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Archaeological work was undertaken by Tom Gledhill for Mike Griffiths Associates on a potential gravel extraction site near to the Dishforth henges in North Yorkshire (centred upon NGR SE3573). Several series of pits were uncovered. These ranged considerably in depth and extent and Neolithic pottery was recovered from some of them. This consisted of mostly Fengate ware but with some early Grimston ware and later Durington Walls sherds. In general the upper fills were the ones containing charcoal and finds whilst the lower fills were mostly sterile. The excavator suggested that this represents deliberate backfilling with later subsidence and settling allowing slumping which was itself either filled deliberately or by material blowing around. There was, apparently, no evidence for the primary function of the features.
Bulk samples were taken and three have been processed in order to evaluate the potential in terms of determining the nature of the features.
Three bulk samples (each approximately 10 litres) were processed using manual flotation with flots and residues retained upon 5O0µ mesh. After drying the flots were sorted for their plant remains and the residues scanned for biological and artefactual material.
The samples produced moderate sized flots (50-100ml) of silty charcoal fragments and a few modern roots. The charcoal was mainly from large trees although was in small pieces only. No twiggy material was recorded. Oak was clearly present but the majority was from diffuse-porous species such as alder, hazel or birch. No heather fragments were recorded. Context 1217 (sample 22) produced a fragment of barley grain, a fragment of either apple or pear fruit and 2 fragments of hazelnut shell. Context 1007 (sample 4) produced 1 hazelnut fragment and context 1306 (sample 15) 1 fragment of cereal grain, probably barley, 1 fragment of apple/pear pip and 6 fragments of hazelnut.
These remains are typical of Neolithic deposits in Britain and closely parallel the results from the excavations at the nearby Marton-le-Moor site (Huntley 1995). Indeed, the two sites are sufficiently close to suggest that they may represent a single, large and possibly disparate usage site, one dares not say settlement since no evidence for housing has yet been recovered. Of the 84 samples from Marton-le-Moor only 11% contained cereals/fruit (other than nut shell) and of these only 2 samples contained any quantity of cereals. It is therefore important to at least process and scan as much material from as many contexts as possible in order to find the relatively few which have statistically significant amounts of material present. It is therefore recommended that the remaining 20 (ish) samples from Nosterfield are processed. Given that there are spatial patterns in the pits, or pit groups, it may be that areas of 'more' activity can be determined. This was certainly the case at Marton-le-Moor. This would provide more evidence to target a better defined research programme since it seems likely that the gravel extraction will expand, due to continuing Al improvements.
This part of North Yorkshire clearly has evidence for substantial Neolithic activity witness the numerous henges and standing stones within even 5km of this site. Equally, cereal usage is high, albeit in a limited number of contexts. What is needed is evidence for the settlements that, surely, must have been associated with all of this activity. By extensive sampling programmes the nature of cereal waste and weed assemblages should provide an indication of whether these cereals were, indeed, locally grown or whether the grains were brought in with people who, perhaps, used tentage of some sort for short-term, temporary settlement only.
Jacqui Huntley
Dept. Archaeology,
University of Durham
6.v.96
Huntley, J.P. 1995. A1 Walshford-Dishforth: WD93. The carbonised plant remains from fields 88-104. Archive report to Northern Archaeological Associates, Barnard Castle.