Other excavations

Ancient fields in other locations

Other sites have been excavated, because of cropmarks suggesting ancient fields, at the locations of proposed quarries at Austerfield, Dunsville, Finningley and at the Lings between Barnby Dun and Stainforth. 

Excavations at each confirmed the presence of Iron Age to Roman ditched boundaries that defined large fields. The results helped to reinforce our knowledge of just how extensive these fields once were in the Doncaster area. 

Each excavation also gave insights into activities of people living almost 2,000 years ago. Hundreds of pieces of locally made pottery dating from the 1st century AD to the early 3rd century AD were found at Finningley, suggesting that there was a Romano-British farmstead or were pottery kilns nearby. A pit at Austerfield was filled with earth containing 20 pieces of a black and dark brown hand-made pot, assumed to be Iron Age in date, into which a rotary corn-grinding quern was later buried. At Dunsville, there was a large compound enclosed by a single ditch and approached by a droveway. This was probably used to pen herds of cattle or flocks of sheep. The field boundaries at the Lings were found to have been created over a long time period rather than being dug all at once.

Finningley was excavated by MAP Archaeological Consultancy for LaFarge between 2000 and 2003. South Yorkshire Archaeology Service and Northern Archaeological Associates excavated at Hanson’s Austerfield quarry in 1997 and 2000. The Lings was excavated in 1998 by Northern Archaeological Associates for Tarmac. Marshalls quarry at Lings Farm near Dunsville was excavated by Mr J.R. Magilton in 1974 for Doncaster Council. 

For further information, please contact us:

• tel: 0114 273 6354
• address: South Yorkshire Archaeology Service, Howden House, 1 Union Street, Sheffield, S1 2SH