Studies on the moors of Harkerside, Marrick, Skelton, Arkengarthdale, Grinton, Barningham, Gayles, Bowes, Downholme, East Bolton, Murton Fell
In addition to the dedicated surveys of the moorlands of Gunnerside/Feetham, Ellerton, Bellerby, Reeth, and three moors in Wensleydale, each with their own menu headers on this website, under Archaeology/Moorland Surveys, this page provides access to research by SWAAG president Tim Laurie that has covered other moors in and around Swaledale and Arkengarthdale.
Two articles have each discussed his findings from multiple moor surveys. The first article, published in 1985, discussed the Reeth Moors, together with those of Harkerside, Marrick, Skelton, Barningham, Gayles, and Bowes. It can be read here: Early land division and settlement in Swaledale and on the eastern approaches to the Stainmore Pass over the north Pennines, in Upland Settlement in Britain: the Second Millenium BC and After, eds. Don Spratt and Colin Burgess, BAR British Series 143 (1985).
Much later, a co-authored article was published about his completed study of ancient coaxial field systems found on Reeth Low Moor and on the moors, of Grinton, Harkerside, Marrick, and Skelton. It was published first on the SWAAG website in 2010, and can be read here: Timothy C Laurie, Norman W Mahaffy, and Robert White, Coaxial Field Systems in Swaledale: a reassessment (SWAAG, 2010). An abridged version was published in Prehistory in the Yorkshire Dales, ed. R D Martlew (PLACE/Yorkshire Dales Landscape Research Trust, 2011).
Coaxial Field Systems
Reports on the early fieldwork by Tim Laurie and Andrew Fleming, investigating ancient coaxial field boundaries on Marrick and Harkerside Moors, as well as on Reeth Low Moor, can be found on the page here: Coaxial Field Systems project. For Marrick and Harkerside Moors, see especially on this page, Reports 2, 3, 6, and 8.
There is more information on the coaxial field systems on Grinton, Marrick, and Skelton Moors in the SWAAG database Coaxial Field Systems category PDF – scroll to record no. 773. This PDF also describes coaxial field systems on Eskeleth Low Moor in Arkengarthdale (record no. 126) and the moors of Downholme (record no. 400), East Bolton (record no. 873), and Murton Fell in the Vale of Eden (record no. 828).
More on the SWAAG database
For more information on studies concerning the individual moors of Harkerside, Marrick, Skelton, Arkengarthdale, and Grinton, see the SWAAG database entries below.
Harkerside Moor
Burnt Mounds 1 category PDF – Harker Mires very large burnt mound, record no. 10.
Ring Cairns category PDF – Harker Mires ring cairn and cairn-field, record nos. 118, 150, 151.
Photographic category PDF – Harker Mires long shot, record no. 483, image 5.
Earthworks category PDF – High Harker Dyke, record no. 591.
Tree Sites 3 category PDF – Juniper woodland at Slacks, Harkerside Moor, record no. 631.
Lithic/Scatter category PDF – Arrowhead and scraper found near Browna Gill, record no. 696.
Mining 2 category PDF – Harker level, record 850, and Harker bale site, record no. 923.
There is also extensive information on the major archaeological features on Harkerside Moor at: Archaeology/Special Projects/Grinton-Fremington Dykes, and at: Archaeology/Settlement Surveys/Maiden Castle.
Marrick Moor
Burnt Mounds 1 category PDF – Group of three burnt mounds at Stelling Spring, record no. 22, group of four burnt mounds above Dales Beck, record no. 26.
Burnt Mounds 3 category PDF – on Copperthwaite Allotment, record no. 718.
Mining 1 category PDF – mine boundary stone, record no. 135-136, Copperthwaite lead vein, record no. 487.
Geological 1 category PDF – Copperthwaite lead vein, record no. 705.
Settlements 1 category PDF – Copperthwaite Allotment, record no. 719.
Flowers/Plants category PDF – Spring Sandwort, record no. 182, Moonwort Fern, record no. 183.
Skelton Moor
Rock Art category PDF – record nos. 134, 291, 365, 367, 369, 565, 566, 568, 570, 996, 1007.
Mining 2 category PDF – lead-mine pits, record no. 685
Arkengarthdale Dale Head Moors
Photographic category PDF – record no. 590, images 1-3 and 11-18.
Grinton Moor
Burnt Mounds 1 category PDF – record no. 11.
