Dai Morgan Evans: a life in archaeology

Born David Morgan Evans on 1 March (St David’s Day) 1944 at West Kirby on the Wirral, Dai grew up in Chester, where the history master at the King’s School encouraged his interest in local history (Figure 1). Summer holidays at St David’s in West Wales, and participation in local digs in Chester, ignited his lifelong passion for archaeology. He studied the subject at Cardiff University (1963–1966) before pursuing postgraduate research on the archaeology of early Welsh poetry (Figure 2a), as well as acting as an assistant director of the South Cadbury excavations led by Professor Leslie Alcock (Figure 2b). Dai’s working life began when he joined the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings in Wales in early 1969. During his time there, he conceived and initiated the creation of the four Welsh archaeological trusts, as their ‘true begetter.’1 In 1977, he transferred to the English Inspectorate. Charged, from 1986, with developing countryside policies, he also became the English Heritage (as it now was) specialist in Public Inquiries. From 1992 to his retirement in 2004, Dai was a popular and active General Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He co-devised the APPAG (All Party Parliamentary Archaeology Group) from 2001 and for a number of years served as its secretary after his retirement (2004–2008). From 2003, Dai was Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology at UCL. Having opened University College Chester’s new offices and teaching spaces in the Blue Coat School in 2003 to accommodate the Department of History and Archaeology, Dai served first as an honorary lecturer and then from 2006 as Visiting Professor of Archaeology, teaching and inspiring students and sustaining his research interests. His active retirement also included a host of other activities including television appearances, serving on the National Trust Archaeology Panel, participating in the historic-period dimension of the SPACES project with Geoff Wainwright and Timothy Darvill, and initiating the first modern study of the unique early medieval Welsh monument, the Pillar of Eliseg, at Llantysilio yn Iâl, Denbighshire. After a lifetime contributing to the archaeology of England and Wales, Dai sadly passed away on his birthday aged 73, 1 March 2017. Stemming from the memorial event held at the Society of Antiquaries of London, 11 September 2017: ‘Memorial for Professor Dai Morgan Evans FSA’,3 this multi-authored introduction charts Dai’s life in the service of archaeology. The authors cannot claim to cover all aspects of Dai’s archaeological endeavours, and inevitably the discussion affords depth to some aspects while mentioning others more briefly. However, the perspectives sequentially address different phases of his archaeological career and combine to capture a sense of his overall achievements and legacy. The chapter concludes with a brief introduction to this collection, which constitutes a celebration and memorial to Dai’s archaeological career and research

Acceptability of Lycra arm sleeve in people with sub-acute stroke: Patients', 1 carers' and clinicians' perspectives

BackgroundPrevious studies found that the Lycra sleeve has potential to reduce glenohumeral subluxation in people with stroke. The primary aim of this study was to explore the acceptability of the Lycra sleeve from patients’, carers’ and staff perceptive in the sub-acute phase of stroke.MethodStroke survivors over 18 years with hemiplegia and muscle strength of ≤3 (Medical Research Council scale) shoulder abduction, able to provide informed consent were recruited as soon as they were medically stable. Patients wore the Lycra sleeve for up to 10 hours/day for three months. A questionnaire was administered three months post-sleeve application to immediate and delayed groups and healthcare staff.ResultsTwenty-seven patients (immediate group (n=19), delayed group (n=8)), 23 carers/family-members and 36 healthcare staff (nurses (n=10), nursing assistants (n=5), physiotherapists (n=10), physiotherapy assistants (n=3) and occupational therapists (n=8) completed a questionnaire. Several staff reported for more than one patient resulting in up to 37 responses to some questions from nursing staff and 46 responses from therapy staff. Of 27 patients, all found the sleeve to be comfortable. The average time to apply the sleeve was between two and five minutes. The sleeve was reported as acceptable in daily life by patients (96%, n=24/25), carers/family-members (96%, n=21/22), by nurses (92%, n=34/37) and in routine clinical practice by therapists (91%, n=41/45).ConclusionWearing of Lycra sleeve was acceptable for patients during activities of daily living/rehabilitation. However, research is required on the effectiveness of the sleeve before this can be routinely used in clinical practice

The revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue measures and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease scale: Validation in six countries

© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. Objective. To evaluate the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multidimensional Questionnaire (BRAFMDQ), the revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Numerical Rating Scales (BRAF-NRS V2) and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) scale in six countries. Methods. We surveyed RA patients in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, including the HAQ, 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and potential revisions of the BRAF-NRS coping and Spanish RAID coping items. Factor structure and internal consistency were examined by factor analysis and Cronbach's α and construct validity by Spearman's correlation. Results. A total of 1276 patients participated (76% female, 25% with a disease duration < 5 years, median HAQ 1.0). The original BRAF-MDQ four-factor structure and RAID single-factor structure were confirmed in every country with ≥66% of variation in items explained by each factor and all item factor loadings of 0.71-0.98. Internal consistency for the BRAF-MDQ total and subscales was a Cronbach's α of 0.75-0.96 and for RAID, 0.93-0.96. Fatigue construct validity was shown for the BRAF-MDQ and BRAF-NRS severity and effect scales, correlated internally with SF-36 vitality and with RAID fatigue (r = 0.63-0.93). Broader construct validity for the BRAFs and RAID was shown by correlation with each other, HAQ and SF-36 domains (r = 0.46-0.82), with similar patterns in individual countries. The revised BRAF-NRS V2 Coping item had stronger validity than the original in all analyses. The revised Spanish RAID coping item performed as well as the original. Conclusion. Across six European countries, the BRAF-MDQ identifies the same four aspects of fatigue, and along with the RAID, shows strong factor structure and internal consistency and moderate-good construct validity. The revised BRAF-NRS V2 shows improved construct validity and replaces the original

Reliability and sensitivity to change of the bristol rheumatoid arthritis fatigue scales

Objective. To examine the reliability (stability) and sensitivity of the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue scales (BRAFs) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) developed to capture the fatigue experience. The Multi-Dimensional Questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ) has a global score and four subscales (Physical Fatigue, Living with Fatigue, Cognitive Fatigue and Emotional Fatigue), while three numerical rating scales (BRAF-NRS) measure fatigue Severity, Effect and Coping. Methods. RA patients completed the BRAFs plus comparator PROMs. Reliability (study 1): 50 patients completed questionnaires twice. A same-day test-retest interval (minimum 60 min) ensured both time points related to the same 7 days, minimizing the capture of fatigue fluctuations. Reliability (study 2): 50 patients completed the same procedure with a re-worded BRAF-NRS Coping. Sensitivity to change (study 3): 42 patients being given clinically a single high dose of i.m. glucocorticoids completed questionnaires at weeks 0 and 2.Results. The BRAF-MDQ, its subscales and the BRAF-NRS showed very strong reliability (r = 0.82-0.95). BRAF-NRS Coping had lower moderate reliability in both wording formats (r = 0.62, 0.60). The BRAF-MDQ, its subscales and the BRAF-NRS Severity and Effect were sensitive to change, with effect sizes (ESs) of 0.33-0.56. As hypothesized, the BRF-NRS Coping was not responsive to the pharmaceutical intervention (ES 0.05). Preliminary exploration suggests a minimum clinically important difference of 17.5% for improvement and 6.1% for fatigue worsening. Conclusion. The BRAF scales show good reliability and sensitivity to change. The lack of BRAF-NRS Coping responsiveness to medication supports the theory that coping with fatigue is a concept distinct from severity and effect that is worth measuring separately. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved

Rheumatoid arthritis - clinical aspects: 134. Predictors of Joint Damage in South Africans with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes progressive joint damage and functional disability. Studies on factors affecting joint damage as clinical outcome are lacking in Africa. The aim of the present study was to identify predictors of joint damage in adult South Africans with established RA. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 100 black patients with RA of >5 years were assessed for joint damage using a validated clinical method, the RA articular damage (RAAD) score. Potential predictors of joint damage that were documented included socio-demographics, smoking, body mass index (BMI), disease duration, delay in disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) initiation, global disease activity as measured by the disease activity score (DAS28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), and autoantibody status. The predictive value of variables was assessed by univariate and stepwise multivariate regression analyses. A p value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean (SD) age was 56 (9.8) years, disease duration 17.5 (8.5) years, educational level 7.5 (3.5) years and DMARD lag was 9 (8.8) years. Female to male ratio was 10:1. The mean (SD) DAS28 was 4.9 (1.5) and total RAAD score was 28.3 (12.8). The mean (SD) BMI was 27.2 kg/m2 (6.2) and 93% of patients were rheumatoid factor (RF) positive. More than 90% of patients received between 2 to 3 DMARDs. Significant univariate predictors of a poor RAAD score were increasing age (p = 0.001), lower education level (p = 0.019), longer disease duration (p < 0.001), longer DMARD lag (p = 0.014), lower BMI (p = 0.025), high RF titre (p < 0.001) and high ESR (p = 0.008). The multivariate regression analysis showed that the only independent significant predictors of a higher mean RAAD score were older age at disease onset (p = 0.04), disease duration (p < 0.001) and RF titre (p < 0.001). There was also a negative association between BMI and the mean total RAAD score (p = 0.049). Conclusions: Patients with longstanding established RA have more severe irreversible joint damage as measured by the clinical RAAD score, contrary to other studies in Africa. This is largely reflected by a delay in the initiation of early effective treatment. Independent of disease duration, older age at disease onset and a higher RF titre are strongly associated with more joint damage. The inverse association between BMI and articular damage in RA has been observed in several studies using radiographic damage scores. The mechanisms underlying this paradoxical association are still widely unknown but adipokines have recently been suggested to play a role. Disclosure statement: C.I. has received a research grant from the Connective Tissue Diseases Research Fund, University of the Witwatersrand. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Wearmouth and Jarrow Monastic Sites ; Vol I

