “Russia at War 1941-1945”.  To Fishbourne.  Worked on Caroline’s cutting and the western courtyard in the north wing.   A fine day except for one heavy shower.  Jean Francois and Catherine were next door to me.

 Lunch at the Woolpack again.  Miss Keef came to the site and talked cattily to me about other digs.  I am going to see her new site on Saturday afternoon (Hoskins, East Harting Farm).  She was at her most irritating, I thought.

 Came to see Margaret Rule’s site near Priory Park, but she had gone.

 Dinner at Nags Head.  Talked to Mr Proctor about his experience in the air service, which took Prince Aly Khan all over the world.  Sites in Persia and Iraq.

Tuesday 9^th August 1966

Another day of heavy rain.  I went round to the Priory Park site and saw Mrs Rule.  Beautiful work but not much to show.

 The well in the Cathedral is a sump for the water from the roof.

 Worked under cover all day shifting soil but with nothing very interesting happening.  In the afternoon I worked with Catherine.  They are going to Portsmouth to dinner tonight and London tomorrow.

 Dr Wilson, Mrs Wilson, Claire and a friend came.  Wilson is very blind nowadays.  Meal at the Nags Head.

Wednesday August 10^th 1966

To Fishbourne all day and worked hard clearing the rubble from the drain and stylobate.  Ann, a young girl whose surname I know not, is highly pleased with her two stylobate blocks in position. 

 The boys have been heaving out clay and seem to have found the “military” ditch.  A very nice feature, a mortar seating for upright tiles has appeared in the middle of the courtyard.

 In the other cuttings very nice garden features and pieces, not of a fountain as had been previously thought, but of a capital are appearing in Philip’s cutting.  A new team leader is on the job, Nigel ... no surnames here!  Tony is finding garden features looking like toy trenches for the 1^st War battle with lead soldiers in the great courtyard.

 I had a long talk … I was tired with old Mr Edwards who is President of the Monumental Brass Society.  He is losing his memory.  A nice old chap but heavy going now.

Thursday August 11^th 1966

 Trained to Shoreham and up to Beeding to St Peter’s Church where an excavation had just begun … yesterday, not Monday, of Seal Priory.  Only four people working.  I felt it a duty to go as I am now chairman of the Research Committee.  I met the chap in charge by cannot remember his name.

 Returned to Chichester and worked in the Record Office, bringing their copy of “Ancestors” up to date.

Friday August 12^th 1966

 A very happy day after an indigestive night.  Worked on Caroline’s cutting finding the edge of the floor of courtyard with some pottery, robber trench for gutter, and seating for robbed stylobate blocks.

 Worked with Mr Hogan, the American, who comes each year and to my amazement finds that he lectured at one time in the University of Virginia.  He was fascinated when I talked of George Long and after tea, we went off and saw his grave in Portfield Cemetery.  He took a copy of the inscription on the grave and I promised to send him my article and a rubbing of our memorial (Long was the first professor of Ancient Languages at the University of Virginia between 1824 – 28 and later Classical Lecturer at Brighton College between 1849 and 1871).  He is a delightful chap whom I had always thought stand-offish.  He goes on Monday so we have only these few hours to talk of Long and he has been five times on the Fishbourne dig.  When we were at Portfield we called on the Vicar, to whom he had an introduction … Mr Mills … a man sick with chronic bronchitis, poor man.  We stayed twenty minutes or so.  (St Alban’s School, Washington 16 D.C.)

 A very nice dinner at the Dolphin with Jean and Catherine who, tomorrow, go to Bristol to stay with the Nortons’.  Tony to be priested on September 25^th.  Jean and Catherine are getting married on September 3^rd.

Saturday August 13^th 1966

Went to look at Mrs Rule’s site by the Priory.  Beautifully done and now producing Roman coins and pottery.

 Went over to Harting by the 12.50 bus and lunched at the pub.  Good, but expensive.  Met Miss Keef.  She is a character.  She took me to see the pre-1766 wall paintings in the house in Harting Street which is being renovated.  They are charming but not being well treated in the renovations.  Walked then to East Harting Farm where she showed me an interesting collection of what seemed late Bronze Age sherds from a site in a field at the foot of the hill west of Harting Beacon, a most unusual site.  She took me to see it and I found many more indeterminate sherds.

 I then had to move fast to catch the 5.20 bus from S Harting to Chichester.  I went by train to Brighton, collected a copy of my article on George Long and one of his endorsed cheques for Hogan and a copy of the Itford Report for Miss Keef.  Returned by 8.15 train.

Sunday August 14^th 1966

 A very happy day at Fishbourne working with Mr Hogan around the Stylobate blocks with the later wall on top of them.  We found pottery on the courtyard floor.  I liked Mr Hogan, an enthusiastic American.

 Victor Frank arrived today for a fortnight.  He is now translating Joyce’s “Portrait of the author as a young man”, into Russian for sale in the Soviet Union.  I am sorry the French couple were not here to meet him.

Monday August 15^th 1966

 To Fishbourne all day and worked on my own, clearing the guttering of the courtyard and scraping the floor to find much pottery and chips of glass.

 Craig, the School House boy, and his mother and a friend came in the afternoon and I showed them round the site. 

 I had a meal with Victor Frank at the Dolphin and we reminisced about the war years.

 They have arrested a man for the murder of the three policemen I am glad to say.

Tuesday August 16^th 1966

 I spent the day drawing the 35’6” section across the courtyard of the north wing and enjoyed it.  The mechanical excavator was clearing a large part of the courtyard near the Roman level.  The garden features are coming out, remarkably, in the long cutting across the courtyard in front of the Great Entrance – a fine pattern of lines and semi-circles.

Wednesday August 17^th 1966

 Spent the morning in the Record Office after seeing Mrs Rule’s site.

 Interesting afternoon at Fishbourne on my own drawing the section over the deep clay filled ditch.

It took me till past 5.30.

Thursday August 18^th 1966

 A gloriously hot day.  I went over to Bramber and saw Ken Barton and Eric Holden in action with 40 volunteers on their Bramber Castle dig.  They had just found a silver coin of one of the Edwards (1, 11 or 111) and a medieval buckle.  Ernest Crossland and Mike Pratt were there.  It looked an excellent and happy affair.

 I then went to Sele and found Kaye at work with about a dozen helpers.  He had found part of the cloister walls.

 I then had a meal in Shoreham driven nearly silly by a loudmouthed ancient Cockney couple and then trained to Fishbourne, was only allowed one of the new World Cup stamps at the Post Office, and then dug the top of an occupation layer in cutting 330 which yielded much pottery and a bronze pin.

 Back late to the Nags Head for dinner.  They have not yet caught the third man in the case of the murdered policemen, but are combing Epping Forest.

Friday August 19^th 1966

 Another hot day.  I worked all day on my own in cutting 330 finding a great quantity of pottery, mortaria rims, a little Samian, and glass.  I enjoyed it, but overworked.

 Talked to Mr Ledger, an old bachelor, about marriage.  “I never quite got round to it” he said in broad Sussex. 

Saturday August 20^th 1966

 No Fishbourne today.  Went into Brighton. 

Sunday August 21^st 1966

 I returned to Fishbourne and had a hard working afternoon clearing the ditch in cutting 330 and finding much coarse pottery.  I showed Barr-Hamilton around the site and gave him tea.

 Saw some of “Batman” on ITV.  It is incredible – the new low.  It really is drivel beyond belief.

Monday August 22^nd 1966

 A remarkably interesting day at Fishbourne.  I arrived early and finished cutting 330.  Just before tea break Barry found the Stylobate of the northern loggia in the northwest corner of the great courtyard with the bases of three columns set at 12’ intervals – a fine discovery.  In one place between the pillars was a later wall.  Half a capital lay near one of the pillars.  Barry was able to show this new feature during his weekly Monday trip around the site.

 I moved to cutting 329 which had been under water in the first week and was in a mess.  I got rid of most of the sticky mud and then on the black occupation layer underneath (layer 5), picked up a very nice silver denarius of Tiberius which was in good condition.  The Emperor’s head was very clear.

              Ob.  Emperor’s head facing right.  (TI) CAESAR DIVI AUG F AUGUST

              Rev.  Livia seated facing right.  PONTIF MAXIM

“Whose is this image and superscription” and they said unto him “Caesar’s”.

 In the square in front of the newly discovered colonnade, a human skeleton was found this afternoon.

 I dined with Victor Frank at the Dolphin.  He tells me he is having the 9 letters that Einstein sent to his father, auctioned at Sotherbys.  Political letters asking why Frank did not go back to Russia after his exile in l922.  Einstein a wonderful mathematician, but as a man, was a kindly fool.

 N.B. Today at Fishbourne I saw Evelyn Baker’s lovely drawing of the Dolphin floor.  It had taken at least 200 hours, a lovely piece of work.

Tuesday August 23^rd 1966

 Worked again on 329 and more or less finished the cutting which consists mainly of a 1^st period road with just the edge of its south ditch.  I got much pottery with an amphora handle with an illegible potter’s stamp.  Also a tiny piece of a bronze pin.

 I came back to Chichester at tea time and went first to Smith’s Bookshop and feeling tired, considered buying a classic for a good read.  I thought of a Hardy novel.  However I went off without buying one, to see Margaret Rule’s site and then to the museum hoping to see Miss Fisher.  I went on to the Meynell Antiquarian book shop in East Street and still thinking of Hardy took down a worn red leather copy of the “Dynasty” Parts 1 and 11 published by Macmillan and Co in 1924.  I turned a page and to my delight saw inscribed in ink “For Col. T. E. Lawrence Thomas Hardy”.  I went to the bookseller who was astonished.  We checked the writing against the facsimile of Hardy’s signature in another edition.  I refused to buy it for 2/- and eventually paid £1.  I had no idea of its real value but it will be more than that with its associations. 

 I am toying with the idea of giving it to the Hardy museum which I think is at Max Gate, Dorchester, and have written to know if they are interested.

Wednesday August 24^th 1966

 I was taken over to Chilgrove, by a man staying at the Nags Head, who is digging there. A good many people there including Ernest Crosslaid. I did not notice much change in the sites since last year. Alex Down took me to Site 2 and I photographed the famous floor with the eight circles. Two most interesting sites in glorious country. Alex Down very friendly but in a worked up state getting his people to the job.

I was brought back to the cross roads and bused into Chichester. I lunched at the Nags Head and had a lie-down well into the afternoon. Then over to Fishbourne for an hour. Many remains of pillars now showing in the N.W. corner of the courtyard.

Thursday August 25^th 1966

 Walked all round Chichester trying to get Lawrence’s Letters to try and date my book find. No success. Showed the book find to Steer who was most interested.

Over to Fishbourne and worked on the 3^rd period floor in the W. corner of the inner courtyard and found most of a grey pot in position. George Holleyman and Kyte came over and tell me my book find is probably worth £25. They were most enthusiastic about it. It was good to see old George out on site again. His nephew is working here. I gave George and Kyte tea and we had an interesting book talk.

A happy day. This morning I called at Mrs Rule’s site in the Cathedral cloisters…she was not there but her helpers showed me the very disturbed soil.

Friday August 26^th 1966

To Fishbourne and worked on the small courtyard in the 3^rd period level. I found a melon bead, a nice bone pin and some lead fragments.  A pleasant day, but I was tired at tea time and came home.

 I dined at the Dolphin with Victor.  Most interesting man with an odd, wide culture.  He told me of his boyhood in Revolutionary Russia, when there were no schools and how he and his brother were taught by a Russian professor’s wife, who read, amongst other things Homer to them in a fine Russian translation.  He is a great admirer of Belloc.

Saturday August 27^th 1966

 At Fishbourne and continued yesterday’s work.  Rather tired.  They are cleaning the strange tumble of broken tiles, mainly floor tiles in our courtyard. 

              Cuttings are as follows:-

a.       A finely done cutting run by Philip in the northwest corner of the great courtyard.  Pillar bases and a capital and drums of columns lying on the stylobate and in the gutter.  A small walled room in the corner … a possible lavatory.  Garden features appearing.  Fallen coloured wall plaster face downwards in cutter trench.

b.      Our work in small courtyard in the west end of the north wing.  Red mosaic floor north and east but missing in west where later ovens are appearing.

c.       The eastern courtyard which is yielding great pits of 1^st period timber building, some used as rubbish pits.  Nigel is the supervisor.

d.      Cuttings in great courtyard looking for garden features.

e.       A long strip of garden features now completed leading to projection of outer wall of the villa to the west.

f.        Disappointing fruitless cuttings beyond the palace to the west.  Run by Toby.

Sunday August 28^th 1966

 To the 10.30 service at the Cathedral.  Quite a large congregation in the nave.  I lunched at the Wine Lodge and then went back to the Nags Head and slept for a couple of hours.

 Went over in lovely weather by the 3.58 bus to East Dean and met Miss Keef who took me into the heart of the woods and showed me the medieval manor house remains … East Dean Manor where she has one or two cuttings which show plastered walls.  She has also found the fire places of the later Elizabethan buildings.  All in deep woodland.  An extraordinarily but interesting site.  She is a character but she loves this countryside and has given her life to archaeology, but her cuttings are quaint.  They are not exactly old fashioned but Keefian but they do no real harm, but I hope the sites are recorded.

 And I has a cup of tea with no sugar, but I did enjoy seeing the site in lovely country.  Miss Keef is an enthusiast but her digging technique, due I expect to lack of helpers, is unique and yet she dug with Wheeler at Maiden Castle, with Col Drew at Colliton Park, and on the 1935 Whitehawk dig and on many other great digs – Angmering in 1938 etc.  She is intensely possessive of her area and has a biting tongue about many other archaeologists.  Alec Down is not high on her list.  Salzman and Steer who refused her reports are low on the list.  I am all right now but at any moment could sink into the trough.

Monday August 29^th 1966

To Fishbourne all day and worked on the clearing of the tile tumble in the small courtyard and in the afternoon found remains of at least 3 wine jugs, 1 with intact handle. The strange feature of fallen plaster is backed now by a distinct line of flat floor tiles. We do not yet know the meaning of this feature nor its correct period, but it is presumably late.

Martin Hennig is o/c here. He now works at the Guildhall and of course knows Merrifield and Rector, a pleasant cultured young man rather shy to start with but now feeling his feet. I would as soon work on his part of the site as any of them.

Ann who dug with me in the earlier seasons came today, now married with a lovely fair haired baby a little older than Daniel Cuncliffe. Barry and Frankie are grand with Daniel. “Now, Daniel, kill, kill” cries Barry bouncing the little boy up and down to his delight. They look like a Chinese peasant family from “The Good Earth” as they wait for the Portsmouth bus in the evening. Today I was amused to see the supervisors on the floor of the shed listening to the bearded Barry sitting by the table, and hanging on his words.” At the feet of Gamaliel” as I said to Frankie but she thought it was Christ teaching in the temple.

Tuesday August 30^th 1966

 To Fishbourne. Dug round the area where we found the top of the handled jug. A good deal more pottery. Looking for the relationship of the red clay and the gravelled courtyard.

Cunliffe has drawn the plan of the garden as far as it is known. It takes shape. The N and W side are complimentary. The E side varies.

It rained heavily part of the day and rather messed up the interesting investigation of the N W corner of the garden.

Toby is digging a rather dismal cutting in the field to the northwest.

I have been most happy at the Nags Head. Mr and Mrs Proctor are most friendly kindly people, she very cheery. I think it is her parents who help-a Cockney pair, also friendly and all determined to make their venture a success. They give an excellent cheap evening meal.

Wednesday August 31^st 1966

I returned to Brighton…unwillingly, and re-established myself at the school. Began typing out the Fishbourne diary, such as it is.

Friday September 2nd 1966

Went over to Fishbourne for half an hour in the afternoon but felt poorly and came away soon. They are widening our courtyard cutting and lifting the plaster in the great courtyard. I hear it has a floral design.

