Land use within the hinterland of Isurium Brigantum

Nick Wilson

In 2007, a rare discovery near the Roman civitas of Isurium Brigantum, modern Aldborough, surprised the archaeologists: an impressive funerary monument had been built close to Dere Street, one of the main Roman roads in northern England. Recent geophysical surveys and archaeological excavations in the vicinity of the burial revealed distinctive features that could shed a new light on the economic and social interactions within the region during the Roman period.

Altogether Archaeology – The Iron Age at Gueswick Hills

Tony Metcalfe and Martin Green

The independent community archaeology group Altogether Archaeology continued their excavations at Gueswick Hills, near Cotherstone, in 2021 after their initial surveys in 2019 and forced break in 2020 due to Covid restrictions The site seems to be an Iron Age palisaded enclosure – the first one in this area if the hypothesis can be confirmed. Further research is currently carried out including Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon analysis to date the remains of this very rare finding.

So you think you can Georeference?

Kevin Cowie

This article describes the acquisition of digital surveying equipment which can provide accurate positioning using a mobile phone based system.  This is one example out of a number of grants from CBA Yorkshire made during 2021 to affiliate groups.

Removing the Birstall Curse

Dave Russ

This article describes a discovery made during the South Leeds Archaeology excavation near Birstall, West Yorkshire.  The discovery of leather shoes, their subsequent preservation and possible use are discussed.

Prehistoric Rock-Art at Tinker Brook Valley,

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Tim Cockrell

There are examples of prehistoric rock carvings throughout Yorkshire, notably on Ilkley Moor and the surrounding area.  Carved stones were also found as part of an excavation of a prehistoric pit alignment at Boston Spa in West Yorkshire.  This article describes the identification of carvings in an area to the North West of Sheffield surveyed by the Bolsterstone Archaeology and Heritage Group in South Yorkshire.

Life, Death, and the Shadow World in Neolithic Spirituality

Tony Hunt

There are nine known major Neolithic henges in Yorkshire. They lie mainly across the Ure and Swale valleys of North Yorkshire, together with the Ferrybridge henge and the Newton Kyme henge. Their sizes and dimensions are surprisingly consistent for such diverse monuments, demonstrating a deliberate measure was applied.

Hedgerows and Historical Landscapes

Barry Wright

In this article Barry uses hedgerows as an example of how the historical landscape can be interpreted through a knowledge of various plant types.

Excavations at Eastfield, Scarborough

Paula Ware

This article describes the excavation of one of the most significant Late Iron Age Romano British sites undertaken in recent years.  The site near Scarborough has raised many questions which have still to be answered due to the unusual structures unearthed.

A newly recorded early 18th century garden at Gillingwood Hall near Richmond, North Yorkshire

Tim Gates and Trevor Pearson

At Gillingwood Hall, near Richmond, archaeologists and architectural historians have documented a previously unrecognised early 18th century landscaped garden. The garden probably dates to the 1740s and for the first time provides a context for three contemporary buildings that were listed in 1969.

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Breaking New Ground – Archaeological Excavation at the Abbots Staith Warehouse, Selby

Mark Simpson

In Selby, near York, some rare remains of a warehouse belonging to the medieval Abbey complex have survived and were investigated by the Abbots Staith Heritage Trust, funded by the Selby Town Council. The three trenches revealed structures that helped to reconstruct the architectural history of the warehouse and finds provided an initial hint to their dating. With those new insights in mind, further research might reveal a more substantial picture of the building’s past.

‘Any Old Iron’ Smelting/Forging in the Iron Age

– Experimental Archaeology

Brian Elsey

We often think of community archaeology in terms of planning and carrying out excavations.  North Duffield have done their fair share of this, however this article describes how a community group can go one step further and carry out experimental archaeology to better understand the past.

From a palace of Prince-Bishops to 17th century manor: how we established the Howdenshire

Archaeological Society

Stephen Lonsdale

This article describes how an interest in local history developed into an archaeological investigation and the birth of a new community archaeology society.

Excavations at Hornby Castle, Bedale
North Yorkshire

Erik Matthews

This article provides an update on recent discoveries at Hornby Castle following the earlier piece which was published on line during the summer of 2020. The discoveries in respect of the work on the site of the Medieval priest’s house will be reported here for the very first time.

