| Where | Great Broughton Village Hall | Type of Event | Talk |
| When | Monday 20th April 2026 at 7.30 pm | Tutor | Roger Inman |
The lecture was delivered by Roger Inman, who is a local archaeologist , and also Chair of Hidden Valleys Community Project. Roger has given talks to the Local History Group before and was welcomed back. Roger’s lecture was well organised, and he presented a well-researched and mastered subject. Roger’s talk was lavishly illustrated and utilised maps and survey plans of the sites and the excavations. There were many photographs, the most dramatic particularly being the aerial photographs taken in the snow.
Roger chose several sites for his lecture. The first was Whorlton, near Swainby. This is a medieval village well known for its castle and church. There is also, however, a lot of Romano-British pottery. The map of the site showed many excavations over many years by several archaeologists-1907, 1923, 1927, 1976 and 1977. The 1977 excavation was conducted during a churchyard extension. Another site was Whorl Hill where an enclosure was found, and more pottery, as a result of investigations in 2005 and 2009. An even earlier investigation on Whorl Hill in 1810 had also unearthed a hoard of Romano-British coins up to the time of Honorius (393-423 CE). This hoard would have been placed here at a time of great disruption.
Other enclosures have been found on Great Ayton Moor and near to Castleton. Enclosures are sites denoting higher status.
Potto was another site which showed various phases of occupation. This site uncovered a beehive quern, iron production and more Romano-British pottery.
Tanton was a site containing Saxon pottery, some quite rare, stamped and decorated, approximately 500-600CE.
The site at Ingleby Arncliffe revealed round houses under the pottery finds.
The quantity of the Romano-British pottery suggests mainly Romano-British occupation. This was confirmed by the regularity of the fields and houses or villas. The finds and the illustrations show that there must have been a large population at this time and one which had settled for a long time. It seems the regularity of the fields influenced later medieval field systems.
There was a good sized audience for this lecture. The material was absorbing and the audience was attentive. Questions were asked, both during and at the end of the lecture. Members of the audience continued discussion with Roger while taking refreshment. It was an enjoyable evening.