“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”? The Unique Archaeology of Teesside
Spencer Carter
January 2017
“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”?
About the Author Spencer is a freelance commercial field archaeologist, prehistoric stone tool specialist, Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He studied archaeology at Durham in the 1980s and, after an extensive business career, currently researches the early prehistory of north-east Yorkshire and Teesside. He was recently chair of the Teesside Archaeological Society, sits on the committee of Council for British Archaeology Yorkshire and the council of RESCUE: The British Archaeological Trust, as an advocate for our archaeology, heritageat-risk and the profession. He is an affiliate member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA). He maintains a professional website at http://timevista.co.uk and an informal Mesolithic archaeology blog at http://microburin.com. His Twitter ID is @microburin.
Disclaimer The opinions expressed in this informal article are those of the author alone and do not reflect or represent those of any associated organizations, past or present. Images and information sources have been credited wherever possible. The author regrets any inaccuracies or broken URLs and would be pleased to make corrections upon request. © 2017 Spencer Carter
Acknowledgements I am especially grateful to Scarlet Pink, Hands On Middlesbrough, for the encouragement to write this article and for her passionate advocacy for Teesside’s heritage. I extend thanks to the draft reviewers for their support and hope that I have done some justice to their positive and constructive feedback. I am also grateful to Stephen Sherlock for permission to use the image of 2016 excavations at Street House Farm, Loftus – the latest of a truly remarkable set of discoveries. All errors, omissions and inevitable flights of fancy are solely my responsibility.
A Note about Chronology Dating nomenclature for British archaeological periods as defined by Historic England: Post-Medieval Late Medieval Early Medieval Roman Iron Age
After 1540 AD 1066 – 1540 AD 410 – 1066 AD 43 – 410 AD BC 600 – 43 AD
Bronze Age Neolithic Mesolithic Palaeolithic
2500 – 600 BC 4000 – 2500 BC c. 10,000 – 4000 BC Until c. 10,000 BC
Cover image | Teesside Archaeological Society volunteers conducting fieldwork in search of prehistory – finding evidence for the last hunter gatherers and first Teesside farmers from 6000 years ago | Image: S. Carter.
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“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”?
Introduction This article’s title is a contradiction. The claim that “Middlesbrough has no archaeology” is something alleged to have been said at the point, in 2012, when Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland borough councils withdrew from the shared archaeology advisory service which, today, still serves Stockton-onTees and Hartlepool. Whether this was said, or not, is probably now best filed away as an urban myth. However, the reality is that there are clearly mixed perceptions about the importance and value of our shared heritage to local communities, interest groups, newcomers, businesses, tourists and, of course, our elected representatives. What follows is an idiosyncratic sketch-view, not by any means an exhaustive gazetteer, of our archaeology and historic environment. This touches on the built heritage that survives around us, and the archaeology beneath the surface: what we know and what we might expect to encounter as the urban sprawl bites ever more into our green spaces. Needless to say, we have a unique portfolio, always a bit strange in north-east England, with some success stories and some tragedies over the last few generations. I grew up on Teesside and still maintain strong ties with the region where I’m researching our The excellent 2016 booklet by Tosh Warwick and Jenny most distant human past. Inevitably, some of Parker on the mighty Tees, its natural and human history. my thoughts are political, in the sense of heritage provision and protection, across both local and national institutions in a time of ongoing austerity. Suffice to say that the heritage and historic environment sectors, which include museums and educational resources, have been more greatly affected by cuts over the past several years than perhaps most other parts of local authority and national government services. There are very real fears about sustainability where professional resources and opportunities have already been eroded to a point, many would suggest, of no return. Nor do my thoughts here focus solely on Middlesbrough, but on our broader area. Since a child, I can remember so many different identities, from North Yorkshire, County Cleveland, the wapentake Borough of Langbaurgh, Redcar & Cleveland, Middlesbrough and Teesside (with one ‘s’ or two), such that strangers looking in might be forgiven some confusion. Our archaeology knows no such boundaries and so I’ll mention places either side of, and along, the mighty Tees to illustrate our heritage wealth as well as some of the challenges we’ve faced over the years. I’m sure St Mary’s Church, Nunthorpe: there’s an Iron Age and not to be the only one who remembers the Romano-British farmstead under there, and for Middlesbrough fans, one now under a housing estate at construction of the A66 through Middlesbrough Bonny Grove Farm, Dixons Bank, Marton (Durham and the demise of the Royal Exchange, as well Archaeological Journal 12, 1996). as many other important buildings by demolition, neglect or vandalism (for example, see Evening Gazette 2015), and how far one now has to commute to find the green fields of our preindustrial past. Middlesbrough may be a largely 19th-century industrial contrivance built in the place of a Benedictine cell tied to Whitby Abbey, but our heritage spans at least the last 10,000 years!
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“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”?
My Place, Our Place The concept of “my place” has increasingly come to reflect a package of values, economic and social, and stakeholders that contribute to the greater well-being of communities – across generations, age groups, abilities, ethnicities and interests. Beyond our physical heritage, involvement with it, from a passive interest to hands-on participation, involves dynamics such as learning new skills, physical activities, teamwork and a shared sense of collective value in social space. Moreover, it is vibrant, healthy communities that attract investment and tourist footfall. More than 70% of the public have visited a heritage or archaeological site at least once in a year according to a recent survey with well over 60 million visits annually in England alone (see Historic England 2015 and 2016).
