Work in the 2023 season continued on the site of the vicarage trench which was extended with the intention of uncovering more of the interior of the east cross wing depicted on the 1650 estate plan and to possibly identify the function of the enigmatic slate covered feature located late in the 2022 season. It was also intended to continue recording the interior of the tower within the main section of the site which had been located in the previous seasons. However, the stubbornly high ground water levels due to the summer weather patterns in the 2023 season meant that this did not prove possible. Instead a trench was opened across the site of the potential chapel, a hint of which came in the 2016 season in the form of a carved Nidderdale marble capital.

It was soon realised that the rear section of the east cross wing comprised the site of the late Medieval and early post Medieval kitchens. This was established with the discovery of scorching of the mortar floor and a series of stone lined hearths containing charcoal and animal bone which had been butchered, pottery stretched from the 14th through to the early 17th centuries. An unusual coin dating from the early 17th century was recovered from the floor surface comprising a silver liard of King Louis XIII of France suggesting possibly either a French tutor working in the household or some connection with the Thirty Years War which was going on at the time.

Again, it was soon realised that the cross wing was constructed on a substantial mortar raft which sloped upwards east to west by 30 to 35 degrees. The mortar raft also contained a series of irregular cracks or fissures with the ghost of a substantial ditch showing up in section. This clearly pointed to an issue of subsidence with several attempts at reconstruction which may have contributed to the abandonment of the site and relocation of the vicarage in the early 19th Century. Two attempts at underpinning the foundations with giant cyclopean blocks of masonry were identified including some Roman material.

Evidence from an aerial photograph in the collections of the Imperial War Museum at Duxford suggest a substantial earthwork of a bank or ditch running west from the late Saxon Church tower to the rear, beneath the later Medieval village and scribing round into the area being investigated. It can be suggested that the structural problems of the vicarage may have been caused by the building’s foundations being built at an early stage into the fill of the vallum causing severe settlement.

The enigmatic stone lined structure sat beneath the vicarage foundations which had previously been hypothesised as a late Saxon grave associated with the adjacent church yard turned out to be something more prosaic, a foul drain from the kitchen in the east cross wing leading to the adjoining beck.

It is hoped in the next season to move westwards in to the area of the hall and the west cross wing to establish the internal layout.


In respect of the potential chapel the heavily robbed remains of a stone walled mortar floored building were located approximately 30cm below Modern ground surface to the south east of the site of the Medieval kitchen. The building has a curious geometric almost hexagonal shape and is aligned on liturgical east/west as would be expected with a possible chapel. At its western end is a source of water in the form of a connection to the piped system identified in previous seasons. In the early 19th century a ceramic field drain previously identified in the kitchen trench was cut through the site leaving a noticeable cut feature which was partially infilled.

The building had been deliberately constructed to be elevated in relation to its surroundings with evidence of a sloping external tiled surface or batter sat within a sand bedding. At the western end there was evidence of a series of ephemeral timber structures cutting beneath of possible late Saxon date.

A series of internal post holes and a post trench gave evidence of a internal screens and other furnishing. At the centre of the building were a series of more substantial post holes a metre deep and splayed towards the base suggesting a timber support for something substantial like a bell frame such as survives at St Benedict’s Church Haltham on Bain in Lincolnshire (Fig 1).

Finds from the site were a little disappointing mainly consisting of a small but significant deposit of early 12th century gritty ware pottery, a single sherd of early 12th Century Andenne ware jar and a fragment of an early 12th Century worked bone stylus with ring and dot decoration which may be associated with a possible chapel use.

Field walking in the Park produced some interesting items and potential evidence of a tournament or joust having taken place. These include a livery badge of 'Beavis the Bull' referencing Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland from the beginning of the 15th Century (Fig 2) and also a gilt bronze uniform badge of the groom of the horse, a tournament official. From close to the excavation site a pewter stylised 'sun in splendour' livery badge of King Edward IV was recovered, suggesting the presence of one of the King’s inner household if not the King himself (Fig 3).

Work will continue in the 2024 season when it is hoped that ground conditions will permit a return to complete recording of the tower trench.

