The boat found at Kingsteignton, n T

ves remains of a clinker-built vessel. The boat struc-ture was discovered near the River Teign, 150 m from the present course of the river (Fig. 1). This suggest a rounded hull. The contemporary report identified the bow as being towards the camera, on the basis of a probable mast-step (visible in Fig. 2) ‘just before midships’, a sternpost orappears to change its course from time to time, due to natural causes. It has also been artificially diverted in order to gain access to submerged clays (T. Vincent pers. comm.). Prior to 1898 other artefacts had been found in the clay-pit, including a copper-alloy spear head with part of its shaft, a small wooden figure and a pottery jug (Pengelly, 1875). In addition a ‘canoe’, or logboat was discovered. This did not survive but was recorded as of concave inner and convex outer cross-section, having an estimated length of 2·74 m being 0·91 m wide with walls 63–77 mm thick (Pengelly, 1883: 377). sternpost knee and a starboard rising or stringer. The keel was described as being in one single piece and square in section. Part of the boat was removed and presented to Torquay Natural History Museum, where it is still displayed. Today the exhibit consists of frag-ments of five planks, the longest being 2·70 m. In the absence of any datable artefacts the boat at the time of its discovery was inevitably deduced to be ‘Viking ’ (Bearne, 1898) in common with other early discoveries of clinker boats (Fenwick, 1978a: 193). In 1977 these planks were treated with 10 % polyethelene glycol in ethanol with sodium pentachlorophenate added.Eric Dudle