Time Team - Brimham Hall, Hartwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire - Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of the Results

Wessex Archaeology

Nine trenches were opened, in the immediate vicinity of the modern farm buildings of Brimham Hall Farm. Two were positioned over the location of Platt’s 1960s investigations and two were subsequently opened adjacent to these to determine the extent of the buildings revealed. Two trenches were subsequently opened over other possible structures where walls had been exposed by cattle trampling, and three more to investigate geophysical anomalies.

The excavation revealed structural elements that relate to a large building of relatively high status, with a complex sequence of construction, building expansion and abandonment and destruction. The earliest in situ building evidence could be dated to the late 14th century, but it was clear that parts of this building had reused earlier structures on the site. Thus while no direct evidence for 12th-13th century occupation of the site could be identified, which might be in keeping with a grange construction date, indirect evidence may indicate the presence of a grange building in the vicinity. This includes the reuse of tiles, and the presence of elaborate stonework incorporated into the field walls and outhouses of Brimham Hall Farm. Several of the stones bear Latin inscriptions and are very similar to the ecclesiastical masonry from the late 15th/early 16th century tower of Fountains Abbey, erected by Abbot Marmaduke Huby.

The building exposed in the excavations may in fact be a manor, not a grange. It was subject to at least one phase of rebuilding and expansion in the 15th/16th century, associated with the general building expansion initiated by Abbot Huby. After this time it appears to have been abandoned and destroyed. The present farmhouse dates to the 18th century although some of its foundations and its cellar are built directly upon the earlier building, and it contains reused dressed stone from the earlier high status building. The robbing of stone has to some extent hindered understanding of the exact nature of the earlier building, but architectural details such as string lines and a garderobe turret indicate that it was an impressive building of at least two storeys.

Other trenches opened up in the vicinity of the building revealed structures that are probably mainly of 18th century date, and which relate to the development of Brimham Hall Farm. These include possible farm steadings, outhouses, stone droveways and field walls, and all of these features were constructed with reused dressed stone.