Images from Archaeological Excavations at Bedale Bypass, North Yorkshire November 2014 to April 2015
Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd Durham, 2022. https://doi.org/10.5284/1098989. How to cite using this DOI
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Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 4849
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1098989
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This collection comprises images from a series of archaeological investigations which were undertaken during the construction of the Bedale, Aiskew and Leeming Bar (BALB) bypass in November 2014 to April 2015. Pre-Construct Archaeology Limited were commissioned to undertake this work by Prospect Archaeology on behalf of Wills Brothers.
The stratigraphic data and ecofactual and artefactual assemblages recovered from the Bedale Romano-British enclosure (Site 58) and the Aiskew Roman villa (Site 122) and associated field systems to the north (Site 122 North) are considered to be of regional significance, with some of the artefactual assemblages considered to be of national significance. The Bedale enclosure is unique to the region; no indigenous enclosure has produced artefactual and ecofactual assemblages of this range or size. The scale of the evidence for the manufacturing of bone artefacts and metal-working is also unique; this was evidently production beyond domestic use within the enclosure.
The national importance of the villa and its hinterland has been recognised by its urgent inclusion as a Scheduled Monument, awarded in April 2015 (SM 1426407). The Historic England listing states that the villa is considered to be exceptionally large, rich and complex in a northern context with very good preservation of deeply stratified deposits overall. The listing also notes that the main building displayed a particularly wide range of features, and was set in large complex including further buildings in turn surrounded by an extensive area of enclosures with a wide range of further features considered to relate to the villa's exploitation of its wider estate. It concludes that the scheduled monument has considerable archaeological potential to inform about a significant Roman villa in 3rd- and 4th-century Yorkshire.
