MPRG Conference 2016 (20–22 June), Taunton & Barnstaple Production and Consumption of Medieval and Post-Medieval Pottery from the South-West

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MPRG Conference 2016 (20–22 June), Taunton & Barnstaple

Production and Consumption of Medieval and Post-Medieval Pottery
from the South-West

Please find a programme for the conference below; a booking form and printable programme for this year’s conference can be found on the Group’s Facebook page which is publicly accessible even if you do not belong to Facebook.

for further information please contact Lorraine Mepham: l.mepham@wessexarch.co.uk

Monday 20 June: Great Hall, Taunton Museum

9.30 am	Registration
10 am	Welcome, by Steve Minnitt (Head of Museums, South West Heritage Trust)
10.15 am	Chris Webster: Taunton Castle
10.45 am	David Dawson: Characterising pottery production centres in Somerset
11.15 am	Mike Ponsford: Redcliff Hill and Bristol ware
11.45 am	Coffee
12.15 pm	John Allan: Pottery made around the Blackdown Hills c 950-1550
12.45 pm	Discussion
1 pm	LUNCH
2 pm	Pottery viewing (part 1) There will be material from Glastonbury Abbey and Wells and Mendip Museum; post-medieval kiln waste and production from Somerset production sites, including Trudoxhill, Wrangway, Donyatt and NetherStowey; and a selection of pottery from the Kenneth J. Barton collection. David Dawson, John Allan and Mike Ponsford will offer commentary on the pottery.
3 pm	TEA
3.30 pm	Pottery viewing (part 2)
7pm	Conference reception

Tuesday 21 June: Brewhouse, Taunton

9.30 am	Maria Duggan: Looking out from South West Britain: long-distance links from the 4^th to 7^th century
10.00 am	Dan Carter: The Verwood and East Dorset Potteries: A new approach to the study of the late medieval and post-medieval pottery industry in East Dorset
10.30 am	COFFEE
11 am	Lorraine Mepham: Town and country: the consumption of Laverstock wares
11.30 am	Bryn Morris: The Missing Link: North Devon pottery in the 16^th century
12 noon	Alice Forward:A ceramic view of early post-medieval markets and mariners in the Bristol Channel
12.30 pm	AGM
1 pm	LUNCH
2 pm	Julie Edwards: South West, North West ceramic connections – finds of North Devon ceramics and maritime communications
2.30 pm	Ollie Kent: Tin-glazed pottery production at Brislington
3 pm	TEA
3.30 pm	Speaker to be confirmed
4 pm	Discussion
5pm	Duncan Brown: The Gerald Dunning Memorial Lecture
Evening	Conference dinner at the Ring of Bells, Taunton

Wednesday 22 June

COACH TRIP TO BARNSTAPLE

Leave Taunton 9.30am. Travel to Barnstaple Museum; view production waste from Potters’ Lane/ Exeter Inn etc, the kiln from Potters’ Lane and the Brannam archive (pattern books etc). There will be a short presentation of North Devon wares by John Allan. After lunch (not provided),a short walk around the town to see Rolle Quay, Potter’s Lane and the remains of Brannam’s works, including the showroom and the surviving kiln.Arrive back in Taunton between 3.30pm and 4pm.

MPRG Website An Appeal for Help

May 15, 2016

Due to the difficulties in updating the website over the last year MPRG are reviewing its management and we are looking for someone to take on the job of maintaining the content of the site and also lead or assist in a re-design of the appearance and format of the site. In the short term we would like to co-opt someone onto Council with a view to creating a new Council officer role; MPRG Council meets three times a year currently in London and all members of Council are expected to be able to regularly attend meetings.

If anyone is interested in taking on this role please send a letter/email of interest to Alice Forward: jeepsteralice@googlemail.com.

MPRG Website issues

MPRG apologises that some of the information on our web pages is out of date; we hope to update key information items soon and are looking at how we can manage the site better in the future. In the interim we are reviving this News blog and using our Facebook newsfeed to let you know of forthcoming conferences, meetings and items of ceramic interest.

Please see the posts below for information about our 2016 conference, reduced price Medieval Ceramics back issues and a reminder about our recent subscription increase.

MPRG Conference 20th – 22nd June 2016 Taunton

Our 2016 three-day conference will take place in Taunton, Somerset from 20th – 22nd June and will be examining the evidence for the production and consumption of the medieval and post-medieval pottery of the southwest of England. The first two days will be spent in Taunton and the third will consist of trips to see museum collections in the production centres of Bideford and Barnstaple.

Further information will be available in the Spring.

Conference 2016 Call for Papers

Production and Consumption of Medieval and Post-Medieval Pottery in the South West of England

20-22 June 2016 Taunton

The south-west of England has long been recognised as containing a number of pottery production centres spanning the medieval and post-medieval periods. As well as satisfying local demand, pottery from the south-west was widely distributed along coastal routes to south Wales, Ireland and across the Atlantic. Recent fieldwork, scientific analysis and the reassessment of existing data has added significantly to our knowledge of the region.

The aim of this three-day conference will be to review the evidence for the production , distribution and consumption of medieval and post-medieval pottery across the region and beyond and papers are invited on these themes.

A title and short abstract for a paper (to last no longer than 20 minutes) should be sent to the conference organiser Lorraine Mepham (l.mepham@wessexarch.co.uk)

Subscription increase and standing orders

The Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 6^th June 2014 at Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery agreed a rise in subscriptions to £30 p.a. for individuals and £40 p.a. for institutions. If you pay by a standing order please remember to instruct your bank to amend your order to reflect the new subscription rate.

Medieval Ceramics – out of print and back issues