A most unusual Spanish plate found in Athersley

One of the strangest finds from the 2014 season was a Victorian commemorative plate. Nothing strange about that you say? Well, it commemorated a notable Spanish general!

Commorative plate for the Spanish General Arsenio Martinez de Campos.

The plate came from test pit 59, on the site of an old farm near Sandra's Convenience Store.  This was a plate with a design commemorating General Arsenio Martinez de Campos and, in addition to a portrait of the general, also carried a registration mark on the underside indicating that the design had been registered on 17^th July 1878 and the plate was made by a firm named ADAMS.  Unfortunately the name Adams was a common one amongst pottery firms making a definite attribution difficult. The most likely candidate may be the firm of William Adams & Sons of Tunstall and Stoke-on-Trent. The absence of 'England' after the maker's name suggests a date prior to 1891 but, as noted above, after 1878.  In spite of this uncertainty, the registration mark and the maker's name confirm that the plate was of British manufacture and was not of Spanish origin.  General Arsenio Martinez de Campos (1831 – 1900) was a significant figure in late 19^th century Spanish politics and his career is summarised in the Encyclopedia Britannica as follows:

Arsenio Martínez Campos,  (born December 14, 1831, Segovia, Spain—died September 23, 1900, Zarauz), general and politician whose pronunciamento (military revolution) on December 29, 1874, restored Spain’s Bourbon dynasty.

            Martínez Campos received a military education and after 1852 served on Spain’s general staff. A competent soldier, he took part in the international expedition of General Juan Prim to Mexico (1861) and fought Cuban rebels (until 1872). On his return to Spain, he briefly taught military science and then was sent to put down rebellions in Valencia (1872), Alicante and Cartagena.

            After Alfonso XII, the son of the deposed Isabella II, had declared Spain a constitutional monarchy (November 24, 1874), and other generals disillusioned with the republic had rallied to him, Alfonso took the throne following Martínez Campos’s pronunciamiento. Martínez Campos then took command of Alfonso’s forces against the Carlists, made the fighting less brutal by signing agreements protecting the lives of the wounded and prisoners, and brought about the end of the civil war (February 1876). His humane policy, which he then applied in Cuba, ended the 10-year rebellion there on February 10, 1878, with the Peace of Zanjón.

            On his return from Cuba, Martínez Campos served briefly as prime minister in 1879 and two years later as minister of war. After war broke out in Morocco (September 1893), he was put in command and succeeded in negotiating the Treaty of Marrakech (January 29, 1894). The following year he was sent to Cuba again but failed to win over the rebels. He resigned and returned to Spain (1896).

(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/367040/Arsenio-Martinez-Campos)

English potteries produced a large number of commemorative wares, including examples for export and, as the evidence from Sheffield shows, such export pottery was sometimes sold locally, usually because of over-production.  It is unclear whether this was the reason for a plate, presumably intended for the Spanish market, appearing in Barnsley or whether there was some local interest in the career of the general.  Further research into this subject might prove interesting.

The underside of the plate indicating that the design had been registered on 17^th July 1878 and the plate was made by a firm named ADAMS.

Schools 2014

All three of Athersley's schools have once again taken part on a series of workshops about archaeolgy. Two classes each at Athersley North, Athersley South and Richard Newman have had an introduction to archaeology, dug test pits, found out about the objects they've found and done an art/writing workshop about their finds.

Over 180 pupils have taken part this year. We will publish their artwork here soon.

Digging up School

No, we don't have an escape plan - we're excavating test pits at all three of Athersley's primary school again this year. After the success of the archaeology sessions and test pits last year, 180 pupils from Athersley North, Athersley South and Richard Newman will take part this autumn.

Two Test Pits

Photos from the test pits in two gardens in Athersley North.

Garden Test Pits

Here are some photos of this summer's test pits beside Sandra's Convenience Store. We have excavated the remains of an old farm that once stood where the store and Rufford Avenue are today. The farm is shown on Ordnance Survey maps in the second half of the 19th century. We are hoping to find objects from its history and to see how old it is.

Part of a farm stone wall.

Remains of the farm behind Sandra's.

Hands on Historhy Exhibition

Have a look at the exhibition if you missed it last week. Click on an image to see it large enough to read.

Finds Roadshow

We display and exhibition of finds from 2013 outside the Athersley Co-op on Saturday 17th May. Beryl, Carol and Sylvia did a great job telling people about what we found and signing up volunteers for this year.