Scott C Lomax | University of Nottingham (original) (raw)

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Papers by Scott C Lomax

Transactions of the Thoroton Society , 2024

Midland History, Jun 6, 2023

English towns during the medieval period have, in recent years, become increasingly recognised as... more English towns during the medieval period have, in recent years, become increasingly recognised as places of diversity, with some of their inhabitants born in several European regions. Studies of immigration have, however, focussed on port towns and large towns and with an emphasis on those who originated from mainland Europe. This study examines, for the first time, the intriguing communities of Icelanders who lived in the Midlands and asks what these individuals can tell us about England’s relations with Iceland. Up to four Icelanders lived in Nottingham and up to three in Coventry at any one time, serving mercers who may have traded stockfish and fish liver oil, which were sold in both towns. In exchange, Nottingham produced goods including alabaster altar pieces, which were given homes in churches in Iceland’s coastal towns.

Nottingham, as one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw, a key strategic pre-Conquest borough, and... more Nottingham, as one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw, a key strategic pre-Conquest borough, and the most important royal governmental hub in central England by the time of the Angevin kings, from Henry II to John (1154–1216), is a city with a fascinating story to tell. However, the study of its origins and early development has been somewhat neglected. A major contributory factor is that key archaeological excavations undertaken in the city between 1969 and 1980 remain unpublished, while since 1980, the outcomes of development-led excavation have not provided sufficient opportunities to investigate key areas on an equal scale. In the last few years, preliminary evaluation of material from the unpublished excavations under the aegis of the Origins of Nottingham project and an increase in archaeological investigation has again started to highlight the wealth of potential insight to be gained from the archaeological deposits preserved beneath Nottingham’s streets. Exploring and inter...

Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, 2022

The working of horns was a trade practiced in some English towns during the late medieval period... more The working of horns was a trade practiced in some English towns during
the late medieval period, although published evidence comes chiefly from a small number of larger towns and cities such as York, Norwich and London. Few certain sites of the industry have been identified and consequently medieval horn working is little understood. Whilst there is only scarce documentary evidence for this industry in Nottingham, an archaeological excavation at Goose Gate in 1976 revealed a horn working site dating to the second half of the 15th century or the early 16th century, which contributes towards a better understanding of this industry. This discussion of the Goose Gate excavation is focused on the form and dating of the relevant structures on the site, but it does not include detailed specialist osteological analysis of the faunal remains.

Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottingham, 2020

This article presents the results of archaeological excavations undertaken on the eastern side of... more This article presents the results of archaeological excavations undertaken on the eastern side of the Drury Hill in advance of construction of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre in 1969 and 1970-71. The work was undertaken as a 'rescue' excavation by the now defunct Nottingham City Museums Field Archaeology Section (part of Nottingham City Council) under the direction of Charles S. B. Young. The excavations revealed evidence of occupation dating to the second half of the 9th century or earlier, before the construction of a substantial ditch and associated rampart for the pre-Conquest borough in the second half of the 9th century and its subsequent re-cutting in the first half of the 10th century. Evidence was revealed of the gradual infilling of the ditch in the 11th century, followed by the construction of substantial medieval buildings between the 11th and 13th centuries and later medieval and post-medieval occupation and industrial activity.

Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, 2020

Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, 2018

This paper details documented, and inferred, references to serious epidemics within the town of N... more This paper details documented, and inferred, references to serious epidemics within the town of Nottingham for the period between the Black Death of 1349 and the final incidence of what has been described as plague, in 1667. The paper also provides details of one of the lesser known functions of some of the city's approximately 800 known caves: isolation of the sick during periods of epidemic.

Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, 2013

Teaching Documents by Scott C Lomax

This report relates to radiocarbon dating of a sample from a human skeleton encountered during an... more This report relates to radiocarbon dating of a sample from a human skeleton encountered during an excavation at Nottingham Castle in 1978 and further investigated in 2016. The sample was submitted to the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, in May 2016, for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating. The radiocarbon dating aimed to verify or refute the belief that the individual was a casualty of the English Civil War. Prior to the radiocarbon dating it had been speculated that the individual may have been one of two men described in Memoirs of The Life of Colonel Hutchinson, written by Lucy Hutchinson, one of whom died during, and the second shortly after, a siege at Nottingham Castle in September 1643.

This work was undertaken independent of an archaeological excavation in June 2016 to recover the remainder of the skeletal remains, although this work will complement the results of the excavation and contribute towards a larger research project to understand the burial, the individual and their role within the castle.

During the excavations in 1978 and 2016 no conclusive dating evidence was found within the grave and therefore radiocarbon dating is considered the best means of dating the human remains.

The results of the radiocarbon dating are complicated by the presence of a high marine/freshwater fish component in the individual’s diet. Such a diet impacts upon the proportions of nitrogen and oxygen within the isotopes and distorts the calibration of the date range. Initially the radiocarbon dating indicated the individual was not a Civil War casualty, having been buried before the outbreak of war. The results offered a timeframe of between 1445 and 1630 calAD (with 95.4% probability) with a higher likelihood (66.8% probability) that the individual was buried between 1445 and 1523 calAD and a 28.6% probability of burial between 1572 and 1630.

However, making allowances for the effect of the diet, a revised calculation indicated the burial dated to between 1483 and 1647 (with 95.4% probability) with a higher likelihood (68.2% probability) that the individual was buried between 1520 and 1637 calAD.

In conjunction with the known history of the castle, which was largely unoccupied in the early 17th century, save for victims of what was described as plague who lived in caves cut into the Castle Rock, until the Civil War, the burial would appear to be of very late medieval/early post-medieval date. Research into the diets and burial practices of soldiers during the Civil War also suggests it is unlikely the individual died during that period of conflict.

Although an association with the Civil War cannot be ruled out, on statistical grounds the date of burial is weighted towards the late 15th/16th century. A circumstantial argument can be presented, on the basis of known documentary sources, to support this.

It is hoped that detailed research of the available documentary evidence may shed further light upon the date and context of the burial.