Lavant Stone: a late Roman and medieval building stone from the Chalk (Upper Cretaceous) of West Sussex

Bone, David A.; Bone, Anne

doi:10.1016/s0016-7878(00)80013-9

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…In the S and SE of England, medieval buildings were frequently built at less than 20 km distance from the chalkstone sources (D. A. Bone, 2016; D. Bone & Bone, 2000; G. Lott & Cameron, 2005; Tatton‐Brown, 2001), although English chalkstones were also used for walling or decorative works in distant sites, such as the Exter, Chichester and Peterborough cathedrals and the Westminster abbey (Roberts, 1974). In Belgium, medieval buildings such as the Tongre basilica were generally located at less than 15 km from the sourcing area of Limburg (Figure 1a) (Dreesen & Dusar, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In southern England, eleven main chalkstone types were reported to have been quarried for medieval constructions (Table 3). Amongst them, Lavant Stone was used exclusively in West Sussex during Roman and medieval times (D. Bone & Bone, 2000), corresponding to a phosphatic chalk included in the Newhaven Fm (=Sotteville Fm in Normandy) (Jarvis, 1992). Freestone or Beer Stone would be classified as Turonian calcarenites that had similar properties as Normandy calcarenite (Section 5.1.3).…”

Section: Other Chalkstones As Building Stonementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chalkstone is generally considered as a ‘soft’ rock because of its relatively low cohesiveness and durability caused by its 20%–40% porosity (Al Heib et al, 2015; Vasanelli et al, 2013). It was used as ashlars (carved stone with cuboid form) (D. Bone & Bone, 2000), rubbles (rock fragments) for wall infill and foundations (G. K. Lott, 2011), mortars (Elsen et al, 2011) and decorative elements including mosaics (Tasker et al, 2013) and painted murals (Kędzierskia & Kruk, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

et al. 2022

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The provenance of medieval building stones links historic constructions with their quarrying areas, thereby revealing medieval trade routes and the spatial organization of past societies. In northern France, the Duchy of Normandy played a significant role in the medieval history of Europe, situated at the centre of the disputes between the English and French kingdoms. However, the historical documentation from this period is scarce, particularly in terms of the quarrying industry. Our study aims to define the quarrying areas and their diffusion zones and map the territorial organization of Eastern Normandy during the 10th-14th centuries. A multidisciplinary procedure using archaeological, geological and geochemical techniques was designed to establish the provenance of Normandy Chalkstone. First, we obtained a representative assembly of building stones by the selection and strategic sampling of 22 buildings. Second, we determined areas of chalk bedrock from a geological map rendered through GIS and sampled chalkstones from natural outcrops and quarries. In total, 118 samples from buildings, quarries and natural outcrops were characterized via optical microscopy and geochemical analyses for major, minor and trace elements (XRF, ICP-MS and ICP-OES), as well as for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotope ratios (MC-ICP-MS). The application in situ of pXRF analysis allows for the identification of Normandy Chalkstone sources preserved in archaeological sites. The results indicate that all chalkstones came from five local varieties of Normandy Chalkstone and one of Shelly Limestone imported from nearby regions. The suitability of chalkstone as construction material was evaluated in situ using a sclerometer, which revealed that the singular and local geological features of the chalkstone make it suitable for walling. Our study demonstrates the development of a prominent and relatively continued quarrying industry over the 10th to 14th centuries in Eastern Normandy. The main quarrying areas were constituted of three chalkstone diffusion zones that run coevally with smaller and apparently sporadic quarries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Other Chalkstones As Building Stonementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

et al. 2022

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“…Nevertheless, chalkstone use as building stone was quite significant in Normandy compared to other regions of the NW European Chalk Basin. In England, six chalkstones (named Totternhoe, Beer, Lavant, Chalk Freestone, Top Calcrete, Brighstone) were employed in cathedrals, abbeys, priory, castles and other constructions (Bone and Bone, 2000;Dusar et al, 2011;Lott, 2011;Bone, 2016), while the French cathedrals of Amiens, Beauvais, St-Omer and Troyes were edified in chalk (e.g., Lafrance et al, 2016). In the meantime, Avendersteen and Lézennes from Hainault and Flanders counties in northern France was also exported to Belgium and Holland mainly for sculpturing (Tolboom et al, 2009(Tolboom et al, , 2010 and Vylen chalkstone for vernacular use was quarried in the Belgian/Dutch border area near Maastricht (Dreesen and Dusar, 2004;Dusar et al, 2009;De Kock et al, 2015).…”

Section: Ghsr Nominationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Normandy chalkstone (France): geology and historical uses from quarries to monuments

et al. 2021

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“…The need to move beyond very localised study in order to understand various industries in their wider context is a vital consideration in researching manufacturing and processing industries in the region (see for example Ridgeway 2000; Bone and Bone 2004;Semple 2007;also Crocker 2004). The regional implications of the Weald are again important here (Gardiner 1990), and study of the iron industry provides an excellent example.…”

Section: Industry and Tradementioning

confidence: 99%

The Medieval Period

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with the documentary evidence in order to take note of individuals and their activities in the past. Canterbury is of course especially fortunate in this regard because of the quality of surviving records, but it would be highly informative to apply such methods (where the sources allow) to other towns and more rural situations and compare what the different types of evidence are telling us. A number of site-focussed historical studies will have been carried out as part of PPG15, PPG16 and PPS5 related work elsewhere, particularly as part of desk-based assessments. This type of work would contribute much to broader synthesis if it can be extracted from the large (and growing) corpus of grey literature. Such evidence can be complemented by comparison of aerial photographs, cartographic evidence (regression analyses of post-medieval maps on a local scale, as well as more stylised maps of the period: see Brandon and Short 1990, Plate 2.6 for example) and place-name evidence (including field and wood names etc. that potentially refer to local medieval topography). In the latter case it would appear significant, for example, that '-den' names have a Kent focus, with numbers generally decreasing quite sharply at what is still the Wealden county boundary with East Sussex (Everitt 1986: 35; Brandon and Short 1990: 25; cf. East Sussex '-field' names). Such differences may even represent ethnic boundaries in the more distant past. Evidence of medieval life and culture derived from literature and art, such as Psalters, or the Canterbury abbey and Chertsey Cartulary maps (c. 1165 and 1432 respectively), should also be admissible, but such information needs to be interpreted carefully. As well as original biases, literary tropes and artistic conventions must be taken into account. Chaucer's evocation of socially stratified pilgrims travelling through Kent, for example, is best seen within the context of 'estates' literature, presenting highly stylised social portraits (see Rigby 1996: Chapter 1). Archaeological, environmental and finds evidence Archaeological evidence is vital if we are to have any hope of reconstructing those many aspects of medieval society in the region that were simply not recorded in contemporary documents: much should be considered 'prehistoric', even at this period (a wooden harpoon found near Chichester is especially eloquent of this: see Allen and Pettit 1997). Turner's general comment applied to Surrey is relevant to the region as a whole: '(T)here are many pre-or proto-literate aspects…that can only be illuminated by archaeological methods. There are many gaps in the documentary record, particularly at the local level, and many parts of society did not participate in the record-making process at all.' (1987: 223).

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Lavant Stone: a late Roman and medieval building stone from the Chalk (Upper Cretaceous) of West Sussex

Cited by 9 publications

References 7 publications

Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

Normandy chalkstone (France): geology and historical uses from quarries to monuments

The Medieval Period

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