View Research Directory
Shapwick Project, Somerset. A Rural Landscape Explored
A research project of the Department of Archaeology.
Background
The Shapwick Project is an investigation into the archaeology, history and topography of a single parish in Somerset in southern England, co-directed by Dr. Chris Gerrard with Professor Mick Aston. The Project was established specifically to address issues concerning medieval settlement and in particular, the formation and development of nucleated settlements during the period between the 8th and the 13th centuries. Simply put, when and why did the villages many of us live in come into existence? The development of the Project year-on-year can be followed through the eight Shapwick Reports and our preliminary results, drawn together at the conclusion of fieldwork, were published in volume 79 of The Antiquaries Journal (1999) and have been made available on-line at the Society of Antiquaries website. A final monograph and a more accessible book will be available shortly. Of particular significance are the surveys of historical documentation, cartographic sources, architecture, archaeology and ecology, together with the results of excavation and small finds study. Different aspects of the project were funded by English Heritage, the universities of Bristol, Durham and Winchester, AHRC, the Maltwood Fund, Somerset County Council, Bristol Naturalists’ Society, Europa CAI-CONSID and Society for Medieval Archaeology.
Published Results
Books: authored
- Gerrard, C.M. & Aston, M.A. (2007). The Shapwick Project, Somerset. A Rural Landscape Explored. Leeds: Society for Medieval Archaeology.
Essays in edited volumes
- Gerrard, C.M. (1999). The Shapwick Project. In A Century of Archaeology in Somerset. Papers to mark 150 years of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society. Webster, C Taunton: Somerset County Council. 67-93.