Zoom lecture: John Allan — Breton craftsmen in Cornwall and Devon in the early Tudor Period
The lecture will show that a remarkable number of immigrants lived and worked in Cornwall and Devon in the early 16th century. In Devon they came from a wide area of Northern Europe, but in Cornwall they were mostly from Brittany.
The talk will argue that among them were skilled woodworkers who undertook commissions both in churches and in houses, and that their output can still be distinguished by distinctive working techniques and stylistic features. It will propose that some of the most famous examples of late medieval church woodwork in the two counties are the products of foreign craftsmen rather than local people.
John Allan is the Consultant Archaeologist of Exeter Cathedral, a past President of the Devonshire Association and the Devon Archaeological Society, and a former Joint Editor of Post-Medieval Archaeology. For twenty years, from 1984 to 2004, he was Curator of Antiquities at Exeter City Museums. He has edited about 30 archaeological books and published about 180 papers on different aspects of the medieval and later archaeology of South-West England.
Online event via Zoom.
Booking is expected to open approximately three weeks before the lecture.