Yew Tree Farm, Farnley Tyas, West Yorkshire: Archaeological Watching Brief

The work involved the monitoring of all groundworks across the site. Close to the end of the groundworks, monitoring was curtailed as it was concluded there was very little potential for impact on archaeological features or deposits. Curtailment was agreed in writing with the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service (WYAAS). All work was undertaken in accordance with accepted professional standards and guidelines, in accordance with the ASWYAS site recording manual and in compliance with the WSI. Groundworks were undertaken in a controlled manner using a 360 excavator using a flat-bladed ditching bucket under direct archaeological supervision. Use of toothed buckets was restricted to removal of bedrock or particularly stone-rich deposits. Machining stopped at the first archaeological horizon or natural deposits, whichever was encountered first. All excavations of archaeological deposits were undertaken manually with the stripped surface being investigated for archaeological remains before groundworks continued to their required depths. All identified archaeological features were exposed and cleaned by hand and accurately drawn at a scale of 1:20 or 1:50. All plans include spot heights that relate to Ordnance Datum in metres. A full written, drawn and photographic record was made of all archaeological work undertaken. The archaeological remains recorded during the course of works at Yew Tree Farm represent the expansion or rebuilding of the farmstead in the 19th century. Both domestic and agricultural structures were recorded, clustered to the north of the site. It is possible that the farmstead expanded from a post-medieval focus in the north-eastern corner of the site during the 19th century or that the 19th-century structures replaced earlier examples. No archaeological remains were present in the monitored areas in the southern part of the site. No evidence was found to suggest the site was occupied during the medieval period. Given the site's proximity to the historic core of Farnley Tyas, it is likely that medieval features or deposits have either been truncated by later activity or are restricted to the north-eastern corner of the site where the historic structures were preserved in-situ and groundworks were limited.