|
The third in a series of annual talks was given to UWHG by Network Archaeology providing us with the latest post-excavation findings from the archaeologists who worked alongside the laying of the new pipeline across Yorkshire.
Having previously been given, at two earlier talks, exciting tasters of finds and discoveries being made as the pipeline was laid during 2006-2007 we were now treated to a presentation of how these discoveries were being investigated and interpreted.
Having spent much time focusing upon specific sites and finds, Chris Caswell and Richard Moore used the presentation to pose questions about some of the wider issues surrounding the project. An overview of the methodologies used showed how the restrictions imposed by the very nature of the pipeline had forced the archaeologists to focus very tightly on highly specific locations – a holistic landscape-based approach was inappropriate since they could not excavate outside the linear boundaries of the pipeline development. At the very start of the project, they had been given the challenge of finding the least archaeologically sensitive route, which inevitably meant the most interesting sites would be beyond their reach. Their watching brief meant they were constantly poised to conduct a rolling programme of rescue archaeology, under the inevitable time constraints.
Nevertheless, they were able to unearth some very interesting sites in our area of Craven and neighbouring districts, from the Mesolithic flint working site near Settle, to a Bronze Age cairn at Bank Newton, burnt mounds at Turnbers Hill near Gargrave, a Romano-British field system at Lindley Bridge, a Roman farmstead at Bank Newton, a late medieval bloomery furnace at Denton Moor, brick kilns near Otley, several clamp kilns (including Embsay, and Halton East), and post-medieval buildings at Scales, Halton near Skipton, and Lawkland Green near Settle.
Working within such a narrow belt of the landscape as the pipeline made its way across the Pennines, trying to resolve a range of obstacles and limitations – landowners, ecological concerns, time limits, terrain, avoidance of major sites (which demanded resources not available to a rescue operation such as this) – Network Archaeology were nevertheless happy that they had at least been able to use the opportunity to reveal sites that would probably never have been discovered otherwise. In the absence of an extensive body of modern literature on archaeology in the area, it is difficult to make sense of the 6,000 years of history in the area, and to resolve some of the questions which their excavations raised.
A recurrent theme, for example, was the lack of sites with long-term multi-phase occupation. They also found far fewer large scale sites than they had expected. Although this may be an indication of the success of their Phase 1 assessments designed to recommend a route for the pipeline which avoided important sites, it does contrast sharply with the archaeological findings along the pipeline in East Yorkshire. Are there any implications here for the density of human activity in the Pennine area? How, and why, does this contrast with the uplands of the Dales where investigations by UWHG, YDLRT and IAG suggest a very busy historic landscape.
They found a good representation of the Bronze Age – curiously, mostly sites normally typical of upland areas, yet found in relatively lowland sites, such as river valleys; but where was the Iron Age? And, apart from the Gargrave area, where are the Romans? The period AD 100-1,000 was completely devoid of finds. Even medieval sites were related to resource exploitation rather than domestic settlement.
These and other questions led to various discussions after the presentation, with particular interest being shown by some members of the audience regaridng prehistoric features, such as the ring cairn, barrows and burnt mounds.
This was a particularly interesting evening and UWHG very much look forward to the publication of Network Archaeology’s final report.
Jane Lunnon. UWHG Archivist.
|
