A free online seminar hosted by the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology (ASHA) as part of the 2024 Online Seminar Series.

ASHA's final 2024 online seminar will be on A rat's nest at its finest: Early colonial textiles and footwear from Anglesea Barracks, Nipaluna/Hobart, presented by Dr Jennifer Jones-Travers on Wednesday 27 November 2024. The seminar will start at 6pm AEDT/ 4pm AWST / 5.30pm ACST / 8pm NZDT.

The seminar will run for 45 to 50 minutes, followed by a Q&A session. All bookings will be through Humanitix (link is below). A Zoom link will be sent to your registered email address closer to the date of the event. We look forward to seeing you – virtually!

A rat's nest at its finest: Early colonial textiles and footwear from Anglesea Barracks, Nipaluna/Hobart

Abstract

A surprise find of early colonial textiles and footwear was recovered by tradesmen during routine maintenance work beneath the floorboards of the second Soldier Barracks (now Officers Mess) at Anglesea Barracks, Nipaluna/Hobart. Additional artefacts were recovered during archaeological site protection works, with more than 2,000 objects (mostly textiles and footwear) recovered from underneath the building before the site was stabilised to prevent future damage. These finds raised questions about the role of the British government in supplying clothing to soldiers and their families, how the garments provided to 'free' settlers compared to those provided to 'unfree' settlers, resource availability in the early colonial period, and the efficacy of implementing control through dress in a colonial setting. This paper provides initial discussions around these research questions and outlines some additional research avenues that may be of interest.

Dr Jennifer Jones-Travers - Short Bio

Dr Jennifer Jones-Travers is Director of Latitude Heritage and has worked for over 20 years in archaeology and heritage management as an archaeologist, excavation director, artefact analyst and researcher. She is the current member with expertise in Archaeology on the Tasmanian Heritage Council, Chair of its Archaeological Advisory Panel, and member of its Works and Registration Committees.

When: 6pm AEDT / 3pm AWST / 5.30pm ACDT / 8pm NZDT, Wednesday 27 November 2024

Where: Online via Zoom

Tickets: Available on this Humanitix webpage

ASHA event webpage: https://asha.org.au/event/2024-online-seminar-series-a-rats-nest-at-its-finest-early-colonial-textiles-and-footwear-from-anglesea-barracks-nipaluna-hobart

A red wool soldier’s jacket — The remains of a red wool soldier’s jacket with regimental worsted wool lace (or tape/braid), found during the excavation of Anglesea Barracks.

A convict shirt collar — A striped blue and white cotton shirt collar in a fabric often used for and associated with convict shirts found at Anglesea Barracks.

A leather boot found during the excavation of Anglesea Barracks.