I think that the discourse on jetties by Richard Harris in his 1978 book "Discovering Timber-Framed Buildings" is generally good and in keeping with our previous "pre dendro" understanding of building dating criteria.

I have re read Richard's pages on this topic and note that there is one major ommission i.e. that of internal jetties. These were present in many open hall timber framed buildings to help provide the occupants of the open hall with some respite from falling soot smuts with the jettying taking place over an inserted cross frame present only on the ground floor. Oft times these internal jetties are seen and interpreted as cross passages rather than as internal jetties and worse if the ground floor room divider frame has been removed then the evidence for the internal jetty may well completely disappear.

The significance of the impact of the black death on market demand and construction of new buildings should not be underestimated. There is a huge difference between 1347 and 1349 and quantified (dendro dated) evidence is now only slowly emerging that will allow us to truly quantify the impact that the black death had on same. 1349 and 1340 (see below) is a bit far short of the 15th century.

It is no longer clear whether or not the Wealden jettied house form was a "town" come to "country" design or vice versa. There is a Wealden in the next village to me at Sherbourne St John built in 1441 and there is an early Town Wealden at No 35, High St. Winchester dating from 1340 but the numbers of these buildings found to date is so low that it is probably not really possible to establish with any great degree of confidence just how widespread the building of early jettied houses was in practice. I mention this because a similar factor might well be at work in New England where early population levels amongst the Colony communities was relatively low and thus the significance of any building pattern practice has to be seen in the light and numbers of other contemporary building practices of the day also taking into account the mortality of building forms (fire, demolition, alteration, etc.).

It is becoming clear from discussions on this forum that the scope for significant (quantified) research work in New England and elsewhere is emerging and I am much heartened that this growing interest might well lead towards finding a solution to save all of those buildings currently meeting their fate at the hands of the wrecking ball or dozer blade.

Today, I received in the mail from America a number of building recording reports made in New England which make it abundantly clear that commendable and very capable talent exists within the ranks of the regular posters on this forum. Combining this research outcomes with the recent TFGWiki illustrated glossary initiative bodes well for helping us all to develop a much better understanding than might currently prevail.

The challenge then (Tim, Don, Jim, Richard et all) is to research, compile, analyse and inform us all of the factual basis for the development, retention and loss of the various building practices that exist in New England and beyond. We here back in the olde country can try to fit your information alongside our own and collectively a more informed picture might well emerge.

Regards

Ken Hume

Nice discourse Ken, and I salute the intention and spirit you express in your closing paragraph. Thanks for moving this whole jetty thing to its own topic.

I'm still curious about average jetty/overhang dimentions. Can you put a figure on it for homes? Is it usually enough to walk under? Is there a percentage of the building size that's typically jettied? And does it occur both eave and gable? And if so are they called the same?

Is wealden only on an eave wall? Or can this too be along the gable?

Jetty is found in abundance here in the US in the form of the Garrison house. My own childhood home was this type. And what about the split foyer of the 1970s? would that be classified as jetty? And the doorway/front entrance that's often set in on a split foyer... would this be wealden? Or should we not even consider "modern" stick-frame homes in this discourse?

The Garrison house takes its design from the forts (or garrisons) once popular in this county's pioneering days. I wonder what advantage this overhang/jetty gave in defense? Could defense have been an origin for the design in Europe?

Or could it be of entirely innocent beginings? Say as a shield from the noonday sun?

Hi Don,

Re Jetty dimensions:- One could hazard a guess that these might usually be in the region of 18 - 24 inches wide but where jetties were employed in a town and a new building was being inserted between two existing buildings then the width of the jetty might well vary along the length of the new building to ensure a match. Town buildings do not necessarily have right angled corners. Some buildings feature jetties on sucessive floors such that the overall building overhang increases with height as does the building lean as the cummulative effects of timber shrinkage across the grain and cantilevering result in a pronounced deformation. This can be quite unsettling.

I am not familiar with the Garrison or Foyer style of house that you describe but I think on balance probably not since the key features of a Wealden is that it has an open hall with a fire burning on the floor in the hall and so this is very much a contrived design to suit circumstances that existed before the widespread construction of chimneys and the fitting of glass into windows. The recessed front in a Wealden was most likely an attempt at improving weather protection of the hall windows from falling rain. The recess on a Wealden is found on the long (eaves) wall.

The sun in England is never really that strong but yes a degree of shading would be provided.

When jetties become wide overhangs with intermittant post supports for bressumers then the opportunity does exist to connect same together and form canopied walkways. The most striking examples of this type of feature can be seen in the city of Chester, Cheshire where this was developed almost into an artform. Winchester also has a number of very early buildings connected in this fashion.

Your comments about defence are probably worthy of consideration and certainly we must consider security. I have oft wondered why internal jetties were built so low such that it might not even be possible for a normal person to stand up straight and this might well be to do with security e.g. to prevent the effective swinging of weapons say in a rent collection bailiff's or reeve's office (hall) - I wonder if they had the equivalent of bank raids in medieval times ?

I will try and dig out some photos and post same to help illlustrate some of these points and also just for your enjoyment.

Final thought :- clearly very little work has been undertaken here to research and catagorise all the different types of jettied, overhung and projecting building types that exist here and this could form rather a nice topic for a Masters dissertation.

Regards

Ken Hume

Thanks for moving this to a "new topic". It opens the other to what it is.

