Late Quaternary Environments and Man in Holderness 9780860542872, 9781407317465

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Late Quaternary Environments and Man in Holderness by

D. D. Gilbertson with D. J. Briggs, J. R. Flenley, A. R. Hall, C. 0. Hunt and D. Woodall and contributions by Anne Blackham, S. J. Gale, R. D. S. Jenkinson, H. K. Kenward, P. A. Mellars, N. M. Thew, V. R. Switsur and Christine Williams

BAR British Series 134 1984

·B.A.R.

5, Centremead, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES, England.

GENERAL EDITORS A.R Hands, B. Sc., M.A., D.Phil. D.R Walker, M.A.

BAR 134,1984 : 'Late Quaternary Environments and Man in Holderness'

©

D.D.Gilbertson, 1984

The author’s moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher. ISBN 9780860542872 paperback ISBN 9781407317465 e-book DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9780860542872 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This book is available at www.barpublishing.com

L ATE Q UATERNARY ENVIRONMENTS AND MAN I N HOLDERNESS

b y D ,D, G ilbertson U niversity o f S heffield

w ith D ,J,Briggs

( University o f S heffield), J ,R,Flenley ( University o f H ull), A ,R, H all ( University o f Y ork), C ,O,

H unt a nd D , W oodall

( University o f S heffield),

a nd c ontributions b y A nne B lackham, S .J. G ale, D ,A,Harkness, R ,D,S, J enkinson, H ,K, K enward, P .A. M ellars, F ,B,Pyatt, N ,M, V ,R, S witsur a nd C hristine W illiams,

T hew,

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

H olderness

T he e lucidation o f t he e cological a nd h uman h istory f orms a n i mportant p art o f ( i) t he u ndergraduate c ourse

o f i n

E nvironmental A rchaeology a nd t he p ost-graduate M .A, c ourse i n E nvironmental A rchaeology a nd P alaeoeconomy a t t he U niversity o f S heffield, a nd ( ii) o f c ourses i n B iogeography a t t he U niversity o f H ull. The authors w ish t o e xtend t heir t hanks t o t he n umerous u ndergraduate a nd p ost-graduate s tudents w ho h ave t aken p art i n t hese H olderness p rojects, T he c ontribution o f N .M. T hew i s b ased o n a M aster's T hesis f or t he r esearch d issertation c omponent o f t he M A. i n E nvironmental A rchaeology a nd P alaeoeconomy a t t he U niversity o f S heffield w hich i s f unded by t he S cience B ased A rchaeology P anel o f t he S cience a nd E ngineering R esearch C ouncil, w hose s upport h e a cknowledges. T he c ontribution o f D . W oodall i s b ased o n a M aster's T hesis f or t he r esearch d issertation c omponent o f t he M .A. i n P rehistory a nd A rchaeology, M r W oodall a cknowledges a D .E.S. p ost-graduate s cholarship w hich f inanced t hese s tudies. T he r adiocarbon d eterminations w ere g enerously m ade a vailable b y D r. V .R. S witsur a t t he U niversity o f C ambridge, u nder t heir M esolithic R adiocarbon D ating P rogramme, a nd a t t he S cottish U niversities R esearch a nd R eactor C entre a t E ast K ilbride b y D r, D . H arkness w ith t he a id o f a g rant f rom t he R adiocarbon P anel o f t he N atural

E nvironment R esearch C ouncil,

W e a re m ost g rateful t o D r. M ,P, K erney ( Imperial C ollege) a nd D r. R .C. P reece ( Cambridge) f or c hecking a nd c orrecting t he i dentification o f t he m olluscan r emains, a nd t heir c omments a nd u npublished i nformation o n s ites i n a nd a round H olderness, T revor C orns o f t he D epartment o f P rehistory a nd A rchaeology a t t he U niversity o f S heffield p roduced t he e xcellent p hotographs o f p lant macrofossils. M any

l aboratory a nd

K atherine G roves

a nd

M r.

f ield a nalyses w ere c arried o ut b y M iss

C raig

B iology a t T rent P olytechnic,

T urner,

h onours

s tudents

i n

A pplied

d uring t he c ourse o f i ndustrial p lacement

t raining i n t he E nvironmental U niversity o f S heffield.

A rchaeology

L aboratories

o f

t he

D r, J . F lenley w ishes t o t hank M iss E , S mith f or g iving p ermission t o p ublish i nformation f rom h er u ndergraduate d issertation a t

H ull,

a nd t o t hank M iss K .

S curr f or d rawing t he f igures i n C hapter

7 . T he s ubstantial c osts i ncurred v isiting t he c oastal e xposures o f H olderness h ave l argely b een m et b y d int o f t he s upport f rom t he U niversity o f H ull a nd t he U niversity o f S heffield. F inally w e w ish t o t hank V alerie K insler o ut

t he

o nerous

p rocessor.

t ask o f

p roducing

t his

B ,Av,

s tudy o n

f or

c arrying

a C ompucorp 7 w ord

T he c ontributors A nne B lackham B .Sc. D epartment o f B iology , N orfolk C ollege o f T echnology, K ings L ynn, N orfolk; f ormerly H ull,

D epartment o f G eography,

U niversity o f

D .J. B riggs P h.D.

D epartment o f G eography,

U niversity o f S heffield,

J .R.

F lenley P h.D.

D epartment o f G eography ,

U niversity o f H ull,

S .J.

G ale P h.D.

J esus C ollege,

D .

G ilbertson P h.D.

O xford,

D epartment o f P rehistory a nd A rchaeology, U niversity o f S heffield,

A .R.

H all P h.D.

D .A.Harkness P h.D.

E nvironmental A rchaeology U nit,

U niversity o f Y ork.

S cottish U niversities R esearch R eactor C entre,

E ast

K ilbride, C .0, H unt P h.D.

D epartment

o f

P rehistory

a nd

A rchaeology,

U niversity o f S heffield. R .D.S.

J enkinson P h.D, C reswell

C rags

V isitor

C entre,

C rags

R oad,

W elbeck, n r, W orksop, N otts, and D epartment P rehistory a nd A rchaeology, U niversity

o f o f

S heffield, H .K.

K enward M ,Sce

E nvironmental A rchaeology U nit,

P .A.

M ellars P h.D.

D epartment o f A rchaeology,

F ,B,Pyatt P h.D. V .R.

S witsur P h.D.

U niversity o f C ambridge.

D epartment o f L ife S ciences, R adiocarbon

U niversity o f Y orke

T rent P olytechnic,

L aboratory,

Sub-department

Q uaternary R esearch, B otany S chool, C ambridge. N .M.

T hew M .A.

D epartment

o f

P rehistory

a nd

A rchaeology,

U niversity o f S heffield. C hristine W illiams

P h.D, D epartment o f B otany a nd t he D epartment o f P rehistory a nd A rchaeology, U niversity o f S heffield,

D . W oodall M .A.

D epartment o f P rehistory a nd A rchaeology, U niversity o f S heffield.

i i

o f

U niversity o f

C ONTENTS P age T he c ontributors A cknowledgements C ONTENTS C HAPTER

1 :

I NTRODUCTION

1

H OLDERNESS L AKES A ND M ERES R ESEARCH A ND T EACHING P OTENTIAL O F H OLDERNESS

C HAPTER

2 :

P REVIOUS R ESEARCH

1 7

Q UATERNARY G EOLOGY T he T ills T he K elsey H ill G ravels T HE M ERES A ND W ETLANDS O F H OLDERNESS L ocation a nd a bundance:

c artographic,

d ocumentary

a nd p lace n ame e vidence. T he d isappearance o f t he H olderness m eres, D ocumentary e vidence o f c oastal

e rosion.

A RCHAEOLOGY A ND S TRATIGRAPHY O F T HE H OLDERNESS M ERES U lrome H ornsea O ld M ere G rimston B armston S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE " The W ithow G ap o r W ithow H ole" T he M aglemosian h arpoon c ontroversy C ommittees o f E nquiry T he a dvent o f p ollen b iostratigraphy M olluscan b iostratigraphy A r ecent m odel o f t he s tratigraphy a t t he W ithow G ap A nomalies a nd

C HAPTER

3 :

q uestions

T HE L ATE Q UATERNARY S EQUENCE A T T HE S KIPSEA W ITHOW G AP b y D a. V .R. T HE

G ilbertson w ith D .J.

S witsur,

N .M.

B riggs,

T hew a nd D s

C 906

H unt,

W oodall,

L ATE-DEVENSIAN L ACUSTRINE S EQUENCE A T T HE W ITHOW

G AP L ithofacies v ariation

i ii

4 7

F .B.Pyatt,

T HE S OUTHERN M ARGINS O F T HE L ATE D EVENSIAN L AKE S lumps o r m udflows L ag d eposits T he l acustrine s ilts C onclusions T HE N ORTHERN M ARGINS O F T HE L ATE D EVENSIAN L AKE S tratigraphy S ediments E pisodes o f f reezing a nd n on-freezing o f t he l ake s urface E rosional e pisodes F aulting T HE S OUTH W ESTERN A ND C ENTRAL M ARGINS O F T HE L ATE D EVENSIAN L AKE S tratigraphy a nd I nterpretation T extural p roperties T HE F LANDRIAN S EQUENCE C ORRELATIONS W ITH P REVIOUS S TUDIES

C HAPTER 4 :

P ALAEOMAGNETIC S TUDIES O F T HE L ATE D EVENSIAN L AKE D EPOSITS A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE

7 3

b y S .J. G ale I NTRODUCTION S AMPLING M EASUREMENT R ESULTS D ISCUSSION I ntensity D irection C ONCLUSIONS

C HAPTER 5 :

T HE P ALAEOBOTANY O F T HE L ATE D EVENSIAN S EQUENCE A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE b y C ,O, H unt, A .R. H all a nd D .D. G ilbertson, w ith c ontributions b y A nne B lackham , a nd H ,A9 K enward, I NTRODUCTION T AXONOMIC N OTES P ollen O rganic-walled m icrofossils S ponge s picules

i v

C hristine W illiams

8 1

R ESULTS T he T ill T he L acustrine S equence T HE N ORTHERN EXPOSURES P lant m acrofossils I nsect a ssemblages C ENTRAL E XPOSURE P lant m acrofossils L ate D evensian c lays S ECTION 8 B iozone S KA B iozone S KB B iozone S KC B iozone S KD B iozone S KE B iozone S KF B iozone S KG B iozone S KH B iozone S KJ S ection 3 C OMPARISONS W ITH O THER L ATE D EVENSIAN D EPOSITS I N N ORTHERN B RITAIN C ONCLUSIONS

C HAPTER

6 :

L ATE D EVENSIAN M OLLUSCAN P ALAEOECOLOGY O F H OLDERNESS b y N .M.

T hew ,

D .D,Gilbertson

a nd

D e

I NTRODUCTION M ETHODS:

P AST A ND P RESENT

F ield a nd l aboratory A nalysis Q uantification R ESULTS T aphonomy J uveniles L OCAL M OLLUSCAN A SSEMBLAGE Z ONES T HE M AIN C ENTRAL

P ROFILE

L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one A l L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one A 2 L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one A 3 L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one A 4 L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one B 1 L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one B 2 L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage

z one C

L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one D

W oodall.

1 09

T HE

N ORTHERN P ROFILE L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one L G L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one T L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one A1_ 3 L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one B L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one C L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one D i

T HE S OUTHERN

P ROFILES

MOLLUSCAN B IOSTRATIGRAPHIC C ORRELATION B ETWEEEN T HE S KIPSEA P ROFILES P REVIOUS S TUDIES A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW P hillips

( 1826)

T he A ncylus f aunas L ATE Q UATERNARY M OLLUSCAN F AUNAS O F H OLDERNESS L ate D evensian E arly F landrian L and S pecies T HE E FFECTS O F B IOLOGICAL S UCCESSION A ND D ISPERSAL A MONG M OLLUSCAN F AUNAS S uccessional d evelopments i n t he S kipsea W ithow m olluscan

f aunas

D ISTINGUISHING C LIMATIC

I NFLUENCES O N M OLLUSCAN

A SSEMBLAGES C limatic i nfluences a nd

t he S kipsea W ithow

M olluscan A ssemblages T he C limatic S ignificance o f o ther H olderness M olluscan A ssemblages T he W ider C limatic S ignificance o f t he

S kipsea

W ithow M olluscan S equence N azeing,

E ssex

W hite B og, C o, D own S turton, L incolnshire B erkshire v alleys S taines,

W est L ondon

S eamer C arrs E arly a nd M id-Devensian m olluscan F UTURE

C HAPTER

7 :

f aunas

P ROSPECTS

T HE V EGETATIONAL H ISTORY O F T HE M ERES O F

H OLDERNESS

I NTRODUCTION A P OLLEN A NALYTICAL S TUDY O F F LANDRIAN V EGETATIONAL H ISTORY A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE b y A nne B lackham a nd

J ohn F lenley

T ECHNIQUES

v i

1 59

R ESULTS D ISCUSSION Z onation o f t he p ollen d iagram C orrelation w ith t he p ollen d iagram o f G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933) T he d evelopment o f S kipsea W ithow m ere H istory o f t he r egional v egetation F LANDRIAN P LANT M ACROFOSSILS F ROM S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE b y A .R.

H all

T imber o rientation s tudies ( DDG) T OWARDS A V EGETATIONAL H ISTORY O F T HE M ERES O F H OLDER N ESS b y J .R. F lenley P OLLEN D IAGRAMS F ROM H OLDERNESS M ERES:

T HE D ATA

D ISCUSSION S tratigraphy P ollen a ssemblages C ONCLUSIONS

C HAPTER

8 :

A RCHAEOLOGICAL R EMAINS F ROM S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE A ND T HEIR W IDER S IGNIFICANCE I NTRODUCTION P ALAEOLITHIC A ND M ESOLITHIC F INDS F ROM T HE S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE D EPOSITS b y P aul M ellars T he S kipsea W ithow B lade T he S kipsea W ithow H arpoon A rtefacts e xcavated b y A rmstrong

( 1923)

C ONCLUSIONS

N EOLITHIC W OODWORKING A ND W OODLAND M ANAGEMENT E ARLY N EOLITHIC R OD I N S ITU R OD A ND P EG U nprovenanced t imbers

v ii

1 77

C HAPTER

9 :

S YNTHESIS A ND C ONCLUSIONS

1 93

T HE L OCAL E COLOGICAL H ISTORY O F T HE W ITHOW M ERE A ND I TS C ATCHMENT T he L ate D evensian D eglaciation A meliorating c onditons F luctuations i n a n i mproving e nvironment D eterioration S tability a nd i nstability A m ajor c limatic d eterioration T he F landrian A melioration F orest c learance a nd m anagement C OMPARISONS F URTHER A FIELD M ETHODOLOGICAL C ONSIDERATIONS " In M emorium"

f or a l ost m ere

A PPENDIX 1 : M OLLUSCAN T AXONOMY, b y N .M.

E COLOGY, P ALAEOECOLOGY

2 03

T hew

L ATE D EVENSIAN V ERTEBRATE R EMAINS b y R .D.S. I NSECTS, b y H .K. A PPENDIX 2 :

J enkinson B EETLES A ND A NTS

K enward

R OUTINE S AMPLE P REPARATIONS A ND A NALYSIS

B IBLIOGRAPHY

2 23

2 25

v iii

L IST O F FIGURES F igure

1 .1

P age

T he l ocation o f H olderness, Y orkshire. H olderness i s t he t riangle b etween F lamborough H ead i mmediately n orth o f S kipsea W ithow m ere ( point 2 ), t he H umber e stuary t o t he s outh a nd t he N orth S ea. T he L ate D evensian a nd F landrian m arine t ransgression h as e ffected n otable c hanges i n t he g eography o f t he p resent N orth S ea b asin, F or c omparison t he t hicker l ine i ndicates t he a pproximate p osition o f t he N orth S ea s horeline e . 9 -10,000 y rs b .p, I mportant M esolithic s ites l ocated a re ( 1) S tar C arr, n orth o f t he Y orkshire W olds; ( 2) S kipsea W ithow m ere; ( 3) H ornsea; ( 4) B randesburton; ( 5) " moorlogs", b y k ind p ermission L eicester U niversity P ress; C lark

F igure

1 ,2

1 972,

a nd E vans

a fter

1 979.

2

B lock d iagram s howing t he g eneral g eological s etting o f H olderness: t he " Drifts" a re m ainly T ill o f L ate D evensian a ge, w hich b ury t he u nderlying C halk a nd P leistocene b each d eposits a nd t heir a ssociated c liff a nd s horeline p latform. T hese a re e xposed a t S ewerby C liff, n orth o f B ridlington.

F igure

1 ,3

i mmediately 3

T he d rift g eology o f t he n orthern p art o f H olderness n ear S kipsea e mphasising t he p edological l ithological c omplexity o f t he L ate D evensian t ill s heet's s urface d eposits.

F igure

1 .4

7

T he l ocations o f k nown a nd s uspected l akes a nd m ires i n H olderness i n t he m edieval p eriod. T he d otted l ine i ndicates t he w estward a nd s outhern l imits o f t he L ate D evensian i ce a nd t he r esultant t ill s heet. T he s ymbols i ndicate t he s trength o f t he e vidence u sed t o m ake t his r econstruction: s ee C hapter 2 : t he o utlines o f t he p rincipal m eres/lakes a re s hown:c losed a reas - d efinite g eological a nd h istorical e vidence o f a f ormer m ere; e vidence o f a f ormer m ere;

o pen s hapes - g eological c ross - h istorical

e vidence s uggests a s mall m ere; o pen c ircle e vidence o f t he 1 946-7 f loods s uggests a f ormer s mall m ere; o pen c ircle e nclosing c ross - h istorical e vidence a nd 1 946-7 f loods s uggest a s mall m ere. ( After J une S heppard F igure

1 ,5

1 957),

" Maglemose h arpoon" r eported b y A rmstrong ( 1923b:60).

F igure

1 ,6

1 0

T he l ocation o f t he c oastal e xposures o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere, S kipsea B ail m ere a nd L ow m ere a round t he v illage o f S kipsea, H olderness. T he c ontours c onfirm f ield o bservation t hat t he w estern m argin o f t he W ithow m ere i s n ot l inked b y s tream o r

i x

r iver t o t he m eres t o t he w est, s ite r eported b y S mith L ow m ere. F igure

1 .7

P hillips'

( 1829)

( 1911)

T he " lake d welling"

i s l ocated n ear S kipsea

r ecords o f t he s tratigraphy a t

S kipsea W ithow m ere i n 1 826 a nd t he p rovenance o f t he r emains o f a " gigantic e lk", T aken f rom P hillips ( 1829:80-81), F igure

2 ,1

T he l ocation o f t he e xposures ( A t o A l)

o f d eposits

c ollecting a t t he w estern m argin o f t he

f ormer

S kipsea W ithow m ere a t t he F igure 2 ,2

' Withow G ap'.

T he L ate D evensian g lacial l imit c ,

1 8,000-14,000

b yp. a nd I pswichian s horeline i n a nd a round H olderness ( largely a fter C att 1 977), F igure 2 ,3

T he l ocation o f t owns a nd m eres o f H olderness l ost a s a r esult o f c oastal e rosion ( after S heppard 1 912): D ots c orrespond t o v illages; o pen s ymbols c orrespond t o m eres, 1-W ilsthorpe; 2 - A uburn; 3 - H artburn; 4 -H yde; 5 Withow; 6 - C leton; 7 - N orthorpe; 8 H ornsea B urton; 9 Hornsea B eck a nd S outhorpe; 1 0 G reat C olden; 1 - C olden P arva; 1 2 - O ld A ldborough; 1 3 -R ingborough; 1 4 Monkwell; 1 5 -M onkwike; 1 6 S and-le-mere; 1 7 -W axholme; 1 8 - O wthorne o r S isterkirke; 1 9 -N ewsham; 2 0 - O ld W ithernsea; 2 1 O ut N ewton; 2 2 - D imlington; 2 3 - T urmarr; 2 4 N orthorp; 2 5 -H oton; 2 6 -S ite o f A ngell's L ight; -S unthorp; 2 8 - O rwithfleet; 2 9 - R avenspurn; 3 0 Ravenser O dd,

F igure 2 ,4

P eat s tratigraphy a t U lrome,

W est F urze:

2 7

1- p eaty

m arl; 2 - p eat; 3 - b rushwood a nd l ogs w ith p iles; - p eat w ith l ogs ( After S mith 1 911).