Regional economic statistics are presented in the Heritage & Economy 2016 report | Source: Historic England 2016.
It doesn’t matter whether you drop into a museum once in a while, encourage friends to come visit, attend a local group lecture or workshop, visit an excavation or heritage open day, or simply enquire about the heritage in your area: you are engaging with an amazing range of opportunities. You are also sending a signal to those we elect, those who make decisions on what’s funded and what’s not, that you value your heritage. I’ll mention later where there are opportunities to talk to your MPs and Councillors, face-to-face or at a heritage event, or by letter and email, to re-enforce the role archaeology, the historic environment and cultural heritage play in our collective wellbeing (and the value of your home) and why yet more cuts put this at risk. We’ll return to these themes later.
Almost everyone lives close to at least one heritage asset;
Over 30 million adults (72.6%) who live in England visit heritage sites annually;
Hundreds of thousands volunteer to protect heritage, and 4 out of 5 adults believe that heritage makes their area a better place to live;
Despite this enthusiasm and the huge investment from private owners, nearly 1 in 7 scheduled monuments and just under 1 in 20 of our most important listed buildings are at risk;
Heritage organisations benefit the public through education and funding programmes. Source | Historic England 2015.
No Archaeology? How Very Dare You! After the Ice If Middlesbrough – or Port Darlington as it was – is a 19th-century industrial pioneering venture based on iron and eventually steel, then we also have evidence for the very first pioneers in our landscape after the last ice age. I’m a prehistorian and so I apologise for over-indulging a little here, at risk of forgetting our rich industrial and philanthropic legacy. Flint tools dating back to at least around 8500 BC, or even earlier, have been found and carefully recorded from places like the Eston Hills, Greatham Creek, Highcliff Nab and along the mid-to-upper reaches of the Tees and Swale.
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“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”?
First Pioneers While it is possible that people were here before the last great Ice Age, which ended about 12,000 years ago, the glaciers and rising seas since then have likely scoured away most traces. That said, there has been a human (hominin) presence, off and on, in the place we now call Britain for almost a million years (including the oldest footprints outside Africa, off the Norfolk coast at Happisburgh), with firm evidence for people just like us visiting Scotland across a land-bridge that joined us to the continent until the eighth millennium BC. One might argue that many innovations began in the North! As the climate warmed rapidly, the first pioneers returned to our landscape – hunter-gathererfishers – and left traces like their stone tools. These mobile folk chased the game and exploited every conceivable resource in their midst. Rare sites which still have organic survival, like Star Carr near Scarborough, offer insights into a socially rich and complex lifeway. This Mesolithic period lasted over six thousand years until the advent of farming, monument building, domestication of crops and animals, the very first pottery and settlements in a very short transition period around 4000-3800 BC, literally a few generations.
This could have been the Vale of York around 12,000 BC during the last Ice Age, Pennines left, North York Moors right, Teesside notionally top right distance | Image: Wikicommons.
The Mesolithic had been a period of major climate change too. It was generally a little warmer than today at its optimum with a densely wooded landscape, except for a rather Left: Early Mesolithic flint arrowhead c. 8500 BC from nasty cold snap around 6200 BC. Rising sea Eston Hills, 35mm length. Right: Excellent booklet by Tees levels and a terrifyingly destructive tsunami, the Archaeology (one of many free downloads) on Teesside’s Storegga slide around 6100 BC, finally cut first settlers and a recent Mesolithic project. island Britain off from mainland Europe. Doggerland was drowned. Evidence for climate change is emotively revealed from time to time at Seaton Carew (Tees Archaeology monograph) and Redcar when Mesolithic and Neolithic prehistoric forest remains, and occasionally artefacts that include a Late Mesolithic fish-trap, are exposed at low tide and after storms.
First Settlers Whether the Neolithic saw the arrival of new settlers and domesticates from the east, or the know-how and ideas – likely a complex combination – remains somewhat contentious and fascinating, augmented by our recent ability to look at human and animal DNA, diets and mobility using leading-edge scientific techniques. Equally fascinating is the period around 4000 to 3700 BC where hunter-gatherers and farmers integrated. Moreover, if anybody had suggested, say 30 or 40 years ago, that we would find any more than a few flint arrowheads and polished axes from East Yorkshire and Cumbria, and an enigmatic chambered Neolithic tomb on Great Ayton Moor excavated by Raymond Hayes in the 1950s, there would likely have been an uproar of laughter. By the way, there’s a Neolithic 5000 year old flint arrowhead from St Hildas, Middlesbrough, flints from the vale of Guisborough, and around the course of the Leven and its tributaries. They were here.
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“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”?
Mesolithic chatter over roasting hazelnuts, sometime in the autumn about eight thousand years ago | Image: © Frank Wiersema.
2016 excavation of a Neolithic house, under very much clay, at Street House, Loftus, dating to the early fourth millennium BC | Image: © Steve Sherlock.
