Timber: The Dendrochronology of Roof Timbers at Lincoln Cathedral (English Heritage Research Transactions)

This volume of the English Heritage Research Transactions is a ground-breaking study of the dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, of the roofs of Lincoln Cathedral. The authors compiled data from sampling of over 500 oak timbers from nine different roofs on the Cathedral, and found three distinct periods of oak-felling: 1192-1280 (medieval construction), c 1500- c 1570 (post-medieval repairs) and c 1660- c 1750 (early-modern repairs). In each case the tree-ring dates, in conjunction with other evidence, were used to date the constructions and repairs to the roofs. The authors discuss the problems of loss of sapwood and, in the early-modern period, of seasoned timbers, which can make accuracy in dating difficult. This volume contains details of all the dating undertaken over the last twenty years. The volume is a valuable case study on the use of dendrochronology in the analysis of a complex historic site, and an important contribution to the discipline.