4

F igure 2 .5

L ake s tratigraphy r ecorded a t t he " Round H ill l ake d welling", S kipsea b y S mith ( 1911): 1 - " Warp": 2 P eat; 3-F reshwater m arl; 4 - p eat; 5 - g ravel; 6

F igure 2 ,6

S tratigraphic s ections o f t he f ormer e xposures o f H ornsea O ld M ere a t H ornsea b each, S heppard ( 1912),

F igure

2 ,7

L ake s tratigraphy a t B armston, V arley 1 968), 1 ) S kipsea T ill; P eat;

F igure 2 ,8

5 )

2 ) G ravel;

r ecorded b y

n ear S kipsea ( after 3 ) V arved c lays;

S heppard's ( 1929)

c orrespondence o n t he a uthenticity

o f t he h arpoon r emains r ecorded b y A rmstrong ( 1923b),

4 )

H illwash,

F igure 2 .9

F igure 3 .1

S ummary o f t he p ollen d iagram f rom S kipsea W ithow m ere p ublished b y G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933), A g eneral m odel o f t he s tratigraphic r elationships o f t he L ate D evensian a nd F landrian d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere a t t he W ithow G ap ( 1978-1984), S edimentary u nits a re d escribed i n t he t ext: r adiocarbon d ates a re a vailable f rom l ocations S S1-4 ( inset) S kipsea c ode S S1 S S3 S S4 S S5

F igure

3 .2

-

4 770+70 1 2 . . 1 ), 4 500750 b .p. 1 0,474 0+80 b .p, 9 880+67 b .p.

( HAR 3 378) ( SRR 1 942) ( SRR 1 943) ( SRR 1 944)

( Figure 3 ,2,

s ections 2 a nd 5 0

3 ).

3 .3

S tratigraphy a t t he n orthern e xposures o f t he d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere a t s ection 1 :

F igure

3 ,4

F igure 3 .5

.6 F igure 3

4 8

T he s equence a t t he s outhern e xposure o f t he d eposits o f S kipsea W ithow m ere

F igure

4 3

5 6

F igure 3 .1,

F aulting o f L ate D evensian d eposits a t t he n orthern m argin o f t he d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere.

5 6

S edimentary p roperties o f t he L ate D evensian a nd F landrian d eposits a t t he n orthern m argin o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere - s ection 1 : F igure 3 .1; f or d escription o f s ite s ee t ext,

5 9

T extural p roperties o f t he L ate D evensian a nd F landrian d eposits a t t he n orthern m argin o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere - S ection

F igure

3 .7

1 , F igure 3 ,1,

6 0

S tratigraphy, f aulting a nd s ample p rovenance i n t he c entral e xposures o f t he d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere - s ections 8 , 5 a nd 7 : F igure 6 3

3 .1, F igure

3 .8

F aults a nd l ateral

s lides i n t he c entral e xposures o f

t he d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere s ections 8 , 5 , 7 : F igure 3 .1. ,1 F igure 4

6

C ompositive c urve o f s ecular v ariations i n p alaeomagnetism d uring t he L ate-glacial i n B ritain ( after T hompson 1 977). T he d eclination r ecord r epresents r elative v alues o nly o wing t o t he u se o f n on-orientated c ores f or s ampling, t he L ate-glacial

T he b oundaries o f

s tadials a nd i nterstadials a re

d efined o n t he b asis o f s edimentological a nd p alaeoentomological r ecords,

x i

714

F igure 4 ,2

R elative i ntensity o f m agnetisation o f s pecimens 3 1A a nd 3 9A d uring p rogressive s tepwise d emagnetisation i n a lternating m agnetic

F igure 4 ,3

S terographic

( equal a ngle)

2 7A,

f ields,

7 5

p rojections o f d irections

o f m agnetisation o f s pecimens 2 7A, 3 1A a nd 3 9A d uring p rogressive s tepwise d emagnetisation i n a lternating m agnetic f ields ( peak a lternating-field v alues g iven i n m illitesla). S olid c ircles o n l owr h emisphere, o pen c ircles o n u pper. F igure 4 .4

S ite-mean r emanent m agnetisation o f t he s ampled p art o f t he S outh S ection a t S kipsea a fter d emagnetisation a t 2 0 m T, T he b ars r epresent s ite-0 9 5 i n t he c ase o f d irection o f r emanent m agnetisation, a nd s ites tandard d eviation i n t he c ase o f i ntensity o f r emanent m agnetisation.

F igure 5 .1

7 7

7 8

( all x 1 000) M icrofossils f rom L ate D evensian l ake d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow. 1 . P ediastrum s p. 2 , 4 , 5 .

C osmarium s p. ( Desmid) B otryo meeus s py S taurastrum s p. ( Desmid) S pirogyra s p.

6 .

Z ygnema t ype

3 .

F igure 5 .2

8 2

( all x 1 000) M icrofossils f rom L ate D evensian l ake d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow, 1- 5 . O rganic-walled m icrofossils,

F igure 5 .3

i ncertae s edis.

8 3

( x 2 000) M icrofossil f rom L ate D evensian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow, D inoflagellate c yst, r edrawn f rom a s canning e lectron m icrograph,

s howing c ingulum ,

a rchaeopyle,

a nd

t abulation o f t he o perculum. F igure 5 ,4

8 4

( x 1 000) M icrofossils f rom L ate D evensian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow, 1 . D inoflagellate c yst, s howing i ncipient a rchaeopyle

f ormation a cross t he a pex o f t he c yst,

d orsal v iew. 2 . D inoflagellate c yst, v iew, 3 . D inoflagellate c yst, a ttached o perculum,

x ii

s howing a rchaeopyle, d orsal s howing a rchaeopyle a nd l ateral v iew,

8 5

F igure 5 ,5

( x

1 000)

M icrofossils f rom L ate D evensian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow, 1 ,

D inoflagellate c yst,

s howing c ingulum,

i ncipient a rchaeopyle v iew, 2 . 3 . 4 ,

F igure 5 ,6

s ulcus a nd

f ormation a t a pex,

v entral

D inoflagellate c yst, s howing a rchaeopyle f ormation a nd c ingulum, d orsal v iew. D inoflagellate c yst, s howing s ulcus a nd c ingulum , v entral v iew, D inoflagellate c yst, s howing a rchaeopyle a nd c ingulum, l ateral v iew.

8 6

S ource a reas f or p re-Quaternary p alynomorphs r ecorded f rom t he S kipsea T ill,

F igure 5 ,7

F igure 5 .8

F igure 5 .9

9 1

P ollen d iagram f rom L ate D evensian l ake d eposits ( Unit 3 /1/1-7, U nits 4 a nd 5 ) f rom s ection 1 ( Figure 3 .1) a t t he n orthern m argins o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere: a nalyses b y C hristine W illiams.

9 3

P ollen d iagram f rom t he L ate D evensian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow ( Figures 3 .1 a nd 3 .7) t ree, s hrub a nd t errestrial h erb t axa.

9 9

P ollen d iagram f rom t he L ate D evensian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow ( Figures c ryptograms a nd a lgae.

3 ,1

a nd 3 .7), m arsh t axa, 1 00

F igure 5 ,10 D istribution o f t he p lant a ssemblage b iozones t he c entral e xposures a t S kipsea W ithow. F igure 5 ,11

,1 F igure 6 F igure

6 ,2

( SK)

i n

P ollen d iagram f rom L ate D evensian l ake d eposits ( Unit 3 a) a t s ection 3 ( Figure 3 ,1) s outhern e xposures o f t he d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere: a nalyses b y A nne B lackham.

1 06

L aboratory p rocedures a dopted b y T hew ( 1983),

10

B reakage p atterns i n b ivalve m olluscs,

a rrows

i ndicate c haracteristic l oci o f b reak, F igure

6 ,3

F requency h istograms

1 24

A c omparison o f t he r ecalculated m olluscan t otals w ith t he

F igure 6 ,5

16

f or t he r ecalculated m olluscan

s tudies f rom t he L ate D evensian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow m ere ( section 8 : F igure 3 .1). ,4 F igure 6

1 02

s ample

s and a nd g ravel c ontents,

1 26

M olluscan a ssemblage z ones a t S kipsea W ithow m ere a nd t heir c orrelation a cross t he W ithow G ap e xposures.

1 44

F igure 7 ,1

P ollen d iagram f rom S kipsea W ithow M ere; a nalysis b y A . B lackham, V alues a re p ercentages o f t otal p ollen a nd s pores.

F igure 7 .2a T he p ollen d iagram f rom F igure 7 .1 p ercentages o f t otal a re s hown,

t ree p ollen;

r ecalculated a s o nly s elected

t axa 1 62

F igure 7 ,2b T he p ollen d iagram o f G odwin a nd G odwin

( 1933) f or

c omparison* F igure 7 ,3

1 62

O rientation a nd d ip o f t ree t runks a nd b ranches i n U nit 7 sections 6 -4 - n orth s ide o f t he S kipsea W ithow m ere ( Figure 3 ,1),

F igure 7 .4

e xposures o f

T he a ncient m eres o f H olderness

F igure 8 ,1

1 73

1 982,

O utline p ollen d iagram f rom S kipsea L ow M ere, A nalysis b y U niversity o f H ull 2 nd y ear P alynology C lass, 1 974, F lint b lade

B arbed b one p oint B . M orfitt, 1 903.

S cale i n c m,

1 79

f rom S kipsea W ithow, e xcavated b y A fter C lark a nd G odwin 1 956, F ig, 1 80

4 , F igure 8 ,3

1 74

f ound d uring r ecent i nvestigations a t

S kipsea W ithow, F igure 8 .2

1 70

( 1981),

O utline p ollen d iagram f rom S kipsea B ail M ere. A nalysis b y U niversity o f H ull 2 nd y ear P alynology C lass,

F igure 7 ,8

1 67

P ollen d iagram f rom T he B og, R oos* O nly s elected p ollen t axa a re s hown. R ecalculated a nd r edrawn f rom B eckett

F igure 7 .7

1 66

( after S heppard

1 956), F igure 7 ,6

1 66

O rientation a nd d ip o f t ree t runks a nd b ranches i n U nit 7 sections 5 -7 - s outh s ide o f t he e xposures o f S kipsea W ithow m ere ( Figure 3 ,1).

F igure 7 ,5

1 60

F lints f rom S kipsea W ithow d iscovered b y A rmstrong a nd o thers. N osy 1 -3 e xcavated b y A rmstrong f rom ' blue-grey s ilt' d eposits; N os, 4 -5 e xcavated b y A rmstrong f rom w ithin p eat d eposits ( No, 4 ) o r a t j unction o f p eat a nd s ilt ( No, 5 ); N o. 6 f ound o n b each b ut a ssumed ( from p atina) t o d erive f rom p eat d eposits. 1 35).

F igure 8 .4

A fter A rmstrong

1 923a,

F igure A ( page 1 83

T ransversely-sharpened f lint a xe,

p resumed t o d erive

f rom p eat d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow. A rmstrong 1 923a, f igure B ( page 1 36).

x iv

A fter 1 84

LIST O F P LATES P late

1 ,1

P age

R eedswamp d ominated b y T ypha, P hrag etes a nd C arex s pp. f ringing o pen w ater a t t he p resent H ornsea m ere, H olderness: 1 ,4),

P late

1 .2

t aken a t t he e ast e nd o f t he l ake

( Figure

1 4

S emi-natural a lder a nd o ak c arr a djacent t o t he t ill s urface a t t he w estern e nd o f t he p resent H ornsea m ere, H olderness ( see F igure 1 .4).

P late 2 ,1

P late 2 ,2

P late 3 ,1

5

T he s ilted u p a nd d rained r emains o f t he f ormer w estward e xtension o f t he m ain S kipsea W ithow m ere, p hotographed f rom t he W ithow G ap ( Figure 1 .6).

2 5

T he p resent W ithow G ap; t he e xposures s tudied b y A rmstrong ( 1923b) a nd G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933) l ay s eawards o f t he c ollapsed p illboxes, b ottom r ight.

3 6

A b ranch o f a t ree b irch ( Betula s p.)

i ncorporated

i nto U nit 1 4 11, s ection 5 ( Figure 3 .5). T he w ood w as i dentified a s t ree b irch b y D r. A llan H all: t he s cale i s i n m illimetres. T he b ranch g ave a r adiocarbon d ate o f 1 0,440+80 y rs b .p. [ SRR-1943 - ( Skipsea c ode S S4 inset F ig. P late 3 .2

3 ,1)],

5 0

T he e xposure o f t he d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere a t t he n orthern m argins o f t he l ate-section 1 : F igure 3 ,1 a nd F igure 3 .3. P eats r est o n a n e rosional s urface a nd c liff, p resumably b y l akewater, a lthough f aulting i s u ndoubtedly a lso r esponsible f or t he s mall s carp ( left, a bove t rowel). T he u pper p eats r est u pon a b rown, s andy s ilt p ossibly t hat n oted b y G odwin a nd G odwin

( 1933) w hich

t hen y ielded M esolithic i mplements, T he p resent b rown, s andy s ilt i s a w eathering d eposit d eveloped u pon s ilts w ith m any t hin l aminae o f c arbonate p recipitates - h ere a ttributed t o p ollen z one I II, T he p oint o f t he t rowel r ests u pon a n e rosional s urface d eveloped u pon t exturally v arved l ake s ediments. T hese a re s terile i n t heir l owest l evels a nd a ttributed

t o p ollen z one I .

T he o riginal l ake

b ed/till s urface i s d enoted b y t he s urface o f t he t ill black l ine: b ottom r ight. T he t ill i s r eadily d istinguished b y i ts c olour, c last c ontent a nd b locky 5 7

s tructure, P late

3 .3

N ormal f aults ( throw c . 0 .5m) w hich d eveloped b efore t he f inal s tages o f t he d eposition o f t he g ravel b ody ( Unit 4 ): s ection 5 : F igure 3 .1, S cale t otal l ength 5 0cms:

P late

5 .1

s ee a lso F igure

3 ,8;

O ct,

1 983.

6 5

L eaf i mpressions o f B etula n ana f rom t he L ate D evensian l ake s ilts ( Unit 3 ) a t S kipsea W ithow m ere: p hotograph b y T revor C orns,

XV

9 6

P late 8 .1

P late 8 .2

C arved r od o f A lder ( Alnus) s howing c arved f acets: r eworked a nd f ound i nterbedded w ith d etrital p eats: r adiocarbon d ated t o 4 770+70 y rs b ,p, ( HAR 3 378), A lder r od d isplaying a n f ind s pot i s s ite S S

P late 8 ,3

' elbow '

d ue

1i n F igure 3 ,1

t o c oppicing : i nset.

P late 8 .5

1 88

Z ig-zag p eg c aused b y p ushing/hammering t he p eg i nto t he p eat s urface: t he f ind s pot i s s ite S S1 i n 1 89

F igure 3 .1, P late 8 .4

1 87

B ranch w ith t wo

( natural?)

b reaks a nd p hases o f

r egrowth: l ength 3 0cms, f ind s pot a pproximately a s l ocated a t s ite S S1 i n F igure 3 .1,

1 90

? Stake o f a sh - l ength 6 5cms, a t s ite S S1 i n F igure 3 .1,

1 91

x vi

f ind s pot a pproximately

LIST O F TABLES T able 2 .1.

P age S chemes o f C hange,

D ivision a nd C orrelation i n t he

L ate D evensian a nd F landrian o f E ngland a nd W ales: a mended f rom J ones a nd C undill a nd K erney ( 1977). T able 2 .2.

( 1978),

S ubdivision o f t he H olderness g lacial r ecognised b y W .S.

B isat a nd

2 .3.

2 .4,

s equence

( after C att a nd 2 2

D escription o f t he S kipsea W ithow M ere s equence b y G odwin a nd G odwin

T able

( 1975), 2 1

i ts r elationship w ith

t hose s chemes u sed b y l ater w orkers M adgett, 1 982), T able

G odwin

G odwin's

( 1943)

( 1933).

4 2

r e-interpretation o f t he a ntiquity

o f t he l ake s ilts a t S kipsea W ithow M ere, T able

2 .5.

H olocene m olluscan

f aunas

f rom S kipsea m ere a nd

B armston d escribed b y B oylan n omenclature

s ee W alden

4 2

( 1966),

( 1976)

f or m odern

a nd K erney 4 5

( 1976), T able

3 ,1.

S ample

p rovenance,

w eights a nd M unsell c olours

F igure T able

3 .2.

f or t he

s ection 8 ,

C entral E xposures a t S kipsea W ithow ( see

3 .7 a nd 3 .1).

6 8

P article s ize d istribution d ata s ediments

f rom

s ection 8 ,

( per

F igure

1 000g)

o f

3 .7 f or s ample 6 9

p rovenance. T able

3 .3.

S ummary o f p revious

s tratigraphic r ecords o f t he

d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow m ere

( after T hew

1 983), T able

5 .1.

7 1

O ccurrence o f r are p ollen t axa i n t he L ate D evensian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow m ere, 8 ,

T able

5 .2.

8

P lant m acrofossils l aminated s ilts

f rom L ate D evensian " dark g rey"

( Unit

S kipsea W ithow m ere, T able

5 ,3,

s ection

F igure 3 .1,

3 c)

- C entral E xposures a t

s ection 7 , F igure

3 .1,

9 0

P lant m acrofossils f rom L ate D evensian l ake d eposits,

C entral E xposures a t S kipsea W ithow:

S ection 8 , T able

6 ,1,

L and

9 8

s nail c ounts - t he C entral E xposures

( section 8 ), T able

6 ,2,

L and

11

s nail c ounts r ecalculated

s tandardised

1 000g s ample- t he

( section 8 ).

x vii

t o r epresent a C entral E xposures 12

T able 6 .3.

O riginal w ater s nail c ounts - S kipsea W ithow m ere s ection 8 . 13

T able 6 .4.

W ater s nail c ounts r ecalculated t o r epresent a s tandardised 1 000g s ample - s ection 8 . 14

T able 6 .5.

O riginal b ivalve c ounts - S kipsea W ithow m ere s ection 8 .

T able 6 .6.

B ivalve c ounts r ecalculated t o r epresent a s tandardised s ection 8 .

T able 6 ,7,

T able 6 .8.

T able 6 .9.

18

1 000g o f s ediment,

S kipsea W ithow, 1 20

O riginal a nd r ecalculated m olluscan t otals a nd d iagnostic i ndices - t he c entral p rofile ( section 8 ).

1 21

S pecies c haracterising t he l ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z ones f or t he c entral p rofile ( section 8 ).

1 28

A bundance a nd r atio c riteria a lso u sed

t o d elineate

t he l ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z ones s et o ut i n T able 6 .8; s ection 8 , S kipsea W ithow m ere. 1 29 T able 6 ,10,

T able 6 ,11,

M olluscan r emains f rom t he n orthern m argins o f S kipsea W ithow m ere, s ection 1 - F igure 3 ,1,

R ecalculated m olluscan t otals a nd d iagnostic i ndices n orthern m argins o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere s ection

T able 6 .12.

