England's Historic Seascapes: Withernsea to Skegness
Museum of London Archaeology, 2010. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000104. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Historic England unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
David
Bowsher
Director of Research
Museum of London Archaeology
Mortimer Wheeler House
46 Eagle Wharf Road
London
N1 7ED
UK
Tel: 020 7410 2285
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 935
- ALSF Project Number: 4730
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000104
- How to cite using this DOI
Markham's Hole Character Area
Present Day Form
The Markham's Hole character area is situated at the east central part of the study area. The geology of the area is a complex anticline of Jurassic and Triassic bedrock overlain by glacial till (clay, sand and gravel debris deposited from ice sheets along with some early Holocene deposits of sand and peat) known as the Elbow formation. The water depth across the area is generally around 30m. The maximum tidal range is c 3m. The seabed of the area consists of a flatish plain of sandy gravel and sand.
Sea Use: Present
The Markham's Hole character area is an active navigation route and fishing area. Trawling is carried out for white fish. The area is a major navigation route for North Sea traffic. It also contains two smaller operating gas fields Cutter and part of Carrack.
Sea Use: Past
The Markham's Hole character area has been shaped by thousands of years of dynamic sea level changes and erosion and deposition. The relatively shallow nature of the sea bed means that the area was dry land almost certainly in the Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and probably in the Neolithic periods. Marine traffic would have crossed this area on a regular basis from the Roman period onwards using the deep water channel across the area.
This deep was historically one of the famous fisheries first discovered during the early smack fishing days of the 19th century. These fisheries were exploited from Hull and Grimsby fishing the deep water holes and guts such as Coal Pit, Sole Pit and the Silver Pit. The area is also a named fishing ground, Markham's Hole, on Close's Fisherman's Chart (UKHO 1953) and is described as in between the banks and in Markham's Hole are all good May to Aug. Seine net areas marked out by G.Y. Skippers (Great Yarmouth). The area was also an important herring fishery.
Archaeological Potential
The Markham's Hole character area has potential for the presence of drowned land surfaces resulting from the fact that sea level has fluctuated between -120m and +10m over the past 500,000 years. From the period 500,000 BP to 22,000 BP (before present), human population levels were low, and little more than stray finds may be expected, although these may still be of considerable archaeological importance.
From 22,000 BP to 2100 BP parts of the North Sea were dry land and human population levels were higher, especially in the Mesolithic age. Finds dating to the Mesolithic have been found to a depth of 40m so any area of sea bed above that has potential for habitation. Inundation of the North Sea landscapes occurred between 10,000 and 6,000 BP and the most likely evidence for human occupation would be, therefore, Mesolithic in date.
Earlier Palaeolithic occupation is less likely to be found and later Neolithic occupation is likely to have been limited to the inshore and very highest of the banks and shoals such as the Dogger Bank. The area's position adjacent to the palaeo-lake and sea embayment of the Outer Silver Pit make the northern side of this area a prime Mesolithic habitation site. Consequently, there is some potential for surviving evidence of human activity within the area.
Flemming (DTI Sea3 2002) states that there are gradients of 1/25 to 1/10 down into Markham's Hole. Artefacts might occur in valley or beach structures on the slopes. Over the last 6000 years (if not more), humans have used sea faring vessels and so wrecks and related material may lie on the sea floor or be buried beneath the sea floor. UKHO and NMR data show 1 unnamed and 1 named wreck in this area, a British trawler the 'Uxbridge' sunk by a mine in 1915.
Character Perceptions
The area is perceived as an offshore fishing ground and also as a gas production area.
References
Brenchley P J, Rawson P F, 2006 The Geology of England and Wales 2nd edition
Close's Fisherman's Chart (UKHO 1953)
Fisheries Sensitivity Maps in British Waters (MAFF 1989)
Flemming et al 2002, The scope of Strategic Environmental Assessment of North Sea areas SEA3 and SEA2 in regard to prehistoric archaeological remains
Gluyas J G, and Hichens H M, 2002 The United Kingdom Oil and Gas Fields
