Land Between Sproatley Road and Ness Lane, Preston, East Riding of Yorkshire

PCAS Archaeology was commissioned by Beal Homes Ltd to undertake a scheme of archaeological strip, map, and record on land between Sproatley Road and Ness Lane in the village of Preston in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This scheme was recommended by the Development Management Archaeologist for Humber Archaeology Partnership and archaeological advisor to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. The site consists of two fields. In 2022 a geophysical survey conducted by Pre-Construct Geophysics and evaluation trenching undertaken by PCAS Archaeology confirmed that the northern Field 2 was comprised of ridge-and-furrow earthworks, whereas the southern Field 1 contained evidence of intercutting features, namely, medieval ditches, gullies, and pits. Field 1 was excavated in this strip, map, and record programme. Archaeological remains were encountered throughout the site, though they were particularly dense in the southwestern corner of the area of excavation. The archaeological features fell into two categories: linear (i.e. ditches or gullies) or circular/subcircular features (i.e. pits or post-holes, predominantly the former). One curvilinear ditch was possibly Roman in date. A 10th-century Late Saxon enclosure was also discovered. Although no structures were encountered, the evidence indicates that the site was on the periphery of the medieval village, and several of the features dated from between the 12th to 15th century. The pits investigated were rubbish pits associated with the occupation of medieval plots to the south of the site. The larger ditches were boundary ditches linked with the demarcation of land within the medieval bydale field division system of the village, and several other linear features were shown to be part of a drainage network.