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As I write in late 2016, we now have firmly radiocarbon-dated evidence for ‘Teesside’s oldest house’ at Street House, Loftus, with flint tools and very early pottery (joining a mortuary cairn discovered in the 1980s) dating back nearly six thousand years and sitting under a metre of heavy clay (Northern Echo 2016). Recent developer-led work near Stokesley also adds one of northern England’s most substantial later Neolithic grooved ware pottery assemblages, dating to the early third millennium BC, and not inconceivably associated with brewing. Beer is not a recent concept. Street House typifies the archaeological potential of our region as a whole. It demonstrates continuous human activity from the Mesolithic through the Neolithic, with Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements, a Roman farmstead whose occupants were cannily trading in salt and Whitby Jet objects, to the extraordinary Anglo-Saxon royal princess buried in a jewel-festooned bed in the seventh century AD (Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar) – an internationally important discovery. We’ll return to that later.
Reprise | Remember Cleveland? It was the advent of County Cleveland in 1974, and its archaeology service under Blaise Vyner for many years (there’s an appreciation article about Blaise in Teesside Archaeological Society’s BULLETIN magazine No 20, 2016), which truly placed our area on the national and international archaeology map. Indeed, Cleveland uniquely encompassed both sides – County Durham and North Yorkshire – of the River Tees and the topographic diversity from coast, estuary to upland. Until then, little had been achieved since Frank Elgee’s 1930 volume ‘Early Man in NorthEast Yorkshire’ (and his The Romans in Cleveland booklet, 1923) and we still remained somewhat of a County Cleveland, established in 1974 and disbanded in 1996 for our present four unitary backwater at the time Don Spratt published The authorities | Image: © Evening Gazette. Archaeology of Cleveland (Spratt 1979) and then the seminal ‘Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North-East Yorkshire’, now available online (Spratt 1993). At about the same time, a major government policy shift placed responsibility on developers for the funding of archaeological investigations as part of a national planning framework, then called PPG15/16, presently the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2012). What followed was an explosion in the commercialisation of archaeology and the sheer volume of archaeological work being carried out, until this present day. There was a commensurate proliferation in the archaeological record, feeding local insight and propelling academic research into places unimaginable before. Indeed, NPPF now includes a focus on the importance that archaeology plays in research agendas (see References) across a broad audience of stakeholders, including local community groups. The degree of interest is perhaps best illustrated by the several recent open days, attended by hundreds of visitors, during the A1 Leeming to Barton road-widening works, and a suite of the most incredible discoveries, often in unexpected places, and most certainly causing a re-think about some age-old assumptions.
Community Power Beyond commercial developer-funded projects triggered by the planning process, Heritage Lottery funded ventures abound. Such projects are exemplified by the River Tees Rediscovered landscape partnership across the natural, archaeological and historic environments of the Tees valley, and community heritage village atlas mapping projects such as those at Elwick, Hart and planned for Skelton. The recent test-pitting at Egglescliffe, for example, recovered evidence (musket balls) for our 17th-century English Civil War archaeology and a recent project at Fairy Dell in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, confirmed a medieval thoroughfare (13-14th-century pottery), as well as the debris of the 20th and 21st centuries! There are a number of projects in the pipeline too, from First World War heritage recording to the excavation of early prehistoric activity on our uplands.
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Public open day at Catterick during excavations in the Roman town at the River Swale crossing in the Leeming to Barton A1 widening works (2014) | Image: S Carter.
Forwarding Back to the Historic Environment To a great extent, the 1980s were the golden years for archaeology in Cleveland. This article is not the place for a detailed discussion or a catalogue about how both the planning process and regional archaeological services transformed our understanding of our historic environment, with outreach and educational events too. However, a number of examples serve to illustrate ‘Teesside on the map’. The roll-call is quite extraordinary. The original Neolithic and Bronze Age discoveries at Street House, Loftus, were joined by the excavation of an extensive Iron Age settlement at Thorpe Thewles. In fact our entire landscape was dotted with Bronze Age, Iron Age and Romano-British farmsteads, more so in the lowlands as climate change and upland soil depletion saw an intensification of activity at lower altitudes. Teesside is surrounded by Bronze Age tumuli (notable on the Eston Hills, for example), ancestral burial mounds largely raided by antiquarians in the 19th century, but more recently joined by the revelation of a finds-rich cemetery Cleveland County Archaeology put Teesside on the national map. (including a mummified body) at Ingleby Barwick. The remains were excavated in 1996 during the onset of residential development which also saw the somewhat controversial partial exploration of the Roman villa at Quarry Farm, Britain’s most northerly so far. This entire now-suburban landscape was covered with crop marks and flint tool evidence dating back to the Mesolithic period in the ploughed fields.
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Excavation of probable truncated Bronze Age burial mounds at Greatham Creek during flood protection improvements in the Tees estuary | Image: © Northern Archaeological Associates.
Tale of the Shy Romans Continuing our journey, in a roundabout way, from prehistory into later periods, it is worth a moment to consider what Roman archaeology looked like in the Teesside area in the early to mid-20th century. We knew of the Roman road to the east of Dere Street (the A1 today). The late Roman signal stations were also known and excavated (Whitby Museum), but still of enigmatic purpose in the final days of empire. We had the late Roman bronze cavalry parade helmet, now in the British Museum, found while building the railway line to Guisborough below the Eston Hills, and the Iron Age/Romano-British settlement at Catcote, Hartlepool. Our nearest fort was Binchester, perhaps from where the helmet came with its retiring veteran, with a small Hadrianic fortlet at Lease Rigg near Whitby; the nearest town was Catterick, and much else was limited to pottery, coins and quern stones from various locations. It is developer-led archaeology and communitydriven projects which have, together, transformed our present understanding and generated many more fascinating questions. In addition to Quarry Farm, we can add a Roman villa at Dalton-on-
Geophysical survey plot of the Romano-British villa complex at Quarry Farm, Ingleby Barwick | Image: Archaeology Data Service 2013 (Archaeological Services Durham University) | ADS Archive.