 I went over on the last day, after most of the excavators had gone, but did no work. Talked a long time to Toby who was examining the red tessellated floor round the small courtyard. I kept no record of the day (Sunday I think) G.P.Burstow 16/10/ 1966.

 

Monday November 21^st 1966

Not over well today. Sore throat… Over to East Grinstead by 4.28 train and had a pleasant meal with the Margarys. I lecturer on “Fishbourne” to about 40/50 people in the School Hall. My throat improved and I was in very good form, and the audience asked many questions. I used mostly my own transparencies. A fascinating site. The red pipes… are they land drains?

Friday November 25^th 1966.

I went over to St. Leonards and was met by Mr Chevallier who gave me a pleasant meal. His wife was in bed ill. Then he took me over to Battle where I lectured to a good audience of 60 or so in the Langton Hall on “Fishbourne” and was in good form and the audience most appreciative. I showed the same slides as at East Grinstead and they went down well. Back in Brighton by 10.45.

 

                                                THE FISHBOURNE STORY 1967

Thursday January 26^th 1967

In the afternoon went with Norman Frith to the Antiquaries to hear Barry Cunliffe give an excellent lecture on Fishbourne 1966. Special emphasis on the garden. The room was full but none of the diggers were there except, I believe, Martin Hennig. Professor Worald was resident in the chair. Margary was there (he spoke at the end), Dunning, Phillips, Prof.Toynbee (a woman. Which of the family is she)? and Harden all spoke. I spoke to Clive Rouse and Merrifield. A very good meeting indeed. We then had an excellent meal at my Steak House in the Charing Cross Road.

We were delighted at the lecture with one very old Fellow who sank into a deep sleep when the lecturer rose and was snoring slightly at question time.  I have written and told Barry …. I suppose I have done wisely. 

 

Sunday July 30^th 1967

 I looked in at Chichester Cathedral on route and then walked to Fishbourne on rather a cold and drizzling day.  The excavators started yesterday – about 50 of them – this year all on invitation.  Barry and Frankie and little Daniel were there.  Tony Norton now a father of George, looking long haired and rather wild, but a good chap.  Nigel with the Scandinavian name was there, and Mr Hogan from Washington with one American teenager, a good sort of lad.  A fat girl whom I vaguely remember with “Cogidumnus and I are just good friends” rather obviously painted on the back of her jacket, and one or two others who I vaguely remember.

I worked alone very happily on a so called kitchen area near where the museum is being built.  Some pottery but not much of interest, though I enjoyed the day.  The pub is in new hands.  Gave me a good lunch.

The main party are in tents in the school grounds in Orchard Street, but organisation has broken down and there is no hot water etc.  Barry planning to crucify X for lack of efficiency.  We think he should be put in the new museum in a room marked “Roman Punishments”.  At other times Barry wishes to machine gun him.  David and Evelyn Baker are on site.

I went to bed early after seeing a bit of TV and slept like a log. 

Monday July 31^st 1967

  Over to Fishbourne before 10 am.  Worked with Hogan on the kitchen area finding much pottery including the better part of a lid and a bronze ring.  I enjoyed working with him.  We discussed the colour problem, the drug problem, England, America, the Kennedys whom he did not support, particularly Mrs Kennedy who is behaving like a child – I always thought the same – the Civil War, Lullingstone, where he had not liked Col Meates who took no interest in these American helpers etc. etc.  He is a tremendous supporter of Barry, not only as an archaeologist, but because of his handling of people.

When I was lunching at the Woolpack, old Mr Edwards arrived, more deaf and bewildered than last year.  We may all come to it, but it is trying and I had a word with Barry not to put him near me for long on the dig.  It is sad, but tiring.

Rose, whose surname I always forget, arrived this afternoon.  Dined at the Nags Head.  Bed early.  Reading “Kitchener”.

Yesterday, I was amused when Cunliffe’s explanation of the site to the group, a youngster fell at his feet in a faint.  Barry called to two chaps to carry him out and carried on with his story as if nothing had happened.  Then another – a red headed chap – semi-collapsed.  We persuaded him to get some air.  The north wing is like a hot house, which accounts for the growth of plant life all over the place.

Tuesday August 1^st 1967

 To a doctor to get further prescription for the ointment for my bad ankle.  Only obtainable on a doctor’s prescription.  A quick job.  Over to Fishbourne with Hogan who had a cold and was under the weather.  However, he worked with me on the kitchen area till 4pm with great joy.  A simple religious kindly American aged about 58 who looked after the borders at St Andrews, Washington, a private school where he teaches Classics.  He has no children, but I presume is married, though he has not said so, though he refers to a nice house he owns in Virginia.  A very old fashioned man who likes the old fashioned virtues.  He talks with a lovely southern accent.

We found a lot of pottery but still do not understand our area.  Hogan crooning with delight over being on this part of the dig and filled with almost obsequent admiration for Barry whose praise he relishes.  Very afraid of not working hard enough and being considered as the American who did not work hard enough.  In fact he works exceedingly hard and loyally and has done so for many years at Fishbourne and Portchester. 

He is talking of retirement from his school next year, to get on with his other interests.

Barry lectured tonight on “The Garden” at the school.  I would like to have heard him but my meal was too late and I was very tired.

Rose has given up ordinary teaching and has a post in a Teachers Training College.  Good luck to her.  I personally can think of no worse job in the teaching world.

Wednesday August 2^nd 1967

  Rain most of the morning, though I worked with Hogan clearing the large blocks of our “feature”.  There are two courses of them where I was working.  Hogan was not too well but rather stupidly would work in the rain, though he said “only the English would work in the rain”.  He is a most sensitive man determined not to let Barry see anything slip shod.  This is almost obsessional.  A very religious man appalled that Tony Norton is not having his son baptized until he is old enough to have a say in the matter.

I lunched alone at the Woolpack.  New proprietors again this year.  Nice people and good food.

I worked alone till tea break hacking out a small exploratory trench in heavy clay, but it rained again after tea and I went back to Chichester and, after a good meal, went to a crowded cinema – so rare nowadays – to see “A Man for all Seasons” for the second time.  It was better this time.  One picked up the subtitles.  It is a very fine film.  Paul Schofield is superb as More.

Thursday August 3^rd 1967

Called to see Hogan at 139 Orchard Street and found him in bed with a bad throat.  Worked hard all morning digging the small extension W of the feature.  A muddling area which I hope will make sense.  The Holdens came to look round after lunch.  Eric rather rebuked me for saying how glad I was that I had not gone in with Holmes, saying the job did not really require two leaders and that I had been asked out of courtesy having dug so much before.  However, no-one asked me about the choice of site and Hollingbury is the last place I would have chosen as it is almost certainly barren as Curwen said in 1931.  Eric had been to see Holmes on Saturday and he had found nothing positive.  There is just a chance he may find something positive near Tom’s 1908 excavation.

I was glad to see Margary who had come for a conference with Horton the contractor.  He looks much older and bent.  I had written him a cheerful letter yesterday which had amused him and his wife.

I hear that the builders have an inaccurate survey for the new buildings whose foundations are being dug – the museum should be very nice with £15000 from the Sunday Times to help, the Concourse, and the curator’s house, and store rooms.  Later Collins appeared very worried at the way the money is pouring away.  The restorations of the mosaics is eating it up – over £1000 went on the Dolphin mosaic.  The date for opening is June next year now, but I shall be astonished if it is so.

The diggers are clearing great areas of the garden – areas of red drain piping are appearing.

I went back early, called on Hogan, and went to the library where I persuaded them to let me have a ticket.  I left my Sussex Archaeological Society life members ticket as bail.

Friday August 4^th 1967

Went to see Hogan but the owners were out so I left a note.  Over to Fishbourne and finished my extension to natural and cleared out dark soil in the smaller large block area.

One of the teams has found the west wing wall with disturbed drainage blocks.  A coin – a radiate head – came in the east cutting which I saw.  I hear a nice Claudian coin was found there yesterday.

