For a site we would expect someone who has sent a summary in to a national journal to have at least sent something similar to the HER - if a non-developer funded - or to have submitted a more detailed report to the HER if developer funded. Articles of relevance to the HER area are more likely to contain new information - perhaps reinterpretations - but would represent a significant time constraint - though you need not of course subscribe to the journal - perhaps send an HERO once a year to the local universtiy library for a day to trawl through journals and relevant books.
As an example Emery's Medieval houses volumes contain much valuable information - especially perhaps in combating some earlier myths about certain sites - but I guess not every HER would think to check these.
As an example of redundant information structures discovered at High Ousegate in York in the early 20th century were interpreted as tanning pits. When the Coppergate structures were excavated it became obvious that the High Ousegate buildings were semi-cellared buildings similar to thosec at Coppergate and Richard Hall pointed this out in a publication in 1991. No one seems to have noticed this, however, and a number of books and articles published recently still refer to these structures as tanning pits, giving a completely incorrect idea about our level of knowledge of tanning in the Saxon period.
Sorry if I have wandered a bit far from the subject but the question of correcting incorrect interpretations is an important one. There is a street in Walsall called Ablewell Street which unsurprisingly is close to a well called Able's Well. Nevertheless in DBAs I am constantly quoted a 19th century reference from a local schoolmaster who claimed that an early form of the street name was Avalwallesych and this is Norman Frecnh for old wall and is therefore evidene that Walsall has town walls.
Rant over - I'll get my coat,
Mike
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From: Issues related to Historic Environment Records on behalf of NEWMAN, Martin
Sent: Fri 26/09/2008 09:29
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: National Journals and HER Research
A query came up as to whether HERs regularly trawl through national journals (e.g. Journal of Roman Studies, Vernacular Architecture, Industrial Archaeology Review etc) for sites and research relevant to their geographical area. I was wondering whether list members had a view on the usefulness and priority level this type of type of research.
Regards
Martin
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