Bellerby Moor Survey

The Swaledale Project: Bellerby Moor SAR Survey

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) have received permission to construct a new electronic target range close to the existing ranges on Bellerby Moor. During the planning process an Impact Assessment requirement suggested SWAAG could undertake an archaeological landscape survey of the proposed site, with the possibility of being involved in the any archaeological ground investigation that may follow.

The tight time scale and the limited availability for site access required designated SWAAG members to do the survey, but a day was organised for members to view the landscape prior to further involvement that may follow.

MOD planning for the range has tried to minimise the impact of the range footprint on the known archaeological features identified by an earlier walkover survey. The earthwork construction inside the footprint will have an impact on archaeological features; thereby requiring a number of archaeology and other features to be assessed and possibly excavated.

An appreciation of this site and the surrounding area has been recorded by Tim Laurie and can be read here.

Looking across the southern end of the propose Small Arms Range on Bellerby Moor.
Photo: Gill Savage.

The survey report is detailed below: Click the maps to see them at best resolution.

Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group
Contact info@swaag.org Website http://www.swaag.org/

Report on an earthwork survey in advance of the construction of a new electronic target range at Bellerby Moor, North Yorkshire, with reference to paragraph 5.4 of the Archaeological Impact Statement and Recommendation for Archaeological Investigation by Phil Abramson, DIO Historic Environment Advisor (Catterick), December 2011.

The Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group (SWAAG) surveyed the site of the proposed new range at Bellerby Moor and the immediate vicinity between 14th and 16th January2012.

The survey conditions were difficult in areas of substantial heather and rushes. It is therefore possible that archaeological important sites have been missed. Thirty six features were identified and whilst not all are directly relevant to the construction footprint, they do indicate the archaeological and geological context and importance of the range footprint on Bellerby Moor, and support the further investigation of the features that will be impacted by the construction. There are a number of features close to the range footprint that must be protected.

Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 maps: © Crown copyright and database rights 2011 Ordnance Survey 100023740, kindly supplied by the North Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Report Contents:

1) Gazetteer of Features
2) Map 1 Summary map indicating the location of features in the area surveyed.
3) Map 2 Small Arms Range Southern Section - wide view.
4) Map 3 Small Arms Range Southern Section - detailed view of range footprint.
5) Map 4 Small Arms Range Central Section.
6) Map 5 Small Arms Range Northern Section.
7) Map 6 Small Arms Range Northern Section Braided Trackway Margins.

Gazetteer of Features: Site marked by ** are on, between or close to the outer edge of Small Arms Range footprint.

