Across the New Forest like the UK, many volunteers and community groups undertake their own archaeological research and fieldwork.
Last year, the Authority commissioned Oxford Archaeology to identify and review guidance resources readily accessible to volunteers and community groups undertaking their own archaeological investigations. The research was undertaken as part of the Our Past, Our Future Landscape Partnership Scheme supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (now the National Lottery Heritage Fund). The results of the research are now released and published online.

The results demonstrate that there is a demand for simple ‘how-to’ guides with signposting to more detailed information produced by well-recognised and easily identifiable sources. The extent of knowledge exchange and local adaption of guidance resources has probably been underestimated, and indicates that the professional archaeological sector needs to do more to understand and aid the transfer of accurate, reliable and user-friendly information amongst community volunteer archaeologists.

Over three hundred and fifty archaeological guidance resources have been identified indicating that there is already a large amount of material readily available on a wide range of topics. However, there are some notable gaps in guidance materials, particularly on running projects and reporting and disseminating the results. There is an issue of knowing what has already been produced and searching for it. There are also some notable gaps in guidance materials, particularly on running projects and reporting and disseminating the results.

Online, there is a tendency not to refer to specific sources of guidance but to use Internet search engines to find information, although it should not be presumed that use of social media platforms and other online services is universal. Many community volunteer archaeologists still like to have written notes to accompany electronic media such as videos, and want to refer to hard copies of information when collecting data or taking a break from using screens.

There has been limited evaluation of the extent, use and impact of these resources prior to this study. This review has not involved ranking or critiquing existing guidance but getting an understanding of what exists, what is accessible and what volunteers and community groups engage with. It is hoped that this review will be of interest to the wider archaeological sector and help to inform the creation of new resources in the future.

The full report and supplementary documents can be downloaded from OA’s online library here: https://library.thehumanjourney.net/4636/

For more information about the resource review please contact: community@oxfordarch.co.uk or 01223 850515

Congratulations to Milford-On-Sea Historical Records Society on the launch of their new website:  www.milfordhistory.org.

Explore their history pages, read about Milford down the ages; from houses to jobs, from education to religion, from families to personalities. Search their archives for records from the past and find house deeds, wills, old maps and even ration books. Look through this window on to the past. You can also find information on their meeting, events and publications.

MOSHRS were supported by Heritage Lottery funding to digitise their archive and build this wonderful new site, so once again thanks to all of you who buy lottery tickets and congratulations MOSHRS. Great work!

New Forest Knowledge Conference 2018

The Role of Commoning in the Maintenance of Landscape and Ecology: A New Forest, National and Global Perspective.

 

Date: Monday 29th October 2018, 9:30am-5pm.

Venue: Lyndhurst Community Centre, Lyndhurst  SO43 7NY

Price: £15

 

Commoning is recognised as important in the survival of the New Forest: a prized reserve for endangered species and a beautiful landscape enjoyed for recreation.

The New Forest commoning system has been described as unique in North Western Europe, characterised by the exercise of common rights by 700 commoners.

This conference will consider the use and significance of common pool resources from a historical, local, national and international perspective. Speakers include researchers from HIWWT, Foundation for Common Land, University of Southampton and Community Research Institute.

Conference programme 2018

Click here to purchase tickets

Organisers reserve the right to make changes to the programme.

Can you help us?

In the UK, many volunteers and community groups undertake their own archaeological research and fieldwork.

As part of the Our Past, Our Future Landscape Partnership Scheme supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the New Forest National Park Authority has commissioned Oxford Archaeology to review the guidance that people refer to when undertaking self-guided archaeological work. These ‘how to’ guides might be about identifying, researching and recording archaeological sites and finds and may be in the form of textbooks, digital or printed media.

At this stage, we are looking to identify guidance materials produced for or used by volunteers and community groups. We are also interested in any reports which evaluate this guidance. Over the coming months, we will also be producing an online survey and running focus groups to find out what guides people currently refer to, where they access them and what they find useful.

The review is not about ranking or critiquing existing guidance but getting an understanding of what exists, what is accessible and what volunteers and community groups engage with. It is hoped that this review will be of interest to the wider archaeological sector and help to inform the creation of new resources in the future.

Please get in touch if you:
•Have produced, used or evaluated any guidance materials you think should be included in this review. This can be done by email or completing this simple form.
•Could circulate the online questionnaire to your contacts in community archaeology.
•Are interested in our focus group methodology and would like to run your own focus groups with volunteers and community groups to find out about the guidance they use and find useful.
•Want to know about the results of the study and our recommendations for creating future community archaeology resources.