T able 6 .13.

T able 6 .14.

1 .

1 37

S pecies d efining t he l ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z ones f rom t he n orthern m argins o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere - s ection 1 ,

1 38

E arlier s tudies o f t he m olluscan r emains S kipsea W ithow m ere,

1 42

f rom

M acrofossils - m ainly m olluscan - f ound i n t he l ake s ilts o f U nit 3 a a t S kipsea W ithow mere 114 3

( section 3 ), T able 6 .15.

1 36

M olluscan d ata f rom o ther H olderness m eres w ith s uggested c orrelations w ith t he S kipsea W ithow m ere l ocal m olluscan a ssdemblage z ones a nd G odwin 's ( 1975) p ollen z ones,

T able 6 .16.

I nferred s uccessional,

1 48 v egetational a nd

c limatic

c onditions a chieved d uring e ach l ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z one a t S kipsea W ithow m ere - c entral e xposures - s ection 8 .

T he s uccessional

I -IV a re d efined i n t he t ext. T able 7 .1,

s tages 1 50

A C orrelation o f P ollen D iagrams f rom H olderness, x viii

1 71

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION HOLDERNESS The name Holderness is a compound of the Old Norse holder "a higher yeoman, an owner of alloidal land" or the Old English hold "an officer of higher rank", and the Old Norse nes "a cape or headland", The principal early reference to Beldernes is in the Domesday Book of 1086 (Smith 1937), The low lying triangle of Holderness is bounded by the North Sea to the east, to the south by the Humber and to the west and north by the Chalk hills of the Yorkshire Wolds (Figure 1,1), A simplified view of the geological context of the region is shown in Figure 1,2� Holderness lies on the gently undulating surface of a till sheet which laps onto the Yorkshire Wolds to the west (Figure 1,2)y The redrawn map of the Drift Geology of the Skipsea area of Holderness shown in Figure 1.3 indicates that the surface of the till sheet comprises a mosaic of sands and gravels, clay and silt rich soils and n a tural hollows, These have given rise to one of the most characteristic features of Holderness - its abundance of wetlands and mires. Today only Hornsea Mere survives as open water lake surrounded by reedswamp (Plate 1,1) and Alder/Oak carr (Plate 1,2). The remainder of the very large number of lakes and mires known or suspected in medieval times (Figure 1.4) has been lost by coastal erosion, natural and accelerated siltation, and drainage, A general impression of the earlier wetland landscapes of Holderness can be gained by an examination of Plates 1,1 and 1.2. The richness of environment and resources represented by these habitats is obvious. In general, Holderness is a neglected and by-passed region of Britain, Its low terrain and contemporary, open, bleakness are not to many peoples' taste, In all probability, it is best known for its problems of coastal erosion, with erosion relentlessly occurring at a rate of 1-3m of cliff retreat each year, These proble ms of coastal erosion have proved a blessing for archaeologists and geologists because they have provided a continuing series of important exposures in mire and lake deposits. Many of these have yielded artefacts or fossils which have attracted both attention and controversy, As Thomas Sheppard (1909:500) noted: "Possibly no district in the British Isles offers such a variety of lessons as does the coastline between Bridlington and Spurn Point and the Humber Estuary, On the one hand enormous tracts of land have disappeared within historic times; whilst on the other, large areas have been formed, embanked and cultivated, The district is also especially worthy of attention from the fact that data of a most reliable character relating to these changes are available,"

0

oo

()

I

N

20km

Figure 1.1

The location of Holderness, Yorkshire. Holderness is the triang le between Flamborough Head immediately north of Skipsea Withow mere (point 2), the Humber estuary to the south and the North Sea. The Late Devensian and Flandrian marine transgression has effected notable changes in the geography of the present North Sea basin. For comparison the thicker line indicates the approximate position of the North Sea shoreline c. 9-10,000 yrs b.p. Imp ortant Mesolithic sites located are (1) Star Carr, north of the Yorkshire Wolds; (2) Skipsea Withow mere; (3) Hornsea; (4) Brandesburton; (5) "moorlogs", by kind permission Leicester University Press; after Clark 1972, and Evans 1979.

F igure

1 ,2

B lock d iagram s howing t he g eneral g eological s etting o f H olderness: t he " Drifts" a re m ainly T ill o f L ate D evensian a ge, w hich b ury t he u nderlying C halk a nd P leistocene b each d eposits a nd t heir a ssociated c liff a nd s horeline p latform. T hese a re e xposed a t S ewerby C liff, i mmediately n orth o f B ridlington,

3

P late

1 .1

R eedswamp

d ominated

b y

Typha,

Phragmites and C arex s pp*

f ringing o pen w ater a t t he p resent H ornsea mere, t aken a t t he e ast e nd o f t he l ake

2 4

( Figure

1 .4).

H olderness:

P late

1 ,2

S emi-natural a lder a nd o ak c arr a djacent t o t he t ill s urface a t t he w estern e nd o f t he p resent H ornsea m ere, H olderness ( see F igure

1 .4).

5

T he g reat p otential f or a rchaeological a nd p alaeoecological r esearch i n H olderness h as b een o nly p artially r ealised s ince S heppard's n otes ( see C att, 1 977), U nfortunately a ny a nalysis o f t he l iterature c oncerning t he s eries o f i nteresting s ites e xposed b y c oastal e rosion t ends t o p roduce a c haracteristic s equence o f r esponses i n t he r eader - i nterest a nd e xcitement, f ollowed b y s uspicion a nd t hen f rustration. T ypical a re t he " Maglemose h arpoons" ( Figure 1 ,5) r eported f rom t he d epositional r emnants o f t he m argins o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere ( Figure 1 .6). T hese w ere f ound b y a M r. B e M orfitt ( Junior) i n

1 903.

A c arved b one h arpoon w as

f ound:

" lying i n s ilt a t a d epth o f 5 f eet, b eneath a l acustrine p eat a nd i mmediately u nder t he s keletal r emains o f a n e lk ( Cervus g iganteus), w hich h e w as e xcavating, O ther f auna a ssociated w as R eindeer, r ed-deer, a nd a ncient o x." ( Armstrong,

1 923b:60).

A rmstrong's i nitial e xcitement i s e vident i n h is a ccounts i n w hich h e r elated t hese f inds t o t hose i n t he r ecently i nvestigated M aglemose b og s ites i n D enmark ( Armstrong 1 922, 1 923a). H e w as e specially e xcited b y t he f aunal a nd d epositional c ontext o f a h arpoon w hich i ndicated v ery a ncient h unting* H is s ubsequent f rustrations a re e vident i n h is r ebuttals o f t he p ublic a nd p rivate a llegations t hat t he M orfitts

h ad

S heppard

1 923,

m anufactured 1 929;

a nd

A rmstrong

p lanted

t hese

h arpoons

( Figure

1 65;

1 923b).

M odern s ympathies p robably l ie w ith A rmstrong. N evertheless i t i s u ndoubtedly t he c ase t hat c onsultation o f h is s tratigraphic d escriptions d oes n ot r emove l ingering u ncertainties c oncerning t he p rovenance, a ge, s tratigraphic r elationships, p alaeoeconomic s ignificance o f t he f inds,

environmental

a nd

T hese p roblems r ecur w hen o ne c onsiders t he o ther r emarkable v ertebrate

f aunas

r ecovered

f rom

t his

s ite

t hat

w ere

r eported

b y

P hillips ( 1829) ( Figure 1 .7) a nd A rmstrong ( 1923b), T hese d erive f rom l ake s ilts b eneath l ake a nd c arr p eats ( Figure 1 .7). T he l iterature s uggests g iant e lk a nd s imilar t axa a ssociated with c old, o pen l andscapes w ere i nhabiting t emperate F landrian w oodlands.

p iles,

T here a re a lso n umerous r ecords o f l ater p rehistoric s takes, a nd ' crannogs' a lso a ssociated w ith t he r emains o f f ormer m eres

o r l akes w hich c haracterise H olderness. T heir archaeological a nd p alaeoecological r ichness i s i n c ontrast t o t he uniformity o f t he p resent l andscape. I ts m onotonous t opography r eflects t he v ery g entle s lopes o f t he u ndulating s urface o f l ate Q uaternary t ill s heets ( Figures 1 .3 a nd 1 .4)* T he m eres o ccupy t he b road b asins u nderneath t he s lightly h igher m ounds o f t ill o r g ravel r idges w hich r arely e xceed 3 0m 0 .D#

6

B r id l ington B ay

• . •.

1

C r e ta ceous C h a lk T i l l G r ave l

B armston S ands

S and ,g rave l , l a m inated c l ays R i ver t e r race g r ave ls L a cust r ine c l ays A l luv ium

S k ipsea W i thow

F igure

1 .3

T he

drift

g eology

o f

S kipsea e mphasising t he

t he n orthern p art o f H olderness n ear p edological

o f t he L ate D evensian t ill

7

l ithological c omplexity

s heet's s urface d eposits.

8

X /

0

/

//· ✓, xs

IX

X

I

X

X

Figure 1.4

,xxX \

\

\

\

N

X -. 0 0 0 0

I

X X� X ......

\X

\

XX

8km

H 0

i

00

The locations of k nown and suspec ted lakes and mires in Ho lderness in the medieval period. The dotted line indicates the westward and southern limits of the Late Devensian ice and the resultan t till sheet. The symbols indicate the streng th of the evidence u sed to make this rec onstructi on: see Chapter 2: the outlines of the principal meres/lakes are shown:c l osed areas - definite geological and historic al evidence of a former mere; open shapes - geological evidence of a former mere; cross - historical evidence suggests a smal l mere; open circle - evidence of the 1946-7 floods suggests a former smal l mere; open circ le enclosi ng c ross - historical evidence and 1946-7 floods suggest a small mere� (After June Sheppard 1957).

L AKES A ND M ERES T he l akes a nd m eres h ave f ormed i n o riginal d epressions i n t he t ill s heet, k ettle h oles, p erhaps i n d ecayed p ingos, a nd o ccasionally s olutional h ollows i n t he C halk-enriched t ills. T hese f eatures d eveloped i n t he l ate-Devensian a nd F landrian t o p roduce a l andscape m osaic o f l ake, marsh, w et w oodland, a nd h igher, b etter d rained g round w ith d enser w oodland* S ubsequent f orest c learance, s oil e rosion, l and d rainage a nd r apid c oastal e rosion h ave a ll c ombined t o c ause t he l oss o f n early a ll t hese m eres ( Figure 1 .4; C hapter 2 ). N owadays, t he o nly s urvivor o f t he v ery l arge n umber o f l akes w hich e xisted i nto m edieval t imes i s H ornsea M ere ( Figure 1 .4). T his l ake, with i ts f ringing m arsh a nd c arr, o ffers c ontemporary a nalogues t o a id o ur r econstruction o f l ake h abitats a nd e nvironmental c hange o ver t he p ast 1 3-14,000 y ears i n t he r egion. B ut f or t he c onstruction a nd m aintenance o f t he H ornsea s eawall i n t he l ate n ineteenth/early t wentieth c entury, H ornsea M ere w ould h ave b een b reached a nd d rained b y c oastal e rosion - t he f ate w hich b efell i ts f ormer e astward c ounterpart ( Hornsea O ld M ere) a nd n umerous o ther f ormer l arge m eres a nd i ndeed t owns a nd p orts o f H olderness. I n t his a ccount, a ttention f ocuses o n t he r emains o f S kipsea W ithow mere ( Figure 1 .6), t he s ource o f t he M orfitt's f inds, T he l acustrine d eposits w hich c ollected a t t he w estern m argins o f t his m ere h ave b een t he f ocus o f g eological, a rchaeological a nd p alaeoecological r esearch f or o ver 1 50 y ears. I t a ppears t o h ave b een a s izeable l ake, p erhaps o ver 1 km i n l ength, i n t he m edieval p eriod ( Chapter 2 )* C oastal e rosion p roceeding a t a r ate o f 1 t o 2 m e ach y ear s ince t hen h as r esulted i n o nly t he f urthest w est m arginal d eposits s urviving t oday i n t he l ow c liffs o f t he S kipsea W ithow g ap ( Figure 1 .6,Plate 2 92). T he c liffs c ontinue t o r etreat a t a pproximately t his r ate t oday , u nder t he c ombined a ttack o f w ave a nd s ub-aerial e rosion. I n a d ecade, l ittle o f w hat i s l eft o f t he f ormer mere w ill r emain. T hree o r f our d ecades i nto t he f uture, e rosion w ill s tart t o e xpose t he d eposits o f t he n ext, s maller, s ilted m ere f urther i nland. S imilar f ates a wait t he o ther e xposures

o f f ormer m eres w hich c an b e s tudied a t S and l e M ar,

U lrome,

a nd B armston,

T HE R ESEARCH A ND T EACHING P OTENTIAL O F H OLDERNESS M ERES T he l onger t erm f uture o f t he W ithow m ere s ection i s u nfortunate. N evertheless t he e xcellence o f b oth t he e xposures a nd t he c onditions o f p reservation o ffer t he p rospect o f r ealising s ome o f t he i mmense p alaeoecological p otential o f t his c oast. I n p articular, r esearch c ould d evelop t he W ithow m ere s tory a s a n i llustration o f t he a rchaeological, e cological a nd g eomorphic e volution o f H olderness w etlands a nd l akes. T he s ite h as g reat s ignificance f or i mproving o ur u nders tanding o f a v ariety o f i nter-related p roblems - s ome o f l ocal o r r egional

s ignificance,

o thers c oncerning q uestions o f f act;

o f b roader m ethodological o r e ducational s ignificance:-

9

y et o thers

F igure

1 95

" Maglemose h arpoon"

r eported b y A rmstrong

0

2

c m 1 0

4

( 1923b:60).

5 7 L ow o .m e re

l a ke x dwe l l ing B a i l ” 5 : r ne re

5 6

S K IPSEA

5

C a st

' 1 5r n

5 4

9

5 3

1 9

1 8

1 7

1 5 1 km F igure

1 ,6

T he l ocation o f t he c oastal

e xposures o f t he

f ormer S kipsea

W ithow mere, S kipsea B ail m ere a nd L ow mere a round t he v illage o f S kipsea, H olderness. T he c ontours c onfirm f ield o bservation t hat t he w estern m argin o f n ot

l inked

The

" lake

b y

s teram

dwelling"

o r

r iver

s ite

t he

W ithow mere

i s

t he m eres t o t he w est.

r eported

l ocated n ear S kipsea L ow m ere.

1

t o

b y

S mith

( 1911)

i s

( 1) S kipsea W ithow m ere, a nd H olderness i n g eneral, a re i mportant b ecause o f t heir l ocation c lose t o o ne o f t he l ast m igration a nd c olonisation r outes i nto t he B ritish I sles a cross t he N orth S ea f loor f rom c ontinental E urope. F igure 1 .1 s hows t he a pproximate l ocation o f t he c oastline a t t he p osition o f t he p resent 2 0 f athom i sobath a s o ccurred i n t he L ate D evensian, e arly F landrian. T he p resent s ea l evel w as a ttained a pproximately 3 -4,000 y ears a go ( Gaunt a nd T ooley, 1 974). P alaeoecological a nalyses o f t he W ithow m ere s ediments w ill p rovide i mportant i nformation o n t he p attern o f s pecies a rrival f rom t heir g lacial r efuges i n mainland E urope a nd t he s ubsequent v egetational a nd f aunal d evelopment o f H olderness, ( 2) T he t opographic s ituation o f t he Withow mere a s a n e nclosed b asin r esulted i n t he s ediments a nd s tratigraphy o f t he s ite r eflecting p ast l ake l evels, p rimarily c ontrolled by c limate i n t his r egion. S imilarly, t he d eposits a lso r eflect p alaeoecological c hanges i n t he s urrounding c atchment, a s well a s t he i mpact o f p ast h uman a ctivity o n t he s oils a nd v egetation o f t he a rea. ( 3)

T he

e xposures

a lso

o ffer

v aluable

i nsights

i nto

t he

e cological a nd g eomorphic p rocesses a nd e nvironments w hich h ave o ccurred a t t he i mportant, b ut i nfrequently s tudied, h abitat a nd d epositional e nvironment o f t he l ake m argin. T he q uite r emarkable d egree o f c omplications f ound i n t his m arginal lacustrine f acies e xposed a t t he W ithow G ap a re o f a rchaeological a nd p alaeoecological i mportance. S uch c omplexity i s, t ypically, not o bserved i n m any p alaeoecological s tudies o f l akes a nd m erese M ost s tratigraphic d ata t end t o d erive f rom c oring w ith a R ussian o r b oat-launched c orer, a nd t he p alaeontological s tudy i nvariably t ends t o b e i n the m ore c entral z ones o f l ake b asins, n ormally a ssociated w ith ' continuous' d eposition. T he l atter p olicy a ids u nderstanding o f ' regional' v egetational c hange f rom p ollen a nalytical d ata, H owever, a rchaeologically a nd g eologically i mportant e vidence i s o ften t o b e f ound a t t he margins o f t he l ake a nd i s l iable t o b e m issed i n s uch c onventional s ampling s trategies. f all s hort

O nly t he a bsence o f a s mall i ncurrent s tream c auses i t t o o f C oope's ( 1977:326) i deal l ocation f or Q uaternary

e nvironmental a nalyses w hich a re b ased o n m acrofossil s tudies. V ery l ittle i s k nown o f t he g eomorphic/sedimentological p roperties a nd d evelopment o f s uch m arginal l ocations. ( 4) I t i s c lear t hat m any o f t he H olderness m eres c ontain d eposits o f L ate D evensian a ge. T his i s a m ost f ascinating a nd c omplex p eriod o f t ime. I ts p roblems h ave s timulated c onsiderable r esearch a nd c ontroversy i n t he p ast t wo d ecades ( Mitchell and W est 1 977). I nspection o f t he d istribution m aps o f t he L ate D evensian s ites s tudied r eveal a m arked c oncentration i n t he " highlands" o f western Britain. I n m any w ays t he p attern o f L ate D evensian c limatic c hange i dentified d iffers f rom t hat o riginally p ostulated o n t he b asis o f p alynological r esearch i n t he c ountries o f n orth w est E urope f rom n orthern F rance t o D enmark ( e.g. I n

H ammen, g eneral

M aarleveld, t here

i s

V ogel a nd Z agwijn

l ittle

d ispute

1 967).

t hat

t he L och

L omond

s tadial ( the Y ounger D ryas o f c ontinental w orkers) w as a ssociated w ith a n e xtremely c old c limate a cross n orthern E urope i n t he p eriod c * 1 1,000

- 1 0,000

d eveloped.

y ears

H owever

b .p.

t he

I n

h ighland

c haracteristic

1 2

B ritain

v egetation

c orrie o f

t he

g laciers t ime i s

SKIPSEA

F urther o n a n

the

e xtensive

- SKELETON OF MEGACEROS

pebbly c lay

and

s inks

i nteresting

b elow

the

l evel

of

h igh water,

and

f orms

a w ide

hollow,

i n

which

i s

as

l acustrine deposit.

S ou th

N o r th 1

General at

The

*

a ppearance o f

t he peat

s eries

Peat,

of

touches

w ith roots,

the

boulder

f rom

branches,

are

s olid,

t entaculata,

only o n t he

Peat-deposit

depositions

4 f eet 6 i nches B ithynia

the

southern

r ests upon gravel,

I n t his deposit

s ide

under

of

cornea,

t he

t ips.

The

...

