Hagg Farm Fremington

SWAAG volunteers excavating at Hagg Site 103 in 2014.

The Hagg Farm Project began with the Fremington Project – a survey conducted by SWAAG members and reported in 2010 revealing the remains of a Late-Prehistoric/Romano-British landscape centred around Hagg Farm, Fremington.

Within the study area, Site 103, became the subject of several years of excavations, conducted under experienced and professional supervision by volunteers from among SWAAG members and occasional invited visitors. Below, in reverse chronological order, are the archaeological reports produced by supervisors and/or by commissioned experts after each season of work.

The project attracted widespread attention from visiting experts in various fields of archaeological and historical research. SWAAG also used the opportunity of the Hagg-site to expand its commitment to community engagement and education. Over several seasons of excavations, visits to the site were arranged for schoolchildren from Arkengarthdale and Reeth/Gunnerside Schools, and for members of the Yorkshire Dales Young Archaeologists Club.

All the children were able to see some of the most interesting small finds and take part each season in planned educational activities relating to life on the site when it was occupied by Romano-British farmers. Some of these activities are illustrated and described below. The most enthusiastic children were also able to learn about pathways to studying archaeology in higher education by questioning archaeology students from Newcastle University, who were on-site as volunteer excavators.

Below are links to the technical reports produced after each season’s excavations. There is also a page in this website introducing and summarising the most interesting small finds unearthed during the whole period of excavations, here Small Finds/Roman Britain/Hagg Farm Settlement.

Hagg Farm season 2021 – Main report + Updated site plan + Pottery + Palaeoenvironment.

Hagg Farm season 2019 – Querns + Pottery + Palaeoenvironment + Small finds + Roman coins.

On the right is a group of 16 junior-school children in casual summer clothing standing on grass in a line stretch away from the viewer. They are behind a security tape marking the edge of an archaeological trench. They are listening to a man standing in the trench and pointing up towards the children. At the back of the scene are four or five other adults behind a tape at the far end of the trench, looking on. Behind them is a large white tent. — **2019 season:** Reeth/Gunnerside School pupils listening attentively to Hagg-site project manager Philip Bastow.

In this year, the Hagg dig was featured on the popular prime-time TV series Digging for Britain, which was broadcast on BBC Four on 27^th November at 9pm. The programmes have been running annually since 2010, reporting on significant archaeological digs taking place in the year of the broadcasts. The Hagg was one of seven northern digs featured in the second of four programmes in Series 8. Filming on site at The Hagg took place during the dig season in July. SWAAG’s dig director, Philip Bastow, also went to the TV studios in Swindon to film an interview with the presenter, Alice Roberts, Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. The programme was repeated on BBC Four on 2nd March 2022 at 9pm and might well be shown again in the future. Unfortunately, it is not available to view on BBC iPlayer.

Two men leaning over the front of the bonnet of a Land Rover, apparently studying a small find from an archaeological dig. To the right of them is a man with a hand-held TV camera and sound system who is recording the two men. — Filming at The Hagg in July 2019 for the TV programme Digging for Britain.

Two men standing next to an open archaeological trench high on a dale side, and being recorded by a man with a hand-held TV camera and sound system. In the trench, two women are digging with small hand tools. — Another scene being filmed at The Hagg in July 2019 for the TV programme Digging for Britain.

Hagg Farm season 2018 – Querns + Pottery + Palaeoenvironment + Small finds.

A group of five junior-school children are gathered, outdoors, around a woman dressed in ancient-Rome-period costume of a light-blue turban and an orange top covered by a grey-blue period gown. She is talking to the children while holding in one hand a small piece of shaped flat stone and in the other hand something akin to a large needle. — **2018 season**: Food historian Jane Sammells, attired in Roman gown and headdress, explains to children visiting the Hagg site from Arkengarthdale School the use of the cosmetic palette which we found the previous year. A subsequent find is believed to be the stylus which was used with it.

Hagg Farm season 2017 – Main report + Lithics assessment + Lithics catalogue + Quern + Roman pot + Palaeoenvironment + Animal bone + Small finds catalogue + Small find report + Small finds table.

A group of nine junior-school children, in blue and white uniform tops are gathered in a circle, outdoors, around a man clearly explaining something to them while he is holding a replica ancient Roman vase-like pot, coloured dark brown. Another replica pot, in terracotta, is on the grass at his feet. — 2017 season: Ancient pottery technology specialist Graham Taylor talks about Roman pottery to children visiting the hagg site from Arkengarthdale School.

Hagg Farm season 2016 – Main report.

Hagg Farm seasons 2013-14 – SWAAG database records 771 and 772 here: Geophysics small surveys. Also in 2013, SWAAG published a report on the excavation of an area adjacent to the Romano‐British settlement. See Archaeological Excavation Hagg Farm Site 103: Feature 407 (lulu.com).

Hagg Farm seasons 2012-13 – Interim report + Site 103 2013 + Feature 407 + Artist’s impression.

Hagg Farm season 2011 – Site 101 report + Brooch analysis + Site 103 geophysics (report combined with Maiden Castle).

The Fremington Project: an Iron-Age/Romano-British landscape at Hagg Farm 2010.

The Fremington Project – A4 maps.

There is a LIDAR image of the site and surrounding area, with elevations colour-coded, in the SWAAG database Category Earthworks. Scroll to the last record, no. 1001.