Bank Holiday Monday 25 August 2014

Our final Open Day!

The UWHG Committee assembled early to put up the Displays and the HLF Banner, to lay out the finds and to prepare the refreshments.

Meanwhile Kevin Cale and Janis were preparing their demonstration “excavation” in a large box filled with river sand and 'planted' with various finds including plastic human bones.  Unfortunately no children came to dig, but it proved a huge success for three ladies from Rotherham. These ladies had seen the advertisement on the website and had come to see what our day was all about. 

They spent most of the morning excavating, bagging and recording, in correct archaeological fashion and obviously thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Did this wet their appetites for more in the future, I wonder?

Gina engrossed in digging  (c) Alan Williams

Judging from the look of concentration on her face, it also proved a very interesting experience for Jane's niece, Gina, too.

People of all sorts came – some local, some passers by just out for a day in the Dales, some UWHG members trickled in throughout the morning, with an influx towards lunch-time, and people obviously coming to look at the displays  prior to the afternoon's talks. In total, probably more than 70 people joined us at various times throughout the day.

They showed great interest in the exhibition of the project, in looking at the finds, watching the “excavation” in progress, and chatting about the project.

A cluster of people around the exhibition display (c) Alan Williams

After lunch Roger spoke about the results of both the surveying and from the finds from the excavation, all of which indicated there had been occupation in the area since the late Bronze Age, through to the present. On analysis, the tooth had given a date of late 6th–early 7thC AD although the isotope analysis indicated that the lady grew up to the west of Arncliffe and was not an Anglican immigrant. However, the beads, which were of similar date, did mean that the people in the area at that time had connections with the Anglo-Saxons, prior to the proposed annexation of Craven by Northumbria.

Roger expounding on the Anglo-Saxon presence in the Dales (c) Alan Williams

As our second speaker, David Johnson spoke about several excavations he had conducted in the Ingleborough area, with the Ingleborough Archaeology Group. These proved to be of various buildings, which were thought to be possibly farmsteads or shielings. Charcoal and finds from these excavations gave similar and also slightly later dates to the Arncliffe ones, all of which have considerable implications for other sites in the Yorkshire Dales.

The day concluded, leaving us with much to think about. In the meantime reports have to be written and submitted to various bodies, before we move on to the next project!

The Chairman and the Committee of the UWHG would like to express their grateful thanks to all who have given their support and/or who have taken part in this project, including Kevin Cale, and especially Sarah and Richard Paul of Carr Farm; to the Partners of the Arncliffe Estate and to the Arncliffe Parish Meeting.

Ruth Spencer, UWHG