Skipsea.

for

f reshwater

and h azel

C .

as i ts

c lay; Blue

or

a n old man,

who was

employed

. This

i s

brown

. Subsequently

t he s econd

utmost

and

1 1

t hickness

the upper

c lay,

i s b lue

measuring

underlie

the

peat;

but

n ear

the north

e nd,

f ollows:-

Lacustris,

which

antlers

Shelly c lays

a s pace.

i s

nuts: l ike

t he hollow.

antlers o f Cervus megaceros,... Strickland.

c lay

and b reak

Cyclas

at

and

part

a f ew

f ull

boulder

i s

i s

specimens

of Cyclades;

where

f ibous. of here

Lymnaea i s

t his

h appens

Yellowish

c lay,

s tagnalis:

some phosphate

the

l ower

f ull

t his o f

of

i s

s een

i ron;

t his

c lay.

collecting gravel, the

7 f eet;

t hen

l ower

accidentally d iscovered

j aw was discovered by

f eet

4 i nches by

t he

c ircuit,

l argest

specimen of

t he g igantic

and

t he

t he head

a nd

r esearches of Mr.

6 f eet

8 i nches

e lk which has been

Arthur

between f ound

i n

Yorkshire.

After

P hillips,

F igure

1 ,7

1 829,

80 - 8 1.

P hillips ' ( 1829) r ecords o f t he s tratigraphy a t S kipsea W ithow m ere i n 1 826 a nd t he p rovenance o f t he r emains o f a " gigantic e lk", T aken f rom P hillips ( 1829:80-81),

1 3

i mperfectly k nown, e specially f rom t he e astern s ide o f t he c ountry. S tarkel's ( 1977) r econstruction ( based o n G richuk 1 973) o f t he v egetation o f E urope a t t hat t ime i ndicates t hat H olderness l ay i n a z one o f " tundra" i mmediately n orth o f a z one o f " forest t undra w ith b irch" w hich c overed m ost o f s outh a nd s outh e ast B ritain. T here a re s uggestions t hat t ree b irch a ctually s urvived w ithin H olderness n ear H ornsea m ere ( Beckett 1 981), a nd e ven a s f ar n orth a s t he L even V alley, C leveland ( Keen, J ones a nd R obinson 1 984): N owadays t he P ennines a ct a s a m ajor t opographic a nd c limatic d ivide i n B ritain, a nd f urther r esearch i n H olderness h as t he i nteresting p rospect o f t esting t hese b iogeographic r econstructions a nd a ssessing t he e xtent t o w hich t he v egetation o f t he " highland z one" a t t hat t ime d iffered f rom t hat o f t he m ore c ontinental, e astern p arts o f B ritain: T he p receding p eriod f rom 1 1,000 t o 1,800 y ears b :p., h as l ong b een c laimed t o b e a n i nterstadial p eriod - t he A llered i nterstadial, I t w as b elieved t o b e t he w armest e pisode i n t he L ate D evensian: T he c limatic i nference d erived f rom t he e vidence t hat t his p eriod s aw t he a rrival a nd g rowth, a nd t hen t he s udden d ecline o f t ree b irch a nd s ome p ine i n B ritain. T his p eriod was t hought t o b e s eparated b y a c old p hase - t he O lder D ryas - f rom t he p receding m ilder e pisode w hich w as c alled t he B elling i nterstadial ( c. 1 2,000 13,000 y ears b vp,) T he l atter was i nferred f rom p alyno logical e vidence w hich s uggested t he p resence o f a s hrub t undra, B efore t his p eriod t he c limate was t hought t o h ave b een w arming, b ut s till e ssentially c old, a s t he D evensian r etreated f rom t he m aximum e xtent c : R ecent

s tudies

f rom

t he

( Weichselian) i cesheets m elted a nd 1 8,000 - 2 0,000 y ears b .p: west

o f B ritain

d ifferent m odel o f t he c ourse o f c limatic c hange 1 977): I n t his m odel C oope ( 1977) s uggests i nterstadial

- t he

L ake

W indermere

have

s uggested

a

( Coope a nd P ennington t hat a s ingle warm

i nterstadial

- c ommenced

a bout

1 5,000 y ears b l pp:, a nd t erminated s uddenly a bout 1 1,000 y ears b l ip,, w ith a b rief c old s nap a t c : 1 2,000 - 1 2,200 y ears bp. T he h ighest t emperatures w ere t hought t o h ave b een a chieved a t a bout 1 3,400 y ears b :p: P ennington ( 1977) g enerally c oncurs, b ut p laces t he s tart o f t he i nterstadial a t a bout

1 3,000 y ears b p.

T here a re s everal r easons w hy s uggest d iscrepancies m ight h ave o ccurred: F irst t hey m ight s tem f rom d ifferences i n t echnique: T he o lder i deas d erived f rom t he p ollen a nalytical s tudies w hich d epended h eavily u pon t he r elative a bundance o f p ollen t ypes, whereas t he m ore r ecent i deas s tem f rom a bsolute c ounts o f p ollen p er s ample, a nd t he a nalysis o f b eetle r emains w hich a re t hought t o r espond t o c limatic a melioration m ore r apidly t han t ree t axa: S tudies o f b eetle r emains h ave n ot b een c arried out i n d etail o n t he S kipsea Withow d eposits d escribed i n t he t ext; h owever, t here h as b een a d etailed i nvestigation o f a nother a nimal g roup w hich c an b e t ransported v ery r apidly a cross a l andscape freshwater m olluscs: T he p alaeoenvironmental a nd b iostratigraphic i mportance o f l and m olluscs i s n ow well k nown a s a r esult o f t he i mportant s tudies o f K erney ( 1964, 1 977) a nd E vans ( 1972). H owever, t he f reshwater m olluscs h ave r eceived r elatively l ittle a ttention.

1 4

A lternatively, t he d ifferences m ight r eflect g enuinely d ifferent e nvironmental h istories. H olderness a nd D enmark would b oth h ave b een p arts o f t he e xtended N orth E uropean P lain w ith a c ontinental c limate; a s ituation s omewhat d ifferent t o t he h ighland z one o f B ritain a djacent t o t he A tlantic O cean. ( 5) T he W ithow m ere s ite i s a lso v ery i mportant i n i ts o wn r ight, T he l acustrine d eposits h ave b een t he s ubject o f m any a rchaeological o r p alaeoecological s tudies; s everal o f w hich w ere e ither u nique i n t heir d ay o r w ere a ssociated w ith c onsiderable d iscord a nd c ontroversy. T he a uthenticity o f t he ' Maglemosian' h arpoons n ot o nly c aused a crimonious d iscussion ( Figure 1 ,5, A rmstrong 1 923b), i t a lso p rompted P rofessor S ir H arry a nd L ady G odwin t o c arry o ut t he f irst a ttempt i n t he B ritish I sles t o d ate a rchaeological r emains ( the d isputed h arpoons) b y p ollen a nalysis ( Godwin a nd G odwin 1 933), T his b iostratigraphic a pproach r epresented a major i nnovation i n a rchaeological r esearch a nd w as t o h ave p rofound c onsequences i n l ater d ecades f or u nderstanding c hronology a nd e nvironmental c hange i n p rehistory.

( 6) F inally, g ood e xposures a ppropriate f or t eaching e nvironmental a rchaeology a nd p alaeoecology, a re r elatively f ew a nd f ar b etween i n l owland B ritain, T he u nfortunate r ealities o f t he W ithow m ere s equence r esults i n a l ittle o ver-enthusiastic o ver-trowelling b eing o f l ittle c onsequence, I t i s v ery h elpful t o s tudents i f t hey c an c ompare d etailed d escriptions o f f ormer e xposures, f ound i n t he l iterature, w ith t heir o wn f ield o bservations. T he t hree d imensional g eometric p roperties o f s edimentary b odies b ecome a pparent. S imilarly i t i s much e asier t o a ppreciate i n t his s ituation b oth c hanging r esearch p aradigms a nd t he d evelopment o f p articular a rguments w hich d eal w ith a s pecific l ocation. T his

v olume

r epresents

a f irst

s tep

a long

r ealising t hese r esearch a nd e ducational o bjectives,

O ne

t he p art

p ath o f

o f i ts

c ontents d erives f rom p ost-graduate a nd u ndergraduate p rojects c arried o ut a t t he s ite b y s tudents o f t he U niversity o f S heffield a nd t he U niversity o f H ull, O n t hree o ccasions i n t he t ext w e h ave p rovided p article s ize d istribution d ata a nd m olluscan d ata w ith l ittle i nterpretation, T he r eason i s t hat a t p resent t here a re i nsufficient t heoretical u nderstanding o r e mpirical o bservations w ith w hich

d ata t o

i nterpret t he s ignificance o f t he p resent d ata f rom S kipsea W ithow, H owever w e a re aware o f c urrent r esearch p rogrammes t hat w ill h elp r esolve t hese p roblems, I n o rder t o f acilitate f uture r esearch a nd t eaching i n H olderness, w e h ave a lso i ncluded f ull d etails o f t he o riginal s tratigraphic, a rchaeological a nd p alaeontological d escriptions, t ogether w ith k ey s entences f rom t he m ore i mportant o f t he e arlier s tudies,

1 5

C HAPTER 2 P REVIOUS R ESEARCH

T he r emains o f S kipsea W ithow m ere

a re

s ituated

i n a c liff

e xposure on t he H olderness c oast a t 5 305 8'N; 00 1 2'W ; N ational G rid R eference T A 1 84547 ( Figures 1 ,4 a nd 1 ,6; 0 .S. S heet 1 07, K ingston u pon H ull), 1 .6km s outh e ast o f t he s mall v illage o f S kipsea. S tratigraphic n omenclature u sed h ere ( Table 2 ,1) f ollows M itchell, P enny, S hotton a nd W est ( 1973), a lthough t his s cheme m ay n eed m odification a t a f uture d ate ( Briggs a nd G ilbertson, 1 980; B riggs, C oope a nd G ilbertson, 1 984), T he G odwin ( 1975) p ollen z onation s cheme i nevitably f igures l argely i n t his s tudy. I ts r elationship t o W est's ( 1970) p roposed c hronozones i s g iven i n T able 2 .1,

Q UATERNARY R ESEARCH The m ere d eposits a re n ow e xposed o ver a l ength o f l ess t han 1 00m l ocated i n F igure 2 .1, T hey o ccupy a s hallow d epression i n t he s urface of t ill s heets w hich c onstitute t he d ominant d eposit e xposed a long t he H olderness c oast, T he g eneral f ield r elationships b etween t he u nderlying C halk, t he t ill s heets, a nd t he m ere d eposits a re s ummarised

i n F igures

1 .2 a nd

1 ,3.

T he T ills T he o rigins a nd s tratigraphic r elationships o f t he t ills e xposed o n t he c oasts o f H olderness h ave b een t he s ubject o f r esearch f or m any y ears, C onsequently t he d escriptive n omenclature a nd i nterpretations h ave u ndergone T able 2 .2,

many

c hanges

w hich

a re

s ummarised

i n

T he t ill e xposed b eneath t he l acustrine d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow i s n ow t ermed t he S kipsea T ill, a fter t his i ts t ype l ocation ( Madgett

a nd

C att

1 978).

A t

p resent

t here

a re

t wo

d ifferent

i nterpretations o f t he t ill s tratigraphy o f H olderness. T he f irst e nvisages t he t ill s heet a s t he r esult o f d eposition b y a c omplex l ayered i ce m ass w hich p enetrated a long t he H olderness c oast i nland t o t he Y orkshire a nd L incolnshire W olds, e xtending a s f ar s outh a s t he N orfolk c oast ( Figure 2 ,2), A t D imlington ( Figure 2 .3) i t o verrode moss-filled h ollows w hich y ielded r adiocarbon d ates o f 1 8,240+250 b ,p, ( BIRM 1 08) a nd 1 8,500+400 b .p, ( 1-3372) ( Penny, C oope a nd C att- 1 969).

s urprise,

When f irst p ublished, t hese d ates p roduced c onsiderable s ince t hey i ndicated t hat t he D evensian g lacial m aximum i n

e astern B ritain

( Figure 2 ,2) w as m uch y ounger i n t hat

c old

s tage

t han

p reviously s uspected. T he t ills s ubsequently w ere b racketed i n t ime b y b eing s hown t o b e o verlain b y l ake d eposits w hich y ielded a r adiocarbon date o f 1 3,045+270 ( BIRM 3 17)* T he l ast g laciation i n H olderness w as t hus s hown t o b e a ttributable t o t he p eriod

1 7

1 8,250 t o

1 3,000 y ears b .p,

1 84

1 85

5 49 -

5 48 . .

5 47 _

A l S k ipsea W i thow 5 46_

5 45.

\

F igure 2 .1

T he

l ocation

o f

t he

c ollecting a t t he w estern margin W ithow m ere a t t he ' Withow G ap'.

e xposures of

1 8

t he

( A

f ormer

t o

A l)

o f

S kipsea

deposits

F igure 2 .2

T he L ate D evensian g lacial l imit c . 1 8,000-14,000 b .p. a nd I pswichian s horeline i n a nd a round H olderness ( largely a fter C att

1 977).

1 9

T his i ce a dvance m ay b e t he r esult o f a ' glacial s urge' a s d escribed b y B oulton, J ones, C layton a nd K enning ( 1977), a nd ' slightly' y ounger t han t he m aximum D evensian i ce e xtension i n t he M idlands a nd w est o f B ritain, w here t he D evensian t ills c urrently c an b e s hown o nly t o p ost-date c . 3 0,000 y ears b ,p, ( see S hotton 1 977,1981), T he

c omplexity

o f

d emonstrated i n a s eries C att a nd Madgett ( 1981), ( 1967), ( 1885),

T his B isat

w ork

t he

i ce

m ass

i n

H olderness

has

b een

o f m ajor s tudies b y C att a nd P enny ( 1966), M adgett a nd C att ( 1978), P enny and C att

f ollows

o n

f rom

t he

( 1939) a nd B isat a nd D ell

p ioneering

s tudies

o f R eid

( 1941),

T he g eneral p icture a s c urrently u nderstood i n t his f irst m odel ( Catt 1 977, C att a nd M adgett 1 981) i s t hat b etween c s 1 8,250 a nd c . 1 4,000 y ears a go, i ce m asses c rossed t he P ennines v ia t he S tainmore G ap a nd T ees v alley, c arrying r ocktypes f rom t he L ake D istrict, E ast o f t he P ennines t hese i ce m asses f ormed t wo i ce s heets w hich p assed o n e ither s ide o f t he N orth Y ork M oors, T he w estern b ranch t hen p enetrated i nto t he V ale o f Y ork, e xtending s outh a cross t he l ine o f t he p resent H umber e stuary, T he e astern b ranch, i n t he v icinity o f t he p resent T ees e stuary, o ver-rode a nother i ce m ass which w as m oving s outhwards a long t he c oast,

T his l ower i ce s heet

h ad

c rossed

the

d ry

N orth S ea f loor f rom a s ource r egion i n S candinavia, A c omplex

t wo-tiered

i ce

s heet was

p roduced,

I t

carried

q uite d istinct a ssemblages o f r ock t ypes i n e ach layer, T he p ressed i nto t he b ays a nd a gainst t he f ormer c liffline o f

i ce t he

I pswichian e mbayment o f H olderness ( Figure 2 ,2) o ver-riding a t D imlington t he s ub-arctic m osses a nd l acustrine s ilts i n t he h ollows o f a n o lder t ill s heet, O n m elting,

t he l ower l ayer o f t he c ompound i ce s heet y ielded

t he S kipsea T ill, w hich w as t ermed t he ' Drab T ill' ( Chocolate b rown matrix 1 0 Y R 3 /2) b y B isat. T he u pper i ce m elted t o y ield t he W ithernsea T ill - t he t ill d oes n ot o ccur 1 5-20m)

' Purple T ill' ( 7,5 Y R 3 /2) o f B isat, T his l atter i n t he S kipsea a rea, b ut t hick e xposures ( c,

o ccur a t D imlington T he

s econd

( Catt

m odel

1 977).

s eeks

t o

e xplain

t he

c omplex

t ill

s tratigraphy i n t erms o f m ultiple g lacial r e-advances i n t he D evensian ( Straw i n S traw a nd C layton 1 979:24), S traw i ndicated t hat, c ontrary t o t he p redictions o f t he " ice-sheet s andwich" m odel, t here w as e vidence t hat n otable e rosion b etween t he t ill l ayers c ould b e d etected ( Bisat 1 939)* S econd, t here a re d istinct v ariations i n t he e xtent t o w hich d ifferent

a reas

o f

t he

p resent

t ill

s urface

h ad

b een

e roded.

s uggested m ajor d ifferences i n t he p eriods o f t ime w hich t hese

T his

various

p arts o f t he t ill s urface h ad b een e xposed t o t he a tmosphere. B isat ( 1939) b eleived f urther s ub-divisions o f t he t ills c ould b e m ade a s s et o ut i n T able 2 ,2, O ne f urther d ivision w as t he r ecognition o f t he H essle T ill, T his w as b elieved t o o verlie b oth D rab a nd P urple ( Skipsea a nd W ithernsea) T ills. T his H essle T ill h as n ow b een s hown t o b e a w eathering p roduct d eveloped u pon a nd a cross t he S kipsea a nd W ithernsea T ills, I t i s n ot t herefore a d istinct s edimentary u nit,

2 0

Approximate age

L and Mollusc

Characteristic

- southern

pollen

Z ones

England

1 4

C

Time

1000

Fl

I I II

. u

. . 1

VIII

• Alnus-Quercus-

. f

Betula

4

e 4 4 < I . A

C l ) AD

1

BC 1000

H e w s . 1 o VIIb m 1

2000

c 4 n

g

H

m

e

Tilia Arboreal Pollen

a

I 4000

F l

I I

5000

VII

aAlnus-QuercuS-

d2

Ulmus-Tilia

c Quercus-Ulmus-

d l

Tilia F l

I

V I

Pinus Corylus

Boreal

6000

H M Z

U lmus C

Corylus

V Imo

Co n ‚lus-Betula-Pinus

IV

Betula-Pinus

I II

I II

Herbs

I I

I I

Pre-

8000

b Quercus-

a U lmus-

Borpa L

7000

Z
, P l i c i P L iri

0 ) , I 1 2 )

> a s f i ( . 7

A I C I ) a ) > , > a s 0 r 1 4 c _ . )

> › • a l

› D

r l c, P r I C O C D c • i ci ri 4 2 a l c _ . ) D e T . , 0 C Ö 1 . I c d P p f i a ) 0 i 0 i

r l A F 4 a ) c o A r i , z $ 4 r e c . ) a ) , £ ) l c > • , 4 0 ( i )

2 2

› , e

a ) C D

e

a ) C I ) a i P a

, c ) c i F i A i

T able 2 .2.

