Tadcaster Riverbank Archaeological Dig Project North Yorkshire
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Tadcaster Riverbank Archaeological Dig Project Tadcaster North Yorkshire Archaeological Excavations Report no. 2882 July 2016 Archaeological Services WYAS Report No. 2882 Tadcaster Riverbank Archaeological Dig Project Tadcaster Riverbank Archaeological Dig Project North Yorkshire Archaeological Excavations Summary In April 2015 a community archaeological excavation was undertaken on the river bank at Tadcaster, just north of the church. The site included part of the scheduled monument of the Norman motte which had probably been dug away in the late 17th century. The site had subsequently been occupied by cottages which were demolished in the early and mid-20th century. The excavation, which took place over a two week period, was lead by the Tadcaster Historical Society, assisted by considerable local support and supervision by ASWYAS. The excavations included two trenches and ten test pits. The excavations revealed the foundations of the cottages, but also produced a Neolithic flint, a considerable amount of Roman and medieval potsherds together with a large amount of more recent material, demonstrating that the site had been occupied for nearly 2000 years. Archaeological Services WYAS Report No. 2882 Tadcaster Riverbank Archaeological Dig Project Report Information Client: - Address: - Report Type: Archaeological Excavation Location: Tadcaster Riverbank, Churchyard, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire LS24 9BL County: North Yorkshire Grid Reference: SE 485 435 Period(s) of activity represented: Neolithic, Roman, Medieval, post-medieval and modern Report Number: 2882 Project Number: 4364 Site Code: TMB15 Planning Application No.: N/A Museum Accession No.: TBC Date of fieldwork: April 2015 Date of report: July 2016 Project Management: Ian Roberts and David Williams Fieldwork supervisor: David Williams Report: John Firth and David Williams Illustrations: John Firth Photography: ASWYAS staff, Tadcaster Historical Society and volunteers Authorisation for distribution: ------------------------------------------------------ © Archaeological Services WYAS 2016 Nepshaw Lane South, Morley, Leeds LS27 7JQ Telephone: 0113 383 7500. Email: [email protected] ii Archaeological Services WYAS Report No. 2882 Tadcaster Riverbank Archaeological Dig Project Contents Report information ................................................................................................................ ii Contents................................................................................................................................ iii List of Figures .......................................................................................................................iv List of Plates..........................................................................................................................iv List of Tables .........................................................................................................................vi Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................vi 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................1 Site location, topography and land use .........................................................................1 Soils and geology..........................................................................................................1 2 Archaeological and Historical Background..............................................................2 3 Aims and Objectives ...................................................................................................5 4 Methodology................................................................................................................6 5 Results..........................................................................................................................8 Trench 1 ........................................................................................................................8 Trench 2 ......................................................................................................................10 Test Pit 1 .....................................................................................................................13 Test Pit 2 .....................................................................................................................14 Test Pit 3 .....................................................................................................................15 Test Pit 4 .....................................................................................................................16 Test Pit 5 .....................................................................................................................16 Test Pit 6 .....................................................................................................................17 Test Pit 7 .....................................................................................................................18 Test Pit 8 .....................................................................................................................19 Test Pit 9 .....................................................................................................................19 Test Pit 10 ...................................................................................................................20 6 Artefact Record.........................................................................................................21 Pottery.........................................................................................................................21 Metal Objects..............................................................................................................32 Coins ...........................................................................................................................32 Flint.............................................................................................................................33 Clay pipes ...................................................................................................................33 CBM............................................................................................................................35 Glass............................................................................................................................35 Animal Bone...............................................................................................................37 8 Discussion and Conclusions .....................................................................................38 Appendices Appendix 1: Inventory of primary archive...........................................................................41 Appendix 2: Concordance of contexts yielding artefacts or environmental remains...........42 Appendix 3: Finds catalogue................................................................................................45 Appendix 4: Scheduled monument consent.........................................................................49 Appendix 5: Other local archaeological excavations ..........................................................53 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................54 iii Archaeological Services WYAS Report No. 2882 Tadcaster Riverbank Archaeological Dig Project List of Figures 1 Site location ................................................................................................................57 2 Site location and areas excavated ...............................................................................58 3 Trench 1 plan and section ...........................................................................................59 4 Trench 2 plan East end................................................................................................60 5 Trench 2 plan West end...............................................................................................61 6 Trench 2 sections ........................................................................................................62 7 Test Pit 1 plans and section.........................................................................................63 8 Test Pit 2 plan and section ..........................................................................................63 9 Test Pit 3 plans and section.........................................................................................64 10 Test Pit 4 plans and sections .......................................................................................64 11 Test Pit 5 plans and sections .......................................................................................65 12 Test Pit 6 plan and section ..........................................................................................66 13 Test Pit 7 plan and section ..........................................................................................66 14 Test Pit 8 plan and section ..........................................................................................67 15 Test Pit 9 plan and section ..........................................................................................67 16 Test Pit 10 plan and section ........................................................................................67