They began putting in the concrete in the foundations of the museum today.  David Baker photographed it.  Old Mr Edwards collapsed and cut his head badly and had to be taken to hospital.  He was brought back to his digs at Fishbourne and wanted to return to work.  A silly man, he is probably over eighty.  Barry is very nice and kind to him, but he is getting forgetful and talks at tangent all the time.  He has been, I should think, quite a learned man.

I called on Hogan on the way back.  He is better but still has little voice.  Hopes to dig again on Sunday.

Saturday August 5^th 1967

  To Fishbourne with a swollen ankle which hurt in the night.  Today, two youngsters under the authority of a bearded chap nicknamed “Haggis” came and worked west of me.  Haggis who had worked at Bath, was a good chap but talked youthful banalities which tired me.

I worked hard completing Hogan’s trench and finding much pottery including two nice jug handles and then, pushing north, I came upon a red water main block but I should think not in position.

Edward Pyddoke, whom I did not recognise – I was not at my best today – came just as we were going.  I took him to see the mosaics.  Went to see Hogan who was still in bed.

Old Mr Edwards returned to the dig today looking priceless with a great white pad stuck at a jaunty angle on his head.  He washed pottery sitting on a chair at the entrance.  He said he was, and appeared to be, much better after his blood-letting.  He certainly was much more coherent at the start of the morning.

Monday August 7^th 1967

  All day at Fishbourne and a happy one at that.  More digging north of the structure and finding much pottery – miserable little bits, mostly.  Hogan, not there, but I saw him by the bus stop, by the Cathedral.  He hopes to come tomorrow.  He had been reading Frere’s new book on Roman Britain, which he liked immensely, but not the illustrations.

Barry took the working party round after morning break.  The main garden cuttings are looking fine.

Tuesday August 8^th 1967

  A hard working morning in the dark area to the north of my site (cutting 397).  Most of the time worked alone as my neighbours were withdrawn to a site across the main road in the front garden of a house named “Roman Pavement” (??).  I found much pottery and a little glass but no more.

Tired by 5pm and came home.  Went to see Hogan who was out.  Caroline Norton (Pickard that was) came today with their little son – George – a blue-eyed baby of 17 weeks.

Evelyn Baker has been drawing the Medusa floor which overlies a second period floor, and has found two Roman plumed helmets depicted by the head.

Wednesday August 9^th 1967

  Did not go to the dig in the morning.  To Record Office to look up facts for an obituary of Curwen.  Meal at Wine Lodge.  Out by 1.15pm.  Dug on my own in the black area.  Hogan has gone having left us a bottle of sherry.

Thursday August 10^th 1967

  Over to Fishbourne early.  Worked a little in my cutting.  Then drew a section for Barry over a ditch recently found by the workmen, laying foundations of the Curator’s House.  Returned to my cutting and found a bronze coin – I should think by the size of it, it’s 1^st Century.  This lay in a black layer (5) in the cutting 397 in black filling of top of the ditch.  I was pleased with this.  It is only my fourth at Fishbourne.  In the afternoon found the edge of my ditch.  A fine piece of Samian rose bowl appeared in the filling.  I over-worked today and was tired.  As I was going, found Professor Hawkes and his wife and mother-in-law in the museum hut.  Nice to see him again.  He looks very white and thin these days with flashing intense eyes – has an extraordinary mind.  I like him but he often bewilders me.  His battery and valves are higher charged than mine.  He reminded me that we have never written up Muntham Court and suggested we wait till new thought on I.A. is published (see Antiquity next December).

Friday August 11^th 1967

All day at Fishbourne, cleared out the ditch or occupation layer and found the better part of a small Neronian Samian cup with the maker’s name which I could not read – Margaret Rule says it reads GENTS – and much more of yesterday’s rose bowl.  Two museum exhibits in these two Samian vessels.  Much course pottery.  Two pieces of green window glass.  All this occupation layer belongs to Period 1.

Barry has worked out a theory of a water tower near the stream bringing water to a tank in the North West corner of the courtyard for dispersal via red water pipes to fountains etc.  Fine deduction.

Tony Norton I am sorry to say, has left us for good.  The end of Fishbourne for him.

Sunday August 13^th 1967

The garden cuttings look superb.  The “Box-hedge” trenches are coming out remarkably well, as are the line of the water pipes.  They are working on the Aisled Hall area up by the road.  This is a superb excavation.

A very nice lion’s head in bronze has come up in a flower bed trench in the west of the great courtyard.

Monday August 14^th 1967

  It rained in the morning.  I wrote a version of Curwin’s obituary and send it off to Holleyman.

Tuesday August 15^th 1967

  A wet day until the evening.  Went to Fishbourne and did more harm than good.  Everything I did, by my own fault went wrong.  I felt terribly tired. 

Wednesday August 16^th 1967

  To Fishbourne again, and I think it was today that I started drawing a plan of cutting 397.  Otherwise, I cannot remember much about today.

Thursday August 17^th 1967

 Completed plan and drew two sections of my 1^st Period occupation layer.

Friday August 18^th 1967

  I went over to Bramber and watched Eric and Ken Barton’s dig at the Castle.  By mechanical means they are sectioning the enormous early ditch round the motte.  Mike Pratt, now married, and his charming wife were there.  Eric Crossland, Witten and many others were there.  A lovely site being beautifully dug.  Pleasant finds near the gateway.  The rest very barren.  Holmes and his wife are visiting. 

Sunday August 20^th 1967

  To Fishbourne and showed Robinson, who dug with us at Itford, and his wife and a young couple around the site, and then walked off the site to East Ashling and West Stoke in lovely light. 

Monday August 21^st 1967

  To Fishbourne to say goodbye.  Barry in some excitement having found a wall and gutter (robbed) which seemed to indicate a South wing as large as the North wing.  This across the road behind a house called “Roman Harbour” (Roman Landings) or whatever the house is called.

I had a meal at the Wine Lodge and talked to an elderly man named Bart who had been at prep school with Cecil Curwin (at Ludgrove (??), Hemel Hempstead.  Talked of the Curwins’ and of Windbolt whom he knew.

Tuesday August 22^nd 1967

  Over to Bramber and watched the digging.  Graham Thyer was there.  More great cuttings by the mechanical excavator.

Walked to Steyning and saw the Ainsworth Group at work on a Saxon hut.  I suppose it is a hut.  A good deal of pottery and a nice bronze Saxon type pair of tweezers have been found.  Old Roper was there, still digging.  His wife has been very ill with I should think a nervous attack but is recovering.

 

Additional

Friday December 23^rd 1966

  I went over to Chichester and out to Fishbourne to see how the great building is getting on.  It is magnificent, several floors including the Dolphin have been uncovered, and the hypocaust etc.  This year’s cuttings were not filled in and are full of water.  Mrs Anderson met me and told me Barry was in the museum shed.  He had however, just gone but one of the Portsmouth school masters was there with whom I dug at Torberry.

I went into the cathedral and saw the magnificent modern screen in glorious colours.  I liked it very much. 

Wednesday December 28^th 1966

  A pleasant letter from Margary giving the unpleasant news that old Mr Ledger at Fishbourne was attacked in his house, tied up and the house robbed and the phone cut off.  It took him some hours to get free and phone the police.  He was very badly shaken, but is better now.  He is a rich man and very likely I should think, kept money loose in the house.

 

Tuesday June 13^th 1967

Then, by 10.45am to Chichester and then out to Fishbourne.  I had a chat with old Ledger who was scything grass in his garden.  We talked of cooking for ourselves.  He is a bachelor and likes doing his own cooking.

I went round the North wing, the work seems very slow, and there I have no doubt the magic goes once the place is dug up.  They are excavating an area where a museum and consortium will be built and have found a lead pipe, the iron bands of water pipes and several coins.  They have met the “military” ditch again.  It was a lovely day and whole site is covered with lush grass.

I was sorry to hear that the good lady at the tea shop has married and given it up.  Also the fruit shop opposite has become a hairdressers.  The Woolpack Inn has changed hands as I already know.

Tuesday October 31^st 1967

  Over to Littlehampton to lecture on Fishbourne to the Archaeological Society.  About 60 people there.  I enjoyed it.  Mr and Mrs Bayliss were there.  The lecture took place in the hall of St James’ church.  Home before 10pm.

