Excavation of a Medieval Manor House,Witney

by Tim Allen, Brian Durham, Jonathan Hiller

This report documents the discovery, excavation and preservation of a Norman moated stone manor house found in 1984 at the Mount House, Witney. The trial excavations that were made in advance of housing development, revealed groups of buildings surrounded by a curtain wall and moat. Further excavations in the north-west and south-east parts of the complex uncovered a massive and well-preserved tower and attached range of the first half of the 12th century which was progressively enlarged by a chapel, a central pier, a raised terrace and a garderobe block. The buildings were further modified in the later medieval period. Coins in robber trenches indicate that some buildings were demolished during the English Civil War, though others were maintained. The front cover shows Nathaniel Buck's early 18th century engraving purporting to show the remains, which were systematically demolished in the mid-18th century to make way for a new house. The site remained in the ownership of the Bishops of Winchester until 1862, when it was purchased by the 6th Duke of Marlborough. The present house was built c 1904. The site was purchased by Oxfordshire County Council in 1993, and the tower is now on display to the public.

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Timothy Allen Dick was born on June 13, 1953, in Denver, Colorado, USA, to Martha Katherine (Fox) and Gerald M. Dick. His father, a real-estate salesman, was killed in a collision with a drunk driver while driving his family home from a University of Colorado football game, when Tim was eleven years old. His mother, a community-service worker, remarried her high-school sweetheart, an Episcopalian deacon, two years after Tim's father's death. Tim has a total of eight siblings. His ancestry includes English, German, Irish, and Scottish.

When Tim was young, his family moved to Birmingham, Michigan. In high school, his favorite subject was shop, of course, and after high school, he attended Western Michigan University and graduated with a degree in Television Production in 1975. In 1978, he was arrested on drug charges and spent two years in jail. Upon his release, he had a new outlook on life and on a dare from a friend, started his comedy career at the Comedy Castle in Detroit. Later, he went on to do several cable specials, including, Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen (1988) and Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs (1990). In 1991, he became the star of his own hit television series on ABC called Home Improvement (1991). While continuing to film his television series throughout most of the 1990s, he starred in a string of blockbuster movies including The Santa Clause (1994), Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Galaxy Quest (1999). In August 1996, he developed and unveiled his own signature line of power tools, manufactured by Ryobi. On top of all that, he has his own racing team, Tim Allen/Saleen RRRRacing. In May 1999, he ended his series Home Improvement (1991) after eight seasons and in 2001, he filmed such movies as Big Trouble (2002) and Joe Somebody (2001).