Dear All
I received a query regarding nettle string (pasted below). I don't know much
about it and was wondering if someone could suggest articles or contacts that I
could forward to Christopher Riddell.
Thanks in advance,
Lucy Allott
Dr. L.F.Allott
Archaeobotanist
Archaeology South-East
1 West Street
Ditchling
West Sussex
BN6 8TS
Hello
I am trying to find an authority on nettle string,
medieval or earlier, following the discovery of a
substantial amount of twisted two-strand string in
deposits scoured out of a former channel bed running
across the foreshore at Long Rock, Swalecliffe, Kent,
Map Ref TR143682. The string, two separate pieces
approx 15 cms long and what can best be described as a
jumble of string are contained within lumps of
vegetative matter which I believe to have come from
the edge of one of the channel beds, currently exposed
by the tide. It has been suggested that the jumble of
string may be the remains of a fishing net. I
understand the shingle spits at Long Rock have
produced many finds over the years, with the Bronze
Age and Ice Age being well represented, and I am keen
to confirm that what I found is nettle string, also to
discover if anything in the surrounding matter
provides dating evidence and to ascertain the best way
of conserving the find. Any help or suggestions would
be much appreciated.
Regards
Christopher Riddell
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