Medieval hemp retting? Excavations at Bridge Lane House, Bawtry, Doncaster

Abstract

In 2012, Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Rural Estates Limited to complete reporting on excavations previously undertaken in 2006–2007 by ARCUS (University of Sheffield) for Lewis Holdings Limited. The excavations, located off Gainsborough Road, Bawtry at Grid Reference SK 653 928, had been carried out ahead of residential development on a small irregular infill plot between existing houses and a pub (Figure 1). This summary is taken from the full report on the results of the investigations. Although the earliest archaeological features were Medieval, residual late Mesolithic or Early Neolithic flint blades and abraded Roman pottery were recovered from later contexts, indicating the potential for earlier activity in the vicinity of the site. The earliest archaeological features on site included a series of sub-rectangular ponds (213, 389, 410, and 419) the largest of which (389) was at least 10 m long by 6.7 m wide and greater than 1.2 m deep (Figure 1). One of the ponds (419) contained a wooden revetment dendrochronologically dated to the thirteenth century (Tyers 2012). Two circular pits also belonged to the first phase, one of which was barrel-lined with oak planks (358) although the other (362) did not retain a wooden lining. Both pits had similar dimensions and profiles; pit 358 was 0.96 m deep, 2.3 m wide at the top with a shallow shelf leading to the central, barrel-lined shaft 0.7 m wide. A series of deposits filled the pits which produced pottery suggesting a thirteenth century date. Also belonging to this initial phase of activity were pit 415 and a ditch (413) extending east from Church Street, the latter likely to represent a boundary between two plots of land (both of which contained ponds). Evaluation trench 2 in the east of the site exposed a further large pond (213), which is likely to have been open for some time (Figure 1). Environmental evidence from this pond suggests nearby disturbed ground, damp ground, stagnant water, hedgerows and human habitation, with nitrogen enrichment of the soil indicated (Simmons 2012). Small numbers of hemp (Cannabis sativa) seeds were present. Hemp was widely cultivated in the region in the Medieval period for use in the manufacture of rope, canvas, paper, and oil up until the nineteenth century when the industry collapsed due to cheap imports. The proximity of the site to the River Idle and wharf may indicate that hemp was being grown and processed to make ropes or canvas for river traffic. The ideal hemp retting pit is described in Bradshaw et al. (1981) as ‘a small deep pond unconnected to the local water supply’. This was because the process of retting the hemp stems would contaminate water and smell unpleasant. The