I grew up in a 1970's Foyer style stick built house, just as Don described. I think the architects of the 70's were just building a style of house with no connection except "I think that would make for a nice house". The idea could of come from our history, though.

Perhaps R. Harris could of been just rounding his numbers, 50-60 year isn't that much especially that far back in time. The black death does through an interesting twist into the equation. War and death has a big effect on historical buildings. 50 years is only a generation, but with a high rate of death what happens to the apprentice systems in place, who is left to pass on info. They may be left with a relearn scenario, where styles could change. Just speculating. I see no major issues with Richards dates and the book did come highly recommended, #1 on the list. It would be nice to see a photo of an internal jetty.

I recall a drawn sketch of the fort on the St. Croix river, the boarder between the U.S. an Canada, where the buildings were set in rows and tight and compact and I think they may of had the "fort type" overhangs. This was a French settlement in 1604, 50% died that winter, they packed up and moved over to Nova Scotia that spring. The fort was only partly built. The coast of Maine was settled early but the natives were restless. The settlements were frequently burned to the ground. In the very southern parts of Maine there is older structures the bulk of the coast was finally settled in the mid 1700's. The settlers of Machias came up from Scarborough in 1760.

The forebay barns could be added to the list as well. These were for weather and shade protection, most likely. Tim

Ken, Tim:

Ken, the "Split Foyer" is a icon of 1970s American surburbia if there ever was one. I have pasted a link to one that shows significant jetty and perhaps even wealden in the front door area. This particular example is a classic that was duplicated Thousands and thousands of times here in this country. Right, Tim?:

http://www.traditionalbuilders.com/images/split_foyer_1.jpg

The garrison is also popular in suburbia, albeit lesser so... very popular in the lexicon of modern American carpenters. But I think this is an older tradition, surely from Europe. If you look up "garrison" in a dictionary, it is synonymous with "fort." There is obvious overhang/ jetty. I included another link:

http://newenglandfrontier.com/home_files/Photos/Large/Woodman%20Garrison%20-%20Durham.jpg

And yes, I can see jetty is a vast topic. We can only scratch the surface. I've yet to see any jetty in a barn...

Jetties can be on either the eave or gable walls.
In the Uk we might describe these as the sidewalls and end crossframes.
Those on the end crossframes are called "end jetties".
Those on the sidewalls, eavewall, are called simply "jetties"
These sidewall jetties can be in one piece called " continuous jetties" this was a fashion, circa late 1400s to early 1500s that came after the end jetty and the Wealden house facade, that ken has mentioned.

Jetties were used on this side of the pond, just not in common numbers...

I am only aware of a handful of surviving examples.

There is a vestigal surviving aspect - The use of the term Garrison (As Don cites above) in realestate-ese, loosely meaning any "Colonial"-esque home with an overhang. I think this has the same roots as the misnomer that is Indian Shutter and the wild imaginings of overhangs helping hold savages at bay whilst colonials defended their homesteads from second story windows.

Links to several books which cite historical examples -

http://books.google.com/books?q=framed+overhang+in+new+england&btnG=Search+Books

I just talked to me mum, and she said she's always called it a raised ranch for 37 years, which makes it official. It is very similar to the first one Don posted, the 3/4 raised ranch, it's missing a window on the left side of the door.

Forebay barns? Anyone have a picture of a forebay barn. They have a huge 7'-8' over hang. These would be simple side wall jetties. Or see page 22&23 of Timber Framing, issue #88. A form of a bank barn.

Maybe Richard Harris needs a correction with his dates of jetties, but just slightly. Tim

Hi Don,

The Split Foyer certainly has the major external key features of a Wealden design and the picture of the Garrison appears to me to be a real Colonial jettied house judging by the "husband and wife" shade trees at the front door. These terms would be important to add to the glossary since they demonstrate a link in architectural design continuity from old to new worlds.

Hi Tim,

I am keen to see some (links to) pictures of forebay barns.

I will leave it to you to suggest to Richard that he should ammend the jetty dating criteria included within his book but hopefully Joe Thompson (Sussex Oak) who works for Richard will do this on our behalf.

I do have an old photo of an internal jetty in a cruck frame which I will try to locate, scan and post on the forum.

Regards

Ken Hume

Ken, it sounds like a touchy subject, the correction of Richard. I will leave it at that as well. Maybe you folks could get him to chime in on the topic of jetties. I would like to know if there is a similar book for the New England area, one of such size and info and applicable to us.

I think I have also heard the term "marriage trees". I will see if it was in A Days Work, a great picture book, two volumes and half the book is old photos of the later 1800's thats the later 19th century. Other signs of farms are lilac bushes, apple trees, roses and other heritage flowers. Stone walls and foundation are seen as well, I see these after I have spotted the vegetation first, some have all of the above mentioned. I live on a fairly remote road, 3 miles to the nearest neighbor-17 years ago, now only 2 miles and they are coming closer. The point is 17 years ago there was only six full time residents on the Gardner Lake road now there 30 plus. I have a slight interest in the past and have noted an obvious 12 old house sites on the road to my house one is where I live, 3 cellar holes, flowers and apple trees. It took 15 years for me to notice these and 2 months ago I counted them, 12 that still show, trees growing out of the basement. Three cemeteries also. I am told there were 34 farms out my way. The children moved away leaving the old folks to the farm. This is very much connected to the type of buildings I see left, for some part there is a lot of hodge-podge buildings, made up of odd pieces, I am speculating coming form the abandoned farms of the country side.