. . c o C l I C I i I ( 1 )

B asement

P C T,

S ubdivision

o

, c 5

a 5 4 . , P 4 ) a ic i c o C D

• v 4

•4 . , 4 1 • o i

I n p laces, t he c omplex i ce m ass, o r i ce r e-advances, w hich e ventually d eposited t he S kipsea T ill a lso d ragged u p, a nd p artially i ncorporated, much o lder p reviously d eposited t ills o f W olstonian o r A nglian a ge ( Table 2 .2). T his o lder t ill i s t ermed t he B asement T ill and i s t o b e f ound i n t ight f olds w ithin t he S kipsea T ill. E lsewhere " erratic r afts" o f d erived masses o f c old, s hallow e stuarine m arine deposits, o f p resumed P astonian a ge a lso o ccur i n t he T ill. T hese marine d eposits a re k nown a s t he B ridlington " Crag". T he K elsey H ill g ravels R ather d ifferent f ossiliferous,

b ut v ery c oarse, g lacio-genic

g ravels, k nown a s t he K elsey H ill G ravels, a lso o ccur o n H olderness ( Catt 1 977)* T hese c ontain a r ich, b ut d erived ? Ipswichian interglacial f auna ( Penny 1 963, 1 974; P restwich 1 861), I n archaeological t erms t hese a re i mportant b ecause o f t heir s lightly higher e levation a nd g ravelly t exture, w hich h ave l ed t o b etter drainage a nd l ighter s oils t han o ccur o ver m uch o f H olderness* T hese a reas m ay h ave b een p referred f or o ccupation i n e arly F landrian t imes, For e xample, p resumed M esolithic b arbed h arpoon p oints h ave r ecently been r ecovered f rom H overingham's G ravel P it ( TA 1 2544654) n ear Brandesburton ( Davis-King 1 980). S uch f inds n eed t o b e r egarded w ith caution, T heir r elationship w ith t he Q uaternary s tratigraphy i s f requently u nknown. K nowledge o f t heir d istribution i s o bviously b iased t owards a reas w here g ravel i s q uarried. T he

o rigins

a nd

s tratigraphic

p osition

o f t he K elsey H ill

G ravels i s n ot f ully c lear* T hey o ften a ppear t o l ie s tratigraphically between two D evensian t ills - t he S kipsea a nd W ithernsea T ills. C onsequently t hey m ay d ate t o t he p eriod 1 8,250-14,000 y ears b spy, o r a period b etween m ajor i ce r eadvances; a c omplete k nowledge o f t he p alaeogeography a t d eposition i s n ot y et a vailable. T he d erived f auna contained w ithin t hem i s s urprising. T here a re f requent r emains o f l arge, ' resilient' I pswichian v ertebrate a nd m olluscan f ossils. T he f urther r e-working o f t hese f ossils i nto F landrian s equences o ught t o b e d etectable b y c onsideration o f t he t axa c oncerned: e .g. Palaeoloxodon a ntiquus , D icerorhinus h emitoechus , C orbicula f luminalis ; and m arine m olluscan t axa s uch a s Cardium a nd L ittorina ( see P enny 1 963)* T he S ewerby R aised B each

e xposures h illwash,

A t S ewerby, i mmediately n orth o f B ridlington ( Figure 1 .2) i n t he s ea c liff r eveal S kipsea T ill o verlying c halky d une s ands a nd b each d eposits o f p resumed I pswichian

i nterglacial a ge*

T hese r est a gainst a f ossil s ea c liff a nd a ssociated

s horeline p latform e roded i nto t he C halk a nd a cross p re-Devensian t ills. T he p latform a nd c liff m ay b e u ltimately o f g reater a ntiquity than t he I pswichian, p ossibly h aving o nly b een e xhumed a nd f urther e roded i n t hat i nterglacial s tage ( Boylan 1 967; C att, W eir a nd M adgett 1 974;

C att

1 977).

2 3

T HE M ERES A ND W ETLANDS O F H OLDERNESS L ocation a nd e vidence,

a bundance:

c artographic,

d ocumentary

a nd

p lace n ame

T he o riginal d istribution o f l akes, m eres a nd w etlands o n H olderness i s n ot e asy t o r econstruct, L and d rainage, r eclamation, a gricultural i mprovements, s iltation a nd c oastal e rosion have a ll p roduced m ajor c hanges i n t he l andscape. T he b est p alaeogeographic r econstruction p ublished i s t hat o f J une S heppard ( 1957). F ive t echniques w ere e mployed ( Figure 1 .4). F irst, t he t opography o f t he a rea w as e xamined a nd l ikely l ocations o f f ormer l arge m eres d etermined ( e.g. P late 2 .1), S hallow m eres o n f lat g round a re c learly l ikely t o b e m issed u sing t his a pproach. O n t he o ther h and, t he s urface r elief o f o ther a reas h as b een a ltered by p eat c utting a nd p eat s hrinkage - p ossibly a llowing s ome a reas t o f lood a nd h ence g enerate m eres. S heppard s uspected B urton A gnes mere m ight b een e nlarged b y t hese p rocesses. S econd,

h ave

e xamination o f d rift g eological m aps p rovided c lues,

b ut s mall m eres o r s hallow a ccumulations o f l ake

s ilts/peats

will

n ot

n ecessarily b e n oted o n t he p ublished 1 :63,360 s heets o r e ven o n t he u npublished 1 :12,500 f ield mapping s heets h eld b y the I nstitute o f G eological S ciences, r ecently r enamed t he " British G eological S urvey". V ery s mall m eres a re t herefore l ikely t o b e m issed w ith t his a pproach. T hird, e xamination o f a erial p hotographs t aken d uring f looding i n t he e xtremely b ad w inter o f 1 946-47 w as u seful s ince i t i s q uite p robable H olderness m ust h ave r esembled i ts e arlier u ndrained c onditions ( Sheppard 1 957). T he l arger a reas o f f looding c learly c orrelate w ith l arge f ormer m eres, b ut t he s ignificance o f t he s maller f looded a reas w as n ot a lways c lear, T he i mportance o f p lace n ames f or p alaeogeographic r econstructions h as b een s tressed b y n umerous writers including S heppard ( 1957). F or e xample, E kwall ( 1936) e xplained t he n ame S kipsea a s O ld E nglish o r A nglo-Saxon f or " Lake f or S hips", p roviding a c lear i ndication t hat t he f ormer l ake w as o f s ubstantial d imensions, P lace n ames i ncluding

' mere',

' mar(r)',

' marsh',

and

' sea'

i ndicate t he f ormer p resence o r p roximity o f l akes, m eres o r w etlands i n t he f ifth t o n inth c entury , w hen t he n ames w ere g iven b y A nglo S axon a nd D anish o ccupants, T his l ist o f n ames i s l ong b ut n ot c omplete, M arton a nd S and-le-Marr, L ongmarhill,

S allymarr, n ear B urton C onstable; n ear W ithernsea; M arfleet n ear H ull; n ear W elwick; B owmerehill i n Owstwick;

P ilmar L ane i n R oos; H ornsea m ere; W ithernsea m ere; P idsea; R owmere a nd G iltsmere i n T unstall; R edmere i n P reston; B raemere i n F linton; ' The M arrs' i n S wine; C rossmerehill i n A ldborough; B raemarr D rain i n B eeforth; G unnymarsh D rain i n O ttringham; S lightmarsh a nd Ryehill m arsh i n R yehill; O ttringham m arsh; A twick m arsk; ' The M arsk' i n N unkeeling; a nd B assmarr, L owmere, B ailmere a nd

2 1 4

S oumers, Whitmarr, S kipsea W ithow m ere

E O 4 4

L c

L

• z s ( I ) 5 . G . ) • 5 . 4 c O

« I 5 . t 2 0 0 o 4 -

^ a )

( 8 4 •

( 1 )

0 n i E

4 1 )

5 . ' C S

0 3

u )

a ) a

. 1 4 , U ( 1 ) C

1 : 5 z

(t i

2

4 . ) Z .

e g)

. 0

c z 4 ) a i z : 3 0

r . ,

4 . ) c o 0.c 1

r. 4

• t 4 C I ) ( 1 )

C \ I C l ) 4 . ) ( T i

2 5

« r 4

C ( I ) 4 — >

. r 4

( 1 )

F igure 2 ,3

T he l ocation of t owns a nd meres of H olderness l ost a s a r esult o f c oastal e rosion ( after S heppard 1 912): D ots c orrespond t o v illages; o pen s ymbols c orrespond t o meres, 1 -W ilsthorpe; 2 - A uburn; 3 - H artburn; 4 - H yde; 5 Withow; 6 - C leton; 7 - N orthorpe; 8 - H ornsea B urton; 9 H ornsea B eck a nd S outhorpe; 1 0 - G reat C olden; 1 - C olden P arva; 1 2 - O ld A ldborough; 1 3 - R ingborough; 1 4 M onkwell; 1 5 -M onkwike; 1 6 - S and-le-mere; 1 7 - Waxholme; 1 8 - Owthorne o r S isterkirke; 1 9 - N ewsham; 2 0 - O ld W ithernsea; 2 1 - O ut N ewton; 2 2 - D imlington; 2 3 - Turmarr; 2 4 - N orthorp; 2 5 - H oton; 2 6 -S ite o f A ngell's L ight; 2 7 - S unthorp; 2 8 - O rwithfleet; 2 9 - R avenspurn; 3 0 R avenser O dd,

2 6

a t S kipsea ( Figure 1 ,6). G oose i sland n ear U lrome i s a hillock s urrounded b y f ields, t he s ite i s n o l onger a n i sland. A ccording t o S heppard ( 1909:503-504) i n m edieval t imes t his v ast a rea o f w etlands c onstituting t he ' Isle o f H olderness' c ould i tself b e c ircum-navigated b y v essels e ntering f rom t he N orth S ea n ear B armston a nd t hen s ailing west a nd t hen s outh d own t he R iver H ull t o t he H umber e stuary. T he m odern m aps o f this w ealth o f n ames* M uch

t he r egion a re r elatively p oor g uides t o b etter a re t he O rdnance S urvey F irst

E dition S ix I nch M aps ( 1854-1855), a nd t he T ithe S urveys w hich g ive t he n ames o f m ost o f t he f ields i n t he a reas s urveyed*

F igure

The r esults o f t hese c ombined s urveys a re r eproduced i n 1 .4 w hich i ndicates t he f ormer p resence o f o ver 7 0 m eres i n

H olderness. T he f igure i s p robably t oo l ow s ince a ll o f t hese methods i nevitably t end t o u nder-estimate t he n umbers o f e conomically u nimportant m eres,

s urvey s mall,

T he d isappearance o f t he H olderness m eres. S heppard ( 1957) a lso d ocumented i n d etail t he d isappearance o f m any m eres k nown t o e xist f rom m edieval r ecords. S he s uspected t hat many o f t he s maller m eres a nd o ne l arger m ere ( Lambwith - F igure 7 15) had c ompletely s ilted u p ( Plate 2 .1) b y t he f ourteenth c entury* T he r easons f or t he d evelopments a re n ot f ully c lear. Many p ossibilities s pring t o m ind* I t m ay h ave b een t he c onsequence o f d eliberate d raining, o r f ailure t o c lear w eeds a nd h ence maintain o pen water a s e conomic i nterest i n f reshwater ( subsistence?) f ishing d eclined, T he R eformation l ed t o f urther d eclines i n i nterest i n maintaining o pen w ater, a s s ea f ishing c ontinued i ts r ise i n i mportance a t t he e xpense o f f reshwater f ishing. D ocumentary r ecords o f t he s eventeenth c entury s how t hat b y t his t ime p enalties h ad b een e stablished f or f ailure t o p roperly m aintain d rains i n t he a rea. T hese records, ' The P ains' o f t he C ourt o f S ewers f or t he E ast P arts o f t he E ast R iding w hich a re n ow h eld i n R ecords O ffices, s uggest t hat o nly the m eres a t H ornsea, S kipsea ( Bailmere a nd L owmere) ( Figure 1 .6) a nd P idsea s till s urvived, W ithernsea a nd S kipsea W ithow m eres h ad d isappeared a s a r esult o f c oastal e rosion. I n t he l ate s eventeenth a nd e arly e ighteenth c enturies f urther m eres/wetlands w ere d rained a s l ocal l and o wners ' improved' t heir p roperties. N ow o nly H ornsea m ere s urvives. D ocumentary e vidence o f c oastal e rosion. " Hornsea a s a n o ld m arket b ecoming a s easide r esort. p ossibility n earer,

t own p robably l ittle d reamed o f B ut c oast e rosion b rought t he

a nd t he b uilding o f a c oncrete f oreshore

a t o nce s erves t he p urpose o f k eeping b ack p rovides t he e ssentials o f a s easide r esort." ( S.E.J.

B est

1 930:146-1 )4 7)

2 7

t he

s ea

a nd

CN L O

0

( N 4 . 1

•

S everal h istorical d ocuments c ompiled i n S heppard ( 1909, 1 912) p rovide c lues o n t he l oss o f meres a nd c oastline b y c oastal e rosion, a nd m ore s pecifically u pon t he l oss o f r evenue p reviously g enerated b y t hem, " From a n i nquisition h eld a t W agen a bout 1 288, i t s eems R obert d e C hester e njoyed t he t ythe o f f ish i n S kipsea M arry P ossibly t his m ere w as i n e xistence a nd w ell s tocked w ith f ish a t t hat t ime,

I t w ould c ertainly b e s ome d istance

f rom

t he c liff e dge i n t he t hirteenth c entury*" " Inquisition a t H edon 1 400: £ 46:13/4 f rom U lrome, C leton, Skipsea a nd V illam d e H ythe ( £30) t o C onvent o f M eaux ' chiefly i n t he t ythe o f f ish - a ll d estroyed'," " 1396:

' the p lace

e ast o f S kipsea, o f E dward I I,

( Hythe)

i s n ow t otally d estroyed'.

H ythe:

i ncluded w ith S kipsea i n C leton i n t he r eign

Edward I II w as p etitioned f or a r eduction o f t ythes b ecause o f ' devastations o f t he s ea' i n S kipsea p arish, W ithow: W aghen I nquisition: t ithed l ike S kipsea t o R obert t o C hester, Only

t he

n ame

i s

n ow

l eft,

I t

was

i n

t he

t ownship

o f

S kipsea," ( Sheppard Further

1 912:192-193), e stimates

o f l and l oss w ere m ade b y S heppard

( 1909)

b y c omparing h is e stimates o f t he a rable a creage o f c oastal t owns i n H olderness d erived f rom d ata i n t he D omesday B ook w ith t he r esults o f a s urvey c onducted i n 1 800. W hilst t he r eliability o f t he e stimates i s o pen t o q uestion,

t heir g eneral i mport i s c lear,

T ownship

1 086

E asington H olmpton T unstall C olden

2 400 1 280 1 280 1 920

I f t hese r elevant

s ections

1 800 a cres a cres a cres a cres

1 300 9 00 8 00 100

a cres a cres a cres a cres

f igures a re a ttributed a nd a veraged a ccording t o t he o f

t he

H olderness

c oastline,

a n

a verage

r ate o f

r etreat o f 2 ,2m e ach y ear i s s uggested f or t he H olderness c oast a s a w hole* T his e stimate i s s lightly h igher t han t hat d erived b y V alentin w ho i nitially c alculated t he a verage r ate o f r etreat o f t he H olderness c liffline t o b e 1 ,2m e ach y ear ( Valentin 1 952) a nd s ubsequently m odified this f igure t o 1 ,4m e ach y ear ( Valentin 1 972), T hese e stimates were o btained b y c omparing m odern O rdnance S urvey m aps w ith t hose o f t he O rdnance S urvey's F irst E dition S ix I nch m ap w hich was p ublished i n 1 852, a nd b ased o n s urveys c onducted i mmediately b efore t his d ate, S everal

o ther

e arly maps

a nd

h ydrographic c harts a re a lso

r elevant i n t his c ontext, T he s ixteenth c entury m ap e ntitled " Plotte made f or the description of the R iver Humber and of t he S ea and Seacoast from Hull t o S karburgh" h eld i n t he B ritish M useum s hows a p redecessor o f m odern H ornsea,

I t w as l ocated e ast o f t he p resent

2 9

•0

3

4e--

r n

cD

3 0

s ettlement a nd i s s hown t o b e c onnected t o t he s ea b y a l ong s traight r iver o r c reek, T his t own w as l ater a bandoned a nd t he n ewer s ettlement l ocated f urther i nland, T he c onstruction o f s eawalls n ecessary t o p rotect i t f rom c oastal e rosion b egan a t t he e nd o f t he n ineteenth c entury, F rom t he e nd o f t he e ighteenth c entury n umerous m aps w ere made o f t he c oast, T hese a re e specially i nteresting s ince t hey u tilised m easurements o btained f rom f ixed p oints, T he d ocumentation i s p articularly g ood f or S purn H ead a t t he e ntrance t o t he H umber. T his s pit i s t he s ubject o f a c lassic s tudy u sing s uch d ocuments b y D e B oer ( 1964, 1 982), T he a bove d ata a re s ummarised i n F igure 2 ,3 w hich s hows t he l ost t owns a nd c oastal e rosion o n H olderness6 A RCHAEOLOGY A ND S TRATIGRAPHY O F H OLDERNESS M ERES T he e arliest f inds o f w orked t imbers f rom H olderness meres a re r ecorded i n S mith ( 1911) w ho n oted t hat i n 1 880, o ak p iles a nd b ones were f ound a t W est F urze a nd R ound H ill, U lrome ( TA 1 61566) d uring t he c learing o f t he S kipsea b ranch o f t he B armston D rain ( Figure 1 .6), S hortly a fter 1 880, T homas B oynton, a D rainage C ommissioner, b egan a s mall s cale, b ut p ioneering, p rogramme o f e xcavations o f w aterlogged s ites a round S kipsea. T he w ork was r ecorded ( 1911) w hose p aper b ecame t he m ajor s ource f or l ater w orkers,

b y

S mith

U lrome T he s tratigraphy o f t he U lrome - W est F urze ' lake d welling' i s s hown i n F igure 2 .4, T he u ndifferentiated p eats - p resumably p eaty d etritus m uds - a re s hown t o b e d ivided b y a c arr p eat u pon w hich t he s tructures w ere b uilt. T he s tratigraphy o f t he R ound H ill ' lake d welling' i s m ore i nteresting ( Figure 2 .5). F reshwater ' marl' - a c alcareous d eposit w ith f reshwater m ussel s hells a nd a h uman s kull ( Smith 1 911:605) - i s s hown f orming t he c entre o f a s andwich b etween t he p eat l ayers,

D uring

t he p eriod o f o ccupation, b roadly a ttributed t o t he B ronze A ge, l ake a ppears t o h ave c ontained h ighly c alcareous w ater.

t he

H ornsea O ld M ere T he

' Old

M ere'

i s

n owadays a

d ry,

l andscaped d epression t o

t he e ast o f t he p resent H ornsea M ere. I t i s p rotected b y t he m odern s eawall. T he g eneral s tratigraphy a nd a rchaeology o f t hese l ake d eposits a re i mperfectly k nown, W hilst P hillips' ( 1829) e arly s ketches a re r ather g eneral, h is l ater i nterpretations w hich w ere r eproduced a fter h is d eath ( Etheridge 1 875) a re m ore i nformative. T hese d iagrams s uggest t hat a t l east p art o f t he l ake s equence i s f aulted. T he l ater o bservations o f C lement R eid ( 1885) a nd S heppard ( 1912), made a fter s evere s torms h ad e roded t he f oreshore, s uggests a n a lternation o f l ayers o f l acustrine p eats a nd s helly c alcareous marls, r eproduced a s F igure U lrome

2 .6.

.T his f eature i s e ssentially s imilar t o t hat o bserved a t

- R ound H ill b y S mith

( 1911,

F igure 2 65 i n t his t ext).