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Tees, partly explored by Teesside Archaeological Society members, and another villa in the last few years near Bedale, discovered during construction of the recently-opened bypass as part of the A1 works, partly excavated and ultimately (after a struggle) scheduled as an ancient monument. We have an industrial settlement, if not a small town, at Sedgefield. There are hints of a villa or farmstead at Brotton observed during an archaeological evaluation, and a bathhouse at Faverdale, Darlington. The discovery of a marching camp from aerial photography, near Teesside airport, adds early Roman military presence along with indications of an extensive multi-period landscape like that at Ingleby Barwick. An intensively-exploited landscape should no longer be a surprise along the Tees, although many areas remain poorly explored or built over. As developments continue apace into the green belt, this reality will hopefully influence the approach taken by planning authorities in assessing development conditions related to the likelihood of archaeological remains.
Light in the Dark | Pagans, Christians, Hogbacks and Thor While our understanding of the immediate post-Roman Anglian period remains more than sketchy, the eventual transition from pagan to early Christianity sees our area as an important hinterland – or indeed focus area – between the first monastic centres at Jarrow and Monkwearmouth, Hartlepool (Tees Archaeology monograph; Museum of Hartlepool) and Whitby. There is the first documentary and place-name evidence too, no matter how trustworthy the historical sources such as Gildas (550-570 AD) or Bede (672-735 AD). Teesside’s Anglo-Saxon heritage has also been augmented in recent years. Until the 1980s, the only early medieval burial evidence came from an early 20th-century discovery by quarrymen at Hob Hill, Saltburn. Then, by chance, school children discovered a human skull while playing in 1982 at Mill Lane, Norton. The archaeological investigations (CBA Research Report 82, 1992, free download) which followed revealed an extensive pagan cemetery dating between 550 to 620 AD and comprising 120 burials, crouched and extended inhumations and three cremations, and a wide range of grave goods that indicate different genders and statuses. Scientific analysis using stable isotopes offers insights into where people originated from, as well as their diets.
Forensic reconstruction of an Anglo-Saxon lady from the pagan cemetery at Norton | Image: ©Tees Archaeology.
Adding to this was the incredible discovery of a later 7thcentury royal cemetery at Street House, Loftus, by Steve Sherlock (Tees Archaeology monograph). It is difficult to do it justice here and so my recommendation is to visit Kirkleatham Museum where there is an extensive permanent exhibition. Anglo-Saxon burials are also now recorded at Ingleby Barwick (Quarry Farm), Maltby and Kirkleatham (CBA Yorkshire Forum Journal 3, 2014), and we might expect more in the coming years. The majority of One of the many outstanding jewels from our remaining early medieval evidence is represented by Street House, on display at Kirkleatham Museum | Image: S. Carter. the very many Anglo-Saxon and Viking sculptural fragments, largely cross fragments and hog-back grave covers, and early church foundations. By example, St Cuthbert’s church at Ormesby, Middlesbrough, has an Anglo-Viking cross head and hog-back inside, plus an array of later medieval carvings in the external south wall of the Victorian restoration. Linthorpe, as the place name suggests, is also evocative of an earlier medieval heritage. What might one find there?
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Humps, Bumps, Ridge and Furrow Our medieval and post-medieval heritage is reflected in the patchwork of pre-industrial farms and villages. Some are still evident, others visible as humps-and-bumps surrounded by ridge-and-furrow ploughing, abandoned for various reasons including the 11th-century Harrying of The North, the Black Death in the 14th century and enclosure of open field systems from the 16th century. Of course, we’re not short of our castles, town walls at Hartlepool headland, moated sites, churches, mills, dissolutioned monasteries and their granges such as Belasis, Billingham, and the one now sitting beneath a car park at the former ICI Billingham complex. There remains exciting potential for community activities, having already mentioned village atlases, to explore the ups-and-downs of domestic life in the past. A recent project in Reeth, Swaledale – assisted by Carenza Lewis of Time Team fame – involved extensive test pitting around the village and in peoples’ gardens. Analysis of the finds, and considerable quantities of pottery, tell the tale of the undulations in fortune throughout the medieval and post-medieval periods, including the impact of the Black Death plague (CBA Yorkshire Forum Journal 3, 2014). Similarly, a recent community fieldwork project at Levensdale, between Stokesley and Great Ayton, also produced a fascinating keyhole view of human activity next to the original River Leven, plus cropmarks suggesting a vibrant community over thousands of years. Archaeology, in fact, is all around us in our fields, villages, towns and offshore.
