England's Historic Seascapes: Withernsea to Skegness
Museum of London Archaeology, 2010. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000104. How to cite using this DOI
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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
North Sea Traffic Route Character Area
Present Day Form
The North Sea Traffic Route character area is situated in the offshore, south-eastern extent of the study area. It is a major navigation route for North Sea traffic. 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 muddy, sandy gravel and sand.
Sea Use: Present
The North Sea traffic route character area is an active navigation route and fishing area. The area is a sandeel spawning area and it contains a sprat, sandeel and whiting nursery. Trawling is also carried out for various fish including white fish. The character area also falls partially within an RAF practice area and contains part of the Carrack gas field.
Sea Use: Past
The character area has been shaped by thousands of years of dynamic sea level changes and erosion and deposition. The slightly deeper area (the area does not contain a palaeochannel) may mean that the area was dry land in a valley 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 and it would have been fished since possibly the medieval period. The area has historically been an important herring fishery (Close 1953). Recent historic use as navigation route and fishing area is shown by the presence of approximately 10 recorded shipwrecks, including fishing vessel 'Pearl', which was sunk by three German aircraft during WWII.
Archaeological Potential
The North Sea Traffic Route 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 this level have 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, therefore, be 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 area. 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.
There is some potential for surviving evidence of human activity within this area. Flemming (DTI Sea3 2002) states that there are gradients of 1/25 to 1/10 down into Markham's Hole (the adjacent character area). Artefacts might occur in valley or beach structures on the slopes. In addition, humans will have used sea faring vessels in the area over the last 6000 years (if not more) and so wrecks and related material may lie on the sea floor or be buried beneath the sea floor. The 10 recorded wrecks in the character area appear to be fishing vessels, which sank during the last 200 years.
Character Perceptions
The area is perceived as a deep water navigation route. Gas industry and fishing also takes place here.
References
Close's Fisherman's Chart (UKHO 1953)
Fisheries Sensitivity Maps in British Waters (MAFF 1989)
The scope of Strategic Environmental Assessment of North Sea areas SEA3 and SEA2 in regard to prehistoric archaeological remains (Flemming et al, DTI, 2002)