If you are interested in getting involved in our fieldwork programme at Hornby then please contact Society Fieldwork Officer Erik Matthews email: rubyna.matthews@btinternet.com

During the 2022 Season work continued in the two areas of the old vicarage and the much larger tower/moat trench. With the unusually dry conditions it proved possible to examine more of the moat and for longer than at any time since the 2018 Season when it was first uncovered.

Vicarage Trench: At the end of the 2021 Season a 5x7 metre extension was laid out in the hope of ultimately being able to examine further evidence for what appeared to be an elite Late Saxon grave sitting beneath the foundations of the Late Medieval priest’s house. However, early on a substantial rendered/plastered stone wall was located running east west through the entire width of the trench. This was identified as being the hall wall shown on the 1650 estate plan which continued as a room division within the adjacent cross wing.

Beyond the wall to the north lay a substantial demolition deposit of mortar bound stone and wall plaster with areas of both 17th century and later Medieval residual material. The 17th century material included sherds of a Frechen stone ware Bartmann drinking jug and an unusual Scottish coin a silver turner (value 23d) of Prince Charles as Charles II of Scotland from 1651. This provided proof of a continuing association of the site with the Royalist post 1649. In terms of late Medieval material the neck of a 15th century Martincamp flask and a plain gilt bronze buckle again of the 15th century were recovered. Such a diverse residual assemblage may be explained by the documented practise of building cleaning involving sweeping material into the often deep void between upper floors which would have been disturbed through the process of demolition.

Within the area of the cross wing the previously exposed hearths were more closely examined and discovered to originally have been a single fireplace before being recut in the 18th century when it was badly damaged by the insertion of internal plumbing with a lead water pipe. Evidence of two earlier re-cuttings was found with a 17th Century fireplace showing the ghost of a fireback and deeper 15th century fire place with a rubbed brick lining. It is hoped to probe further during the 2023 season to expose more of the potential early grave structure.


Tower Trench: It was possible to examine for the first time a significant area of the interior of the tower which had been previously dated by pottery to the 12th century. A series of mortar floors were identified in the basement which were covered by a fine deposit of wood ash approximately 30cm deep in amongst the wood ash was a piece of Late 15th century stone hand gun shot for an early hand gun. Close to the construction cut for the tower was found three sherds of an early glazed ware pottery with a chevron ornament similar to the previously identified at Flaxengate Lincoln, Portchester Castle and Coppergate York. This originated on the Dutch/German border in the early 11th Century and provides further evidence of the early high status connections of the complex. Following on from the discovery a section 1 metre x 2.5 metres was cut through the tower foundation and in addition to confirming an early 12th Century date with several sherds of imported Northern French pottery in the construction cut; an earlier timber floored aisled structure was revealed beneath. This can be tentatively associated with the aisled hall of Arneketil the Saxon thegn identified as the tenant during the reign of King Edward Confessor in Domesday Book. Further comparison may also be made with the timber structures pre-dating the Conquest revealed beneath the motte at Goltho Lincolnshire and more recently persuasively argued to underlie the later castle at Laughton En Le Morthern South Yorkshire.

In terms of the moat area further extensive areas of preserved timber work were uncovered associated with the former access bridge on to the moated island. Lying interspersed with the remains of the bridge were a number of animal skeletons who had been killed at the time of the attack on the site in the Late 15th Century. These included a spaniel type dog and the complete skeleton of a domestic cat. Mors significant were two very large skeletons of domestic dogs of a mastiff type breed, a male and a female. The male had evidence of knife wound on the right forepaw in the form of a deep cut into the bone and when lifted the skull weighed an impressive 3.5kg comparable to a fully grown adult male Rottweiler! Good dating evidence was provided by an almost complete Lincolnware drinking jug from the Late 15th Century being found in amongst the skeletons. The discoveries are instructive in terms of the light they shed on the extent to which elite Medieval households were occupied by domestic animals and also the non-human casualties of conflict. Further light was shown on the Late 15th century attack by a piece of Late 15th century iron gunshot recovered from the moat.

It is hoped to explore further the uncovered areas of the tower interior in the 2023 season.

