Newsletter

Dear All,

We've had quite a month since the last newsletter.

 Our thanks to Richard and Beryl Smith for visiting our site on 17th March. It was a real treat for us as he generously shared with us his extensive knowledge of lead sites - and we got to enjoy not just some much needed warmth from the rare sunshine, but also their good company and help as we uncovered more evidence of iron working just south of the original DIAS (Dacre Iron Age Smithy) site - another day's digging there produced two wonderful little finds: a great little slingshot stone and a broken whetstone measuring c.7cm long (oops, no scale in the photo ...).

 A distinctly chillier day the other week saw a small but intrepid group taking a closer look to make sense of the prehistoric settlement area close to the lead sites. It turns out to be stuffed full of features, including an apparently dedicated working area with various pits and structures that have never been mapped before - we look forward to more exploration here eventually.

 Further afield, a recent invitation to walk down the stream at Kirkby Overblow resulted in the discovery of a number of highly likely water management and mill sites. We hope to revisit this patch sometime.

 Looking ahead to this coming Tuesday, 21st April :  A Feature Dig Day, led by Kevin Cale.

We plan to spend the day looking at a fascinating area which previous test pits have shown to contain at least one very stylish furnace and quantities of ancient slag and charcoal as well as a small piece of fabric - but it needs looking at "properly": it would be wonderful to find out more about this intriguing patch. And, as a bonus, it's on a warm, south-facing hillside, tucked down from the worst of the windchill factor. So do join us - this one's a mystery just waiting to be solved! 10am, as usual, at the Schoolroom at Dacre Top before heading en masse onto the site.

 Other than that, we're looking at a steady month of regular fieldwork on Tuesdays, meeting at the site roadside at 10am. All are welcome.

 Advance Notice:

Our AGM will be held on Wednesday 13th May in the Schoolroom at Dacre Top, 7.30-9.30pm. As well as the (brief) official part of the evening it will include a photographic show and a display of actual finds from the site, a spot of virtual archaeology in a presentation (no chill winds or mud this way!) and the all important refreshments as well as a chance to chat and catch up. Do join us.

Gill

 Gillian Hovell

Secretary, Iron-Age (Nidderdale) Project

 As ever, may we remind you all that the site is on an exposed hillside and waterproofs/suncream and stout footwear are definitely required.

May we stress that the site is on private property with no public right of way - access must be accompanied by a group leader at all times.