YAHS is pleased to be a co-sponsor of Dr Peter Halkon's excavation of a Later Bronze Age ring fort at Kipling House Farm, near Middleton-on-the Wolds. Dr Halkon is now looking for volunteers to join the dig. Details below.
A large ovoid enclosure appearing as a crop mark was plotted during the RCHM(E) National Mapping Programme of the Yorkshire Wolds (Stoertz 1997). Geophysical survey by James Lyall (Geophiz.biz) with Dr Peter Halkon and Clare Whiteley in April 2017, revealed much more detail. At the centre of the concentric outer ditches was a large circular central structure, probably a large roundhouse. The entrances to the roundhouse and enclosures were flanked by post settings. The closest parallels to this feature are the later Bronze Age ring-forts at Paddock Hill, Thwing, East Yorkshire, and Springfield Lyons and Mucking in Essex. This site therefore has the potential to be one of the most important excavated in recent years within the Yorkshire region and may be of at least national significance. The aim of this season’s work is to assess the condition of this monument, obtain dating evidence and “ground-truth” the gradiometer survey. Currently the field contains potatoes. The farmer has left uncultivated a 12 m wide strip running parallel to the band of trees on the southern boundary of the field beyond the grass track, which overlies the water pipe detected during the geophysical survey. It is therefore our intention to excavate at least two trenches across the inner and outer enclosure banks and ditches in the uncultivated strip. We may open a third trench within the interior of the enclosure. Because of the crop, it will not be possible to investigate the inner circular feature this year, but we hope to do so in the future.
LOCATION: NGR SE 900482 Kipling House Farm, Middleton on the Wolds, DRIFFIELD, YO25 9DD
DATES: 26th August – 9th September (every day including weekends)
WORKING HOURS: 9.00am -5pm
Tea break 11 – 11.30am – Lunch 1.00 – 1.45pm -Tea Break 3.15 – 3.30 pm
Further information and full risk assessments will be provided for those wishing to join the excavation. Please email Dr Peter Halkon (a.p.halkon@hull.ac.uk)