Where Does Archaeology End? Much of today’s urban landscape spans the post-medieval endeavours and then the trading and industrial fortunes afforded by the establishment of the port, bridging points, railways, mines and, ultimately, the iron-and-steel industry powered by coal, for which Teesside became world-renowned. I recommend the Hidden Teesside website which documents much of the unusual industrial heritage of our area. With all of this activity, there have been many generations of immigration to the area and trade connections around the world too. Our built historic environment is no less archaeology than what lies below the surface. Extensive building recording and the study of vernacular architecture in places such as Guisborough, Yarm, Stockton and Norton, to name just a few, not only provide important insights into the development of our towns and villages, but inform economic and planning decision-making in the evolution, and investment in, our cultural historic environment. For Middlesbrough itself, there have been many examples over the years of questionable decisionmaking around its urban and unique industrial heritage. There have been countless losses due to neglect, vandalism and demolition. Perhaps one of the more controversial examples, and an illustration of mixed fortunes in the process, involves Acklam Hall, Middlesbrough’s only Grade I listed structure. The 17th-century superstructure, much meddled with and neglected until its recent restoration, sits within an archaeological landscape with a moat and other medieval structures evident from geophysical surveys and evaluations. The story of what happened around the sale of the land, the construction of highend residential structures and ancillary buildings, the roles played by councillors, planners, developers and organisations such as Historic England, is a well-trodden storyboard of risks, frustrations, wins and, arguably some losses in the sense of ‘setting’ and place. Even now, and despite all best efforts, the medieval archaeology is not scheduled (statutory protection). On the positive side, a great deal of public and
Hands On Middlesbrough’s campaigning brought increased scrutiny to bear on the Acklam Hall site, where invasive groundworks commenced in archaeologically sensitive areas without sufficient professional oversight or planning conditions control | Image: © Scarlet Pink.
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Geophysical survey results of the moat and other features at Acklam Hall, conducted prior to the Council’s withdrawal from the shared Tees Archaeology service in 2012.
political interest was raised throughout the entire saga. Campaigning groups such as Hands On Middlesbrough accrued considerable experience and skills in engaging with the complexities of the planning process, and gaps therein which included unauthorised and unsupervised developer interventions in archaeological sensitive areas. The hall, however, has been well-restored and, crucially, re-purposed in a way that has safeguarded its immediate future. Furthermore, recent development works in St Hilda’s risked encroaching on the site of Middlesbrough’s first pottery near Vulcan Street (1834-57). It was vociferous campaigning that saw, eventually, the appointment of archaeological oversight. While just outside Middlesbrough, one of the saddest cases involved St Helen’s old church in Eston. It closed in 1985 and was set to be demolished in the mid-1990s after suffering substantial vandalism and even theft of historic stonework. It was subsequently moved, stone by stone, to Beamish Museum where it now sits in picturesque tranquillity. Perhaps there can be no more powerful or poignant a signal as to how a community affords, neglects, appreciates and protects its historic environment: would demolition not have constituted a heritage crime in itself?
St Helen’s church, dating back to the 11th century and moved stone by stone from Eston to Beamish Museum to save it from destruction | Image: © Beamish Museum.
When Does Archaeology End? If archaeology is practically everywhere, including the intertidal and offshore marine zones, one can argue that it doesn’t really end either, as humanity enters a new geological and climatic era, the Anthropocene, having affected the environment to such a degree that it will leave permanent markers. In the centenary years of the First World War (arguably on the verge of the Third), it is timely that we 12
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also remember our related historic assets, the structures and places as well as the written historical record. For both world wars our area is dotted with important monuments, some cared for such as the Grade II* listed WWI 1916 sound mirror at Redcar, others such as pill boxes neglected. Recalling the concepts of space and setting, our heritage also includes places which were the site of now invisible activities and structures that were re-dispositioned for other purposes during the war years. The ability to tie in pictorial and aural historiographies, often in a very personal way, affords our related heritage a value and significance perhaps more tangible (but no less fragile) than our more ancient assets.
Trouble in the Trenches So what of the future of archaeology itself? Again, we face a number of contradictions: between the value of the historic environment in real economic terms which even the political establishment give credence to, statistically proven, and the wellbeing and sustainability of the profession. As I write this article, the only schools examination board for archaeology (AQA) announced, without consultation, the scrapping of A and AS levels for archaeology as well as other subjects such as anthropology, art history and classical civilizations – something which advocacy organisations are robustly challenging. The state of affairs for professional archaeology has, as touched upon earlier, realised profound and continuing cuts, austerity-related over the last several years but perhaps also a reflection of what regional and national governments actually think. The victims include national organisations such as English Heritage and Historic England, although the restructuring of English Heritage is seen as logical to the majority of commentators, but also the provision of local authority archaeological services as part of the planning process. The impact extends to heritage and conservation professionals and those in the museums cultural/educational sectors too. This is a community that can lead such ground-breaking and inclusive initiatives as Operation Nightingale which aims to help rehabilitate military victims of trauma by engaging with new collaborative skills – including recent ventures at Marne Barracks, Catterick. The numbers are stark, despite an explicit acknowledgement of the national and regional value of cultural resources as, for example, expressed in the recent Culture White Paper (2016) and the Howell/Redesdale Future of Local Government Archaeology Services consultation for Ed Vaizey, then minister at DCMS (2014, published September 2016). Teesside Archaeological Society were one of many submitters of evidence. That report also fails to address one of the major feedback points, that Historic Environment Records (HERs, see References), their pro-active maintenance and professional management, should be a statutory requirement on local authorities. Both Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland unitary authorities are called out in the report as examples of the inherent risks to the provision of adequate archaeological advice to commercial, developer-led planning applications, as well as to researchers and communities at large. Many HERs already have significant maintenance backlogs too. In the Eighth Report on Local Authority Staff Resources by Historic England (September 2016), in partnership with Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers (ALGAO) and the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), the ongoing trends make difficult reading: ‘Figures collected early in 2016 show that the number of historic advice specialists in local authorities had fallen over the previous 12 months, whilst the workload in terms of number of planning application decisions and Listed Building Consent decisions had grown.’
