6 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

In Pontefract, archaeologists have discovered Neolithic remains

Archaeologists working on the site of the former Carleton Furniture factory at Mill Dam Lane in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England, have unearthed Neolithic remains.

Excavations on the 6.4-acre site, which is planned for up to 80 residential units, revealed that the site was on low-lying ground, most likely forming a pond or marsh that was built up with soil deposits from the 13th to the 15th centuries to make it liveable. A corn mill was known to have been located to the east of Mill Dam Lane.

A Neolithic arrowhead demonstrates that human activity in the area dates back to early prehistory.

“The site is located between the scheduled monuments of Pontefract Castle and St John’s Priory and was always expected to contain archaeological remains, albeit damaged by the construction of the furniture factory,” said Nansi Rosenberg, director and principal consultant for Prospect Archaeology, which was commissioned by developers Towngate Plc to carry out the dig.

The archaeological dig at Mill Dam Lane, Pontefract.
The archaeological dig at Mill Dam Lane, Pontefract.

“Although planning permission has been granted for residential development, the area containing the remains of the medieval mill is excluded from the area for housing and will be preserved within an area of public open space.”

The excavations have uncovered the remains of post-medieval and nineteenth-century properties, including a stone-lined cess pit containing a urinal or chamber pot, which was presumably dropped into the pit when it was taken to be emptied. A World War II air-raid shelter, later used for storage by the furniture factory, was also discovered at the northern end of the site.

Excavation work is anticipated to continue through June, after which the records, artifacts, and soil samples will be sent to an expert for evaluation.

This is the area’s second archeological site to be unearthed this year. A crew working in Kinsley discovered a rare kiln thought to date back to Roman times, among other things. It is the second kiln discovered in the area; the first kiln had been discovered during an earlier dig in January 2020.

Pontefract is rich in archeological history, other findings include more than 30 Roman skeletons, together with pottery, jewelry, and building remains on a construction site in 2017, and a 2,400-year-old chariot burial site at Ferrybridge while working on an A1 upgrade in 2005.

Source: Pontefract and Castleford Express

Cover Photo: Scott Merrylees

Related Articles

A Mikveh or Jewish ritual bath discovered in basement of former strip club in Poland

24 August 2023

24 August 2023

Marian Zwolski, a Chmielnik businessman, bought a former nightclub that had been closed for 15 years a few years ago....

Dozens of unique bronze ornaments discovered in a drained peat bog in Poland

28 January 2023

28 January 2023

Numerous bronze ornaments have been discovered in Poland’s Chełmno region (Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship). Archaeologists report that dozens of bronze ornaments, including...

Israeli Archaeologists discover two shipwrecks filled with treasure

22 December 2021

22 December 2021

Israeli archaeologists have been discovered ancient artifacts and treasures amid the wrecks of two ships on the seafloor off the...

1,800-Year-Old Roman Victory Goddess Relief Discovered Near Hadrian’s Wall at Vindolanda Fort

21 May 2025

21 May 2025

A rare and symbolically powerful Roman sandstone relief depicting Victoria, the goddess of Victory, has been unearthed at the Vindolanda...

History of 8,500 years waits for a museum

19 June 2023

19 June 2023

The conservation process of the Yenikapı shipwrecks, which were discovered during the Marmaray project and considered the largest collection of...

Beautiful’ Water-Nymph Marble Statue Found in Amastris ancient city

8 September 2023

8 September 2023

Excavations in the ancient city of Amastris, located in the Black Sea province of Bartın’s Amasra district, have unearthed a...

Nearly intact 1,800-year-old bouquets of flowers found in Teotihuacan

14 August 2021

14 August 2021

In the ruined city of Teotihuacan, Mexico, at a depth of 18 meters, inside the tunnel under the pyramid of...

King Stephen 12th Century rare penny hoard found near Wymondham

21 November 2023

21 November 2023

An unnamed metal detectorist recently discovered a scarce collection of 12th-century silver pennies near the village of Wymondham in the...

Polish archaeologists discovered new petroglyphs dating back to the 3rd century in Colorado

14 December 2023

14 December 2023

Archaeologists from the Jagiellonian University, southern Poland, have made a significant discovery of ancient indigenous paintings and carvings in the...

2700-year-old Assyrian carvings found near Mashki Gate destroyed by Isis

20 October 2022

20 October 2022

The U.S. and Iraqi archaeologists have unearthed ancient rock carvings believed to be more than 2,700 years old in Iraq’s...

Roman soldier’s 1,900-year-old payslip uncovered in Masada

16 February 2023

16 February 2023

During excavations at Masada, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities (IAA) uncovered a papyrus payslip dated to 72 BC belonging to...

A mosaic floor from the 2nd century BC depicting the muse Kalliope was discovered in ancient city of Side, southern Türkiye

24 May 2024

24 May 2024

During the excavations carried out in the ancient city of Side, a mosaic floor from the second century BC, depicting...

Climate and Archaic humans caused the extinction of giant camels that lived in Mongolia 27,000 years ago, a study says

3 April 2022

3 April 2022

Camelus knoblochi, a species of giant two-humped camel, survived in Mongolia alongside modern humans—and perhaps Neanderthals and Denisovans—until about 27,000...

An ancient “fridge” have uncovered at the Roman legionary fortress of Novae, Bulgaria

30 September 2022

30 September 2022

Polish archaeologists, during excavations at the Roman legionnaires’ camp in Novae, discovered a container that could be described as an...

8,500-year-old marble statuette found in Çatalhöyük

28 December 2021

28 December 2021

In the 29th season of the excavations in Çatalhöyük, one of the first urbanization models in Anatolia, in the Çumra...