Tuesday 7^th November 1967

  I went over to Fishbourne to see the latest developments.  Things are moving.  The mosaics in the North wing are being very nicely treated.  The museum and concourse are rising and the foundations of the Curator’s house are underway.  I had a meal at the Woolpack where I was welcomed.  Then a chat to Mr Ledger and then to some of the workmen I knew.

Monday 13^th November 1967

  At 7pm gave the last lecture of my eight at Lewes, on “Fishbourne” and was in good form with the largest number present on the course – 26.  I think 28 signed on, but the usual number present was 22.

Tuesday 14^th November 1967

  Showed two forms of the school my Fishbourne slides in my study.

Friday December 1^st 1967

  Today came Sussex Notes and Queries XV1.10 with the obituary of Cecil Curwin which I wrote for George Holleyman and myself.  I am pleased with it.  I greatly respected Curwin and owe a lot to him and I have shown this in the obituary.

Thursday December 14^th 1967

  I went over to Fishbourne and found the work looking very nice under the roof of the North wing.  Slow but sure.  I talked to old Ledger who looked well.  I wrote a Christmas airmail to Hogan from Chichester post office.

 

Saturday February 17^th 1968

  Over to Lewes to Archaeological Council.  A very full house and very long and heavy going business … Margary talked about the opening of Fishbourne.  Barry had wanted to issue invitations to all the diggers, but they run to over a thousand, but there again, they did the work.  A compromise has been reached.  70 or so will appear on the day and a free pass issued to the rest for one visit.

Saturday March 16^th 1968

  On the spur of the moment after lunch, I went over to Fishbourne, got in via Ledger’s garden and eventually into the building as the boss of the mosaic menders (restorers) was there.  The museum, Concourse, and Curator’s House are now roofed but are unfinished inside.  To my pleasure Barry Cunliffe and a friend arrived, and we all walked round.  They had begun to lay the surface of the garden.  Cunliffe worried that they had put too much soil and were well above the Roman level.

Wednesday March 27^th 1968

  Over to Lewes (the headquarters of the Sussex Archaeological Society) and discovered errors in the enclosed Fishbourne pamphlet.  I have told Norris and MacPherson my views and written to Cunliffe and Margary.  There are at least four errors – conflict of date of opening – number of mosaics – the date of the site (70 to 280 A.D.)  Sketch plan does not indicate that only the North wing is to be opened.

Friday March 29^th l968

 I had a letter from Margary fully agreeing with my comments on the Fishbourne pamphlet.  We still do not know who drew it up.  I am glad I noticed its absurdity.

Thursday May 30^th 1968

  School photo in the morning.  I then went down to Chichester, lunched at the Globe by the station, and then off by bus to Fishbourne.  A glorious hot sunny day.  The trees superb.  The Fishbourne site looks wonderful.  The garden has been laid out with bushes along the Roman beds and the whole turfed over.  The paths are neatly laid.  There are cat walks over the floors of the North wing under the splendid roof and I was delighted with the intelligent and intelligible layout of the museum which is a modern layout at its best. The concourse in which is the Margary stone in fine Roman lettering is just what is wanted.

At 3pm the opening ceremony began presided over by the Bishop of Chichester. He began the proceedings and then called on Margary to speak from a small raised dais. Margary in a very homely relaxed civilised way spoke of the great work and praised the various bodies who had carried it out. He himself has given well over £100,000 towards it and he was in a great state of delight today when I spoke to him afterwards. It was grand to see it.

Myers the director of the Antiquaries proposed a vote of thanks to him ably seconded by Taylor of the Commission for Ancient Monuments who recalled his time in Sussex in the 1930’s when his first volume of S.A.C contained a Margary article. Margary altogether got his deserved share of thanks and praise for his vision which had so magnificently come to life.

Then Barry Cunliffe spoke. The beard was there but sober dark clothing as befits a professor. He spoke very well indeed, with humour, and gratefully to the 700 or so diggers of which I was delighted to have been one. What I liked about his speech was the spirit of youth. He was thinking always of the future of Fishbourne. He hoped to re-excavate some of the east wing and rebuild it as it was in Roman times. They hope I believe to eventually to buy up one of the houses and dig up more of the west wing. Cuncliffe was excellent and made a speech most worthy of the occasion.

Everyone was here by invitation. I was there I suppose as a council member of the Sussex Archaeological Society whose trust of course owns Fishbourne and not really as a digger. Most of the Council were there…Miss Murray, the Holdens, Godfrey the architect of the great project, the Archdeacon of Chichester, old Mr Balaman who was looking very fit and seeing everything, Dr Wilson now almost totally blind, with his wife. Many of the site supervisors of course were there, David Baker and his wife, Wild and his wife, and David Henig, ect, ect. Mrs Rule, who played a major part since the very first day the site was discovered, and so on. I spoke to Godfrey and the engineer who put up the great roof. Anderson whose house is on the bath block of the site was of course there and many other faces, many of whose names I had never known. I did not see Frere, and Sir Mortimer is I think in Germany. Professor Wormald, President of the Antiquaries was there, a sound solid figure I always think. I missed Tony and Caroline Norton. 

Daviel the college architect suddenly appeared and I showed him round and he gave me a lift home in his high powered car. I shall never forget today. It was so happy.

Saturday June 1^st 1968

I gave three talks this morning on my Fishbourne slides to 4A, 5B, and 5A in the library and Mrs Mcglusky brought in the little 2^nd form boys for library and they stayed.

Saturday June 8^th 1968

I took 12 boys of 5A and 6th (form?) to Fishbourne this afternoon. We had a good view of the site, found some pottery on the old pottery dumps, went round the fascinating museum and had a talk to old Mr Ledger.

We bused to Chichester, we saw the Cogidubnus stone and had a look round the Cathedral.  We came back on the 6.20 bus.  There was no tea kept for the four borders so up to No 6 to the “haute cuisine” where I gave them a poached egg on toast, baked beans, strawberries, mixed with blackberries, toast etc. orangeade and tea.  Then in the Burstow School of Domestic Science (evening session) we washed up, dried and they arrived back late for bed.

Saturday June 15^th 1968

I took another party of 12 boys (4A and 5B) to Fishbourne, another glorious day.  It was a most worthwhile outing.  I was particularly impressed with young Prestage who was enthralled with it all.  Fishbourne was as interesting as ever.  We found pottery in the pottery dump.  The museum was fascinating.

We caught the bus to Chichester, went round the Cathedral which had a modern technical exhibition on, I think in aid of historic churches.  We saw the Cogidubnus stone and came back on the 5.20 train.  Cost from door to door was 6s 1d per boy.

Saturday June 6^th 1968

Council meeting of the Sussex Archaeological Society at Lewes at which, to my astonishment, I found myself created a member of all things, the Finance Committee!   I accepted, but expressed the opinion that I was the last person that should have been put there. Old Johnston said it was good to have someone on it with no knowledge of finance.  I take the place of Bentham Stevens who died recently, a wonderful committee man.  We stood a minute in silence in his memory.

Our meeting lasted till well past 5pm.  Miss Murray resided very skilfully.  Salzman was there and Doc Willy looking poorly I thought, and very blind.  Holleyman and Holden were absentees.

I came back with Norris.  I think he and Harris organised my being put on the Finance Committee.  God knows why. 

Wednesday July 10^th 1968

This afternoon, partly to avoid staff meeting, I took 12 borders to Fishbourne.  A wet afternoon much of the time, but mostly we were inside.  A most enjoyable afternoon and much appreciated by the boys.  Met the foreman of the workmen and Old Ledger whom I introduced to the boys.  He is a dear old man.  Seventy thousand people have visited Fishbourne Roman Palace since it was opened.  I gathered pottery sherds from the dump for the boys.

Bused to Chichester.  Saw Cogidubnus Stone, and had a quarter of an hour in the Cathedral before returning by the 5.20 train. 