In the past 12 months: the number of conservation specialists has fallen by 0.5% (-2.8 FTE) and the number of archaeological specialists advising local authorities in England has decreased by 13.5% (42.5 FTE);
Since 2006: the number of conservation specialists has fallen by 35.8% (-292.4 FTE) and the number of archaeological specialists advising local authorities in England has fallen by 33.2% (-135.5 FTE).
In addition, the national and regional press is replete with ongoing stories about museum closures or risks of closures or ‘consolidations’, also noting that many museums in England are no longer able to accept archaeological archives. Are Middlesbrough museums at risk in the ongoing review into its ‘cultural offering’, considering consolidation savings that include the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum? Furthermore, in ongoing legislative proposals, the 2016-announced Neighbourhood Planning Bill is raising concerns in the historic and natural environment sectors. It includes measures to limit the use 13
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of ‘pre-commencement’ planning conditions and to make it necessary for the developer to agree to these conditions, claiming – with no factual evidence to date – that this will speed up the house-building process and with a more than implicit inference that archaeological conditions cause unnecessary delays. One notes, coincidentally, that Bedale bypass opened significantly ahead of schedule despite extensive archaeological investigations that included the partial excavation of a Roman villa. Indeed, archaeological conditions and interventions affect significantly less than 2% of all planning applications. There would appear to be ‘spin’.
A Sustainable Profession? On the other hand, the relative surge in the development and construction sectors in recent years has seen commercial archaeology performing well, with marginally-improved remuneration and employment opportunities. However, through the last recession, attrition together with job insecurity, short-term contracts and volatility, saw many experienced practitioners moving out of archaeology in order to realise viable lives. For a profession that largely employs academically-qualified staff, salaries remain pitifully low in relation to other professional bodies. Job security in the medium term remains a real concern. Moreover, entry levels into the discipline are now affected by tuition fees and uncertainty as to the sustainability of ongoing academic grant funding. It was earlier this year that Historic England, as well as other bodies such as the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA), voiced concerns about a shortage of trained archaeologists (link is a PDF file) which, ironically, will affect projects such as HS2, if that proceeds, as well as other major infrastructure plans. With a significant number of EU and non-UK citizens working here today, any future Brexit-related restrictions on employability or free movement (including for education) will only exacerbate the situation, as will present insecurity about how this will play out. Archaeology itself is apparently at risk. Yet, the value some clients and developers do place on the historic environment, in execution of planning conditions and community outreach (good PR for themselves, of course) is exemplified by the related emphasis given to major projects like the A1 improvement scheme, and urban excavations in major cities like Manchester, Oxford and London. Sadly, we tend to have to look further afield from Teesside for best-practice examples that have entered the public domain or media, but we’re not devoid of such. The community engagement of NAA’s presentations of the findings from Greatham Creek saw a heart-warmingly large turnout from local and regional residents and many hundreds of people have attended the ongoing open-days at Catterick, supported by the Highways Agency. While archaeology might be at risk, there’s no shortage of local or media interest, and no shortage of attendees to heritage workshops and learning events. That is surely encouraging: archaeology matters. To substantiate this, a 2015 Poll by ComRes showed that 74% of British adults believe the government has a moral obligation to protect the historic environment (Lennox 2015), and the potential value of community-led research review (Historic England 2016) drew three principal conclusions, amongst others:
Community-generated research has significant value and largely untapped potential to enhance research resources and HERs, which could have a positive impact on the sector's ability to manage and protect the historic environment;
Projects getting professional support or advice are significantly more likely to produce outputs that are integrated into research resources;
Voluntary and community researchers' ability to champion the cause of their local heritage is frequently undermined by the confusing nature of roles and responsibilities for heritage within the planning process.
More regional focus and workshops for researchers, campaigners and heritage advocates would always be welcome. The contributors would also, likely, value the invitation, as I start to hint at ways to get more involved.
Local Voices | Campaigning, Advocacy and Pledges In drawing to a conclusion and reviewing the present state of affairs for archaeology, archaeological services and the historic environment, there are a number of activities, and supporting toolkits, which everybody can get involved with. The challenges, in summary, include these issues: 14
“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”? 1.
Professional archaeological services provided by local authorities have already been badly affected and down-scaled, where they exist at all, and will likely continue to see further erosion or elimination;
2.
Public and commercial sector access to Historic Environment Records, still not a statutory provision, for research purposes or to inform planning applications, is under threat;
3.
Staff reductions adversely affect both the maintenance of HERs, qualified scrutiny of planning applications and oversight of planning conditions in execution;
4.
Some HERs now charge for public (non-commercial) access to records and for advice; community educational and outreach activities continue to be eroded or eliminated;
5.
The conservation and museum sectors have been and will continue to be affected by cutbacks, plus many museums are now unable to accept archaeological archives or offer informed access to archaeological collections;
6.
There are therefore risks to the archaeological record where pre-planning archaeological assessment and conditional archaeological evaluations are not carried out;
7.
The green belt continues to be a focus for ongoing commercial and residential developments throughout our region without necessarily having sufficient scrutiny of the risks to archaeology, and community objections are frequently overturned on appeal or by central government ministers;
8.
