A Conference in Memory of David Williams FSA, former Surrey Finds Liaison Officer
On December 8th 2017 our dear colleague and friend David Williams passed away unexpectedly at his home in Surrey. David was well-known around Surrey as a long-standing member of the Surrey Archaeological Society (SAS) and he was also the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s Finds Liaison Officer for East Berkshire. David was extremely dedicated to his work and thoroughly enjoyed what he did. He had a keen eye for detail and had actually trained as an artist and illustrator before moving onto conservation and archaeology. David still is very badly missed as a colleague and friend and this conference is meant to bring us, his family, friends and colleagues, together in his memory and to celebrate his life, work and art.
There is a strong medieval theme to the day, with a range of papers on specific find types, David’s illustration work, medieval households and regional studies utilising PAS data from Surrey. We also welcome posters and displays of finds from finders who recorded their finds with David, exhibitions of photos of David at work, home or abroad, photos of him spending time with family, friends, finders and colleagues, and hopefully some of his fantastic artwork.
Tickets are £10 - places are limited and we are asking people to book through Eventbrite as the preferred option, or alternatively to email Kayt Hawkins (Kayt.Hawkins@surreycc.gov.uk) to reserve a place.
Updates will be posted on the SyAS website and you can follow us on twitter @DW1Conference.
Programme:
10:00pm Registration and Coffee
10:15pm Dot Boughton (former Finds Liaison Officer, Lancashire and Cumbria): Welcome
10:20-10:45pm Rob Webley (Portable Antiquities Scheme) and Peter Reavill (Finds Liaison Officer, Herefordshire & Shropshire): New adventures in 11th century horse equipment
10:45-11:10pm Kayt Hawkins (Surrey County Archaeological Unit): Lost and Found: Recognising identity through medieval seal matrices
11:10-11:40pm Annemarieke Willemsen (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden): The leather for the frame: From David’s purse bars to excavated, preserved and depicted medieval purses
11:40-12pm Emma Corke (Surrey Archaeological Society): David Wynn Williams: Illustrating the past
12pm Questions/Discussion
12:15–1:15pm Lunch – please make own lunch provision. During lunch there is an opportunity to view some of David’s illustrations and art work, and finds by local detectorist groups recorded by David through the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS).
1:20-1:45pm Alex Egginton (Surrey County Council): Portable Antiquities Scheme contributions to Surrey's Archaeological Record
1:45-2:10pm Rob Briggs (Surrey County Council): What has the Portable Antiquities Scheme told us about early medieval Surrey (5th to 9th centuries CE)?
2:10-2:35pm Ben Jervis (University of Cardiff): The Material Culture of English Medieval Rural Households: Understanding the values and possessions of ordinary medieval folk
2:35-2:45pm Questions
2:45-3:10pm Break
3:10-3:35pm David Higgins (National Clay Pipe Archive): Coins and tokens with clay tobacco pipe countermarks
3:35-3:55pm James Mather (Metal Detectorist): The Discovery and Excavation of The Watlington Hoard
3:55-4:15pm Simon Maslin (Finds Liaison Officer, Surrey): The Portable Antiquities Scheme in Surrey: 2018
4:15–4:30pm Round up of day