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Theme 3: Crafting Ways of Life

3. Crafting Ways of Life

What was made locally, using raw materials from the Yorkshire Wolds, and what was imported and from where? What do these materials tell us about local senses of identity and community, and the wider social networks of which people were a part? How was this transformed in later periods by improvements in transport infrastructure, trade networks and markets? 

Below are set out a number of research questions and strategies that are associated with the theme Crafting Ways of Life.

Mesolithic c.10000 – 4000BC

3.1 What contribution did coastal resources (such as flint nodules from Flamborough Head or the glacial tills) make to the Mesolithic lives of people living in and passing through the Yorkshire Wolds? What evidence is there for the transportation of local flint off-Wolds to other important locales (such as Star Carr, Lake Flixton, Holderness etc.)?

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Mesolithic
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A concerted and systematic, updated investigation of the Mesolithic lithic technology and the chaine operatoire observed in Wolds data, will help elucidate the use of coastal versus Wold flint. Key areas such as Flamborough Head or the Gypsey Race springs could be targeted as part of more extensive fieldwalking programmes to understand the selective use of source material, distance travelled from source and craftwork patterns. Lithic data from nearby off-Wolds Mesolithic sites should be considered in light of potential Wolds origins: does this shed further light on the task-scape of hunter-gatherer communities, and their procurement, inhabitation and craftworking patterns?
Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

Neolithic c.4000 – 2200BC

3.2 What can we learn about Neolithic materials and monuments in of the Yorkshire Wolds through reappraising a) the antiquarian archives and collections of JR Mortimer, Canon Greenwell and other antiquarians/early archaeologists, and b) rescue-related private collections or estate/farm archives in light of new knowledge about the period?

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Neolithic
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This question should be aimed at reassessing the Neolithic knowledge tied up in what is already in the archives of museums on, or around, the Wolds. An assessment of the character, volume and location of materials in both museum and private hands (such as landowners or farmers) could be undertaken as a series of institutionally specific studies, whilst workshops or dayschools could encourage wider reporting of collections in private hands.
Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

3.3 Can we present a better picture of the connectedness of the Yorkshire Wolds during the Neolithic through analysis of the resources found on Neolithic sites (such as that identified at Eastfields)?

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Neolithic
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This question could be tackled through focused, funded scientific research programmes: systematic petrographic of stone materials found on Neolithic sites such as the Rudstone monolith (chipped stones, polished stone implements, quern stones, hammer stones, etc); zooarchaeology stable isotope analysis and genetic analyses; further scrutiny of environmental data; palaeo-diet analyses – forming a further intertwined science based approach.
Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

Bronze Age c.2200 – 800BC

3.4 What can the extensive material culture of the Bronze Age (particularly ceramics, flint and worked bone) from both funerary sites and settlements, tell us about cultural identity, craftwork organisation, technological innovation or continuity in design, local and long-distance relations etc. (particularly in relation to national and international bronze networks)? How do these relations with materials, object types and origins of raw materials (copper, tin, jet, amber, clay, stonework) change over the course of the Bronze Age? Where are objects found, in what state (new or used, whole or fragmentary) and what might they tell us about changing technologies and use of objects during this period?

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Bronze age
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The production, use and deposition of objects in the Bronze Age marks new thresholds in technology (bronze work), form and design (particularly weapons and objects of dress and adornment), and attitudes towards what should happen at the end of their life-use. The material repertoire of this period forms the show-pieces of many museum collections, shedding light on different aspects of Bronze Age life, technology, trade and exchange, as well as deposition: small and large-scale studies of objects can enrich understanding of single materials, composite objects or particular arenas of deposition. Targeted study of changing contexts in which objects are most likely to be found (e.g. from Early Bronze Age burials to Middle-Later Bronze Age pits or ditches, and Late Bronze Age hoards) is a particular area for new research. Efforts should be made to address the archaeobotanical potential of charred plant remains in structured deposits associated with object deposition.
Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

Iron Age c.800BC – AD43

3.5 What can the organisation of craftwork, styles of artefact and evidence for local or long-distance trade/exchange tell us about relationships between people on and off the Wolds, as well as terrestrial and maritime connections? When is iron first worked on the Wolds, where and to what purpose? Were there particular aspects of the production process of iron (such as smelting) which were routinely carried out ‘off Wolds’? What do we know about the organisation, control and flow of this material in Iron Age society, and how this technology was perceived in relation to other crafts? What were the major technological inventions of this period and how did they shape new lifeways (e.g. vehicles and mobility, horse riding, weaponry and violence)?