The built historic environment includes assets which are or will soon be at risk of neglect, vandalism or destruction (such as Gertrude Bell’s house at Redcar);
9.
National policy proposals related to the planning process either omit sufficient reassurances for safeguarding the historic and archaeological environments or open up risks for poor implementation without sufficient capacity, professional oversight and accountability;
10. Heritage crime, involving metal and stone theft from historic places, arson, and abuse by off-roaders (prevalent on the Eston Hills) remains an ongoing problem where communities must be vigilant.
Recent (2016) off-roader damage to the community wetland on Eston Hills where archaeology dates back over 10,000 years | Image: S. Carter. 15
“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”?
Local advocacy needs to be considered less an additional responsibility, but rather more as a natural product of individual or group activity, which can be maximised through prior planning – ask yourself ‘how can we increase the impact of our activities?’ © Council for British Archaeology with kind permission (see Lennox 2015 in References).
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“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”?
Timing it Right | Local Engagement Where there is strong local opinion that can be coordinated, whether objecting to or modifying a planning proposal, lobbying for local services, highlighting heritage at risk, this tends to happen reactively, often very late in the process. There are also examples of where public opinion appears to be ignored or over-ruled by the decision-makers. Furthermore, there are campaigning tactics which stand a greater chance of success. Most importantly of all, it is local voices to elected representatives which hold most sway and which are more likely to have a cumulative effect. The CBA Local Heritage Engagement Network (LHEN) provides guidance, advice, training, templates and case studies for local campaigning – from issues of timing, effective use of social media, press relations, and engagement with councillors and decision-makers. There’s also an anonymous tip-off form for advising about a threat to heritage or archaeology.
Raising the Profile | Power of the Electorate ‘We know that communication between constituents and their MPs is a great way to raise the profile of particular issues. Following on from the case of the petition against the potential archaeological impacts of the Neighbourhood Planning and Infrastructure Bill in May, where over 17,000 people signed the petition and forced the Planning Minister to comment on Twitter and helped to bring forward official meetings with the CBA and other archaeology bodies to discuss the issues, it should be of no surprise why we are so keen to turn our supporters and the wider public into the most powerful support base possible.’ Council for British Archaeology | Local Heritage Engagement Network newsletter, October 2016
The Power of Archaeology campaign launched by CBA last year, aims to complement case-specific advocacy with a pre-emptive engagement with MPs and Councillors to make them aware that there’s a groundswell of opinion about cuts to services, policy reform, heritage at risk (see Historic England Heritage at Risk Register) and why people care passionately about these issues. The campaign focuses on making contact with representatives at every opportunity, face-to-face, in writing, on social media or by invitation to an event (without necessarily waiting for the annual Festival of Archaeology in July or Heritage Open Days in September). Elected representatives are all too often keen to talk about local sites and monuments or exciting discoveries, about economic investment, culture and local identity. However, they are probably less aware of how much archaeology and heritage there actually is around them, how it links people and places through time, offers so many opportunities, and how these are being lost or put at risk.
In Your Neighbourhood | Local Heritage Champions The network of Heritage Champions was established in 2004 in order to defend the interests of the historic environment within local authorities. Heritage Champions are normally local councillors who have been nominated by their authority to carry out the role (although not listed by Historic England). The Heritage Champions Handbook is a guide for all such champions and provides information on what they can do in their role, how they can do it, and outlines contacts and sources of information. This is also useful for making your own Champions accountable and encouraging them to get involved in the positive aspects of the historic environment as well as in helping to safeguard it and the related community services.
Conclusion | Make a Pledge The CBA campaign includes an Archaeology Matters Pledge card, free to order as many as needed, which are designed to be filled in by you with a personal message relating to why you care about archaeology and heritage, and then invite your MP or Councillor to respond, to 'sign the pledge'. There has been some considerable success with this already, and some great photo opportunities for all involved. Go on! Make a pledge in 2017. Middlesbrough does have archaeology with such great community value and potential. 17
“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”?
