Was Holwick pub built with stone taken from plague victims?

A POPULAR upper dale pub may have been built using stolen medieval stone, archaeologists believe.

Members of Altogether Archaeology were initially puzzled by missing flagstones from the medieval farmhouses they are excavating at Holwick but later found evidence that 19th century thieves may have taken them to build the Strathmore Arms pub. Pottery found by the group confirms that Holwick had a thriving medieval community in the 1200s, but it disappeared mysteriously and remained unpopulated for about 500 years.

The three-week dig began at the start of the month and finished on Sunday.

Altogether Archaeology member Martin Green said huge amounts of green glaze pottery, typical of the medieval era, had been found at the site around the foundations and walls of several houses dating to the 13th and 14th century. The largest fragment was discovered by archaeologist Dr Sheila Newton.

The dig follows a survey of the area earlier this year. Mr Green said: “Some of the detail is what we were expecting, but there are other things we were not. One thing we expected was that the walls would be built to the same standard all around, but here we have solid end walls and shoddily built side walls.”

The group believes the medieval homes, of which there are several on the site, would have had stone walls with a wooden frame built on top of them, topped off with a steep heather thatch roof. Archaeologist Paul Frodsham said the homes were exactly the same as medieval houses excavated at Dartmoor. He added that disposable clay pipes that were popular in the 1800s had been found around the house, suggesting that the people who took the stone and flagstones came from that time. He explained that the clay pipes were bought filled with tobacco and thrown away after being smoked.

Mr Frodsham said: “This was a really busy time in the 12th and 13th century and then for some reason it was all abandoned. Then nothing happens until the 1800s when they came and robbed the stone. I would not be at all surprised that they took it out for the pub.” Other homes in Holwick may also have benefitted from the theft, he said.

The group has several ideas about why the medieval community was abandoned including the plague, a worsening of the climate and even the Anglo-Scottish wars.

Mr Frodsham said: “Possibly it is a combination of these things. We can’t hope to answer all the questions. We know people have been living in this landscape for 10,000 years because we have found flint tools which pre-date farming.”

The flint tools were found in the area around Wynch Bridge, near Low Force.