Church of St Michael Coslany, Oak Street, Norwich, Norfolk: Tree-Ring Analysis and Radiocarbon Wiggle-Matching of Oak Timbers from the Chancel
Author(s): Dr Martin Bridge, A Bayliss, Michael Dee, Sanne Palstra
Twelve oak timbers were sampled from the chancel roof. Only four samples had more than 60 rings, but some matching was found between ring-width series resulting in three groups of timbers being identified. A number of matches were found for the series composed of three timbers with a tentative end date of AD 1426, but these were not very strong, and were matched only with local chronologies, so were not accepted as an independent secure dendrochronological date. Radiocarbon dating was undertaken on four single-ring samples from one of the timbers represented in the tentatively dated site master chronology. Wigglematching of these results suggests that the final ring of this sequence formed in cal AD 1419–1432 (95% probability) or cal AD 1422–1430 (68% probability). The tentative matching identified for the site master chronology by ring-width dendrochronology is thus supported independently by the radiocarbon wigglematching, giving a chronology spanning AD 1339–1426DR. The three timbers represented in this site master chronology, with a mean heartwood/sapwood boundary date of AD 1425DR, were likely felled in the period of AD 1434–1466DR.
- Report Number:
- 84/2022
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 28
- Keywords:
- Dendrochronology Radiocarbon Dating Standing Building Wiggle-Match