3 1

3 2

B isat's s ketches i n C att a nd M adgett ( 1981) p rovide l ittle f urther i nformation bH owever, d etailed s tratigraphic a nd p alynological d ata a re a vailable f rom a c ore b y B eckett ( 1977, 1 981) f rom t he r emains o f H ornsea O ld M ere a t N GR T A 1 947* T he l ake s equence e ncompasses t he L ate D evensian a nd F landrian. T he L ate D evensian s equence e xhibits t he c lassic l ithological s equence o f ( oldest) minerogenic g ravel c lay o rganic d etritus m ud - p inkish g rey s ilty c lay ( youngest) t ypical o f many L ate D evensian s equences i n n orthern B ritain. T he m iddle d etritus mud c ontains a p ollen f lora i ndicating t he p resence o f Betula w oodland a nd i s c orrelated w ith t he A llerdd i nterstadial p eriod* T he e nclosing m ineral-rich l ayers a re c haracterised b y p ollen and s pores i ndicative o f t he ' open' v egetation o f L ate-Devensian z ones I a nd I II. T he o verlying b rown, h omogeneous d etritus muds r eveal a n e arly F landrian l andscape d ominated b y Betula a nd P inus. T his w as f ollowed b y a m ixed d eciduous w oodland w ith Lanus, Quercus, Tilia, Corylus a nd A lnus - w hich i s f airly t ypical o f s ites i n n orthern E ngland. A lnus i s r ecorded v ery e arly i n t he F landrian. T he

' elm d ecline'

w as a ccompanied b y p arallel d eclines i n t he

a bundance o f T ilias M inor f orest r egeneration t hen t ook p lace, w ith f urther f orest c learance t aking p lace i n t he B ronze A ge. B eckett ( 1977)

f elt

t he

e xtent

o f

t he

c learances

w ere

o f

s maller

s cale o r

i ntensity t han a re r eported o n u pland s ites i n B ritain. T he s equence i s t erminated b y s lopewash s ediments b eing d eposited i n t he l ake a s i t s ilted/dried u p. T his m ay h ave o ccurred C . 2 000 B .P. w hen B eckett ( 1977:38) s uspected t he l ake m ay h ave b een b reached a nd d rained b y t he s ea. T he l ithological f luctuations n oted b y S heppard s ea w all

( 1906) i n t he

e xposure w ere n ot r eported*

A rmstrong ( 1922, 1 923a, 1 923b) r eported t he f ind i n 1 905 o f a ' Maglemose h arpoon' f rom a d epth o f 1 5 f eet ( 4,5m) f rom t hese d eposits during

t he

e xcavation

o f a g as

h older.

T he

h arpoon

i s

s imilar t o

s everal o thers f ound s ince i n t he a rea; h owever A rmstrong 's v iew o f i ts p rovenance must r emain d oubtful* A n e xtensive c oring p rogramme b y G odwin f ailed t o l ocate t he d eposit f rom w hich t he h arpoon w as r eported t o h ave b een f ound ( Clark a nd G odwin 1 956:11), A l ater h arpoon f ind f ound o n H ornsea b each i n 1 932 i s a lso u nprovenanced a nd w as p resumed t o h ave d erived f rom t he O ld M ere l acustrine d eposits b y C lark a nd G odwin

( 1956:11).

G rimston L ate

D evensian

l acustrine c lays a nd p eats r adiocarbon d ated

t o 1,250+170 b *p. ( BIRM 3 01) a nd 1 1,230+120 b ur )* ( BIRM 2 98) w ere o btained f rom a f ormer k ettle p eaty i nfill -exposed i n a l andslip a t G rimston

( TA

2 89352)

f urther

s outh

1 977 :39 , 4 0).

3

o n

t he

H olderness

c oast

( Catt

B armston T he U lrome a nd B armston s ites d escribed b y S mith ( 1911) w ere s urveyed b y V arley i n 1 960 a nd t he r esults o f h is r e-examination o f t he B armston s ite p ublished i n 1 968 ( Varley 1 968), T he s tratigraphy e stablished a t B armston i s s hown i n F igure

2 ,7.

T he

wooden

p iles

o f

b uildings w ere f ound l ying u pon, o r d riven i nto, t he ' Shell B ed' w hich o verlies g ravels, t hemselves r esting u nconformably u pon ' late-glacial' v arved s ilts. T he w ooden s takes a nd p iles w ere a ssociated w ith B ronze A ge a nd

i mplements. 2 890+150 f or

V arley ( 1968) r eported r adiocarbon d ates o f 2 960+150 t hese. T he m olluscan p alaeoenvironmental s tudies o f

B oylan ( 1-5 66) a t t he s ite a re d iscussed i n C hapter 6 h ere. They l ed h im t o i nfer t he f ormer p resence o f a s easonally f looded l ake o r f en s urrounded b y c arr a t t he s ite, s uggested c learance o f t he a gricultural a ctivity ( Varley 1 968). T hese d ifferences w ith

d ata t he

after

P ollen a nalysis o f t he o verlying p eats m ixed d eciduous f orest c over a nd

t he

B ronze

A ge

o ccupation o f

the

s ite

i ndicate b oth s tratigraphic p arallels a nd n otable s equence

a t

t he

S kipsea

W ithow m ere

s ite.

O f

p articular i nterest i s t he m ajor s tratigraphic b reak b elow t he ' Shell B ed', a nd t he d emonstration o f B ronze A ge o ccupation o f t he w etlands, V arley ( 1968) p referred t o r egard t he s tructures, n ot a s c rannogs i,e, p iled l ake d wellings - but a s t he r emains o f B ronze A ge buildings i nitially b uilt i n a d amp h ollow, H e b elieved t hese h ad t o b e a bandoned d ue t o e nvironmental c hanges w hich e ventually l ed t o t he s ite b eing b uried a nd p reserved b eneath p eat. V arley's s ection ( Figure 2 ,7) r eveals s ubstantial e xposures o f v arved c lays w hich h e a ssociates w ith l ake-freezing/unfreezing i n a d eglacial p hase. T he c ontact w ith t he o verlying l acustrine d eposits i s c learly e rosional, T he m ollu3can p alaeontology ( Chapter 6 ), p ollen b iostratigraphy a nd a rchaeological f inds i n t he o verlying s hell b ed a nd p eats

s uggest t his p art o f t he s equence i s a ttributable

t o B ronze

A ge

a nd p ost-Bronze A ge t imes. T he

c olluvium

p ieces o f g reen-glazed c entury

" rested

u pon"

( Units

m edieval t he

4 a nd

5 )

i s

a lso

p ottery r eferred

s andy c lays

i nteresting. t o

t he

T wo

t hirteenth

o f U nit 4 ; w hilst U nit 5 - o f

s imilar t exture - w as o verlain b y t he u pcast f rom t he w hich w as e xcavated a bout 1 800 A .D. ( Varley 1 968:16)*

B armston D rain

S kipsea W ithow M ere " Skipsea" - O ld E nglish - " a l ake

f or s hips".

T he c liff e xposure a t t he W ithow G ap o f

t he

f ormer

d eposits

o f t he S kipsea W ithow o r W itthow m ere a re n otable f or t wo r easons, T hey p ossess t he m ost c omplete a nd c omplex s equence of L ate-Devensian a nd F landrian d eposits k nown i n H olderness. T hey a re a lso u nrivalled f or p ossessing t he m ost c onfused l iterature d escribing l acustrine s equence,

3 1 4

a ny

H olderness

•0 4 .

4 . ) t l i

a ) a .

•0 > › 0 H 0 9 : 3 0 > f . 0 > . . .. . .

0 4 o

3

0

)

O

2

. C O 4 U ) O L . 0 0 2 4 0 › . . 0 C I 0 L . e i l H 4 ) O c . , . 4 0

C Y 1 . H 0 > a t L . 0 , ( s . 1 •. H H H H

• . Z U ) 0 3 H H • I O c o V ) X X 1 / 4 0 . . . 0 O N I n t •

( v

( 7 )

I 1 1• 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

3 5

I I I M I I I I I I

0 0 0 C ) . • , 3 •X

3 6

P late 2 ,2 s hows t he p resent W ithow G ap a nd t he b uildings m apped o n F igure 2 ,1 a s p hotographed p ointing n orth f rom l ocation A , T he r ate of c oastal e rosion m ay b e a ppreciated b y r ecognising t hat t he l ocation o f t he e xposures n oted b y G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933) l ay well s eawards o f t he f allen r emains o f c oncrete p ill b oxes s een c ollapsed o n t he b each i n t he b ottom r ight h and c orner o f t he p hotograph, ' The W ithow G ap o r W ithow H ole' The

o ldest

r eferences t o t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere a re

r ecorded i n t he Y orkshire A rchaeological S ociety's R ecord S eries. S kipsea Withow mere i s i dentified i n t hem b y t he n ame F witthouker ( Sheppard 1 957), w ho r ecords: " In

1 260,

o ne W illiam d e

F ortibus,

E arle o f

A lbemarle i s

d escribed a s o wning ' four m eres a nd a h alf, t o w it L ambwad, S kipsea, F witthouker a nd W ythornse m eres a nd a m oiety o f P idsea m ere, w ith a f ishery t hroughout t he w hole, T he o ther moiety i s t he L ord W illiam d e R os w ith f ishery t hrough t he whole'," ( pp, 8 0-81). A s econd d ocument q uoted b y S heppard ( 1957:82) p rovides f urther d etails o f e conomic a nd s ocial i nterest, i ndicating t hat i n S kipsea the a rable l and a nd m eadow w ere v alued a t 4 d a nd 8 d a n a cre r espectively; w hereas t he e els f rom S kipsea a nd W ithow meres were valued a t 1 0 s hillings, T he W ithow m ere h ad d isappeared f rom t he d ocumentary r ecord b y 1 660, p resumably h aving b een l ost b y c oastal e rosion, T he S kipsea m eres - B ailmere a nd L ow m ere c an b oth b e t raced o n t he g round t oday a nd h ave b een c ored a nd i nvestigated F lenley a nd M aloney 1 975, 1 976),

( Figure

1 .6;

S EDIMENTS A ND S TRATIGRAPHY T he n ineteenth c entury T he

p rogress

o f

a rgument

a nd

t he

d evelopment

o f

o ur

u nderstanding o f t he s ediments, s tratigraphy, c hronology, p alaeontology a nd a rchaeology a t t he S kipsea W ithow mere s ite a re s ubjects w hich m erit c onsiderable i nterest, T he g eneral p rinciple a ppears t o b e t hat t he s tratigraphic p roblems w hich b ecame c lear i n t he l ate 1 970's d erive f rom a l ack o f d etailed i nformation o n t he s tratigraphy o f t he l ower p art o f the s equence. I t i s e specially i nstructive t o e stablish e xactly what t he v arious r esearch w orkers a ctually w rote, a nd c ompare t heir v iews w ith t he i nformation f ound i n s econdary s ources, T he e xposures a t S kipsea W ithow m ere w ere f irst d escribed b y P hillips i n 1 829. H is f ullest s ections a nd d escriptions a re g iven i n F igure 1 .7, H is b elief, t hat t he t ills ( boulder c lays) w ere t he r esult o f d eposition i n g lacial s eas, w as i n k eeping w ith t he w isdom o f t he t imes, a nd d id n ot c olour o r d istort h is d escription o f t he e xposures. S everal p oints,

c learly i llustrated i n P hillips, a re r elevant

t o a f uller u nderstanding o f t he a rchaeological r emains l ater f ound a t t he

s ite,

3 7

a nd

p alaeontological

1 , T he l ength a nd t hickness o f t he e xposure i n t he 1 820's. I t w as r ecorded a s o ver 4 00m l ong, c ompared w ith l ess than 1 00m e xposed n owadays. A b road, d ish s haped b asin i s i mplied, t he c oast h aving r etreated c . 2 25m i n t he i ntervening p eriod. 2 . T he s hape o f t he c ontact b etween p eat a nd c lay i n P hillips' ( 1829) s ection i s i llustrated i n F igure 1 ,7, t ogether w ith h is n otes, T he c ontact i ndicates t he u nderlying l ake s ilts m ust have b een e roded p rior

t o

t he

d eposition

o f

t he

i nfilling

p eats,

T his

i mportant

o bservation w as a lso m ade b y B isat, w hose c arefully d rawn s ections a lso r eveal t he major u nconformity b etween t he p eat a nd u nderlying l acustrine s ilts/clays

( in C att a nd M adgett

1 981).

3 .

A n i mportant g ravel m ember i s d escribed ( although n ot i llustrated) w ithin t he ' clay' s tratum b y P hillips ( 1829a), T his g ravel m ember w as l argely o verlooked i n l ater s tudies. T his i s u nfortunate s ince o ne p ossible i nterpretation o f P hillips' t ext i s t hat t he h ead a nd a ntlers o f t he C ervus Regaceros w ere o btained f rom t his m ember b y t he ' gravel c ollector' who f ound t hem, I t i s e xceedingly u nlikely s uch a c ombination o f f inds w ould b e o btained f rom t he m any n earby g ravel l enses f ound i n t he a djacent S kipsea T ill, P hillips ( 1829) a nd s everal o ther l ater w orkers ( e.g. R eid 1 885, S heppard 1 906 , B isat i n C att a nd M adgett 1 981, and V arley 1 968) I ndicate b asically s imilar l ate- a nd/or p ost-glacial s equences i nfilling h ollows o n t he t ill s urface e lsewhere a long the H olderness c oast, T he m ost r ecent d etailed d escriptions d erive f rom H ornsea ( Beckett

1 981)

a nd B armston

( Varley 1 968),

T he M aglemosian h arpoon c ontroversy Whilst t he p alaeontology a nd ' lake d wellings' o f t his a nd s imilar s ites o n H olderness w ere b ecoming w ell k nown, l ittle f urther o f s cientific s ignificance w as f ound a t t he W ithow m ere s ite u ntil 1 903. A t t his t ime, a ' Mr. B . M orfitt J unior' f ound a c arved b one h arpoon ( Figure

1 .5) " lying i n s ilt a t a d epth o f 5f eet, b eneath l acustrine p eat a nd i mmediately a bove t he s keletal r emains o f a n e lk ( Cervus giganteus) w hich h e w as e xcavating. w as r eindeer, r ed-deer a nd a ncient-ox. T he

S kipsea

h arpoon

--

i s

O ther f auna a ssociated

4 ,9 i nches l ong,

e xceedingly

w ell f inished, b arbed o n o ne e dge o nly --" ( Armstrong 1 922:60). T hese

f inds

w ere

w ritten

u p

b y

A ,

L eslie

A rmstrong

i n a

s eries o f p apers ( 1922, 1 923a, b ). T hey r epresented t he f irst f inds o f s uch a rtefacts i n t he B ritish I sles, H e n oted t hat i rregular h oles i nfilled w ith p eat o r t wigs h ad b een o bserved a t t he contact b etween t he p eat a nd u nderlying c lays. T hese w ere a lso d etected b y A rmstrong i n h is own e xcavations. T hey w ere t hought t o b e t oo n arrow a nd i rregular t o r epresent t he r emains o f t imber p iles, a nd w ere r egarded a s m ore l ikely t o b e t he r esult o f u sing p oles t o p ropel b oats a cross t he f ormer l ake by ' Maglemosian' r ather t han t he B ronze A ge p eople a ssociated w ith t he n earby c rannogs

( Smith

3 8

1 911).

M U SE U M

O P N ATU RA L H I STO RY.

ar mO ut to ra a A PPLI E D A NY R O YA L INS TI TU TIO N . A L IN O N STR EET . TEL . C U M 01 34 .

: 11uNicu ipAx . .

M osco w o r Pt o maines AN D S HI PP ING , P ic cco gr ao

M us lEuras ,

I It L L

I ra n c .

CI M IT . 3713A .

H U LL H I ST O R I C A L M USE U M, W ILBER PO RC E H OUSE.

1 7th S eptember

19 29.

> Sl o w S TREET . T1L , C ENT .

2325 .

M U SE U M OF C O M M ERC E * N O TR AN SPO RT , O LD C O RN

E XC N A N GS .

HI GH TE L C I CAT . 231 10 . -

-

M ORT IM E R M USEU M or PrisisT on i c M ecr awc ot .0 0r . C AR R L A N E . Ta L C•r er . 31 01 5.

T. Ss CrPAR .O, H .S C .

P .S .A. SC OT .

DI RECT O R .

D ear M r H azzledine W arren , T hanks f or y ours. T he M aglemose h arpoons w ere m ade b y M r 1 3 .1orfitt i n t he p resence o f h is s ister w ho w as s pending a w eekend w ith M rs S heppard a nd I a nd t old u s h ow i t w as d one. ( see e nclosed p amphlet). S ince t hen a s pecial c ommittee a ppointed b y t he B ri ish A ssociation h as e xamined t he s ite a t E ornsea a nd m ade e xcavations a nd n o p eat e xists a ny fhere n ear t he u asworks a nd t he m en s ay n othing o f t he s ort w as f ound t here d uring e xcavätions. T he S kipsea s ite s till h as t o b e e xamined b y t he C ommittee b ut I a m s ure w ill b e e qually u nproductive. D on 't f orget t hat S ir H ercules R eid s tated t hat b oth h arpoons h as b een m ade b y t he s ame i ndividual. Y ours s incerely ,

S .Hazzledine W arren, E sqre., -h erwood, L oughton , E ssex.

F igure 2 ,8

S heppard's ( 1929) c orrespondence o n t he a uthenticity o f t he h arpoon r emains r ecorded b y A rmstrong ( 1923b).

3 9

U nfortunately f or A rmstrong, t he h arpoons b ecame t he s ubject o f u npleasant c ontroversy. S heppard, w ho w as D irector o f t he M unicipal M useum, H ull, a nd E ditor o f t he i nfluential n orthern j ournal ' The N aturalist', a lways d oubted t he a uthenticity o f t he h arpoons. H is a ttack w as t hree p ronged.

g ame

A rmstrong w as c learly r egarded a s n ot p laying t he s cientific i n t he a pproved m anner: " One o f t he m ost e xtraordinary n ewspaper ' stunts' i n r ecent y ears h as b een t he m ethod a dopted b y M r. L eslie A rmstrong, o f S heffield, i n e ndeavouring t o c onvince t he w orld t hat t he t wo b one h arpoons w hich h e e xhibited a t H ull a re g enuine, a nd t hat t he o pinion e xpressed b y t he p resent w riter t o t he e ffect t hat t he h arpoons a re f orgeries, h as b een p roved t o b e w rong. M r. A rmstrong a lleges t hat t wo c ommittees h ave p roved c onclusively t hat t he h arpoons a re t welve t housand y ears o ld, w hereas t he c ommittees h ave p roved n othing o f t he s ort, a nd i n f act c ould n ot d o s o." ( Sheppard 1 923:169).

I n t he l onger r un, much m ore i nteresting a re t he many c riticisms S heppard r ecords o n t he c ircumstances a nd r eports o f t he i nitial f inds, S everal i mportant d iscrepancies c an b e i dentified i n A rmstrong's a ccounts i n the f encing m atch r epresented b y t heir l iterature ( Armstrong 1 922, 1 923a, b , S heppard 1 923, n ewspaper a rticles t herein, a nd 1 929 r eproduced a s F igure 2 ,8 h ere). A rmstrong's ( 1922) f aunal c ontext o f t he h arpoon,

r eport g ives a d ifferent a ccount o f t he e specially a s i t r elates t o t he g iant

e lk ( Cervus g iganteus = M egaeeros g iganteus B lumenbach). " The h arpoon

-- was

r esting

i n

s ilt,

u nder

f ive

f eet

o f

o verlying p eat. A bove i t a nd e nclosed i n t he p eat w as t he c omplete s pecimen o f a f emale e lk ( Cervus g iganteus). A t t he s ame l evel a s t he h arpoon, r emains o f r eindeer, r ed d eer, a nd p ike w ere d iscovered --" ( Armstrong 1 922:131). T he

h arpoon

r emains

w ere

i n,

n ot

o n

t he

s ilt,

a lthough

o ther r eferences t o p eat s taining i ndicate c lose p roximity t o t he p eat. T he r eindeer, r ed d eer a nd p ike s imilarly a re r egarded a s f ound i n t he s ilt, T he g iant e lk h as, h owever, b een t ransferred t o t he p eat.