Iron Age ‘shrine’ discovered in the Yorkshire Wolds

Peter Halkon and James Lyall

This article describes the discovery of an Iron age shrine associated with a Bronze Age Ring Fort which has been the subject of an excavation over the last four years

Petuaria Revisited – Excavations at Brough in 2021

Peter Halkon and James Lyall

In 2021 Peter Halkon and Martin Credland jointly led a Zoom presentation reflecting on the excavations at the site of Roman Petuaria during 2020. The video is available from the CBA Yorkshire website as part of the Video Archive. This article is an update describing the excavations that were carried out during the summer of 2021

Fieldwork by the Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society 2021

Various Authors

This article outlines some of the work that the Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society were able to carry out during 2021. Reports on the sites mentioned in this article can be downloaded from the website of the Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society

Skipwith Moated Manor House Excavation

Brian Worrall

Following historical research into the history and origins of the village and following preliminary geophysics, excavation of a moated manor house was started in 2021.  Preliminary results are described in this article.

The Spitalcroft Enigma

Ken Shaw

An excavation of an underground structure at Knaresborough by a team of archaeologists from 3D Archaeological Society and Iron Age (Nidderdale) Community Archaeology Society was carried out to expose the full extent of the structure & obtain any archaeological evidence which might enable its date and purpose to be established.  Whilst much has been learned about the structure, many questions remain unanswered for the time being.

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Telling the Story of Knaresborough’s Archaeology

Kathy Allday

This article describes a new project in Knaresborough. A new museum is always an exciting prospect but in this case is even more significant because it is a community led project. Hopefully the article will be the first of many reporting on the progress once the museum is up and running.

Archaeology Collections during a pandemic:

Notes from the Yorkshire Museum

Andrew Woods

With a global pandemic, the work of museums has become an unforeseen challenge and the teams had to get creative to engage their audiences.

At the Yorkshire Museum, this goal was achieved with a new social media approach followed by engaging new exhibitions and acquisitions once the museum was able to open again.

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Selected Recent Work by JB Archaeology Ltd

John Buglass  

John continues to submit an article each year outlining the work that he has been engaged in, which has relevance to archaeology in Yorkshire. This article describes work carried out during 2021 following Co-Vid guidelines.

Round Foundry, David Street,
Holbrook, Leeds

ArcHeritage  

This article is an introduction to one of several excavations which have been carried out in an area of Leeds associated with many developments during the period of Leeds’ industrial growth during the 17th to 19th centuries. The area is now being extensively redeveloped with a subsequent loss of heritage sites.

 …and now the shipping news……
Ship Timbers in Historic Buildings

Jen Deadman and John Buglass

Recycling is nothing new.  There are many instances where it is claimed that reused timbers in constructing buildings came from ships.  This article describes one of the few examples found where ship timbers were actually identified during the survey of a historic building in Staithes, North Yorkshire.

Marshall’s A and B Mills – Early Industrial Flax Production in Leeds

Ashley Tuck

In 2019, an opportunity to investigate one of the first industrial flax mills arose when the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service recommended excavation of the nationally important demolished Marshall’s A and B Mills. The mills from the 1790s were at the forefront of a revolution in the linen industry. Along with the surviving Mills C–E and Temple Mill, they helped define the character of the developing industrial area of Holbeck, Leeds. The excavations revealed structural remains representing use of the site from the late 18th century through to the present day

An Iron Age and Romano-British field system and settlement at Partridge Hill Farm, High Common Lane, Austerfield, South Yorkshire

Andrew Valdez-Tullett

One hundred and five trial evaluation trenches were excavated at Partridge Hill
Farm at Austerfield, South Yorkshire, in an area where cropmarks suggested the
presence of an Iron Age/Romano-British field system and a group of enclosures.
Evidence for the conjectured field system in the form of 16 ditches, one of them
dating to the Middle Iron Age, along with a series of Romano-British enclosures
was revealed in the southern part of the evaluation area. Although situated
300m from a major Roman road and 3km from two Roman forts, all of the
pottery was of local manufacture. Not enough of the site was revealed to show
whether this was culturally significant or a product of depositional bias