‘A Mersshy Contree Called Holdernesse’: Excavations on the Route of a National Grid Pipeline in Holderness, East Yorkshire: Rural Life in the Claylands to the East of the Yorkshire Wolds, from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age and Roman Periods, and beyond

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Information
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
	Summary
		Section 1: Introduction
Fig. 1: The route of the Easington to Ganstead pipeline, in relation to other sites mentioned in the text
The landscape of Holderness
	Geology
		Coastal erosion and land reclamation
		The post-glacial landscape
Fig. 2: The pipeline route in its south Holderness setting
Archaeological and historical background
	Section 2: The Excavation areas
Table 1: Summary of the excavation areas
Fig. 3: Old Ellerby: Location
Old Ellerby
	Late Iron Age ring gullies, Roman enclosure ditches and a Roman cremation
		Iron Age settlement
		First- to second-century ditches (Fig. 4)
		Post-Roman agriculture
		Third- to fourth-century ditches, pits and cremation burial
Fig. 4: Old Ellerby: plan of features
Fig. 5: Old Ellerby: Structure 2
Fig. 6: Old Ellerby: Structure 3
Burton Constable
	Iron Age ring gullies and associated settlement features, Roman ditch systems, a single human burial
		Earlier prehistoric
		Iron Age, pre-dating settlement
		The Iron Age settlement
		Roman enclosures (Figs. 14, 15)
		Inhumation 9796
		Possible grain dryer
		Substantial ditches
		Later activity
Fig. 7: Burton Constable: Location
Fig. 8: Burton Constable: all features
Fig. 9: Burton Constable: southern area of the site
Fig. 10: Burton Constable: Structures 1 and 5, with associated features
Fig. 11: Burton Constable, Structure 5, during excavation (photo © Adam Stanford)
Fig. 12: Burton Constable: Structures 3, 4 and 2 with associated features
Fig. 13: Burton Constable: Structures (photograph)
Fig 14: Burton Constable, north areas of the site
Fig. 15: Burton Constable: Enclosure system
Fig. 16: Burton Constable, Skeleton 9796
Brandywell
	Iron Age ring gullies, and settlement features; Roman ditch systems; three human burials
		Iron Age ring gullies
		Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age activity
		Early Roman field boundaries (Fig. 18)
		Second-century enclosure ditch
		Early second century burials
		Abandonment
Fig. 17: Brandywell and Sproatley: Location
Fig. 18: Brandywell: Plan of features
Fig. 19: Brandywell: Structures
Fig. 20: Ditch 25043, north-east facing section showing location of pollen samples
Fig. 21: Skeleton 25183
Fig. 22: Skeleton 25218
Sproatley
	An in situ Mesolithic flint scatter; a separate disturbed scatter containing Mesolithic to Bronze Age artefacts; two possible Bronze Age barrows; a possible Iron Age square barrow; and Iron Age to early Roman boundary ditches
		Mesolithic occupation
		Neolithic and Bronze Age activity
		Iron Age remains
		Early Roman pits (Fig. 23)
		Trapezoidal enclosures (Figs. 23, 28)
		Medieval and post-medieval agriculture
Fig. 23: Sproatley: Plan of features
Fig. 24: Sproatley photograph: sample grid
Fig. 25: Radiocarbon dates from Sproatley
Table 2: Radiocarbon dates from Sproatley
Fig. 26: Sproatley, northern flint scatter, showing a) distribution of charcoal, pottery, bone and charred hazelnut shells; and b) distribution of flint debitage
Fig. 27: Sproatley, plan showing Barrow 1 and Structure 1
Fig. 28: Sproatley: Features overlaid on geophysics results
Fig. 29: Sproatley: Possible square barrow
Fig. 30: Nuttles, Lelley and New York: Location
Nuttles
	Iron Age ring gully and Roman field systems
		Iron Age ring gully (Figs. 31, 32)
		Late Iron Age or early Roman ditches
		Second century AD ditch system (Fig. 31)
Fig. 31 Nuttles: All features
