Archaeologists working near Skipsea Castle in northern England say a cluster of rare discoveries is reshaping what we know about power, industry, and high-status life in the centuries before the Norman Conquest.
Excavations led by the University of York are taking place in a field known as Sparrow Croft, around 225 metres from the castle site, on the Holderness coast in East Yorkshire. They have revealed evidence for substantial Anglo-Saxon buildings and specialised activity—including what may be a malthouse, a timber tower, and a large hall linked to feasting and assemblies. The investigation forms part of a six-year research project that began in 2023.
A rare medieval malthouse
The possible Saxon malthouse. Photo courtesy University of York
Among the most striking finds is the remains of what archaeologists believe to be a medieval malthouse, dated to around AD 750–850. According to the team, the structure included a drying oven and an adjoining clay floor, once housed within a timber-framed, wattle-and-daub building—features consistent with a place designed to process grain into malt, a key step in brewing.
Malthouses of this type are considered uncommon survivals in England, and their presence is often associated with sites of higher status, where organised production could support large households, feasts, and the obligations of lordship.
A timber tower—and hints of elite display
Excavations beginning at Skipsea. Photo courtesy University of York
Close by, researchers uncovered a square, sunken feature lined with timber and mortar. They interpret this as the cellar or foundation of a wooden tower, potentially serving as a watchtower, a bell tower, or even a tower-nave church. As with the malthouse, the team notes that such structures are rare, and that rarity is part of what makes the Skipsea evidence so significant for understanding the late Anglo-Saxon landscape.
A great hall for feasting and assemblies
The large medieval timber hall. Photo courtesy University of York
Above the malthouse remains, archaeologists have also identified a large timber hall, built later and still predating the Norman castle. The University of York team suggests the hall may have been used for feasting, drinking, and political gatherings, and that it sat within an extensive ditched enclosure. Taken together, the discoveries point to a settlement that may have functioned as a “lordly centre” before 1066—an organised hub where power was performed and reinforced through hospitality, production, and meeting-making.
“We actually know relatively little about this period in England’s history, and making new discoveries like this is exceptionally rare,” explains Dr Jim Leary, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology. “The discovery at Skipsea is particularly interesting because we know the area later belonged to the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, Harold Godwinson, before becoming the estate centre of the Lords of Holderness after the Norman Conquest.
“Although we have not yet found any evidence that Harold Godwinson ever visited Skipsea, our discoveries fit with a landscape shaped by power and wealth in the late Anglo-Saxon period.”
An older story beneath the castle mound
Skipsea castle mound in the mist. Photo courtesy University of York
The latest work builds on earlier University of York research that has already changed how Skipsea is understood. Nearly a decade ago, archaeologists revealed that the massive mound on which Skipsea Castle once stood—about 85 metres wide and 13 metres high—was not a Norman motte, but an Iron Age monument. Radiocarbon dating indicated it was built roughly 1,500 years before the Norman Conquest, making it an exceptional example in Britain.
That deeper time-depth matters: the mound’s long presence in the landscape would have shaped how later communities moved, gathered, and built around it—raising new questions about why an elite Anglo-Saxon centre developed where it did, and how older monuments could be re-used or re-imagined across centuries.
A prehistoric flint from Skipsea lake. Photo courtesy University of York
Skipsea’s importance is also tied to its former watery setting. The area was once surrounded by three freshwater lakes—Skipsea Bail Mere, Skipsea Low Mere and Skipsea Withow Mere—linked to the River Hull. Formed around 10,000 years ago, they attracted people from the Mesolithic period through to medieval times, with finds from the former lake environment including stone tools, animal remains, and bone harpoons. Evidence for Neolithic and Bronze Age buildings and trackways has also been identified around the edges of the former lakes.
Field school excavations—and more to come
Skipsea Castle is a Scheduled Monument under the guardianship of English Heritage. Each May, it also hosts the University of York’s archaeology field school, bringing around 120 undergraduate and postgraduate students into the excavation and training programme.
Students excavate a Saxon kiln structure. Photo courtesy University of York
Dr Elaine Jamieson, also from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, adds, “We are about half-way through our work on the site, so there is still so much more we could potentially find that would help us reveal more about how power, industry and daily life were organised in eastern England in the centuries leading up to the Norman Conquest.”
The Skipsea excavations will also feature in the BBC documentary series Digging for Britain on Wednesday, 28 January (BBC Two), and the programme is available on BBC iPlayer.