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Categories:
Iron age
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Whilst some materials and object types have been subject to close-grained study, there is ample opportunity to examine the character and organisation of production in greater depth across a range of crafts. This also provides a way of examining networks of social relationships through material origins and trade routes, craft traditions and design ideals. Production sites are key here as few are known, whether this relates to metallurgy or stone-working such as jet: these should be a key priority for excavation and analysis, where they are identified in situ. However, scientific analysis of material composition and technologies can be used as a proxy for identifying local and regional links between objects suggestive of shared craft schools or traditions. Ironworking has seen productive study (e.g. the work of Halkon) but further studies of ore provenance and smelting versus smithing sites are needed, as is a wider understanding of bronze working on/off the Wolds. Ceramic analysis (which see a greater variety of clays, temper and vessel form and design emerge in the Later Iron Age) is also a key area for future research, maximising one of the most ubiquitous finds from developer-funded work on and off the Wolds.
Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

Romano-British AD43 – c.410

3.6 How was craftwork organised in the Roman period? Were there particularly focused areas of production for specific materials or artefacts (stone, including jet, ceramics, metallurgy etc.) or did these continue to be produced at a more local level? What is the evidence for trade during this period particularly in key ceramics (Huntcliff wares, for example)? What is the evidence for longer-distance trade networks (e.g. with Gaul, Iberia, Africa)?

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Roman
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Patterns of inhabitation and farming practices across the transition should be explored by examining temporal depth at villa sites (e.g. Brantingham, Rudston, Norton), strategic examination of intermediary building types (e.g. Thwing’s proto-villa), and wider changes to smaller enclosures and farmsteads (e.g. apparent consolidation around contracted square enclosures in the Mid-Late Roman phases of ladder settlements as at Wharram Grange Crossroads and proposed by Stoertz). By combining the ‘signature’ of fieldwalking data and small-scale commercial evaluations with LIDAR/air photo data, projects could evaluate how well this captures that chronological change over time (thus enabling us to better target future developer funded or research led excavation) as well as enhancing our understanding of the relative civilian versus military nature of site occupation. On/off Wolds interactions between sites, explored through movements of materials, fuel, resources and stock, will better assist understanding of the agrarian economy of the Wolds during this period and inform models of rural/urban interactions, villa economies and civilian/military dynamics over the course of the Roman period.

Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

Early Medieval c.410 – 1066

3.7 How can the character, origin and mobility of material culture (not just raw materials and portable objects in small-scale craftwork but also building stone) help us reconstruct material traditions and networks of production, trade and consumption in the Early Medieval period? What is produced on the rural Wolds and what is imported and how does this reflect on models of self-sufficiency or interconnectedness at different times? Where are the ‘productive sites’ of this era, and how were they organised and by whom? How do these networks relate to different categories of material culture and object types e.g. high status and exotic metalwork (including gold and silver work, enamelling and gems), coinage (Anglian and Anglo-Scandinavian/Viking), ceramics, glass, quern and building stones (sandstone and limestone versus chalk)? What does this tell us about contemporary economies and wider cultural traditions, including senses of local, regional or ethnic identity?

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Early medieval
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Fieldwalking and metal-detecting, PAS-reported data as well as plough-finds have the potential to reveal insights into production sites as well as material culture use and deposition, and should be strategically used to inform targeted excavation alongside geophysical survey. Major questions around shifts in economy – coin or bullion use for example, and the possibility of Viking army style ‘productive’ sites – should be key future research areas, investigated through artefact distributions and targeted excavation. The introduction of rare and ‘high-status’ objects (e.g. gold and garnet or red enamel-work) alongside other precious metals such as silver, is of particular interest in terms of Pagan and Christian identity and how this was culturally negotiated, complementing monument and landscape studies. Stone working is an underestimated way of investigating wider networks of exchange, from domestic objects such as lava querns to worked stone icons (e.g. tub fonts) which might be related to Early Christian sites or skilled stone-workers: detailed lithology studies are needed here. The degree to which stone was re-used from Roman sites should also be investigated through the survey of upstanding or buried structures (e.g. early Churches, sculpture) as well as re-used stone in smaller items of material culture.
Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

High Medieval c.1066 – 1540

3.8 What Medieval architecture remains on the Wolds, in terms of upstanding rural buildings (e.g. cruck-framed buildings such as Octon or re-used timbers/masonry elements, chalk clunch in vernacular buildings) or traces of architectural innovations in elite buildings (e.g. first floor hall or chamber block at Burton Agnes)? Do later buildings preserve elements of Medieval secular or sacred architecture, and if so, can this help us better understand the appearance, plan and use of these buildings, not just residential but ancillary farm structures including mill sites, forges, etc., and early Church architecture pre-Reformation?