No.	Grid Ref.	Site Type	Description	Period
1 **	SE 08673 93693	Bank	Curving bank at eastern edge of trackway. This short section is within the footprint of the new range, but there is an extensive network of similar trackways to the north of the footprint that pre-date the dry-stone walls. See Map 6 of the upper and lower trackway margins. Care should be taken not to damage them during the construction phase and with any new service road around the top of the range.	Medieval/Post Medieval
2 **	SE 08673 93682	Bank	Substantial stone clearance bank, much reduced by quarrying.	Prehistoric
3 **	SE 08657 93685	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn. Undisturbed.	Prehistoric
4 **	SE 08651 93679	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn. Undisturbed.	Prehistoric
5 **	SE 08642 93668	Mine shaft	Trial shaft, ?coal. See Dunham and Wilson. BGS Geology of the North Pennine Orefield, Vol 2. Stainmore to Craven. pp173,179.	Medieval/Post Medieval
6 **	SE 08646 93665	Mine shaft	Trial shaft, ?coal. See Dunham and Wilson. BGS Geology of the North Pennine Orefield, Vol 2. Stainmore to Craven.pp163,179.	Medieval/Post Medieval
7 **	SE 08694 93657	Cairn	Medium (6m x 4m ovoid) clearance or burial cairn. Reduced by quarrying.	Prehistoric
8 **	SE 08704 93642	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn. Reduced by quarrying.	Prehistoric
9 **	SE 08681 93642	Cairn	Group of 3 stones ? quarried clearance or burial cairn site.	Prehistoric
10 **	SE 08684 93628	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn. Reduced by quarrying.	Prehistoric
11 **	SE 08858 93587	Mound	Possible burnt mound in marsh. Visible as vegetation change. Stone proved by probing. To be investigated by excavation.	Prehistoric
12 **	SE 08743 93575	Mine Shaft	Trial shaft. ?coal. At spring rise. See Dunham and Wilson. BGS Geology of the North Pennine Orefield, Vol 2. Stainmore to Craven. pp163,179.	Medieval/Post Medieval
13 **	SE 08723 93492 (centre)	Trackways	The roads to the Preston Moor Colliery. Braided trackway with visible hollow ways. Upper and lower margins of braided trackways shown.	Medieval/Post Medieval
14 **	SE 08617 93497	Mine Shaft	Trial shaft, ?coal. At spring rise. See Dunham and Wilson. BGS Geology of the North Pennine Orefield, Vol 2. Stainmore to Craven. pp163,179.	Medieval/Post Medieval
15 **	SE 08704 93376 (centre)	Trackways	The roads to the Preston Moor Colliery. Braided trackway with (Insert Number) visible hollow ways. Upper and lower margins of braided trackways shown.	Medieval/Post Medieval
16 **	SE 08537 93304	Burnt Mound	Medium size burnt mound. (as SWAAG HER 130). Masked below thick heather. Visible burnt stone	Prehistoric
17 **	SE 08712 93295	Mine Shaft	Trial shaft, ?coal. See Dunham and Wilson. BGS Geology of the North Pennine Orefield, Vol 2. Stainmore to Craven. pp163,179. SE	Medieval/Post Medieval
18 **	SE 08755 93270	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn. Much reduced by quarrying. Circular stone feature may indicate presence of a burial pit.	Prehistoric
19 **	SE 08755 93279	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn below wall.	Prehistoric
20 **	SE 08752 93273	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn. below wall.	Prehistoric
21 **	SE 08722 93233	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn below wall.	Prehistoric
22 **	SE 08603 93126 (centre)	Trackways	The roads to the Preston Moor Colliery. Braided trackway with visible hollow ways. Upper and lower margins of braided trackways drawn.	Medieval/Post Medieval
23	SE 08812 93024 (largest)	Standing Stone	Standing stone. A further, part quarried, rock and several stone holes where rocks have been removed indicate that there may once have been a stone setting in this area.	Prehistoric
24	SE 08870 93064	Hengiform Monument	Hengiform complex barrow monument, Wessex Type, comprising central barrow mound , concentric ditch and outer bank, some 20m overall.	Prehistoric
25	SE 08957 93112 (centre)	Trackway	Shallow narrow trackway, which looks like a shallow lynchet at the south west end. This trackway terminates at a Clapper Bridge near cairn 27. This trackway appears to connect the Hengiform Barrow (24) with features 26, 27 and 28. Additionally there is a second Clapper Bridge about 100m down stream.	Prehistoric
26	SE 09100 93183	Burnt Mound	Large burnt mound. (SWAAG HER 131) Heather covered. Visible burnt stone. 300m AOD.	Prehistoric
27	SE 09028 93208	Cairn	Possible cairn. Very small, <4m dia.	Prehistoric
28	SE 09013 93255	Mound	Mound of uncertain purpose, close to watercourse, partly quarried.	Prehistoric
29 **	SE 08706 93244	Cairn	Small (>4m dia.) clearance or burial cairn.. Undisturbed.	Prehistoric
30	SE 08844 93321	Tufa Spring Mound	Tufa forming spring. 'Note: These tufa deposits are rare nationally, may possess rich and varied flora and fossil faunas and provide a source for determination of early environments and isotope geochemistry. It is important that stratigraphy is recorded and adequate samples from these features are obtained prior to construction. Reference: Travertine. Dr Allan Pentecost. ISBN: 1402035233 Springer, Netherlands, 2005.'	Geological
31 **	SE 08710 93420	Bank	Stones interpreted as a buried field clearance bank	Prehistoric
32 **	SE 08708 93431	Bank	Stones interpreted as a buried field clearance bank	Prehistoric
33 **	SE 08706 93436	Bank	Stones interpreted as a buried field clearance bank. There appears to be an edge aligning 31, 32 and 33 on the eastern face.	Prehistoric
34 **	SE 08685 093472	Bank	Stones which may be an extension of field clearance bank 31 to 33, but has the appearance of a clearance cairn.	Prehistoric
35	SE 08945 93633	Burnt Mound	Burnt mound (SWAAG HER 132.) Large burnt mound 12m x 10m. 310m AOD. East bank of oncolite spring stream.	Prehistoric
36	SE 08945 93640	Burnt Mound	Burnt Mound (SWAAG HER 133). Large burnt mound 10m diameter at spring rise, heather covered. 320m AOD.	Prehistoric
37 **	SE 08746 93260	Tufa Spring Mound	Tufa Spring Mound in Plantation. 'Note: These tufa deposits are rare nationally, may possess rich and varied flora and fossil faunas and provide a source for determination of early environments and isotope geochemistry. It is important that stratigraphy is recorded and adequate samples from these features are obtained prior to construction. Reference: Travertine. Dr Allan Pentecost. ISBN: 1402035233 Springer, Netherlands, 2005.'	Geological
38 **	SE 08807 93420	Tufa Spring Mound	Tufa Spring Mound. 'Note: These tufa deposits are rare nationally, may possess rich and varied flora and fossil faunas and provide a source for determination of early environments and isotope geochemistry. It is important that stratigraphy is recorded and adequate samples from these features are obtained prior to construction. Reference: Travertine. Dr Allan Pentecost. ISBN: 1402035233 Springer, Netherlands, 2005.'	Geological
39 **	SE 08544 93321	Burnt Mound	Burnt mound (SWAAG HER 129) Medium Burnt Mound overlooking Loess Infilled Lake. Whipperdale Site 2.	Prehistoric