On the Origins of Crucks
An Innocent Notion
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11903085 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nick Hill (0000-0001-6799-7536, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-14 |
| Publication date | 2005-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Vernacular Architecture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-5477 • E-ISSN: 1749-6292 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1179/030554705778553655 |
| OpenAlex | W4236166623 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
In recent decades, the generally accepted theory on the origin of crucks has been that they arrived in Britain around the time of the Norman Conquest and were well established by 1200. This article, inspired by the earlier theories of C. F. Innocent, re-examines the evidence for this early origin, and suggests that a different interpretation is possible. The case for an early origin relies heavily on the documentary evidence, and in particular the term furca, which has been interpreted as a cruck. It is argued that the furca may represent a separate, 'primitive' building tradition, based not on crucks, but on upright posts, originally with forked tops, supporting a cross beam. This leads to the proposition that crucks may have no separate ancestry but developed around the mid thirteenth century as an integral part of the rapid spread of innovative, well-carpentered houses at that time. This later origin suggests that base crucks could predate crucks, and that both are strongly linked to the growth of the Gothic style. A later origin for crucks would also help to explain their absence from the South East, as the alternative box-framing technique was well established there by that time
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · CONQUEST · Epistemology · Framing (construction · Genealogy · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · Literature · Proposition · Spear · Architecture and Art History Studies · Historical Architecture and Urbanism · History · Medieval Architecture and Archaeology · Philosophy
List 84 Somerset Dendrochronology Project - Phase One
The Unfulfilled Wider Implications of Vernacular Architecture Studies
The Grammar of Carpentry
The Vernacular Threshold of Northern Peasant Houses
A Response To
List 103
Small Aisled Halls in Essex
Wynter's Armourie
The Distribution and Dating of Crucks and Base Crucks
Architecture at Cowdery's Down
Medieval Roofs
English Peasant Buildings in the Later Middle Ages (1200–1500)
Medieval Roofs with Base-Crucks and Short Principals
Trees and woodland in the British landscape
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |