About Richard Haddlesey
Richard is presently actively involved in surveying timber-framed properties in Hampshire between AD1130 and 1530. He has found many interesting joints and he is in the process of writing his thesis and modelling the joints. As a result this website is constantly evolving and updated. Not all the data can be published here until after the thesis is submitted, be he is more than happy to talk with any interested parties regarding his work. Please feel free to email Richard with questions and suggestions.
The role of the house (or dwelling) in society is a theme which transcends the period boundaries. Approximately 108 timber-framed medieval buildings survive in Hampshire. These have been dendrochronologically dated to between 1244 and 1530 AD. As part of my doctoral research, an extensive survey has been carried out on these buildings to record the different types of joints used in their construction; these joints have then been grouped, by type, to provide a chronology. Although my project is heavily informed by scientific dating methods theory is also an important component. Once my chrono-typologies have been produced and cross- referenced with regard to Hewett’s Essex data, the effects, if any, of the Black Death (1348-50) on carpentry techniques and technologies can be analysed.
The project utilises digital technologies to collect, collate, manage, query and ultimately disseminate data relevant to the study of timber joints. Such technologies include:
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
• Database Management Systems (DBMS)
• 3D modelling
The 3D modelling provides a means to explore how joints interact with each other, whilst also forming a visual database. This database can be disseminated through various mobile devices, supplying researchers with a real-time, portable, dating aid, for comparison in the field. The combination of GPS and GIS enable the data to be analysed spatially to understand how the buildings work within a landscape context. This then permits the answering of the question “building on fear” by applying theory to the science and asks the question: are the houses being built to protect the occupier from war, famine and plague or are they just projecting status and society?
Richard Haddlesey CV