If you are interested in getting involved in our fieldwork programme at Hornby then please contact Society Fieldwork Officer Erik Matthews email: rubyna.matthews@btinternet.com

The 2019 Season was characterised by better than expected weather conditions with fewer days cancelled or disrupted by rain. Work initially centred on the area of the moat and the late 18th Century infilling before progressing to the site of the early 12th Century Great Tower whose substantial foundations were partially exposed during the 2018 Season. Away from the main site a shell midden yielding substantial quantities of oyster and other edible shell fish shells was discovered in close proximity to the early 19th century canalisation of the Beck and the presumed location of the gatehouse giving access to the moated island. Initially dating evidence was hard to discern but the presence of a number of sherds of primarily 14th century pottery from the Humber ware kilns amongst the shells recovered suggests the tipping of food preparation waste from inside the moated island.

The first target for investigation was the late 18th century “pet cemetery” which was identified towards the end of Season 9 within the areas of infilling of the moat. It was discovered to comprise a total of four articulated skeletons of spaniel type dogs carefully laid in wooden containers one on top of another between two phases of the 18th Century infilling datable on pottery and numismatic grounds. Directly to the north within the area of the moat where formal infilling had not taken place in the 18th Century a section of timber base plate from a foot bridge of Later Medieval date was located within an area of moat silt.

Directly adjacent to the line of the moat further examination was undertaken of the substantial stone foundations of what appeared to be a Great Tower to the north. It was identified that the foundations which were 2.8 metres wide and 1.2 metres deep sat within a wide and mortar embankment which had itself been loosely clad in stone to give the resemblance of a stone gabion. This type of foundation structure has been identified at other excavated sites dating to the early 12th century including Radcot and Middleton Stoney in Oxfordshire and the unpublished excavations at Prudhoe in Northumberland. To the south west of the main foundation was an area of build out into the moat which can be identified as a partially robbed stone abutment for a footbridge as it was physically closely related to the timber structure previously identified within the moat bed. In terms of dating evidence a quantity of early 12th Century pottery was identified however it is suggested that these may well be residual and dislodged during construction cfrom the foundation structure (J Oxley pers comm). It is suggested that the bridge and associated “postern” gate may be part of the early 14th century refurbishment of the site undertaken by Sir John Neville of Redbourne which included the previously identified elm water pipes.

The majority of work during the Season was directed at identifying the extent of the Great Tower foundations and this required four trench extensions and a requirement for a fifth. It has been securely possible to identify the north as well as the west wall foundations with hints of the eastern wall which unfortunately appears to have been heavily robbed. The south wall lies potentially beneath the northern end of the site spoil heap.

The internal layout of the tower was significantly obscured by quantities of rubble resulting from the Late 15th century destruction of the site. The rubble included an almost complete sandstone roof tile. A complete dog skull was found mortared in to a section of the internal foundation structure suggesting a further 'deposit' similar to the horse’s skull found in Season 3 embedded in a section of foundation. A large part of the interior of the tower appeared to be taken up by a small chamber with a stone slabbed floor with impressively thick internal walls suggesting a cistern or well chamber similar to that within the basement at the Great Tower at Brough (Cumbria). Elsewhere an internal stone corridor with well coursed masonry walls was located leading to a splayed external doorway in the north wall. An iron knife embedded blade down was found in the floor of the corridor suggesting an event in the lead up to the destruction of the building.

The robbed out base of a stone spiral staircase was located in the north wall foundation and a further “extension” to the north wall foundation leading out of the Trench may prove to be a garderobe turret.

Overall the Tower appears to be similar in dimensions and appearance to the surviving early 12th century Great Tower at Goodrich in Herefordshire which has been identified as a vehicle for the display of the status of the founders of the site(Ashbee 2008). It is hoped to further progress work on understanding the extent and development of the Great Tower during the forthcoming 2020 Season.