Friday August 2^nd 1968

Took the Bayliss-Smiths to Fishbourne – a sudden invitation when I happened to go down to the school …as interesting as usual.  I went on by train to Portchester just for a very short time but met Bill Hogan again.

Sunday August 11^th 1968

Over to Chichester by the 8.15 train.  Back to the old Nag’s Head for I think the 7^th time.  Room No 6.  Very nice and comfortable.

 

 

Monday 12^th August 1968

The first day of Fishbourne, 1968 … in the area of the Aisled Hall.  16 people there, all old hands.  I worked with Hogan, Nigel Sunter and his girlfriend in an area probably over the bath house latrines.  The rest worked on the bath house nearer the North wing, which was later than the Aisled Hall.

We are not having things made too easy for us and are not allowed through the usual gate.  I got Ledger to let Hogan and me in this morning but he obviously did not want to do it permanently.  But I was not walking round and have now a nice way in by the willow tree upstream.  The youngsters leapt over the gate at lunch break.  This business has not been cleverly handled.  We are the people who dug up Fishbourne.

However we had a happy hard working day in glorious hot sunshine.  Hogan is not particularly well and is only doing mornings.  He goes on Sunday.  A nice fellow devoted to Fishbourne but I think, is getting a bit tired.  He much prefers Fishbourne to Porchester.  I like being at Fishbourne.  I have arranged that I can go in and out of the museum as I like.  I have left my SAS ticket at home.  The Archaeological Trust owns the place and I am now museum Chairman with, in a sense, control of Fishbourne.  I like the caretaker and his wife, (the Shaws), and his assistants very much – a determined and efficient man.  I asked his permission to go in and out as I liked and he gave it.  I want to do nothing wrong here but the Society should have been more gracious to Barry and his diggers. 

I was delighted to watch Cunliffe dealing with an old lady Mrs Blakeney … from across the main road, in whose flower bed he wishes to dig this week.  He dealt with her in great charm of manner and had her eating out of his hand.  It was amusing.

A long wait for a bus.  Called at library and got a new ticket without anything except a verbal reference, and took out three books.  Meal at the Nag’s Head.  Watched a dull play on TV.  Bed and a read.

Tuesday August 13^th 1968

Yesterday the Jacksons came over as my guests as I remember now.  I sent them the money at the end of term.  I saw the Johnsons, the boys whom I taught, and Mrs Wilson and Claire.  Doc Willy was inside the main building.

Today worked with Nigel and his girlfriend and got down to Roman level.  A little pottery.  Found the robbed main wall of the Aisled Hall and the floor make up. We worked very hard.  Hogan was unwell and away all day.  He came to see me at the Nag’s Head in the evening looking pretty white.  He works too hard and conscientiously for his age.  He is a very humble man in a way, and thinks no end of Barry who he must never let down.  But he does too much.

A man talking to me over the fence showed interest in our cutting.  I asked him if he had been round the site.  “Yes” he said.  “Do they mean to preserve it?”  I looked at him in amazement.  “I thought it might be a temporary building and they might be going to build a house here”.  I wrote to Margary to tell him.  He by the way, was over in the morning and in great form.  He came and talked to me over the fence.

Went to the Rousillon Bar and had a good and rather expensive meal.  Bed early.

Barry tells me he is going to write a book on three Roman Palaces – Domitian’s in Rome, Split in Yugoslavia, and Fishbourne and has been offered a job on a site in Cyrenaica which he cannot let pass.  He is going to Rome soon and, I think, Nigel with him.

Wednesday August 14^th 1968

A full day at Fishbourne.  Hogan away.  He had appeared but was not fit in the weather conditions which were damp. We continued the cutting and I found much coarse ware in all that is left of the robber trenches in the S.E.angle of the Aisled Hall. The south wall robber trench has been re-robbed by the modern drain leaving only about a foot. We came down to the floor make up and I found the square lead fitting for a water pipe, only the second found at Fishbourne, and an iron knife.

The rest of the party under Patrick Green are inside the Aisled Hall and have found a later wall. Crowds of people viewing Fishbourne.

In the evening several of the party came to the Nags Head. I saw them in the public bar and bought them drinks. Bed late.

Thursday August 15^th 1968

Hogan back. After they left me last night two of the American boys were attacked by two drunken airmen near Marks and Spencers and one has had four stitches in a cut under his eye. The drunks broke a window and the police picked them up. The boy who was hit…the dark boy, Marcus, who wears “St Alban’s Soccer” on his vest, came today looking extremely shaken, and took it easy.

Hogan and I continued excavating. I found much more pottery including thumb pots in the robber trenches. It is said that we have found the trench for the water pipe coming to the lead fitting. I am by no means certain.

Barry and I came to Shoreham and went to Hartridge’s to go through all the pottery from Slonk. He used the modern nomenclature. Caburn I is now the earliest phase of the L.A and really the same as the old A.L. Otherwise his diagnosis was much as mine had been. There was a gathering of the clans. Norris Witten and his wife, and Eric Holden all came and we had an interesting evening. I went back to the flat and stayed the night.

Friday August 16^th 1968

I returned on the train with Merrifield and the pleasant woman assistant at Brighton Museum. They were on the way to inspect the Fishbourne Museum. I arrived on the site about 12.10 pm and worked with Hogan. He left at midday and returns to the U.S.A on Sunday, very upset with himself for not being well on two Fishbourne digs and is delighted that Barry has asked him for next year’s Portchester and any other dig he undertakes.

I worked alone in the cutting and found pottery in the robber trenches and dug out a layer of the floor make-up. We had heavy showers which drove us to the cover building. From the outside the masses of people look like maggots in a cheese.

I had a good meal at the Nags Head and lay on my bed and slept fully clothed till midnight, dead off.

Beric has arrived at Fishbourne with tent but is forbidden to camp on Trust property. He found a paddock for a couple of nights.

Saturday August 17^th 1968

A full day at Fishbourne. Sunshine and showers. An interesting day alone in the cutting. I cleared another layer and took out more of the robber trenches and found signs, I think, of the bottom course of the S.E. corner of the Aisled Hall, and a layer of small rubble at the bottom of the east wall. I enjoyed today and did not want to stop but could not stay late as they were all off to see “The Tempest” at the Festival Theatre. I saw the Bishop of Chichester going round the site today, young looking and handsome.

I am reading Boswell’s “The Ominous Years 1774-6”A very interesting diary.

Hatty, Beric’s wife, arrived and Martin Henig looked in. He is doing research at Oxford I think. David Baker came too. All the solid hard core of the Fishbourne diggers seem to be about the place. They are a good lot and all getting settled in life.

Sunday August 18^th 1968

A bright sunny day all day. Early service at St. Pancras, where the earnest young evangelical clergyman took the service. Over to Fishbourne about 10am. I excavated another shallow spit across the trench finding some pottery and a chip of marble. At one place a little more wall remains which I rather stupidly thought might be a cross-wall….as it seemed different to the rest. A posthole, perhaps of a scaffolding pole, is in the N.W. corner of the cutting. I again dug alone but rather enjoyed it though I had too many spectators looking over the fence, tho’ all friendly except perhaps the little girl who said “There’s rather an old man down there”, “shush”. I laughed to myself and told the other diggers.

We have a girl in our party who has been laughing all day it seemed and I was glad she was not working with me. I heard a woman say, “She’ll be laying an egg soon”.

Just after lunch I met my cousin Doris and her husband and their daughters and an aunt in the Concourse and had a talk. Later father and son Middleburgh appeared over the other side of the fence and I was able to show some pottery coming out of the ground.

They have been selling little pottery dolphin brooches and wanted to give one to Frankie but they had sold out. Frankie is expecting a second child … Daniel must be 2 by now-and Cuncliffe says he wants one to pick, one to shovel, one to push a barrow and a daughter to wash pottery. He thinks he ought, by the process of selection to produce one with trowels instead of hands.

I had a meal-a good one- at the Rousillon Bar and went to bed reading Boswell’s fascinating diary.

Monday August 19^th 1968

Worked all morning in my deep cutting and later came down to the foundations of a wall.  A triangular marble block came up and tiny pottery sherds.