Community Archive Forum

Hampshire Archives and Local Studies

March 2 2019

Local history societies showcase their work and share experiences.

The Community Archive Forum provides an opportunity for local history societies and similar organisations to showcase what they have been doing; to network; and to share their experiences. It enables anyone with an interest in the county’s history to hear what is happening at local level and be inspired to get involved. The Forum is now a collaborative venture between Hampshire Archives and Local Studies and the Local History Section of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society.

With contributions from: * Milford on Sea Historical Record Society * Christchurch History Society * Ashburton Court, Southsea, research project * Hyde 900 * Hampshire Constabulary History Society * plus a panel discussion on publications. This is a free event, and places are limited. To book, please telephone Hampshire Archives and Local Studies on 01962 846154 or email archives.enquiries@hants.gov.uk no later than 25 February.

Event runs from 9.45am – 1.00pm

The following programme from the day demonstrates the variety and range of local history groups and the archives they use: Community Archives Timetable

The New Forest Knowledge Conference 2017 will celebrate the archaeological and historical research being carried out in and around the New Forest. It will provide an opportunity to find out who is doing what, share the results of recent work, discuss new techniques and approaches and find out how you might get involved in the future.

The conference will run over two days from Friday 27 October through to Saturday 28 October 2017 at the Lyndhurst Community Centre.

The full confirmed programme is below and you can find all the abstracts linked below or by selecting Conference under the subjects theme.

As well as presented papers there will be poster displays from local community groups and students, and various display stands. We will aim to ensure there is enough time for you to enjoy these and also to chat with other individuals and representatives from local community groups and organisations.

Day tickets cost £20, but we hope you will be able to join us for both days.
To encourage this we have set the two day ticket at £30.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Book your ticket

Programme

Day 1: Friday 27^th October

Morning

• An ecological perspective on long-term human impact within the New Forest – Dr Michael Grant, University of Southampton
• Three sites on the coastal zone: Roman, Saxon and Medieval – Dr Andy Russel, Southampton Archaeology Unit
• Pots and People in the Middle Bronze Age: assessing the Heatherstone Grange cremation cemetery – Dr Richard Massey, Cotswold Archaeology
• New Forest Roman Pottery: the centenary of Heywood Sumner’s excavation at Ashley Rails – Professor Mike Fulford, University of Reading
• Conquest and land clearance: the Domesday account of the New Forest– Katherine Blayney, DPhil at University of Oxford
• All about the bounds. What medieval perambulations can tell us about the New Forest – Richard Reeves

Afternoon

• Excavations at the ‘Royal Hunting Lodge’ at Church Place, Denny Wait– Dr Paul Everill, University of Winchester
• New Forest Squatters’ Settlements in the Eighteenth Century’ – Sylvia Crocker
• The New Forest and the Great War 1917 – Richard Willaims
• Equipping the Armada: The Archaeology of Lepe Country Park – Stephen Fisher
• New Forest History and Archaeology Group, and the Hampshire Field Club New Forest Section – Archaeology in the New Forest, 1960s to the present – Maddy Andrews, New Forest History and Archaeology Group

Day 2: Saturday 28^th October

Morning

• Will Buckland Rings Reveal its secrets? – Josie Hagan, Student Bournemouth University
• Avon Valley Geophysics and the Locate project – Mike Gill, Avon Valley Archaeology Society
• Edward Mudge, an interesting man? – John Pemberton, Beaulieu History Society
• Brice Stratford
• The Work of Hampshire Record Office – Matthew Goodwin, Archivist at Hampshire Record Office
• Gazetteer of New Forest Properties – Catherine Glover

Afternoon

• Using Aerial Imagery for Desk Based Research – Jack Powell, Aerial Imagery Analyst, Air Photo Services
• Automated Detection of Archaeology in the New Forest using Deep Learning with Remote Sensor Data – Iris Kramer, University of Southampton
• #NewForest: using social media and mobile data to manage our heritage – Lawrence Shaw, New Forest National Park Authority & University of Winchester
• HLF Funding for heritage projects – Judith Carruthers, Development Officer, Heritage Lottery Fund
• New Forest Knowledge, your gateway to information – James Miles, Archaeovision, James Brown & Kath Walker