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Last year Stuart Noon and Simon Jeffrey from Network Archaeology Ltd, Lincoln (specialists in rescue archaeology associated with large scale construction projects), spoke to a packed house about their work as the intrepid archaeologists battling against the odds to rescue archaeology, while keeping one step ahead of the bulldozers as the new gas pipeline ploughed its way 94 kilometres from Pannall near Harrogate, to Nether Kellett, near Carnforth in Lancashire.
A year later, and they returned to another excellent turnout to give us the much anticipated update on their findings.
Last year Stuart introduced the presentation by focusing upon the working conditions and restrictions under which archaeologists must operate when working on such projects. This year, as the data is being finalized, he focused upon the methods and techniques by which the archaeology is dealt with, from preliminary desk-based research, to on-site methodology, post-excavation analysis and finally to the dissemination of results.
Having mapped the route of the pipeline, the archaeological team had begun the pre-excavation work which, even before any top soil had been removed, was turning in a huge amount of data. Restricted to an area 500 metres to either side of the line, this work involved landscape mapping using aerial surveys, geological surveys, looking at old and new maps, and checking previously published archaeological reports which covered the area.
In all, this desk based assessment identified 239 sites of archaeological importance, only 7 of which were suitable for field walking (turning up only 8 artefacts between them), but 41 were suitable for field surveys. Thus, before any top soil had been removed, data was being collected on 72 field banks and ditches, 49 ridge and furrow fields, 23 track ways, 8 possible structures, 6 quarries, 1 possible settlement, the Melling Tunnel earthworks, a possible burial mound, and 335 dry stone walls.
As the pipeline construction project went ahead, Network Archaeology took to the field, keeping a watching brief over the trenches as they were cut through 570 fields, 6 pipe dumps and 58 road crossings. 18 sites were actually excavated along the way – at Lindley, Halton East, Bank Newton, Wigglesworth, Denton, Weston, Askwith, Middleton and Addingham. Overall 1,905 archaeological sites were recorded, 185 of which had legal protection.
With such a huge amount of data to analyse and interpret, Stuart stressed the importance of the research framework which is necessary to control the whole process – throughout the project, information was coming in from a wide variety of sources and in a range of formats – the desk based research and assessment, field walking, field surveys, geophysics results, evaluations, watching briefs, excavations, environmental sampling, and specialist reports on small finds.
A structured research model has to be applied if sense is to be made from all of this information, which is currently still being collated and “interrogated”. Stuart placed great emphasis on the importance of using the data from the specific sites to gain an understanding of the historical landscape as a whole, and as a means of attempting to understand the people themselves who left behind the evidence which is now being brought to light during this project.
Simon followed with a quick fire tour of a selection of the sites and finds which have been unearthed during the pipeline construction. The range of periods and activities uncovered is quite extraordinary – from Mesolithic flint scatters, to the industrial archaeology of a bloomery furnace.
Sites excavated included a building (probably medieval) with cobbled floor at Lawkland Green; a track way at Farther Rome; burnt mounds at Lawkland Moss and Backland Wood; kilns at Austwick, Farnley Lake, and Addingham; a substantial 14th century stone building at Scales, near Ilkley, with a cobbled floor, 14th century pottery finds, and a subsequent building phase in the 17th century.
Of particular interest was Bank Newton, near Gargrave, where several very interesting finds were made – a ring cairn (of unusual construction for this region, having both an inner and outer kerbing; and containing the bones of an unusually small horse, and charred grain seeds); Roman finds (a brooch and part of a glass bangle); a settlement dating from the 3rd to 1st Century BC (with a large broken millstone set into the floor), the occupation of which appears to have suddenly stopped at about the same time as the area was buried under a landslip, or became silted up. The corner of what is probably an Anglo-Scandinavian building was also found (artefacts recovered including pottery dated circa 850 AD) – unfortunately, despite the pleas of the archaeologists, permission to excavate further on this building was denied, since the site lay outside the designated boundaries of the 100 metre wide pipeline route. Similarly, part of the medieval building at Scales, lay outside the boundaries imposed upon the archaeologists, and could only be partially excavated – but two nice finds from this site were a 17th century fork with bone handle (a high status object), and a late 18th-early 19th century military button. Nearby was also found a bloomery furnace, the backfill of which included 14th to 16th century pottery.
Several interesting parallels can be made between the Bank Newton site and our own at Chapel House Wood – A medieval farmstead overlays Romano-British settlement; A broken millstone was found inset into the stone floor; artefacts included part of a glass bangle; surrounding field systems; original timber structure was replaced by stone building.
Not surprisingly there is still much work to. There are site drawings to digitize, lab results to come through, and the mass of data to be subjected to interpretation, so that the reports, monographs and articles can be written.
In the question and answer session following Stuart and Simon’s presentation, there was some discussion of several issues which had arisen during the evening - such as the absence of evidence from the Neolithic period, the potential of the possible Anglo-Scandinavian building for further investigation, the increasing importance of environmental and landscape archaeology. The comparison between the protection of archaeology in the UK with the more favourable situation in Ireland was also discussed.
And so we look forward again with great anticipation to welcoming Stuart and Simon back again next year when, perhaps we will know the story behind the button from the Northamptonshire militia, or whether that small horse really was a distinct Yorkshire breed, or just an ordinary pony!
For more information about the pipeline’s route see the National Grid’s pipeline web page at http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Gas/Pipelines/Pannal/
Jane Lunnon (UWHG Archivist)
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