Archaeologists working near Skipsea Castle in East Yorkshire say a series of rare discoveries is transforming understanding of life in the centuries before the Norman Conquest
The discoveries are considered as key indicators of elite or high-status sites in the period
Excavations led by the University of York have revealed evidence of elite Anglo-Saxon buildings and industrial activity, including what may be a malthouse, a timber tower, and a large hall used for feasting and assemblies.
The research is being carried out at Sparrow Croft, a field around 225 metres from the Norman castle at Skipsea, as part of a six-year project that began in 2023.
One of the most important recent discoveries is the remains of a rare early medieval malthouse, dated to around AD 750–850. The structure includes a drying oven and an adjacent clay floor, once housed within a timber-framed building made with wattle and daub.
Timber structures and elite activity
Close by, archaeologists uncovered a square, sunken feature lined with timber and mortar. This is believed to be the cellar of a wooden tower, which may have functioned as a watchtower, bell tower, or possibly a tower-nave church.
Both the malthouse and the tower are uncommon finds in England and are considered strong indicators of a high-status or elite site in the period before the Norman Conquest.
Above the remains of the malthouse, researchers also identified a later, large timber hall, likely used for feasting, drinking, and political gatherings. The hall, which predates the Norman castle, was enclosed within an extensive ditch system. Taken together, the evidence suggests the area functioned as a “lordly centre” within the late Anglo-Saxon landscape.
Links to Anglo-Saxon power
These findings build on earlier discoveries at Skipsea that have already transformed understanding of the site. Nearly a decade ago, University of York archaeologists Dr Jim Leary and Dr Elaine Jamieson demonstrated that the enormous mound on which Skipsea Castle stands—85 metres wide and 13 metres high—was not Norman, as previously believed, but Iron Age in origin.
Radiocarbon dating showed the mound was constructed around 1,500 years before the Norman Conquest, making it unique in Britain.
Dr Leary said that relatively little is known about this period of English history, making discoveries of this kind particularly rare. He added that the site is especially significant because the area later belonged to Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, before becoming the estate centre of the Lords of Holderness after 1066.
Although there is no direct evidence that Harold himself visited Skipsea, the discoveries point to a landscape shaped by power and wealth in the late Anglo-Saxon period.
A much deeper history
The importance of the area extends far earlier still. Skipsea was once surrounded by three freshwater lakes—Skipsea Bail Mere, Skipsea Low Mere, and Skipsea Withow Mere—connected to the River Hull. Formed around 10,000 years ago, these lakes attracted human activity from the Mesolithic period through to medieval times.
Archaeological finds from the former lakes include stone tools, animal remains, and bone harpoons, while Neolithic and Bronze Age buildings and trackways have been identified along their margins.
Today, Skipsea Castle is a Scheduled Monument under the care of English Heritage. Each May, it hosts the University of York’s archaeology field school, involving around 120 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Dr Elaine Jamieson noted that the project is only halfway complete, and that further discoveries may yet shed more light on how power, industry, and everyday life were organised in eastern England in the centuries leading up to the Norman Conquest.