Fig. 32: Nuttles: Structure 1
Lelley
	Late Iron Age ring gullies, settlement features and human burial; Anglo-Saxon activity; medieval enclosures and possible building and oven associated with manorial site
		Late Iron Age settlement
		Roman artefacts
		Early medieval activity
		Medieval development of the ditched enclosures
		Discussion: Lund Garth
Fig. 33: Lelley: All features
Fig. 34: Lelley: Structure 1
Fig. 35: Lelley: Structure 2
Fig. 36: Lelley: Structure 3
Fig. 37: Lelley, oven (photograph)
Fig. 38: Lelley, site plan overlain on geophysical survey results
Fig. 39: New York: Plan of all features
New York
	Iron Age ring gullies and Iron Age or Roman ditch systems
		Late Iron Age settlement
		Late Iron Age ditch systems
		Reorganised field system
		Early Roman enclosure and pits
		Later agriculture
Fig. 40: New York: Structure 1
Fig. 41: New York: Structures 2 and 3
Fig. 42: New York: Structure 4
Braemere Hill
	Late Iron Age or early Roman ring gully; ditch with waste from salt-making
		Late Iron Age ditch
		Structure 1 (Fig. 45)
Fig. 43: Braemere Hill: Location
Burstwick
	Iron Age ring gullies; possible enclosure ditches
		First enclosure ditch (Fig. 47)
		Ring gullies
		Discrete features enclosed by ditch 51026
		Second enclosure ditch
		Other features
Fig. 44: Braemere Hill: Plan of site
Fig. 45: Braemere Hill: Structure 1
Fig. 46: Burstwick: Location
Fig. 47: Burstwick: Plan of all features
Fig. 48: Burstwick: Structure 1
Churchlands
	Iron Age ring gully, boundary ditch and settlement features; medieval or post-medieval pits; residual Mesolithic and Bronze Age flint, and Bronze Age pottery
		Bronze Age activity
		Mesolithic activity
		Late Iron Age settlement
		Post-medieval extraction pits
Fig. 49: Churchlands and Winestead: Location
Fig. 50: Churchlands: Plan of all features
Fig. 51: Churchlands: Structure 1
Fig. 52: Winestead: Plan of all features
Winestead
	Ditched enclosures, possibly of Anglo-Saxon date
		Enclosure boundaries and associated ditches (Fig. 52)
Fig. 53: Patrington: Location
Patrington
	Iron Age ring gullies and Iron Age and Roman ditches
		Iron Age ditch (Fig. 54)
		Iron Age settlement (Fig. 55)
		Roman enclosure ditches
Fig. 54: Patrington: Plan of all features
Fig. 55: Patrington: Structures 1 to 3
Bluegate Corner
	Late Iron Age or Roman ring gullies and Roman ditch system
		Boundary and enclosure ditches
		Iron Age settlement
		Maintenance and recutting of ditches
		Subsequent activity
Fig. 56: Patrington: Features overlaid on
geophysics results
Fig. 57: Bluegate Corner: Location
Fig. 58: Bluegate Corner: Plan of all features
Fig. 59: Bluegate Corner: Structure 1
Fig. 60: Bluegate Corner: Structure 2
Fig. 61: Weeton, Scorborough Hill and Gilcross: location
Weeton
	Parallel Iron Age ditches and curvilinear gully
		Iron Age boundaries and arc-shaped gully (Fig. 62)
		Roman activity
Fig. 62: Weeton: Plan of all features
Scorborough Hill
	Artefact-rich early Roman pit; Iron Age and Roman ditches
		Early ditches
		Late first-century pit (Figs. 64, 65)
		Mesolithic activity
		Ditch 12003
		Scorborough Hill: discussion
Fig. 63: Scorborough Hill: Plan of all features
Fig. 64: Scorborough Hill, Pit 12081, plan and representative section
Fig. 65: Scorborough Hill, Pit 12081, east-facing section (photo)
Fig. 66 Geophysical survey in the Scorborough Hill area
Gilcross
	Bronze Age pits and Iron Age ring gullies and ditches, and a human burial
		Two intercutting Bronze Age pits
		Late Iron Age field system
		Late Iron Age settlement (Fig. 68)
		Medieval and post-medieval agriculture
Fig. 67: Gilcross: Plan of all features
Fig. 68: Gilcross: Structures 1 to 3
Out Newton Road
	Corner of a large Iron Age enclosure, with a single large pit
		Iron Age enclosure
		Early Roman infilling of enclosure ditch