S tuart

C urrent k nowledge o f v ertebrate p alaeoecology s ummarised i n ( 1982) r ecords t hat r eindeer a nd g iant e lk w ere b oth c reatures

o f t he ' cold' o pen t undra o r b irch/pine/poplar-aspen p arklands o f B ritish c old s tage c limates ( it i s n ot p ossible t o d istinguish b etween t he p ollen o f p oplar a nd a spen), S tuart ( 1982) i ndicates c . 1,000 y ears b .p, a s t he y oungest r eliable a ntiquity y et a ttributed t o t his g iant e lk, P hillips'

R eindeer i s k nown f rom L ate D evensian z one L -De I II. E ven i n ( 1829) d ays, t he W ithow mere p eats w ere r ecognised a s

e ssentially p articular,

t he

p roducts

o f

t emperate

l andscapes,

H azel

a re a bundant a nd g ive u nequivocal i ndications o f

f orest t rees/shrub o ccurring i n t he a rea,

1 4 0

n uts,

i n

t emperate

I n 1 923 A rmstrong ( 1923a:136) s tates t hat t hese s ame s ilts w hich y ielded t he h arpoon, a nd c ertainly t he r eindeer, a lso " contain p lant r emains, n uts a nd f reshwater s hells", T hese n uts c an o nly b e h azel n uts. T hese d ata i ndicate c urious o verlaps b etween e ssentially c old s tage f aunas o f o pen e nvironments a nd t emperate f orested e arly-mid F landrian l andscapes. W hilst t he q uantity o f b etter a uthenticated h arpoons s ubsequently d eriving f rom t he a rea, d escribed i n C lark a nd G odwin ( 1 956), B artlett ( 1969), R adley ( 1969) a nd D avis-King ( 1980) s uggests A rmstrong's h arpoons may h ave b een g enuine, t he b asic s tratigraphy o f t he s ite a nd c onsequently p alaeoecological c ontext s till r emains c onfused i n t his l iterature. C ommittees o f E nquiry T wo c ommittees o f a rchaeologists a nd g eologists w ere c onvened i n 1 922 t o d iscuss t he a uthenticity o f t he h arpoons. T heir v iews a re g iven i n A rmstrong ( 1922), T he f irst p anel, c omprising H addon, B urkitt a nd J .E. Marr, e xpressed t heir v iew t hat " on t he e vidence p laced b efore u s, w e a re s atisfied a s t o t heir p rovenance." ( p. 6 5). T he s econd g roup o f R ead, S mith-Woodward a nd K endall, made t he t elling p oint that a t t he t ime o f t heir d iscovery, n o o ther h arpoons w ere a vailable t o b e s een f rom D enmark, f rom w hich t hey w ere a lleged t o h ave b een c opied. S heppard's " strong g rounds f or d oubting t he a uthenticity o f t he h arpoons" was

f ound t o b e n on-verifiable.

T hese a nswers w ere c learly f avourable t o A rmstrong, i nsufficient t o v indicate f ully h is p osition. S heppard's v iew w as d ismissed,

i t

r emained n on-proven,

b ut n ot

t hese o pinions d id n othing t o s ort

o ut t he b asic s tratigraphic p roblem. T he r eports o f t he c ommittees s timulated f urther r esearch b y Armstrong, a nd a d ecade l ater b y t he G odwins ( 1933) w hich w as t o c larify s ome p oints, b ut a lso t o i ntroduce f urther u ncertainties i nto t he u nderstanding o f t he p alaeontology a nd a ge o f t he l ower l ake s ilts. I n

1 922,

L eslie

A rmstrong c arried o ut f urther e xcavations.

T hese y ielded f urther c ollections o f f lint i mplements o f M esolithic type f rom t he u pper l ayers o f t he c lay/silts, f rom t he s ilt/peat b oundary, a nd t he l ower l ayers o f t he p eats. T he i mplements w ere a djudicated b y t he c ommittees, a nd o ne o f A rmstrong's f lint i mplements ( Armstrong 1 922:figure 4 ) w as s tated t o b e e arly N eolithic, r ather t han M esolithic, b ut s till r egarded a s c ontemporary w ith t he h arpoons. T he a dvent o f p ollen b iostratigraphy T he h arpoons a nd t heir c hronological p roblems c learly f ascinated t he G odwins. I n t he s ummer o f 1 932, t hey v isited t he s ection w ith A rmstrong a nd b rought t o b ear t he n ew s cience o f Palynology. T his r epresented t heir f irst a ttempt t o d ate a rchaeological r emains b y p ollen b iostratigraphy i n t he B ritish I sles, a nd e stablished p rinciples a nd s tandards o f g reat s ignificance. T he original h arpoon s ite h ad b y t his t ime b een l ost b y t hree d ecades o f c oastal

e rosion.

4 1

A t t he s ampling s ite t he s ection w as a s f ollows:

( 0,76m) 2 f eet 6 i nches, f ine b rown c lay - n ow c racking i nto c olumnar f orm. A f resh w ater d eposit, ( 2.13m) 7 f eet, s olid b lack o r b rown a morphous p eat w ith l arge n umbers o f h orizontal t ree b ranches o r t runks, i ncluding m uch o ak ( Quercus) e specially i n t he u pper t wo f eet, w hich i s a lmost s olid w ith t hem. H azel n uts f ound a t 4f eet 4 i nches, 5 f eet 6 i nches a nd 6 f eet 4 i nches, f rom t he t op o f t he b ed, a nd a t i ts v ery b ase. ( 0,15m)

6 i nches,

b rown s andy s ilt - w ith f ragments o f P inus b ark,

f ins o f p ike ( Esox l ucius) a nd f lint a rtifacts, o f ( ?) P runus. B uttery B lue C lay,

S tone f ruit

D uring t he s ampling f urther a rtifacts w ere f ound i n t he s andy s ilt j ust u nderlying t he p eat: t hese a re i n t he p ossession o f M r. A rmstrong a nd c learly a re o f t he s ame t ype a s t hose d escribed b y h im i n 1 923.

T able 2 .3

D ESCRIPTION O F T HE S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE S EQUENCE B Y G ODWIN A ND G ODWIN ( 1933),

" Submerged f orests o n t he N orthumberland c oast g ive o nly i ndefinite e vidence o f a s mall t ransgression l ater t han z one V I, a nd t he s ame m ay b e s aid o f t he s ite a t S kipsea W ithow o n t he Y orkshire c oast, where e rosion h as n ow e xposed o n t he b each t he l owest l ayers o f a f reshwater lake, I n t hese l ayers, w hich b elong t o z one l ac, t here p robably o ccurred n ot o nly r emains o f e lk, r eindeer, a nd a f reshwater Ancylus f auna, b ut i n a ll p robability a nother M aglemosian f ish s pear o f t he t ype m entioned a s f ound b etween t he L eman a nd O wer banks, Marine d eposits d o n ot, h owever, e nter t he d eep p rofile o f t he d eposits s ucceeding t hese b asal l ayers." ( Godwin

T able l ake

2 ,4,

1 943:236).

G odwin's

( 1943)

r e-interpretation o f t he a ntiquity o f t he

s ilts a t S kipsea W ithow m ere,

1 4 2

W ithow m ere

> E

r n ( . 1 . i

> C ORYLUS P I NUS U LMUS

_0

B ETULA A LNUS Q UERCUS

1'

C ORYLUS P I NUS U LMUS —

---. . .r--- 1

'I E i n N

1 43

T I L IA B ETULA A LNUS Q UERCUS

T he s ection d escribed b y G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933) i s s et o ut i n T able 2 .3. T he r esults o f t heir p alynological s tudies a re r e-drawn i n F igure 2 ,9. A n ew s tratigraphic m ember w as n oted, T able 2 ,3 d escribes a b rown s andy s ilt i mmediately b elow t he p eat f rom w hich a rtefacts w ere o btained, A t t he t ime o f t his d escription, t his m ay o r m ay n ot h ave b een m istaken f or t he s ilts d escribed b y A rmstrong ( 1923), I t c ertainly a ppears t o h ave b een m istakenly e quated w ith t hem l ater i n t he 1 940's, T he d ominance o f p ine, b irch, h azel a nd s ubsequent r ise i n A lder s uggested t hat t he b rown s andy s ilt s hould b e r eferred t o t he l ate

B oreal

( zone

V I

- T able

2 ,1)

o f

t he

d efinitive

G odwin

( 1975)

s cheme, I n t he 1 940's, s tratigraphic c omplications w ere i ntroduced i n t he r eview s ection o f G odwin ( 1943), s pecifically i n h is s eminal p aper o n c oastal p eat b eds a nd s ea l evel c hange, T he c ritical s entence i s s et o ut i n T able 2 ,4. T he l owest l ayers o f t he f reshwater l ake a t S kipsea W ithow m ere ( not j ust t he b rown s andy s ilt b elow t he p eat) w ere t hus a ll a ttributed t o z one V I: a n e arly m id-Flandrian d ate, M olluscan b iostratigraphy A c ombination o f t he a pplication o f m olluscan b iostratigraphy a nd ( apparently) l ithostratigraphic c orrelation c ombined w ith Godwin's r eview ( 1943) p rompted B oylan ( 1966) t o c onfirm t he e arly m id-Flandrian v iew f rom h is m olluscan s tudies ( see C hapter 6 h ere a nd T able 2 .5), T he e xcellently e xposed f ossil m olluscan f aunas f ound i n l ake s ilts a t S kipsea W ithow m ere a nd o ther f ormer m eres i n H olderness a re d escribed i n B isat ( 1932), D rake a nd S heppard ( 1910), E llis ( 1951), F etch ( 1904), S palding ( 1962) a nd, m ost r ecently, b y B oylan ( 1966) w ho r eviewed a ll p revious w ork, B oylan ( 1966) a lso d escribed t he u npublished n otes o f A .S. K ennard, w hich a re h eld i n t he B ritish M useum ( Natural H istory), D epartment o f P alaeontology. T he f aunal l ist, a nd i ts a ssociated h abitat/climatic i nterpretation s cheme, i s s et out h ere a s T able 6 ,5 i n C hapter 6 . T his s tudy b y B oylan p layed a c rucial r ole i n a ttributing t he ' harpoons'

a nd,

b y

i mplication,

t he

d escribed t o t he e arly m id-Flandrian.

vertebrate

r emains

p reviously

T he c ritical s entences a re:

" There i s l ittle e vidence o f c limate, s ince the l and s hells a re s o f ew , a nd f reshwater m olluscs a re v ery p oor i ndicators, but t he s carcity o f w arm-loving s pecies, such a s D iscus rotundatus, t hat a re s o c ommon i n t he S ub-Boreal f aunas o f N orth L incolnshire ( Kennard a nd M usham 1 937) i s n oteworthy* T he a uthor t herefore a grees w ith K ennard's ( manuscript) opinion t hat b oth L ate-Boreal i n a ge,"

S kipsea a nd B armston ( Boylan 1 966:117).

B armston

i mmediately

e xamination i ndicators,

i s

l ocated

n orth

o f

m olluscs

Skipsea.

a re

C lose

o f T able 6 ,5 r eveals t hat t he w oodland, a nd i ndeed w armth s uch a s C lausilia b identata o r D iscus rotundatus a re

p resent

a t

S kipsea

W ithow,

B armston,

but

T here

a re

a re

t otally

a bsent

i n

t he

l ake

s ilts

a t

o ther s uggestions o f w armth a t B armston -

4 4

N umber o f s pecimens o f m olluscs i n t he s amples f rom S kipsea ( 1929,

1 936 a nd 1 937) a nd B armston ( 1945A a nd B ,

N umber o f s pecimens i n : S pecies

S kipsea 1 929

B armston 1 945 A

1 945

1 946

N ew f ossil r ecord f or:-

1 936

1 937

0

0

0

1

5

C C C 0 0 0 0 0 0 C C C 0 0 1 2 0 C C C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 3 1 53 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 6 0 0 2 0 5 0 1 32 2 3 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

+ . + + 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 ö 0 + . . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 58 7 4 5 3 1 0 1 0 0 1 2 39 0 0 0 1 0 5 5 2 4 0 1 9 4 5 0 0 0 1 0 0

4 96 1 20 18 2 0 0 3 1 1 0 2 70 0 1 0 5 0 2 1 1 7 7 5 0 4 8 2 20 1 0 1 0 2 0

2 69 7 0 8 1 1 8 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 26 0 2 4 7 0 1 4 1 3 16 0 2 0 8 3 0 0 0 0 1 2

2 22 7 1 3 8 1 7 0 0 0 1 1 65 0 2 0 •5 0 6 1 5 7 0 2 0 8 2 0 1 0 1 4 0

4

T heodora. f luviatilia ( Linne)

3 4 4 4 M W 1 2 4 2 3 4 3 1 2 2 2 2 3 4 O M M W O D W O D

V elvet& c ristata ( Müller) Y . p iseinalis ( Müller) B ithynia t entaculata ( Linne) B . l eaebii ( Sheppard) C arychiun m inimum ( Müller) C . t ridentatum ( Risso) 42 =es t runcatula ( Miller) L . p alustrin ( Müller) L . s tagnalis ( Linne) L . p ereger ( Müller) l eans g lutinona ( Müller) P hysa f ontinalis ( Lim ne r) P lanorbis p lanorbis ( Linne) P . l e is :oaten& ( Millet) P . l aw ns ( Alder) P . a lbum ( Müller) P . c rista ( Linne) P . c ontortus ( Linne) S egmentina c omplanata ( Linne) A croloxus L i m p ets ( Linne) i ncylus f luviatilin ( Müller) S uccinea p feifferi ( Rossmassler) L aurie a mglica ( Wood) V allonia e xcentrica ( Sterki) C lansilia b identata ( Strom) C epaea m o norails ( Linne) R elicella i tala ( Linne)

W M W

D iscus r otundatus ( Müller) A rlon s p. R etinella r adiatula ( Alder) R . p ure ( Alder)

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

1 3 0 0

0 5 0 0

0 2 0 0

1 1 1 1

M W 4 2 4 1 1 2 2 4 2 -

Z onitoldes n itidus ( Müller) L imas s p. ? Anodonta n ygnaea ( Linne) S phaerium c o m m a ( Linne) P isidlun a nnicum ( Müller) P . c asertanum ( Poli) P . p ermonatun ( Malm) P . m iliun ( Held) P . s ubtruncatum ( Held) P . b enalouanum ( Sheppard) P . n itidum ( Jenyne) P isidium s pp.

0 0 2 C 0 1 1 0 C 0 C -

0 0 0 0 -

0 0 0 a 0 + 0 . + + . -

0 0 0 0 1 6 5 0 3 5 1 5 0 0 0 -

0 4 0 0 7 1 8 35 1 37 0 0 0 0 -

1 0 0 0 4 1 3 60 2 12 0 0 0 0 -

0 0 0 0 2 9 5 1 76 8 0 0 0 -

T otal n umber o f s pecimens i n s ample: -

N ot k nown

4 2

4 58

N ot k nown

8 49

2 477

7

1 947

1 580

0

E .Y.

S kipsea; E .Y. S kipsea ; E .Y. S kipsea; E .Y.

E .Y. E .Y. E .Y. E .Y.

E .Y. E .Y.

E .Y.

S kipsea; E .Y. S kipsea ; E .Y.

9 25

E .Y. = E ast Y orkshire. C = r ecorded a s c ommon, b ut n o d etails a vailable. += r ecorded a s p resent, b ut n o d etails a vailable. L AND M OLLUSCA M : W : 0 : D :

M arsh a nd a ssociated s pecies W oodland s pecies ' Open' s pecies ( i.e. u nwooded c onditions) D ry g round s pecies.

F RESHWATER M OLLUSCA 1 : 2 :

3 : 4 :

' Slum ' s pecies ( i.e. s howing a p reference f or , o r t olerance o f , p oor w ater c onditions, s uch a s s mall b odies o f w ater s ubject t o d rying , s tagnation o r c onsiderable t emperature v ariation). ' Catholic' s pecies ( i.e. t olerant o f aw ide r ange o f h abitats, o ther t han t he w orst s lums). D itch s pecies ( such a s a re f ound i n d itches w ith c lean, s lowly-moving w ater a nd a bundant a quatic p lants). M oving w ater s pecies ( such a s a re m ore c ommonly f ound i n s lightly l arger b odies o f w ater, f or e xample m oving s treams a nd p onds, w here t he w ater i s m oved b y c urrents a nd t he w ind).

T able 2 .5.

H OLOCENE M OLLUSCAN F AUNAS F ROM S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE A ND B ARMSTON D ESCRIBED B Y B OYLAN ( 1966): F OR M ODERN N OMENCLATURE S EE W ALDEN ( 1976) A ND K ERNEY ( 1976)

1 4 5

1 946,

1 947).

Theodoxus f luviatilis, Cepea nemoralls - w hich a re a lso a bsent f rom t he S kipsea W ithow s ilts, T he s hell b ed a t B armston was l ater t o b e a ssociated w ith t he F landrian b y V arley ( 1968) i n h is d escription o f t he B armston s erannogs'. T he w eaknesses i n t he a rgument a re n ow c lear. T he a ssociation o f t he S kipsea W ithow l ake s ilts a nd the h arpoons a nd v ertebrate r emains w ith e ach o ther a nd t he e arly-mid-Flandrian c ertainly d oes n ot a utomatically f ollow f rom t he molluscan f aunas r eported, a s t he f irst l ine q uoted f rom B oylan ( 1966) ( Table 6 .5 h ere) i ndicates, T he S kipsea W ithow s ilts a re c ompletely l acking d iagnostic o bligate t hermophiles o r s pecific i ndicators o f t emperate w oodland. T he u nderstanding o f molluscan b iostratigraphy a t t his t ime w as r elatively l imited, T he i mpact o f t he s eminal p apers o f K erney a nd E vans ( Kerney 1 963, K erney, B rown a nd C handler 1 964 , E vans 1 966, 1 967, a nd s ee w as o nly l argely s outhern

a lso K erney 1 977, K erney, P reece a nd T urner 1 981, E vans 1 972) j ust s tarting t o b e f elt, I n a ny c ase, the p ublished w ork c oncerned l and f aunas f rom t he h illwashes o n t he C halk o f E ngland. T he

e nvironmental

s ignificance o f t he m olluscan f auna f rom

t he l ake s ilts a t S kipsea W ithow m ere w as c onsequently much c learer, T he f reshwater f aunas i ndicated t he f ormer p resence o f a l arge, o pen b ody o f c lear w ater. T he a bsence o f t errestrial t axa p ointed t o e ither a l ack o f s treams o r r ivers n earby w hich m ight h ave i ntroduced s uch s hells, o r a l ack o f t rees a nd s hrubs, o r b oth f eatures i n c ombination. A r ecent model W ithow G ap

o f t he

s tratigraphy o f t he f ormer W ithow m ere a t t he

T he s tratigraphic c onclusions d erived f rom t he e arly s tages o f t he p resent r esearch p rogramme w ere p ublished i n G ilbertson ( 1983), T he r esults a re s ummarised i n F igure 3 .1. T he l owest n on-glacial u nits r ecognised w ere t he l acustrine s ilts, s ands a nd g ravels o f U nits 2 a a nd 2 b o f t hat f igure. T hese w ere s een t o b e s eparated b y a n e rosional e pisode f rom t he b ase o f l acustrine o rganic m uds ( Unit 3 ) r adiocarbon d ated t o 9 880+60 r adiocarbon y ears b op. ( SRR 1 944). T he c omplexities o f t he L ate D e-v ensian s equence w ere n ot r esolved, T he F landrian o rganic l ake muds o f U nit 3 g ave w ay t o w ood-rich c arr p eats ( Unit 4 ) a nd o verlying d etrital a nd i n s itu c arr/marsh p eats w hich w ere s trongly l aminated, a nd c ontained a bundant e vidence o f minor episodes o f e rosion a nd r e-working, T hese c ontained a r e-worked c arved s take o f A lder ( Alnus) r adiocarbon d ated t o 4 770+70 b ep. ( HAR 3 378). P eat f ormation w as s hown t o e nd s hortly a fter 4 ,500+50 years b .p. ( SRR 1 942) - t his d ate b eing o btained f rom a 5 cm t hick s lice o f p eat a t t he t op

o f

t his d eposit.