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Medieval
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Buildings survey (from simple photographic records to more detailed description up to 3D photogrammetric recording), including strategic searches for surviving fabric, will create an enhanced record of the Wolds Medieval architecture. Development of domestic and farm buildings, church repairs and restoration, and buildings fabric recording, should be considered as part of planning recommendations in all historic properties, whether Medieval origins are known or not, in order to ascertain the wider prevalence of buildings styles, plans and material traditions. Provenance of building stone and dating of re-used timbers can also add to both knowledge of local and exotic stone procurement, as well as potential timber-framed buildings which have disappeared in the Historic era.
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

3.9 How did the Medieval economy, expansion of international trade and cultural tastes transform material culture traditions in portable objects, art and furniture, etc. during the Medieval period? What are the signatures of elite versus lower status customs of dress, consumption, furnishing etc.? Are there surviving artefacts which show aspects of genealogical, regional or craft-based identity through design or motif, or overt symbols of faith in symbolism (e.g. coats of arms, inscriptions, surviving vessels, vestments etc. in either private or public hands)? What is produced on the rural Wolds and what comes from further afield (e.g. textiles – wool, flax, silk etc., metallurgy, glassware, ceramics) and how far do those trade and exchange networks stretch?

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Categories:
Medieval
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Private and public collections hold portable items of material culture, or potentially reclaimed aspects of masonry, wood panelling or furniture, paintings, engravings, manuscripts and illustrations which could form the focus of material-specific studies. Production and consumption networks (i.e. the impact of international trade networks through the port of hull), provenance studies, as well art historical analysis of both small and large items should be used to tell stories of individuals, small groups or regional identities expressed through material culture, art and design, and the wider relations, networks, communities, beliefs or tastes, through which Medieval identities were constituted and performed.
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

Post-Medieval c.1540 – 1901

3.10 What materials were used to effect the transformations of the Historic period, where did they come from and what did they mean? Which surviving historic buildings best evidence the use of dressed stone ashlar, brick or chalk clunch, as well as use of clay tiles versus slate for roofing materials? How were particular styles/designs and materials used in the wider landscape to signal land ownership (e.g. field markers, gates, barn styles, signage and colour schemes)? What materials were used to improve local roads and where did they come from (e.g. chalk quarries)? What is the evidence for industry on the Wolds, where was it located and why? How did different systems of power (horse-drawn, wind, water, steam and later gas, electricity) transform the character and extent of production on the Wolds?

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Post medieval
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Studies of building stone, brick and timber can reveal changes away from Later Medieval vernacular building styles to designed or planned housing styles. Buildings-focused studies can elucidate the favoured types of stone for estate houses and how ancillary estate buildings, designed villages and farms fitted into that scheme (e.g. Sledmere’s brick-cottages, Birdsall’s limestone estate offices and stables compared with surviving examples of the use of chalk clunch). Landscape studies and map regression can help relocated the vast network of quarries, which rapidly expanded in scale at this time, to serve not just the provision of building stone and chalk gravel but the production of lime. Studies of the move from horse-drawn power to early mechanisation (e.g. steam-driven threshing sets, water-driven mills) can help explain transformations in both the seasonal schedule and spatial organisation of farms and production centres.
Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

Modern 1901 – Present

3.11 As national and international/global production transformed many areas of material culture, technology and consumption, what agricultural or food substances, raw materials and products continue to be produced on the Wolds, and how has this changed over the course of the 20th-21st century? How has this created new forms of light industry on the Wolds (e.g. grain silos, breweries, bakeries, home-industry) and has this taken the form of new or re-purposed architecture and infrastructure? How has the major mode of transport and vehicle design affected this infrastructure and road network and what has its impact been on the heritage environment (e.g. barn and yard size, access routes, road design)? What has happened to those areas of production which have gone out of use (e.g. quarries)? How are imports managed, delivered and disseminated in the Wolds (e.g. shopping infrastructure from ports and warehouses, and where these are located, door-to-door or home deliveries, postal services etc.)? to What are the new leisure, tourism or service industries which form a major part of the modern economy and how have they impacted the local villages of the Wolds in terms of accommodation, shopping, fuel, walking, riding and cycling networks, fly fishing, cultural centres such as museums/art galleries etc.?

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Categories:
20th century
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The analysis of networks of production and consumption can yield important and timely information on how the regional economy and infrastructure of the Wolds has changed over the Modern era, combining documentary evidence, mapping, transport data, historic planning data and map regression, to analyse the transformations this has wrought on the Wolds. Census data compared with tourism surveys, and traffic data, can also reveal the degree to which this has affected permanent versus seasonal or occasional residence and through-flow of traffic (e.g. ‘second home’ ownership, short-term leisure use and holiday tourism, day-visitors or ‘corridor’ traffic to/from the coast). Historic studies of tourism literature and publicity, and the rise and fall of seasonal accommodation (e.g. caravan parks, camping sites), tourist attractions (e.g. craft and art galleries, museums) and facilities (shops and cafes, fuel stations, wayside stopping points and lay-bys, viewing points etc.) can help create an informed understanding of the way past and present leisure use of the Wolds has shaped its modern perception and use by wider communities. Recommendations may be made towards addressing the need to record by survey disappearing historic shop fronts, pubs and facades, particularly in light of a shrinking high street.
Status:
Active
Authority to change status:
Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework
Date accepted:
04/09/2022

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