		Large Iron Age pit
		Medieval and post-medieval agriculture
Fig. 69: Out Newton Road and Skeffling: Location
Fig. 70: Out Newton Road: Plan of features
Fig. 71: Out Newton Road (photo © Adam Stanford)
Fig. 72: Out Newton Road: site overlaid onto geophysics
Fig. 73: Skeffling: Plan of features
Skeffling
	Remnant Mesolithic soil layer, Iron Age pits, evidence of possible Bronze Age burnt mound
		Mesolithic land surface
		Pits
Fig. 74: Hull Road and Dimlington Road: Location
Hull Road
	Iron Age ring gully and ditches
		Iron Age settlement and land division (Fig. 75)
		Later activity
Dimlington Road
	Iron Age ring gullies, ditch systems; distinctive shallow stone-filled pits
		Mesolithic to Bronze Age activity
		Iron Age settlement
		Roman pit
		Stone-filled pits
Fig. 75: Hull Road: Plan of all features
Fig. 76: Hull Road: Structure 1
Fig. 77: Dimlington Road: Plan of all features
Fig. 78: Dimlington Road: Structure 1
Fig. 79: Dimlington Road: Structures 2 and 3
Fig. 80: Dimlington Road, stone filled pit xxx (Photo)
Other sites
	Section 3: The Artefacts
OLE_LINK3
Lithics
	Hugo Anderson-Whymark
		Introduction
		Methodology
		Raw material
		The Mesolithic assemblage
		Mesolithic lithics from other sites
		The Mesolithic assemblage from Brandywell
		Discussion of the Mesolithic flintwork
		Earlier Neolithic
		Later Neolithic/early Bronze Age
		Other Neolithic and Bronze Age flintwork
		Post-medieval lithics
Table 3: The flint assemblage from Sproatley, excluding chips, by artefact category and the degree of edge damage
Table 4: Fresh and slightly edge-damaged flints from Sproatley, excluding chips, by artefact category and scatter
Table 5: Technological attributes of complete flakes, Sproatley: flake type
Table 6: Technological attributes of complete flakes, Sproatley: butt type
Table 7: Technological attributes of complete flakes, Sproatley: extent of cortex on the dorsal surface
Table 8: Technological attributes of complete flakes, Sproatley: termination type
Table 9: Technological attributes of complete flakes, Sproatley: proportion of blades, occurrence of platform-edge abrasion and dorsal blade scars
Table 10: Technological attributes of complete flakes, Sproatley: hammer mode
Table 11: Comparison of length/breadth index values for unretouched flakes, Sproatley
Table 12: Summary of complete blade sizes, Sproatley
Fig. 81: Flint: Illustrations 1 to 14
Fig. 82: Flint: Illustrations 15 to 23
Fig. 83: Flint: Illustrations 24 to 30
Fig. 84: Flint: Illustrations 31 to 40
Fig. 85: Copper alloy objects
Metal-work and other small finds
	Kevin Leahy
Fig. 86: Iron objects
Fig. 87: Jet and shale objects
Fig. 88: Glass beads and bangles
Fig. 89 Glass beads, (photo)
Fig. 90: Worked bone objects
Fig 91: Early prehistoric pottery
Pre-Iron Age pottery
	T. Manby
		Brandywell
		Churchlands
		Sproatley
		Pit 119574, Gilcross
Table 13: Summary of Beaker sherds from Sproatley
Table 14: Sproatley Beaker pottery, summary of fragment sizes
Later prehistoric hand-made pottery
	C.G. Cumberpatch
		Methodology
		Fabric type series
		Pottery manufacture
		Type series
		Decorated vessels
		Unusual and individual vessels and objects
		Pot discs
		Repair holes
		Vessel size
		Old Ellerby
		Burton Constable
		Brandywell
		Nuttles
		Lelley
		New York
		Braemere Hill
		Burstwick
		Churchlands
		Patrington
		Bluegate Corner
		Scorborough Hill
		Weeton
		Gilcross
		Out Newton Road
		Dimlington Road
		Hull Road
		Hand-made pottery: discussion
Table 15: Conventions and abbreviations used in the hand-made pottery report
Table 16: Fabric types identified in the pottery assemblages
Fig. 92: Hand-made Iron Age tradition pottery, 1-18, Old Ellerby
Fig. 93: Hand-made Iron Age tradition pottery, 19-42, Old Ellerby
