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Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd, on behalf of Mike Griffiths and Associates for Tarmac Ltd, undertook an archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of an area centred around a plateau of river gravels on the northern bank of the River Ure near Thornborough and Nosterfield. This archaeological assessment will form part of a planning application for mineral extraction. Since the area forms part of a broader archaeological landscape of recognised importance, the study area was expanded to 90km2, the landscape study area in order to assess the significance of known and potential archaeological sites within their setting and to assess the impact of the proposed mineral extraction on this historic landscape. A more detailed assessment was undertaken for an area of 12.25km2 immediately around Nosterfield in order to evaluate the immediate archaeological impact of the proposed quarrying, the detailed assessment area.
The study of the known archaeological sites, finds and surviving monuments has revealed that the landscape study area, situated predominantly on low lying ground to the north of the River Ure, formed the focus for large scale investment in monuments from the Neolithic period, and continued to be a centre for burial and ritual behaviour well into the Bronze Age. The majority of known sites for this period are legally protected as Scheduled Ancient Monuments, whilst others, recognised from aerial photography, clearly form part of the same ritual landscape. Recent fieldwork in the detailed assessment area suggests that there was a division between the ritual and settlement areas with domestic activity kept at a distance of at least 600m from the henges, perhaps deliberately sited in places from which the monuments were not visible.
As yet very little is known of the settlement sites, although recent excavations along the line of the A1 near Dishforth offer some indication of the character of the settlement in the vicinity of the Hutton Moor henges. In the Thornborough area, the deposits of peat included in the northern part of the research area are recognised as an important source of information, since it is known that the peat sampled at Nosterfield was being formed throughout the prehistoric period. Not only can the peat offer valuable evidence for the local environment but it also seems to contain horizons of flint finds which may provide information on the sequence and nature of prehistoric occupation.
The wider area is known to have been occupied by villa estates during the Roman period, and continued to be inhabited by several agricultural communities from the Early Medieval period through to the modern day. During this time nucleation and desertion of certain settlements led to the establishment of West Tanfield as the principal settlement in the detailed assessment area, with the surrounding villages of Nosterfield and Thornborough established by at least the 13th century.
The assessment has defined over 80 known and potential sites in the detailed assessment area. These have been ascribed to categories from A - E according to their deemed archaeological significance, category A including legally protected sites of high significance and category E representing sites of low significance or sites which have already been excavated or destroyed. Those sited on the area of proposed gravel extraction include category B peat deposits, a category C site suggested by a concentration of finds from fieldwalking and category D cropmarks. Previous fieldwork on Nosterfield has proved that only the most substantial of archaeological features show as cropmarks, and that significant features such as pit alignments, pit groups, ring ditches and burials are only visible after topsoil stripping. Research and fieldwork has also led to the suggestion that the concentration of settlement sites increases towards the east in the northern half of the study area, where the distance from the ritual monuments is greater.
Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd wishes to thank Neil Campling, Senior Archaeologist of the Heritage Unit, North Yorkshire County Council for his help and support throughout this project.