In the afternoon Michael Rees and his two children came with a party from his church and I spent an interesting afternoon showing them round the site.

Meal at the Nag’s Head. I drank port at the Park pub to which I had not been before. An amusing happy working class family there trying to make mother drink a pint of Guinness. She insisted on a half pint and won.

Tuesday August 20^th 1968

Good weather today. I dug down in my cutting to a heavy flint layer below the wall foundations. I gather there is a possibility of a proto-Aisled Hall with wooden posts. Many cuttings are taking place in the Aisled Hall. The pipe trench and the iron collars of two water pipes have appeared. The stoke hole of the 3^rd period hot room is being cleared by the most modern wall of the cover building. About 20 diggers but I cannot remember all their names…Patrick, Nigel, Judith, Eileen, Jo, ect, all are a very friendly hardworking lot and less than half my age.

I gave Frankie a dolphin brooch and she amused me by pinning it to her dress over the coming child.

I showed Rees’ second party round the site this afternoon. It took well over an hour but I enjoyed it and I think they did.

Talked to Barry after tea break about the conservation of the finds not in the museum which Barry thinks is beyond Margaret Rule’s capacity. Suggests they are taken to Southampton and conserved by Jo…I must get her name and address…under the supervision of the very able technician there. I asked her whether she approved in principle which she did, and I will write to Margary.

Meal at Nag’s Head. Watched boxing and Beethoven on T.V. Tired to-night.

Wednesday August 21^st 1968

To-day’s sad but not to me unexpected news is the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Russia. In our present state we can do nothing about it. There will be much talk and nothing done. We did nothing in 1939 when we were a world power and we shall certainly do nothing in 1968 when we are weak. I thought that Dubchek had no chance. It is just power politics again.

To Fishbourne where a Sunday Times photographer took a great amount of pictures. I think I have completed my deep cutting, and have reached water in what I thought was the natural, until I heaved up a huge lump of greensand.

Meal at Nag’s Head and watched the news on Czechoslovakia on T.V.

Thursday August 22^nd 1968

A gloriously hot day. Barry away in the morning. I worked with one of the girls-(Kate), well inside the building. Much pottery, and possibly a bronze toilet scoop were excavated as were a few sherds of Samian ware.

Much gathering of young experts. A chap from the B.B.C. came about a children’s programme. I had lunch with him at the Woolpack pub. He amused me by saying that Agatha Christie had said she was glad to be married to the archaeologist Mallowan as the older she got the more he liked her. The B.B.C. man had been in Fleet St, and then all over the world and had lived latterly in Rome. He had 4 children, 2 boys at Westminster (1 had just left).

I worked with Kate…trained at the Institute…all the afternoon. After tea Bill Peters, his wife, child, and 2 dogs appeared and I took the humans round the site and so did no work after tea. Barry had arrived after lunch and introduced me to his technician at Southampton to whom I talked about the conservation scheme.

Saw films of Russian capture of Prague and Bratislava. Odd. Often the Russians did not wear steel helmets. Two films have been smuggled out of Czechoslovakia into Austria. An odd sad business.

Friday August 23^rd 1968

I went to the new Record Office and had a long talk with Steer. He was not looking well. He had had a fall off a ladder during the move and it had shaken him badly. We had coffee at Norants.

To Fishbourne. Great heat to-day. I worked in yesterday’s cutting but not very hard and with breaks for drinks. I reached an early stream.

 Watched T.V. Czechoslovakia and the films smuggled out.

Saturday August 24^th 1968

Out to Fishbourne early but did little work. Just a little cleaning for David Baker to take his photographs. He is still digging at Portchester. Mrs Anderson is here today. I got bottles of cider for everyone for midmorning break. Lunch at the Woolpack pub.

A trench is being dug in Mrs Blakeney’s front garden. Possible robber trench on one side. A 1^st century coin was found.

I went round the site with Barry to be shown miner defects in the ovens at the Palace entrance, they look grim and un-conserved. The inner west of the great entrance needs treatment ect.

Returned to the Nag’s Head and then set off for Brighton by fast train.

 

 

                                                          FISHBOURNE  1969.

 

Saturday March 1^st 1969

An ordinary morning which I enjoyed. After lunch I took Vaughan Ransley and Dobbs to Fishbourne by the 1.45. Bused from Chichester. Slipped up to the site by the forbidden path by the Willows Guest House. Quite a lot of people there but not crowded. A little 6 year old attached himself to us. I thought he had lost his parents but they were in the background. I spoke to them and was very pleased to take the boy round the site. He was fascinated with the whole affair. Jo Draper was there and is now, I am delighted to say conserving the finds at Southampton University partly I am sure because of my letters to Miss Murray and Margary. I am glad to have done her a good turn.

The Shaw’s and their helpers were operating from the new desk at the entrance which I believe cost £1000. They have been stopped selling the dolphin brooches as it seems undignified. Rather a pity I think!

There is a board up explaining Stage 2…the covering of the West wing, is lying towards the East end of the cover building. The hot room at the far end has been cemented in. The Aisled Hall area looks a ghastly mess at the moment. The West wing is grassed over much more tidily than last year. Otherwise it was good old Fishbourne as last year.

We bused into Chichester and went round the Cathedral. Vaughan who had been twice with me before was disappointed not to see the new tapestry screen…down for Lent. He is a very artistic child (an 11yr old) and had loved the screen. He liked the modern of it, he said, and amused me. “You so often just see Jesus baptising somebody. This lets you think out your own ideas.” I was interested in this for he is a very artistic boy and has done a most amusing vivacious and colourful map of Treasure Island which lives in my study.

Saturday March 8^th 1969

As I had promised I took 8 of 4A by the 1.15 to Fishbourne. A lovely sunny afternoon. They were part of a very high spirited able form of 11 year olds whom I like. Becket was in fairly good form and needed the odd check but we had a most interesting time and came away with pottery from the dump by the store shed. We came back by the 4.40. A good day.

Monday March 24^th 1969

I went over to Fishbourne and attended my second Executive Committee Meeting (the first was on Jan. 13^th). This time in the museum, a very good meeting place. Miss Murray in the chair, Martin, Colling, Mrs Rule, Shaw, the accountant ,Godfrey and his able assistant whose name escapes me and I think 3 others whom I do not know, and Cunliffe  looking cold from the first day’s mechanical dig across the road to the south where they have found interesting stratification. We discussed the new desk costing over £1200 which is not yet perfect. An incredible cost.

 Shaw told us that 7000 people had visited Fishbourne and the new price is justifying itself (4/- adult and 1/-child)

We discussed the right of way past the Gables, my route, who refused to walk all the way round and have not yet done so at any time, and the question of us putting up a gate arose.

Then the literature – a 7/6 sort of book, a 3/6 and 4/6 booklet and a 2/- one. All this besides the excellent 5/- brochure already on sale which Cunliffe knocked off in about 3 hours which I think is very good and recommend to all students of Roman Britain. I cannot remember what conclusion was reached. I spoke up for the 2/- booklet for school children who cannot afford the 5/- one.

I walked with Barry to the bus stop-via the right way. He is an extraordinary chap, digging sites, producing literature and doing an incredible amount of work. One of the most active minds I have met. He is physically strong and mentally most alert. He spoke several times at the meeting, always to the point on any part of the subject.

Tuesday March 25^th 1969

After doing a bit of shopping and having my leg dressed by Matron I went off on the 10.45 to Chichester and taxied to Fishbourne. I found Cunliffe, Richard Bradley and a tall pleasant chap called Ambrose who had been a regular at Fishbourne, and is now an undergraduate at Southampton under Barry. They were working in the field south of the south wing of the Palace. Barry is employing a Chaseside mechanical digger, beautifully worked by “Norman” who almost makes the thing talk. We had a remarkable day. The machine went down 7 feet and found that in the Palace period the ground had been a made up over an area as wide as I should have thought as half of the great courtyard. It is retained by a loose wall of large stones, then a channel has been made through the beach which had afterwards reverted to marsh land. This area was full of pottery including one complete black or grey vesse, (clay pots?) fine Samian ware with one or two potters’ stamps, two fragments of leather and much wood including carpentered pieces. At one point under the made-up area more pottery had come up this time of Period 1.