Table 17: Distribution of hand-made pottery in Structure 2, Old Ellerby including cross-context and cross-feature joins
Table 18: Distribution of hand-made pottery in Structure 3, Old Ellerby, including cross-context and cross-feature joins
Fig. 94: Hand-made Iron Age tradition pottery, 43-63, Burton Constable
Fig. 95: Hand-made Iron Age tradition pottery 64-83, Burton Constable
Table 19: Distribution of hand-made pottery in Structure 1, Burton Constable
Table 20: Summary of hand-made pottery from features associated with Structure 1, Burton Constable
Table 21: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 2, Burton Constable
Table 22: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 3, Burton Constable
Table 23: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 4, Burton Constable
Table 24: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 5, Burton Constable
Table 25: Summary of hand-made pottery from the Roman enclosure ditches, Burton Constable
Table 26: Summary of hand-made pottery from the later ditches, Burton Constable
Table 27: Distribution of pottery from Structure 1, Brandywell, and associated features
Table 28: Distribution of pottery from Structure 2, Brandywell
Fig. 96: Hand-made Iron Age tradition pottery 84-108: Brandywell and Nuttles
Table 29: Distribution of pottery in first- to second-century ditches, Brandywell
Table 30: Distribution of pottery from Structures 1 and 2, Nuttles
Table 31: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 1, Lelley
Fig. 97: Hand-made Iron Age tradition pottery 109-129: Lelley, New York and Braemere Hill
Table 32: Summary of hand-made pottery assemblages from structures, New York
Fig. 98: Hand-made Iron Age tradition pottery, 130-157, Burstwick, Churchlands, Patrington, Bluegate Corner and Scorborough Hill
Table 33: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 1, Burstwick
Table 34: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 1, Bluegate Corner
Table 35: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 2, Bluegate Corner
Table 36: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 1, Gilcross
Table 37: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 2, Gilcross
Fig. 99: Hand-made Iron Age tradition pottery, 158-178: Scorborough Hill (continued), Gilcross, Out Newton Road and Dimlington Road
Table 38: Distribution of hand-made pottery from Structure 3, Gilcross
Petrographical analysis of the Iron Age pottery
	Rob Ixer
Table 39: samples selected for petrographic analysis
Analysis of crucibles and metal-working residues
	Derek Pitman and Roger Doonan
		XRF analysis
		Conclusions
		Discussion
		Reflected light microscopy
Table 40: Summary of the materials analysed for evidence of metal working
Table 41: Details of samples analysed for evidence of metal working
Table 42: Key to the semi quantitative XRF results
Table 43a and b: Results of XRF analysis of high temperature ceramics/crucibles
Table 44: Results of XRF analysis of possible mould fragments
Table 45: Quantity of wheel-thrown Romano-British pottery from excavation areas
Romano-British pottery
	R. S. Leary, with Felicity Wild (samian) and Kay Hartley (mortaria)
		Wares and forms
		Old Ellerby
		Burton Constable
		Brandywell
		Sproatley
		Burstwick
		Churchlands
		Lelley
		New York
		Nuttles
		Winestead
		Bluegate Corner
		Patrington
		Scorborough Hill
		Weeton
		Function and site status
		Gilcross
		Out Newton Road
		Taphonomy
		Trade and exchange
Table 46: Romano-British pottery: fabric descriptions
Table 47: Pottery wares by site
Table 48: Vessel forms by site
Fig. 100: Romano-British pottery: 1 to 37
Fig. 101: Roman pottery, 34--54 Burton Constable, 55-65 Brandywell
Fig. 102: Romano-British pottery, 66-67 Brandywell, 68-70 Sproatley, 71-77 Nuttles, 78 Lelley, 79 New York,  80-85 Patrington, 86-90 Bluegate Corner.