The definitive report on excavations on the twin monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow covering a period 1959-88. Before these excavations there was almost no archaeological knowledge of these sites, which housed the internationally renowned scholar , Bede, and which contributed outstandingly to the culture of early Northumbria. The excavations revealed the liturgical heart of both sites with substantial buildings in stone which were enhanced by sculptures and coloured window-glass. This is the most coherent body of evidence for the layout and organisation of seventh to eighth century monasteries in Europe. The excavations also revealed the plans of the successor ecclesiastical communities dating from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries, and the whole is set in the context of the history of their times topographical, political and economic

Wearmouth and Jarrow Monastic sites. Volume 2 Appendix C

The twin monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow achieved European importance in the period between its foundation in the late 7th century and destruction in the mid-9th century. This is mainly because of the fame of its most renowned inmate, the theologian and historian, Bede. The excavated evidence provides important evidence for the evolution of monastic plans in the Christian West in this period. The excavations have also provided some evidence for the econonmic base of such sites, and demonstrated their international contacts, mainly due to the exotic pottery from buildings at Jarrow. The excavation of the successor monasteries some of the ruined buildings of which still survive at Jarrow has made it possible to consider the local economies of the sites through a period of 1100 years. Changing uses of maritime and regional resources can be demonstrated from the finds, and the cemeteries of the two sites have provided useful long-term demographic evidence from the Early Christian period to the 19th century. It is now possible to see the churches on both sites within the context of first a thriving Anglo-Saxon monastery, then semi-derelict areas, followed by the earliest Norman religious houses in the region, and after that, until the Dissolution, within the context of the dependencies of Durham Priory. Volume 2 is concerned with the description and analysis of the material remains associated with the Anglo-Saxon and medieval occupations. The post-medieval artefacts are not reported on, but all material from the excavations was retained and all artefacts have been listed and some have been fully catalogued and drawn. Only a very small amount of very modern material from superficial deposits was discarded on site, but this too was listed in the site finds catalogues. Catalogues and reports on all the finds exist in the two site archives

Rosemary Cramp interviewed by Colin Hyde, 24 April 2018

Rosemary Cramp (RC) interviewed by Colin Hyde (CH) at Peaker Park Care Home, 24 April 2018. RC describes early life, born in Foxton, moved to Glooston; Describes family background in the local Langtons area. Father's first farm in Foxton, then to Ivy House Farm in Glooston for rest of childhood. 'The Grange' at Cranoe was 'family' home. Comments on links between villages, railway enabling travel, labourers able to work in other places. Recalls most villages had shops, pub, tradespeople visited villages, took orders, delivered. Travel was restricted; holidays at seaside. Had younger sister, both went to Market Harborough Grammar School. Recalls start of Second World War and arrival of evacuees, mother was billeting officer. Mentions arrival of Italian prisoners of war, three from the south of Italy, stayed on family farm, describes this. Briefly mentions school children from local towns coming for the harvest. Comments on men returning from war not wanting to carry on in pre-war jobs, such as labouring. Reflects on loss of farm labourers after war; current farm contracts all workers. Talks about de-population of countryside and lack of amenities, reflects that the local church is often all that is left. Comments on financial slump in 1920s-1930s, didn't have gas, but did have electricity. Mentions mother came from wealthier family, wanted RC to go to Oxford University but RC wanted to go to London. Talks about progression out of the sixth form, gaining a place at London but being persuaded by friend to try St Anne's college, Oxford University. Reflects on wanting to be a journalist but became interested in Medieval History at Oxford, mentions Anglo-Saxon history was fairly unknown at the time. Mentions becoming don at age 21, although didn't do a PhD there. Comments on coping with male attitudes during her career, gives anecdotes. Notes that she came from a strong women's college at St Anne's. Tells story of finding the Roman building north of Glooston, local rector helping, writing letter to Archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon and receiving reply. Several years later Mr Strongman helped her dig a trench there, Market Harborough Advertiser took a photograph. Mentions read philology but worked in archaeology, Ashmolian Museum helped; ad hoc training; explains that didn't have long period of research until retirement. Notes that her generation of archaeology professors didn't study archaeology as a degree subject. Describes the attraction of the Anglo-Saxon period to her. Comments on 'pecking order' of village life, rectors often Oxbridge educated, prosperous farmers had status, such as her family. Farmers had tennis courts, she joined the young farmers. States the local hunt gave them horses in thanks for using their land. Comments on effect of a rural upbringing; reflects on time at Market Harborough Grammar School and the effect of Second World War on activities at school, suggests that it taught her how to compete with men. Talks about her mother, who took an interest in literature and learning; founded Women's Institute in a hen hut. During Second World War they both experimented with using local ingredients in cooking, such as nettles, rosehip syrup. Mother died young and didn't see RC's success in career, although she encouraged it rather than Father, who acknowledged this later in life, talks about this