Volunteers uncover 2,000-year-old settlement

5 hours ago

Samantha JaggerNorth East and Cumbria

News image — Volunteers have spent two years excavating about 150 sites in the Deepdale valley

Lake District National Park Three volunteers sit excavating a small site in Deepdale in Cumbria. They are wearing bright t-shirts and practical trousers and and wearing gloves to use tools. There is a yellow bucket to the side of the excavation. — Volunteers have spent two years excavating about 150 sites in the Deepdale valley

Volunteers have uncovered a rare Iron Age settlement built about 2,000 years ago.

The Deepdale Bridge Settlement revealed several hut circles and small enclosures in the Lake District's Deepdale Valley in a dig by 25 Lake District National Park volunteers.

Charcoal present in the soil revealed that the huts were occupied between 76 and 216 AD and the enclosure bank was constructed between 40 BC and 118 AD, the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) said.

Eden Heritage archaeological consultant Martin Railton said there was "surprisingly little" history on the people who lived and farmed in the area, with the excavation helping "to shed light on several other settlements".

The hut circles, which are the remains of roundhouses, were surrounded by a rubble bank where ancient communities would have lived and cooked together and kept livestock, the LDNPA said.

One trench revealed the remains of a timber doorway leading into the roundhouse, containing internal dividers and a cobbled yard possibly used to hold animals.

The soil was radiocarbon dated and archaeologists found the settlement was continually occupied from the late Iron Age through to the Roman period, with the roundhouse shown to have been altered throughout its life.

The volunteers have spent two years surveying 150 sites in the valley, with support from landowners, Eden Heritage and the LDNPA.

Lake District National Park A group of volunteers stand behind an excavation site in Deepdale in Cumbria. They are wearing bright t-shirts and practical trousers and and wearing gloves to use tools. There are two yellow buckets to the side of the excavation. — The Deepdale Bridge Settlement revealed several hut circles and small enclosures

Marnie Calvert, graduate historic environment assistant, said the project had uncovered "important new evidence of life in the later prehistoric Lake District".

"The dedication, enthusiasm and hard work of our volunteers has been at the heart of this excavation," Calvert added.

Railton, who led the volunteers, said: "We know surprisingly little about the people who lived here and farmed the landscape in prehistory.

"There is still much more to discover about life in the Lake District in the Iron Age, but the investigation will help to shed light on several other settlements which probably date to the same period," he added.

Siriol Hinchcliffe, one of the volunteers, said: "Working with Martin in such a beautiful location with welcoming landowners and a great team of diggers was a very enjoyable experience."

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