Don't miss our students, @jimleary.bsky.social and the beautiful shots of Skipsea on Digging for Britain!
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis…
There was also an article about the dig in The Times over New Year www.thetimes.com/uk/history/a…
Archaeologists working near Skipsea Castle in northern England say a cluster of rare discoveries is reshaping what we know about power, industry, and high-status life in the centuries before the Norman Conquest.
Excavations led by the University of York are taking place in a field known as Sparrow Croft, around 225 metres from the castle site, on the Holderness coast in East Yorkshire. They have revealed evidence for substantial Anglo-Saxon buildings and specialised activity—including what may be a malthouse, a timber tower, and a large hall linked to feasting and assemblies. The investigation forms part of a six-year research project that began in 2023.
A rare medieval malthouse
Among the most striking finds is the remains of what archaeologists believe to be a medieval malthouse, dated to around AD 750–850. According to the team, the structure included a drying oven and an adjoining clay floor, once housed within a timber-framed, wattle-and-daub building—features consistent with a place designed to process grain into malt, a key step in brewing.
Malthouses of this type are considered uncommon survivals in England, and their presence is often associated with sites of higher status, where organised production could support large households, feasts, and the obligations of lordship.
A timber tower—and hints of elite display
Close by, researchers uncovered a square, sunken feature lined with timber and mortar. They interpret this as the cellar or foundation of a wooden tower, potentially serving as a watchtower, a bell tower, or even a tower-nave church. As with the malthouse, the team notes that such structures are rare, and that rarity is part of what makes the Skipsea evidence so significant for understanding the late Anglo-Saxon landscape.
A great hall for feasting and assemblies
Above the malthouse remains, archaeologists have also identified a large timber hall, built later and still predating the Norman castle. The University of York team suggests the hall may have been used for feasting, drinking, and political gatherings, and that it sat within an extensive ditched enclosure. Taken together, the discoveries point to a settlement that may have functioned as a “lordly centre” before 1066—an organised hub where power was performed and reinforced through hospitality, production, and meeting-making.
“We actually know relatively little about this period in England’s history, and making new discoveries like this is exceptionally rare,” explains Dr Jim Leary, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology. “The discovery at Skipsea is particularly interesting because we know the area later belonged to the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, Harold Godwinson, before becoming the estate centre of the Lords of Holderness after the Norman Conquest.
“Although we have not yet found any evidence that Harold Godwinson ever visited Skipsea, our discoveries fit with a landscape shaped by power and wealth in the late Anglo-Saxon period.”
An older story beneath the castle mound
The latest work builds on earlier University of York research that has already changed how Skipsea is understood. Nearly a decade ago, archaeologists revealed that the massive mound on which Skipsea Castle once stood—about 85 metres wide and 13 metres high—was not a Norman motte, but an Iron Age monument. Radiocarbon dating indicated it was built roughly 1,500 years before the Norman Conquest, making it an exceptional example in Britain.
That deeper time-depth matters: the mound’s long presence in the landscape would have shaped how later communities moved, gathered, and built around it—raising new questions about why an elite Anglo-Saxon centre developed where it did, and how older monuments could be re-used or re-imagined across centuries.
Skipsea’s importance is also tied to its former watery setting. The area was once surrounded by three freshwater lakes—Skipsea Bail Mere, Skipsea Low Mere and Skipsea Withow Mere—linked to the River Hull. Formed around 10,000 years ago, they attracted people from the Mesolithic period through to medieval times, with finds from the former lake environment including stone tools, animal remains, and bone harpoons. Evidence for Neolithic and Bronze Age buildings and trackways has also been identified around the edges of the former lakes.
Field school excavations—and more to come
Skipsea Castle is a Scheduled Monument under the guardianship of English Heritage. Each May, it also hosts the University of York’s archaeology field school, bringing around 120 undergraduate and postgraduate students into the excavation and training programme.
Dr Elaine Jamieson, also from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, adds, “We are about half-way through our work on the site, so there is still so much more we could potentially find that would help us reveal more about how power, industry and daily life were organised in eastern England in the centuries leading up to the Norman Conquest.”
The Skipsea excavations will also feature in the BBC documentary series Digging for Britain on Wednesday, 28 January (BBC Two), and the programme is available on BBC iPlayer.
Top Image: The timber hall under excavation. Photo courtesy University of York
Subscribe to Medievalverse
Related Posts