References and Further Reading Brown, M.M. & Still, L. 1979. Cleveland History from the Air. Middlesbrough: Cleveland County Libraries. Elgee, F. 1930. Early Man in North East Yorkshire. Gloucester: Bellows. Evening Gazette 2015 | Nine fine buildings from Middlesbrough's history which fell victim to demolition | http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/nostalgia/nine-fine-buildings-middlesbroughs-history-9795504 Hidden Teesside | This website aims to record places of interest in the Teesside / Cleveland / North Yorkshire area that generally never make it to the pages of the normal tourist guides. Wartime relics, Ironstone Mining sites, Abandoned Railways. Historic England 2015 | The Value and Impact of Heritage | https://historicengland.org.uk/research/currentresearch/social-and-economic-research/value-and-impact-of-heritage/ Historic England 2015 | Vital Statistics (PDF) | https://content.historicengland.org.uk/imagesbooks/publications/vital-statistics/vital-statistics-2015.pdf/ Historic England 2016 | An eighth report on Local Authority Staff Resources | https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/eighth-report-la-staff-resources/ Historic England 2016 | Assessing the Value of Community-Generated Historic Environment Research | https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/assessing-value-of-community-generated-historicenvironment-research/ Historic England 2016 | Heritage and the Economy | https://historicengland.org.uk/imagesbooks/publications/heritage-and-the-economy/ Howell/Redesdale 2014 | The Future of Local Government Archaeology Services: An exploratory report commissioned by Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, and conducted by John Howell MP and Lord Redesdale, May 2014 (published September 2016) | http://www.appag.org.uk/future_arch_services_report_2014.pdf Lennox, R. 2015. Cuts to Archaeology and Heritage: Call to Action. Forum: The Journal of Council for British Archaeology Yorkshire 4 (19–24). Northern Echo September 2016 | Home of the first Teessiders | http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/14734412.Home_of_the_first_Teessiders/ Parker, J. (ed.) 2001. Landscapes of the Tees Valley. Middlesbrough: Teesside Archaeological Society. Spratt D.A. (ed.) 1979. The Archaeology of Cleveland. Middlesbrough: Middlesbrough Borough Council. Spratt, D.A. (ed.) 1993. Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North-East Yorkshire. York: CBA Research Report 87 (updated after his death), available online at http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/cba_rr/rr87.cfm Tees Archaeology | Monograph publications and downloads | http://www.teesarchaeology.com/shop/shop.html UK Government 2012 | National Planning and Policy Framework | https://www.historicengland.org.uk/advice/hpg/decisionmaking/NPPF/ UK Government DCMS 2016 | Culture White Paper | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/culture-whitepaper Vyner, B.E. (ed.) 1983. Recent Excavations in Cleveland. Middlesbrough: Cleveland County Council Archaeology Section. Warwick, T. & Parker, J. 2016. River Tees from Source to Sea. Stroud: Amberley.
Historic Environment Records (HER) | Northern England Historic Environment Records (HERs, formerly known as Sites & Monuments Records), with over 80 in England, are ‘sources of, and signposts to, information relating to landscapes, buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas and archaeological finds spanning more than 700,000 years of human endeavour’. Based mainly in local authorities, they are used for planning and development control (and inherent risk-mitigation for clients and developers) but also fulfil an educational and research role. Read more (Historic England).
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“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”? In the River Tees corridor and catchment areas there are eight HERs Heritage Gateway (England) | Access portal to HERs Durham County Council | Archaeology Middlesbrough Borough Council | HER not online | Email
[email protected] North Yorkshire County Council | Archaeology | HER North York Moors National Park Authority | Archaeology & Conservation Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council | HER and Planning Services (HER not online, fees apply at the time of writing) Tees Archaeology | Archaeology Service to Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Councils (HERs and Development management) Tyne & Wear | HER Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority | Archaeology Service
Research Frameworks | England Regional Archaeological Research and Resource Frameworks England | Multi-period, ALGAO portal to UK regional publications which give good and extensive overviews of known assets, historical context and priorities. Each includes a useful bibliography. Research Frameworks for the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic of Britain and Ireland | Prehistoric Society 1999. Mesolithic Research and Conservation Framework for England | University of York hosted on ADS.
Societies and Organizations Archaeology Data Service (ADS) website | http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/ Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland (AASDN) website | http://www.aasdn.org.uk/ Cleveland and Teesside Local History Society (CTLHS) facebook | https://www.facebook.com/ctlhs/ Cleveland Industrial Archaeology Society webpage | http://www.teesarchaeology.com/partners/CIAS/CIAS.html Council for British Archaeology (CBA) website | http://new.archaeologyuk.org/ CBA North (CBAN) facebook | https://www.facebook.com/groups/24547479704/ CBA Yorkshire (CBAY) facebook | https://www.facebook.com/YorksArch/ Festival of Archaeology website (July each year) | http://www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk/ Heritage Open Days website (September each year) | https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ River Tees Rediscovered Landscape Partnership website | http://riverteesrediscovered.org/frontpage/index.php Tees Archaeology website | http://www.teesarchaeology.com/home/home.html Teesside Archaeological Society (TAS) facebook | https://www.facebook.com/teesarchsoc/ Teesside Archaeological Society (TAS) website | http://teesarchsoc.com Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society (YAHS) facebook | https://www.facebook.com/YorkshireArchaeological-Historical-Society-216638995109490 Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society (YAHS) website | https://www.yas.org.uk/
Tools CBA Local Heritage Engagement Network (LHEN) website and toolkit | http://new.archaeologyuk.org/localheritage-engagement-network/
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“Middlesbrough has no Archaeology”? CBA Archaeology Matters Pledge website | http://new.archaeologyuk.org/archaeology-matters-pledge CBA Power of Archaeology Campaign website | An initiative to encourage and structure public advocacy and raise awareness of archaeological issues with MPs and Councillors [June 2016] | http://new.archaeologyuk.org/the-power-of-archaeology Historic England | Heritage at Risk Register [2016] https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/ Historic England | Heritage Champions Handbook [May 2016] | https://historicengland.org.uk/imagesbooks/publications/heritage-champions-handbook/ Historic England | Tackling Heritage Crime | If you are concerned about crime or anti-social behaviour affecting historic sites and buildings in England, you can find out what we are doing to tackle the problem and how you can help | https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/caring-for-heritage/heritage-crime/ Historic England | Heritage and Society | Facts and figures which illustrate the benefits the historic environment brings to society [May 2016] | http://hc.historicengland.org.uk/heritage-and-society/ How to contact your elected representatives (very easily) by email or in writing (MPs, MEPs and Councillors by postcode) | https://www.writetothem.com/
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