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Forges
(14/15)
Almost no handiwork is wrought
without iron; no field
is eared, no tilling craft used, nor is any building constructed
without iron. (46)
[Bartholomew of England, Franciscan, writing c. 1250]
Iron was an important resource and was required to make tools,
fittings and horseshoes, clippers to shear sheep and everyday objects
such as buckles, keys, pots and pans. It was even used for construction
work. The monastic community therefore required a considerable
amount of iron to provide for its needs, having its own forges
to mine
and smelt the ore.
A grant of an iron forge to the
monks of Rievaulx in the 1140s is actually one of the earliest
such grant known for England.(47) In
the twelfth century, the community had several forges including
those at Faweather and Halton (Harden), near Bingley, and at Hockton.
Land in Shitlington was granted to the monks to build a forge and
to make utensils for the community’s use. The community was
accorded the right to make iron and use dead wood for charcoal
in Flockton and Shitlington.(48) Rievaulx
mined the Tankersley ore at Stainborough and Blacker, near Barnsley;
traces of the pits
can still be seen in the landscape.(49)
Why did they burn charcoal rather than wood?
To process iron ore high temperatures and a reducing environment are
needed, therefore charcoal, with its high calorific value and low ash
content was ideal for burning.
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Forges were best sited near to woodland,
so that an abundant supply of fuel that was required to power the forge
was near at hand.(50) Current
research conducted by the Department of Archaeological Sciences
at the University of Bradford, is investigating and evaluating
the importance of iron to the Rievaulx community and the effect
of the monks’ industry on the landscape. The project is exploring
how precisely the community utilised its surroundings to acquire
the vast quantities of charcoal needed to fuel its forges, and
is analysing pollen and peat samples for evidence of coppicing.
The team is also attempting to recreate a furnace, to understand
more clearly just how the monks’ technology worked.
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