Elsewhere within the area of the moated island a silver Groat of Queen Elizabeth 1st dating to 1565 was discovered by metal detector. This is interesting as it is the first artefact from anywhere in the wider area that has been found dating to the 16th Century when the site was largely abandoned and the main house 'mothballed' due to financial constraints upon the owners. It is doubly interesting because of the Queen’s image on the reverse of the coin having been deliberately defaced. A possible context lies in the Rebellion of the Earls of 1569 where rebel forces are known to have been active in the area and the owner was Constable of the Tower of London and therefore a suitable target.

If you are interested in getting involved in our fieldwork programme at Hornby then please contact Society Fieldwork Officer Erik Matthews email: rubyna.matthews@btinternet.com

During the 2018 Season work was focussed at two locations, completing the recording of Trench 6 “the kitchen trench” following on from the complete removal of the Post Medieval garden path and its associated drainage along with a section across the moat at the western edge of the site, Trench 9 which proved rather more complicated than anticipated.

The removal of the post Medieval garden path revealed a series of well preserved timber structures which when planned could be clearly identified as the base of a timber stairway leading to a first floor entrance to the hall directly to the west together with a timber pentice leading between the site of the kitchen and the hall entrance. Within the kitchen itself a further fireplace was identified from which the surrounding stone work had been robbed.

With the removal of the subsidiary drain to the post Medieval path the foundation of the outer wall of the kitchen could be clearly identified. By its very narrow dimensions it appeared to have supported a timber framed superstructure although it should be noted that documentary references survive to the use of unbaked earth as a walling material at nearby Snape Castle in the Late 15th century. The most significant discovery in respect of the area of the wall foundation was a 9kg stone cannon ball (fig 1) which may be associated with the destruction of the site in the Late 15th Century and in previous seasons lead to a deposit of arrowheads and other military material from the kitchen floor. Cracking and chipping away of a small area of the rear surface indicates that it had been fired and struck another object.

Found in association with the cannon ball was a section of carved Nidderdale marble capital (fig 2). Stuart Harrison (pers com) identifies the artefact as having come originally from a chapel and to probably date to the Late 12th century. This raises the intriguing question as to the location of the possible chapel and the putative dating may be associated with Geoffrey Plantagenet third son of King Henry II who became Duke of Brittany through a disputed marriage to the heiress of the previous Duke. A candidate for the site of the possible chapel appeared at the south east corner of the trench where a partial foundation for a further building which had initially been timber framed but which was reconstructed in stone was revealed. A further foundation of a timber structure, possibly a bell framed was noted directly to the west. The area will be comprehensively investigated during a later season.

A new Trench, Trench 9 was opened to the west in an area where little vegetation grows. From the surviving estate plans of 1650 and 1765 it crossed the area of the moat and it is hoped to recover evidence in respect of the infilling of the moat in the Late 18th Century as well as evidence of any moat structures together with the dating of the cutting of the moat. It was assumed that the absence of vegetation was connected with the layout of piggeries in the area during World War II. However, it was soon discovered that the lack of vegetation was due to a substantial stone foundation some 2.6 metres wide lying a short distance below the ground surface.

The presence of sherds of late-11th and early-12th century pottery in some quantities within the construction cut for the foundation indicates a Medieval date for the associated building. The foundation was laid in a Trench containing a heavily compacted sandy mortar and was approximately 1.2 metres deep. Within the area of the moat directly to the west several pieces of worked stone including a section of looped window with iron barring was recovered together with a section of roofing lead with lime slurry adhering to the rear side and sections of ashlar masonry cladding.

A series of episodes of infilling of the moat have been identified including surplus plaster and mortar from the renovation works within the main castle and the construction of the presently ruined Banqueting House directly to the south in the mid 18th Century. The episodes could be dated by the presence of ubiquitous Leeds Cream Ware porcelain and were separated by a series of pet burials of spaniel type dogs which had been carefully laid in wooden containers. Directly to the north it was possible to reach the Medieval levels within the moat and traces of a water logged wooden structure were identified which can be identified as part of a base plate of a wooden footbridge of indeterminate but Medieval date.

Further exploration of the contents of the moat together with the context of the stone foundation will continue in Season 10.

If you are interested in getting involved in our fieldwork programme at Hornby then please contact Society Fieldwork Officer Erik Matthews email: rubyna.matthews@btinternet.com