Fig. 103: Romano-British pottery, 91-96 Bluegate Corner, 97-122 Scorborough Hill
Fig. 104: The samian pottery: 1 to 5
Quantification of Romano-British pottery by vessel types by rim percentage values
Post-Roman pottery
	Jane Young, with Peter Didsbury
		Condition
		Introduction
		Methodology
		Range and variety of materials
		Discussion
Fig. 106: Illustrated medieval pottery
Table 49: Post-Roman pottery types; general date range and quantities
Table 50: Vessel counts for sampled site fabrics for Beverley 1-type ware
Worked stone
	Ruth Shaffrey
		Old Ellerby
		Burton Constable
		Brandywell
		Lelley
		New York
		Patrington
		Weeton
Fig. 107: Worked stone objects
Fired clay
	Lisa M. Wastling
		Methodology
		Old Ellerby
		Burton Constable
		Brandywell
		Lelley
		Braemere Hill
		Churchlands
		Weeton
		Gilcross
		Scorborough Hill
		Conclusion
Fig. 108: Fired clay: metal-working mould, daub and briquetage
Table 51: Fired clay fabrics, Burton Constable
Table 52: Fired clay fabrics, Lelley
Table 53: Fired clay fabrics, Braemere Hill
Table 54: Fired clay fabrics: Scorborough Hill
Analysis of metal-working mould fragments
	Jennifer Jones
		Section 4: People, Economy and environment
Fig. 109: EDXRF superimposed spectra from inside surfaces of fragments 1a (blue) and 1b (red), showing detected traces of copper, zinc and lead
Human remains
	Katie Keefe and Malin Holst
		Introduction
		Preservation
		Assessment of age
		Non-metric traits
		Sex determination
		Pathology
Table 55: Summary of archaeological information of inhumed skeletons
Table 56: Summary of cremated bone assemblages
Table 57: Cremated bone fragment size
Table 58: Identifiable elements in the cremation burials
Fig. 110: Striated lamellar bone and dense plaque deposit (circled) on the left tibia of Skeleton 25183
Fig. 111: Vascular lesions and disorganised bone on the sacrum of Skeleton 25218
Fig. 112: Lytic destruction of anterior body of third lumbar vertebra of Skeleton 25183
Fig. 113: Possible brucellosis lesion on the left hip of Skeleton 9796
Fig. 114: Cribra orbitalia lesions in orbit, SK 9796
Animal bone
	Jennifer Wood
		Burton Constable
		Introduction
		Methodology
		Brandywell
		Site 35: Lelley
		Scorborough Hill
		Site 108: Out Newton Road
		Overall discussion and conclusions
Table 59: Identified taxa, hand- (and sieve-) collected animal bone, by phase, Burton Constable
Table 60: Minimum number of individuals (MNI), by phase, Burton Constable
Table 61: Identified taxa, hand- (and sieve-) collected animal bone, by phase, Brandywell
Table 62: Minimum number of individuals (MNI), Brandywell
Table 63: Identified taxa, hand- (and sieve-) collected animal bone, by phase, Lelley
Table 64: Minimum number of individuals (MNI), Lelley
Table 65: Identified taxa, hand-collected assemblage, by feature group, Scorborough Hill
Table 66: Identified taxa, animal bone assemblage, by phase, Out Newton Road
Table 67: Minimum number of individuals (MNI), Out Newton Road
Plant macrofossils and other organic remains
	Don O’Meara
		Burton Constable
		Introduction and methods
		Old Ellerby
		Brandywell
		Lelley
		Nuttles
		Sproatley
		Braemere Hill
		Burstwick
		New York
		Bluegate Corner
		Patrington
		Winestead
		Conclusions
		Dimlington Road
		Skeffling
Pollen
	Tudur Burke Davies
		Discussion
		Results (Fig. 114)
Fig. 115: Percentage total land pollen from sample 460, 463 and 465, Brandywell
Fig. 116: Relative concentration of pollen from sample 460, 463 and 465, Brandywell
Molluscs
	Matt Law
		Conclusions
			Section 5: Discussion
The early Mesolithic period
The later Mesolithic and early Neolithic
The later Neolithic and early Bronze Age
	Barrows at Sproatley
		Other Bronze Age activity
		Distribution of Neolithic and Bronze Age activity
Death and burial in the Iron Age, and beyond
Fig. 117: Iron Age ring gullies
Iron Age settlement
	The ring gullies in context
		Settlements in the landscape
		The chronology of the Iron Age settlements
Table 68: Summary of radiocarbon dates from ring gullies
Fig. 118: plot of calibrated radiocarbon dates from ring gullies
The Roman period
The economy of the Iron Age and Roman sites
Table 69: Summary of radiocarbon dates, miscellaneous features
Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Scandinavian
Medieval
	Section 6: Conclusions
		Bibliography
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