Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group (SWAAG)

Marijke Van der Veen, Emeritus Professor at Leicester University, was our speaker in February. She has published a paper on the excavations undertaken by Tim Laurie and Andrew Fleming on the house platforms at Healaugh, in Swaledale (1988-1990). See the full report here: Talk Reports 2024.

There is a change to the meeting point for the start of the SWAAG guided walk to the Romano-British enclosed settlement at Whitcliffe Scar, north-east of East Applegarth, on Tuesday 19th March. The new arrangements are – meet at the small car park by the bridge and river in Marske, at the junction below the church, grid ref. NZ 104 004. For full details, including parking advice, see the Diary page.

The early February weather was kind to our party of twelve on our walk around Harkerside visiting Maiden Castle and other Scheduled Monuments in this fascinating landscape. The full illustrated report can be seen here: Guided-walk reports 2024.

The SWAAG guided walk to the Romano-British enclosed settlement at Whitcliffe Scar, north-east of East Applegarth, which was planned for Sunday 25th February, has been postponed. It will now take place on Tuesday 19^th March. For confirmation of the new date and full details, see the Events Diary page.

For our first meeting of 2024, Doctor Gillian Taylor, Associate Professor at Teesside University, explained how a changing environment is impacting on the artefacts recovered at Vindolanda and Magna Roman forts. The full report has been moved from here to a new section of the web site. Go to: Talk Reports 2024.

Perry Gardner, a SWAAG member, shared some of his PhD research at December’s meeting on Zoom. Recently he has been examining old maps to identify boundaries and boundary markers in Swaledale and Teesdale. The full report has been moved from here to a new section of the web site. Go to: Talk Reports 2023.

A new report on two recent surveys of the Grinton Mounds has added further weight to earlier suggestions that the mounds contain the remains of a defended settlement. The surveys were conducted by SWAAG members over two years to expand upon the results of previous work and to include areas not previously surveyed, particularly on the western mound. Topographical and geomagnetic surveys of both mounds and the saddle between them took place in September 2022, followed in September 2023 by a soil electrical resistance survey on the top and east flank of the east mound. The report on both surveys has now been published on the SWAAG web site and can be seen here – Settlement surveys.

The guided walk planned for Sunday 21st January has been postponed because of a bad weather forecast – a yellow wind warning and heavy rain. The rescheduled date is Sunday 4th February. Arrangements are the same as before. Meet at 10.15am, for a start at 10.30am, at The Parks, parking in the field, west side of the B6270 between Grinton Bridge and the Dales Bike Centre. Guided walk led by Sheila Ickringill and Anne Jowett, from Grinton Bridge west to Harkerside and climbing to visit the burial mound and then to Maiden Castle. Returning to Grinton via Harker Mires cairn field. Bring your lunch. One of our more challenging walks with significant uphill sections. About five miles. IF YOU WILL BE JOINING THE WALK ON THIS NEW DATE, PLEASE NOTIFY ANNE JOWETT AT swaagwalks@gmail.com.

Details are now confirmed for the guided walk on Sunday 25^th February, to be led by Jane Harrison and Rod Flint. Meet 10.15am for 10.30am start at the Round Howe car park on the A6108 Reeth Road at GR 156009. There is a parking fee and a public toilet. From there, we will walk to a Romano-British enclosed settlement north east of East Applegarth at Whitcliffe Scar. The site is reported to be that of an agricultural settlement which has been identified from surface finds of pottery to have been occupied from the Iron Age into the late Romano-British period. This will be a circular walk of about 5 miles and some sections will be muddy and rough. Do bring a packed lunch. Further information contact Anne Jowett – swaagwalks@gmail.com.

A few hardy souls braved the weather, which was much worse than forecast, for this walk on 18th November, which took us to the Edwardian Garden in Aysgarth, the remarkable ancient earthwork of Castle Dykes Henge, and many other features, geological, ancient, and medieval. The full illustrated report has been moved from here to a new section of the web site. Go to: Guided-walk reports 2023.