Council for British Archaeology Wales Cymru
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting and Business Meeting held at Pembrokeshire College, Haverfordwest
Saturday 9th November 2024
24.01 There were 19 members present in person and 6 joined online. Two apologies are noted in the attendance book.
24.02 The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held in Newtown on Saturday 11th November 2023 were approved as a correct record.
24.03 Matters Arising from the Minutes:
Minute 23.05 – The committee had consider the suggestion that digital only membership like that proposed for Student Membership should be offered more widely, but had decided it was not something to be done at this time.
Minute 23.10 – It was confirmed, after the meeting that that Rosemary Roberts was willing to continue as the Honorary Examiner for 2023/24.
24.04 Chairman’s Review of the Year
This year’s Spring Meeting took place on Anglesey led by our own committee member Dr. George Nash. George is recognised as an international authority on prehistoric rock art; proving that archaeology does rock. George’s tour took us from Pen y Foel, Barclodiad y Gawres, Ty Newydd, the Esgob Complex, Bryn Gelli Ddu and Bachwen overlooking Anglesey on the Llyn Peninsula. This tour gave an insight to the cognitive processes that give rise to such cultural artefacts through which cosmologies may have been expressed. I shall never pass a rock without inspecting it again.
CBA Wales/Cymru promoted at Bryn Gelli Ddu with Cadw, the new archaeological trust for all Wales, Heneb on 15th June 2024. The event included living history displays of life, the arts and crafts of the Neolithic. There was also a procession with a performance of horn and bronze wind instruments. These were reconstructions of known instruments including the finds of the bronze horns from Llyn Cerrig Bach, which were played from the top of the mound of Bryn Gelli Ddu. The was in conjunction with an excavation in the adjacent field by Manchester Metropolitan University, led by Dr Ben Edwards supported by the members of Llanfechell Local History Group and members of the local community. Teri, a committee member, and I participated in this weekend and the excavation as a part of CBA Wales/Cymru’s further promotion and support to community archaeology and raising the awareness of the organisation and its role in academic, professional and amateur archaeology and the historic environment. During the day, members of the public were given guided tours of the site.
Staying with prehistory, our Autumn Meeting was in North Wales with Dr Jane Kenney. The tour’s over two days included the Graig Lwyd Axe Factory and Rowen Prehistoric Landscape. The landscape Jane portrayed is one of cultural, ritual and social complexity in what is a landscape of archaeological significance, although for present observers that landscape may seem high, remote and rather rough. However, a landscape that habitation spans from the Neolithic to the early Modern age. This meeting proved to be very sociable with the members sharing a bunkhouse and evening meal.
These meetings, in the field, have proven to be popular and an excellent means of the membership to meet, socialize and experience the historic environment. I wish to thank the members of the committee for arranging these meetings and especially George and Simon for the two field meetings.
The Newsletter is now edited by Emma Wager and she is doing a fine job for which she receives our thanks and gratitude. The Newsletter continues to review current and recent archaeological work in Wales, which shows the participation between the professional and the amateur community: thus keeping the historic environment relevant and current. On the Spring edition you may spot Teri and I on the front cover.
Equally important, although academically more engaging is the annual journal Archaeology in Wales. This continues to bring the details of significant archaeological research to the membership while providing a repository for research and study. I wish to thank Simon for his work in editing this excellent publication and members of the committee for peer reviewing the papers submitted.
An important portal to the work and activities of CBA Wales/Cymru is the website, maintained by our web editor Julian, for which we are very thankful for his technical abilities’ This continues to keep members and the wider public informed of current and future events. We are pleased to offer this facility in both Welsh and English, for which I must thank Tomos for making sure the Welsh makes sense.
A new publication, now available, is our bookmark, which is of vital importance for all your archaeological reading, especially CBA Wales/Cymru publications.
CBA Wales/Cymru continues to support and promote the Young Archaeologists Clubs in Wales and community archaeology throughout, within our limited means. Now that the Welsh archaeological trusts have been replaced by one new all Wales trust Heneb, we endeavour to maintain a working relationship as it develops and becomes established.
A matter of interest: this year’s Archaeological Achievement Awards will be held at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff at which I shall be representing CBA Wales/Cymru. I wish to thank Kathy Laws for her work with judging this award over the past years.
Finally, I wish to thank all the members of the committee for the excellent service they provide to CBA Wales/Cymru, for which they provide in their own time due to their enthusiasm for Archaeology and promoting research, education and the preservation of archaeology and the historic environment by keeping it relevant for all.
24.05 To receive the examined accounts for 2023/2024
The examined accounts for 2023/2024 were presented to the meeting and accepted nem con.
24.06 Membership Secretary’s Report
There were currently 348 addresses on the list, representing the following : institutional members: 35 (6 National, 29 CBAW); individual members: 287 (115 National, 172 CBAW); Joint/Family members: 11 (4 National, 7 CBAW); Student members: 9 (all National); Free (Copyright libraries, etc.): 6. There were 19 people whose standing order were still for previous subscription level. These members only receive newsletters, although for 5 there were no current contact details
Following a suggestion at a recent committee meeting that a digital sign up/payment option via the website would be preferable for new joiners. A product called Stripe was being investigated. It was not envisaged that we would ever have all payments running through this system because of the number of standing orders already in place and the payments that are managed via the CBA National umbrella.
24.07 Archaeology in Wales Report
Editing was well underway on the current volume with a February or March publication date expected. The printers, 4Word, that had been used for a number of years were ceasing tading so it had been necessary to find a new printer for AinW. After looking at a number of options it had been decided to go with Short Run Press,
24.08 Election of Honorary Officers and Committee Members.
No nominations had been received for the positions of Chairman, Secretary or Membership Secretary. To ensure CBA Wale/Cymru was able to continue to function the committee proposed to co-opt back on those currently in these roles for a further year, beyond their official two three year terms in office, No objections were raised to this. David Browne, Debbie Wareham and Mike Woods were elected to the Committee nem con.
24.09 Appointment of an Examiner of the accounts.
Rosemary Roberts was thanked for her work on the 2023/24 accounts and re-appointed Honorary Auditor for 2024/25. Agreed nem con.
24.10 Other business – There was no none.
Evan Chapman
Secretary CBA Wales/Cymru