Margaret Rule was in the pub for lunch with a married lady with a Polish sounding name, who was a volunteer helper in the Museum. I went with them to the Palace and had a long talk with Margaret about the criticisms of the old fashioned approach of the Society which seems rife among the young archaeologists. There is a beating on the doors.

Margaret had made the remarkable discovery- to be expected after her finds of a year or so ago-of a fine mosaic floor INSIDE Chichester Cathedral, which is to be on permanent view. I saw a photo of it and it looks superb. People had told me of an account of it in the August, but I had not seen it.

Wednesday March 26^th 1969

I went on the 9.15 to Chichester and taxied to Fishbourne. Same people there. The morning was spent with the machine digging nearer to the house. Again Roman make up appeared but it was broken by what proved to be a modern sump. The rest of the morning was spent filling in.

After lunch at the pub we returned to put a trench parallel to yesterday’s and a little further south and it was fascinating. We found both sides of a wharf. Starting from S we found shingle held by a dry stone wall and wooden piles still in position, at this point a 16’ channel deepened by the Romans, then a line of wooden piles, and a dry stone wall ( as yesterday ) and make-up. The channel contained again an immense amount of pottery. I personally was glad to pick up the only two coins- one of Vespasian whose name was readable and the other rather worn of the same century, perhaps Claudius or one of the ladies (it was of Nero.) These coins were as bright as a new penny though worn, and completely un-corroded. I also found my first piece of Roman leather.

The most interesting find was probably the remains of a wooden bowl—the first at Fishbourne. We had several fragments of leather, much wood including of course the wooden piles which were much the same as in the bridge of Period 1, but these were Period 2. We had splendid pottery with beautiful Samian ware—just masses of it—as the Chaseside digger brought up load after load. This was one of the most remarkable days I have spent at Fishbourne. I would not have missed it for anything.

I had a talk to the Shaw’s—Mrs Shaw was on duty at the desk, the famous desk which cost so much and is not yet completely satisfactory. They and their assistants are just the right people for the job. I had a cup of tea at the new caravan restaurant. Returned to the site and with Barry prospected another cutting for tomorrow if the vehicle can get there. Watched the very competent driver get his machine out of great difficulty.

I like Tim Ambrose the undergraduate. He looks amazing all beard and moustache and weird clothing but a very pleasant friendly chap as I am sure a great many of the belligerent students are. At lunch we discussed collecting things. Barry is off stamps and/is collecting modern paintings.

I wrote early this morning to Margary telling him yesterday’s Fishbourne events, also to Martin about the agenda for W. Hoathly. Rang Leslie in evening about the Industrialists. A most happy day.

Thursday March 27^th 1969

Over to Fishbourne by the 8.50—the Exeter trains which seem to go very slowly with only a few stops. The weather was cold and damp though it cheered up when I reached Chichester. Taxied to site. The machine this morning put an 80’ (feet) cutting on the south side of the Roman stream finding the original turf line and the beach and then the deepening of the channel. Here we found no walling or timbering. We then stopped and the afternoon was to be spent filling in. I left after lunch. Barry was entertaining his Vice-Chancellor to tea in the afternoon.

 A pleasant chap named Barclay who specialises in Roman pottery came in the morning. He is on the University Archaeological staff.

Barry was telling me about his faculty. There are 50 something students, a research student, a post-graduate or so, technicians and a secretary.

The owner of the house “Roman Landings” just behind where we are digging, came down.

I hope the machine can continue tomorrow but the ground is very soft with chicken manure and it may not be able.

We lunched in the pub.

My second coin found yesterday was confirmed as being of the Emperor Nero.

I hear that Nigel Sunter and his girl- friend of last August are engaged. I believe the score of Fishbourne wedding is now nine.

Friday March 28^th 1969

Over to Fishbourne by 8.50 train. A lovely day. Slight frost turning to heat. The machine had bogged down and was unable to continue the cutting. But Barry put it on a parallel course and found the landward dry stone walling so now can draw a reasonably good plan of the stream and its walling.

I spent a good time digging over one of the spoil dumps which we had to deal with quickly when the excavator was working. Found several more bits of leather including the heel of a shoe. A good deal more pottery including Samian ware and an amphora handle. Tim dug with me and Ann the girl who found the stylobate blocks in the North wing in 1966 who had come for the day. She is training to be a doctor. Richard was there surveying the building site to the west. Budden the farmer with a rich country voice from Chorlton was there at the beginning.

They are digging under Denis the foreman on the preparation for the new lavatory block up on the north side of the North wing and have found the postholes and cobbling of a wooden building probably of Period 1. Mrs Rule was there. A coin had come up.

I did a little work after lunch and then returned by train from Fishbourne.

This ends the 1969 Fishbourne season and may be the last ever. Such a pity.

 

                                                                  CONCLUSION

  

 

The following are some of the mentions of Fishbourne Roman Palace in the minutes of the Research Committee of the Sussex Archaeological Society, and they help to give a chronological window of how the excavations at Fishbourne were unfolding.

 

Minutes of 61^st meeting 28^th September 1960.

Dr.Wilson and Mrs Rule who had been invited to attend the meeting, report that when a mechanical – digger was making a water main trench, 300 yards of it was filled with Roman material including fragments of mosaic floors. Mr and Mrs Rule had made a rough plan if the site before it was filled in. This seems to be an important site between the Roman road to the west and Chichester Harbour.

Minutes of 62^nd meeting 18^th January 1961.

Dr Wilson said that Mr. S.  Frere was willing to undertake general supervision of the excavation here. The main work would be done by a team from Cambridge University under Mr. Barry Cunliffe. It was proposed to put in trial trenches for three weeks at Easter and an 8-9 week dig in the summer. The area was a rich Claudian site earlier than Chichester itself, probably later becoming the harbour of Roman Chichester. An appeal would be issued after the Easter dig.

Minutes of 63^rd meeting 26^th April 1961.

Dr Wilson reported that Mr Barry Cunliffe’s trial cuttings had revealed an area of Roman buildings at least 333’ (feet) long including a1st-2^nd century mayor building with an internal stone drain. Hypocausts had also been found and part of a column. Traces of an earlier timber building had been found with three Claudian coins.

Minutes of 64^th meeting 27^th September 1961.

Mr Collings reported the progress of the work on the Roman building at Fishbourne which Mr Barry Cunliffe is supervising. There are three main periods of occupation, a wooden structure of about 75 A.D. with several mosaic floors, the earliest known in Britain and a reconstruction of the house at a later date. The excavators hope to have a longer season here next year. The question of publicity was discussed.

Minutes of 67^th meeting 27^th June 1962.

Work would be continuing at Fishbourne from July to mid-September under the direction of Mr Barry Cunliffe.

Minutes of 68^th meeting 26^th September 1962.

Mr Burstow said that he had spent a few days digging on the interesting villa site under the direction of Mr Barry Cunliffe. The excavators had concentrated this year on the Claudian occupation of the site.

 

                        Minutes from the meeting of the Archaeological Trust 5^th December 1962

The Secretary reported that the contract for the purchase of the Roman site at Fishbourne had been completed and that the purchase its-self would be completed by Christmas. The draft constitution of a Management Committee was considered and, after amendment, approved. Further details would be finalised at the next meeting of the Council of the Trust.

Mr Margary handed to the trust an additional sum of money to be used for laying out the site.

Col. Sutton remarked on the extreme importance of this further benefaction to the Society by Mr Margary and the announcement was received with applause by members of the Council. Certain details were being announced to the Press immediately. A copy of the draft constitution was appended.

 

                             Minutes of 69^th meeting of the R.C of the S.A. Society. 9^th January 1963.

Mr Margary reported that Mr Barry Cuncliffe proposed to continue excavations at Fishbourne for six weeks during the summer. He would be concentrating on the north-west part of the site, and the south-east side, of the main east block.

 

DERRICK NAPIER,

                           21 APRIL 2020.