T he s andy s ilts b urying t his l ayer w ere r egarded

a s c olluvium r esulting f rom s oil e rosion o f t he a djacent t ill ridges, r ather t han r eflecting a ny p ossible l ater marine o r f reshwater i nfluences

( see C att

1 977),

T he s ource o f t he c onfusion i n t his r eview o f t he l iterature c oncerning t he S kipsea W ithow s ite d erives f rom t he l ack o f r eliable i nformation o n t he s tratigraphy, p alaeoenvironments a nd d evelopment o f t he W ithow m ere a nd i ts n eighbours i n H olderness, T he r esearch p rogramme d escribed h ere w as i nitially d irected t owards r esolving t hese f undamental p roblems.

4 6

C HAPTER 3 T HE LATE Q UATERNARY S EQUENCE A T THE S KIPSEA W ITHOW G AP

Da*Gilbertson,

D *J* B riggs, D .A*Harkness, C .O. H unt, S witsur, N .M. T hew a nd D . W oodall

F .B.Pyatt,

T he d eposits n oted a t t he W ithow G ap b etween 1 978 a nd 1 984 a re s hown i n F igures 3 .1 t o 3 .4, 3 .7 t o 3 .10, a nd a re s ummarised b elow, T he d etails o f l itho-biofacies v ariations, e rosional e vents a nd p ost-depositional m ovements a re s et o ut i n t he l ater s ections. Maximum T hickness Unit N o.

in m e

D escription

1

0 ,15

M ade g round - c oncrete, r ail,

1 0

0 .10

h ardcore,

C lay s ilts;

n arrow g auge b ullhead

p ill b oxes,

d eposited

g rey [ 2.5Y 7 /4];

1 939-45*

b locky/prismatic

s tructure* S oil ' B' h orizon, c lay e nriched ( 10b) b eneath a t hin, c ompacted t urf l ine ( 10c), ? Colluvium: p loughwash? U nconformably r esting o n:-

9

0 ,20

S andy s ilts;

g rey [ 2.5Y 5 /2];

i nclusions, C olluvium U nconformably r esting o n:8 d

2 ,50

b rushwood,

0 ,10

h illwash?

D etrital a nd i n s itu marsh a nd c arr p eats; m oderately h umified, i ncludes s andy p artings i n s trongly l aminated, q uasi-horizontally b edded l ayers* C ut-and-fill s tratification p resent n ear s tream. D ense p acking o f w ith l arger f lat-laying

A lnus, Fraxinus, a bundant h azel n uts*

8 e

o ccasional p eaty -

Quercus

a nd

t runks

o f

Corylus;

W ell-sorted s and l ens, t hins i nto l ake d eposit: ? beach s and d erived b y e rosion a nd s orting o f t ill o r U nit 4 .

8 b

0 .05

S ilt,

b lue,

p ebbly

i n

p arts:

? reworked

f rom

U nit 3 .

8 a

0 ,05

P oorly s orted p ebbles, s ilts: ? slump o r i nwash f rom U nit 4 ? E rosional s urface b elow 8 a with f lint a nd c halk f ragments; a corns a nd h azel n uts.

1 4 7

Q )

c ( a 1 ) > L " I ) f a ) .

4 )

c d a 4 -3

C I I 0 X

U )

› 0

a ) u l E l 9 1

g 4 • C )

( i ) 4 ) ( 1

c %

. 0

1 2

•o

o

O 4 i

4 )

4 , ) 4-

r" . 4

Cr

r d

S ECT ION 1

. 1 3

Z 4

c o

C 4 4

'7

c r i 0

"I

0 ' a C O c r i 0 , I t s • 4 ) c e

0 1

C D 0 2 C

0 4 3 4 0 a 04 d e r i ( 1 ) i t ; 4 ) 0 • • = • 4 ) I 43

•

c d

v ) 0 C r i )

o 4 -) c l ) , C Z•r i z Z • r d 0 o

o ,

0

r 1 4 )

V C 0 O a l • 4 : 1 ) V I 4 v — I C 0 c u

0 0

0 0

0 I. 4

$ 3 . )

v — I < 1 ) ä) j p ai • 0 C r 1 v 4 ( 1 ) ( D 4 3 . 4. 1

c i

b p

S ECT ION 5

F igure 3 .1

• c o

*j 0- 0 1 7 -

L u

• 0

W

S ECT ION 3

. J1. W

r-

• •

• CL C Z • •

• C I . • 00

o o +I o c - L f ) CD mD z 0 ; . O w o

+ 1 o • co

+ I + 14-

z 1 m 0 U ) 4

1 4 8

0 z

B EACH L EVEL

a

o o o

I n C D c X ) " 4- 4 -

1 1

1

1

i n c f ) C l ) 0 0 0 C l ) el 4"

0

• f -i

Z rd

T he i n s itu a nd r eworked A lder c arr i s a lso a ssociated w ith e arly n eolithic w ooden r ods a nd p egs ( Plates 8 ,1-5). O ne c arved w ooden s take ( Plate 8 .1) a t t his l evel y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate o f 4 770+70 ! p ep, ( HAR 3 378 - s ample S S1). T he u ppermost 0 ,05m o f U nit 8 a t s ection 4 y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate o f 4 500+50 y ears b ep, ( SRR 1 942 - s ample S S3). T his u nit c ontinues b elow w ithout a pparent b reak i nto:-

7

1 ,70

S ilty p eat;

b rown

( black

o n

e xposure

t o

t he

a tmosphere), s trongly l aminated, w ith a bundant f lat-bedded b rushwood a nd n umerous s ubstantial h orizontal b ranches a nd t ree t runks u p t o 0 .3m d iameter

o f

Quercus,

P inus,

? Fraxinus a nd ? Corylus. s hallow w ater d eposits. c onformable t ransition b elow t o: -

6

1 ,25

S ilty p eat;

d ark b rown

( black

o n

A lnus,

L acustrine A pparently

e xposure

t o

t he a tmosphere); o ccasionally h orizontally b edded t runks a nd b ranches u p t o Oam d iameter o f Alnus a nd Betula. T he b asal 0 905m o f t his d eposit a t s ection 7 y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate o f 1 944 - s ample S S5).

9 880+60 y ears b *p,

( SRR

6 b

0 ,05

O ccasionally s eparated f rom t he d eposits b elow b y a ' lag' d eposit o f a ngular t o r ounded f lints* U nit 6 r ests u nconformably u pon: -

5 a

0 ,10

S andy s ilt,

( north

o ften s trongly w eathered,

o range -

b rown;

e xposure) 5 b ( south e xposure)

0 ,16

A s 5 a - [ 5Y 5 /3 a t t op, c hanging t o 2 .5Y 4 /2 a t b ase],thinly d ownslope b edded; m oderately s orted,occasional s mall r ounded p ebbles < 0,015m d iameter; a pparently c ross-laminated, b ut m ay b e i nfill o f r oot h oles. A t 5 b ( Figure 3 ,5) i n t he c entral e xposure, t he l ayer i s d istorted b y s lumps, m inor f olds a nd e rosional h iatuses, p redating t he p eats o f U nit 6 ,

0 .02

R eworked d etrital p eat p ellets e rosional s urface d eveloped u pon I t i s u ncertain w hether t his a bove o r b elow U nit 5 b,

4 vi

0 ,15

S andy g ravel; p oorly s tructureless; ? slump o r U nderlain b y

o n c lear U nit 4 vi.

s urface

e xtends

s orted, o ften r eworked g ravel?

I

I

am

e ".• •

C Y ' )

4 v

4 d

E rosional s urface, d eveloped a cross U nit 4 d; i t i s u ncertain w hether t his s urface e xtends a bove o r b elow U nit 5 b. 1 .4

C oarse g ravels a nd p ebbles; p oorly s orted; i n l ayers 0 .05m t o 0 .2m t hick; g ravel c omprises r ounded t o a ngular p ebbles u p t o 0 .03m d iameter. I nterfingers w ith a lternating l ayers ( 0,2m t o 0 .02m t hick) o f s ilts/clays, o ften p ebbly a nd d ipping n orth e ast: f requent g raded b edding f ining u pwards i n a nd b etween l ayers. U nit c oarsens t o t he s outhwest a nd f ormer l ake m argin w here c lasts 0 .05 t o 0 .15m o ccur. L obes d ue t o s lumping b ring b oth d eposits a nd m acrofossils i nto t his l ayer. S ample S S4 m ay h ave b een i ncorporated i n s uch a l obe. C olour o f g ravels a nd m atrix v ariable - b rown/grey/orange [ 2.5Y 5 /6 t o 2 .5Y 4/ 2] : ? slump r eworked i n l ake a t l ake m argin? A pparently c onformable r elationships b elow w ith :-

4 i11

0 ,15

S andy s ilt; p oorly s orted; o ccasional s mall r ounded g ravel; t wigs o f B etula a t b ase; t hickens t o t he e ast t o f orm a d epression 0 ,30m t hick - p ossibly a s lump i nto a s lump s cour h ollow. C olour v ariable [ 5Y 4 /3 t op t o 5 Y 5 /4 b ase]. T he l ayer r ests u nconformably u pon:-

4 ii

0 906

D etrital C arex p eaty s ilt w ith p lant a nd m olluscan r emains; o ccasionally d isturbed b y f olds/slumps; y ielded a t ree b irch l og ( Plate 3 91; F igure 3 .7) w hich y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate o f 1 0,440+80 y ears b .p. ( SRR 1 943 s ample S S4)* D o wn ward p enetrating l obes o f s ediment c aused b y s lumping a nd l oad c asting, b ring b oth s uperjacent d eposits a nd m acrofossils d own i nto t his l ayer. T he t ree b irch s ample S S4 m ay h ave b een i ntroduced i n t his m anner* C olour 5 Y 3 /1 t o 5 Y 2 .5/1. I n s itu a nd r eworked m arsh/lake m argin s oil/ s ediment s urface, T his l ayer r ests u nconformably u pon a n e rosional s urface t runcating:-

4 c

0 945

C oarse g ravel, p oorly s orted, i n l ayers 0 .05m t o 0 .16m t hick d ownslope b edded, [ 5Y 4 /2] a lternating w ith, a nd f ining u pwards i nto, i ntrusive l ayers o f l aminated d ark b lue/grey s ilts o f U nit 3 ; o ften w eathered - c olours b lue t o o range/brown [ 2.5Y 3 /0 t o 5 Y 4 /2 ] .

5 1

4 b

0 .5

G ravels

a nd

p ebbles

0 .08m d iameter.

a s 4 c; w ith c lasts u p t o

T his l ayer i s d ivided

f rom 4 c

b y t he p lane o f a major l ateral s lide ( 4Fl) w hich a ppears t o h ave a n e astward c omponent o f 1 -2m l ateral d isplacement. 4 a

1 .6

Gravels a nd p ebbles: p oorly s orted, a lternating l ayers, 0 ,4m t o 0 .1m t hick, f orming f our c ouplets, w ith c lasts u p t o 0 ,08m i n d iameter; t hins r apidly t o t he e ast/north e ast, C olour g rey/brown/orange [ often 2 .5Y 4 /2 t o 2 .5Y 4 /4]: l ateral t ransition t o s orted s and 0 ,22m t hick a t P 83. T hroughout

s ections

U nit 4 a re a ffected

7 a nd 8 , b y

t he d eposits o f

s lumps

a nd a complex

s equence o f f aults ( 4F2 - 4 F3) e tc., w hich a re o ften f urther d isplaced b y a l ater l ateral s lide 4 Fi, a nd

3

2 m+

[ B/C/D]

S ilts a nd c lays; t hinly l aminated; o ccasional d iscontinuous, t hin 1 mm d etrital p eat/(soil?) l ayers ( Unit 3 :- s ection 2 ; F igure 3 .7) a nd p ebble b ands, b oth a t f ormer l ake margin: p lastic-sticky-texture; c olour g rey/blue [ 2.5Y 4 /1]; o ccasional b lue c rystals o f v ivianite: t he u nit i nterdigitates w ith the g ravels o f U nit 4 . F ragmented

p lant d ebris a nd m olluscan r emains

c ommon i n s ome l ocations, e specially t he d ecomposing/rotten s hells o f l arge f reshwater b ivalves ? Anodonta s p. A c ompressed l og o f t ree b irch i n ' blue' c lay s tratigraphically e quivalent t o o r s lightly b elow t he g ravels o f U nit 4 , w as f ound i n s itu e xposed o n t he b each 1 00m s outh e ast o f t he W ithow g ap. T his l og y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate o f 1 0,710+70 y ears b .p. ( Q 3 035). I t i s u ncertain whether o r n ot t he b lue c lays o f U nits 3 B /C/D a re s eparated b y a n e rosional s urface f rom t he u nderlying c lays/silts o f:-

3 A

l m+

P ale g rey/white/brown c lays a nd 0 ,4m

c ontains

e xposure

t extural

[ Units

3 (1/1)

s ilts.

v arves t o

L owest

a t

n orthern

3 (1/4)

- F igure

3 .31. T hese a re o verlain b y 0 .4m o f s ilts w ith t hin l ayers o f white p recipitated c arbonates i n l ayers 2 -3mm d iameter, a lternating w ith g rey s ilts [ Units 3 (1/6) t o 3 (1/7) - S ection 1 - F igure 3 .3], M ottles a nd b rown d iscolouration s uggest minor e pisodes

o f

w eathering

d evelopment o f ' gley' s oils. t hin, d iscontinuous, 1 -2mm

a nd

t he

c ompacted i n s itu a nd d etrital p eats.

5 2

f ormer

O ccasional v ery t hick l ayers o f

F lint

b lade

( Figure

8 .1)

f ound

i n

3 ,

U nit

s ection 2 ( Figure 3 .2) a ssociated w ith a t hin d etritus, s ilty p eat. S poradic f ragmented p lant m acrofossils; r ich i n m olluscan r emains, e specially V alvata p lacinalis. I n t he n orthern a nd c entral e xposures Sections 1 , 7a nd 8 , t hese ( Unit 3 ) d eposits a re a ffected b y a c omplex s equence o f n ormal f aults a nd a l ateral s lide ( 4F1).

2 b

0 ,1+

S ands,

w ell

s orted:

d ownslope

o ccasional r ounded o r a ngular a pparently b arren - ? lag d eposit? 2 a

0 ,2+

b edded; p ebbles

-

S andy c lay; p oorly s orted; q uasi-bedded d ownslope, e lsewhere s howing s lump s tructures, f olds. I ncludes s triated c lasts o f c obbles f rom t ills b elow. W eathered o n u pper s urface - b rown/orange/grey m ottles - [ 5Y

4 /1

t o

4 /2

t o 3 /2]. M udflow, s lumps a nd d ownslope h illwash w eathered a nd ? affected b y l ater d evelopment o f g ley s oils? 1

> 1,5m

T ill,

T he S kipsea T ill

[ 5Y 4 /1 - 3 /2]. S urface i s w eathered, o ften s andy w ith b rown s andy w eathered z one a round 0 ,2m d eep, 0 .002m w ide f issures - ? tension c racks?

T HE L ATE-DEVENSIAN L ACUSTRINE S EQUENCE A T T HE W ITHOW G AP L ithofacies v ariation T he d etails o f t he e volution o f t he L ate D evensian l acustrine d eposits m ay b e e xamined b y d escribing t hose

f rom

( section 7 )

t he

s outhern e xposures

t hree

s equences

( section 3 );

( Figure

3 ,1):

t he n orthern e xposures

a nd t he v ery c omplex c entral e xposures

( sections 5 ,

7 , 8 ).

T HE S OUTHERN M ARGINS O F T HE L ATE D EVENSIAN L AKE ( sections 2 a nd 3 , F igures 3 ,1 a nd 3 ,2) S lumps o r m udflows T he

e arliest

d iamicton o f U nit 2 a,

l acustrine

d eposits

i n

T his h as n ot p reviously b een

t his

a rea

r ecognised

a re

t he

i n

t he

s equence. I ts p roperties o f d ownslope, q uasi-stratification, p oor s orting, a nd t he d ownslope o rientation o f i ts c ontained c lasts a ll s uggest t hat i t f ormed a s a s lump o r m udflow f rom t he s ubjacent t ill f rom w hich i t i s d erived. I n c ontrast t o t he T ill i t l acks a b locky o r p rismatic

s tructure,

b rowner a nd s andier,

T he u pper l evels o f t he u nit a re s lightly r edder/ s uggesting b oth s light w eathering

e lutriation o f t he f ine f raction.

5 3

a nd

s ubsequent

F igure

3 .2

T he s equence a t t he s outhern e xposure o f t he d eposits S kipsea W ithow m ere ( Figure 3 .2, s ections 2 a nd 3 ). 2 0cm d ia t ape i s s cale; U nits a re d escribed i n t ext; + i s f ind s pot o f M esolithic b lade; a nd T able 6 .14.

5 1 4

s ee

F igs.

5 .11,

8 .1

o f

L ag d eposits T he u pper s urface ( Unit 2 b) i s n otably r icher i n r ounded p ebbles a nd c oarse s ands. T his a ppears t o b e a l ag d eposit i n w hich l ake w aves o r c urrents h ave r emoved t he f ine f raction a nd c oncentrated c oarser m aterials, N o f ossils o r d ateable m aterial h as b een r ecovered f rom t his l ayer. T he l acustrine s ilts These p ale g rey s ilts a re o ften s trongly l aminated o r v arved a nd d ip s teeply d ownslope, p arallel t o the l ake b ottom t opography. T hey a re largely f ree o f c oarser s and o r g ravel c omponents f or a t hickness o f 1 ,1m. T heir v ery f ine g rade a nd l aminations s uggest very q uiet w ater d eposition, p ossibly u nder i ce f or a s ignificant p art o f t he y ear. T he o ccasional i nterbedded, t hin ( 0.5cm) b and o f d etrital p lant d ebris r eflects t he d evelopment o f o rganic d etritus/soils f rom l ake m argin v egetation. T he w orked f lint b lade ( Figure 8 ,1) w as f ound 5 cm a bove one s uch b and. T he s ilts a re o verlain c onformably b y 5 t o 1 0cm l ayers o f w ell s orted s ands a nd g ravels ( Unit 4 ) a nd c olluvium/plough s oils* T he p ollen, molluscs a nd a rchaeological e vidence

f rom t his

f ace a re d iscussed l ater.

C onclusions T he i mport o f t he s equence l ies i n t he p resence o f e vidence o f m ass movement, r e-working a nd v ery q uiet w ater-deposition ( possibly i n a s easonally f rozen l ake) ( ?shortly?) a fter d eglaciation, d uring a p eriod o f h uman a ctivity a t t he l ake, p rior t o t he b y t he major i nfluxes o f g ravels i nto t he l ake,

p eriod

r epresented

T HE N ORTHERN M ARGINS O F T HE L ATE D EVENSIAN L AKE w ith D .

W oodall F ull

d etails o f t he s equence a re g iven b elow ( Plates 3 92 a nd 3 .4): p ollen a nd m olluscan s tudies a re g iven i n

F igures

3 .3 and

C hapters

5 a nd 6 .

S tratigraphy S ection Unit

1 .

( Figures T hickness

3 .1 a nd 3 .3/3.4,

P late 3 .2)

S ample

S tratum

6

5 cms

4 7

D etritus p eat ( 10YR 3 /2) o verlain b y c arr p eat o f U nit 6 . R ests u nconformably o n:

5 a

6 cms

4 6

B rown/orange/grey ( 2.5Y

4 /2

) s andy

s ilt; l aminated w ith t hin l ayers o f C aCO3 p recipitate: a n ? in s itu o r r eworked w eathering p roduct.

5 5

F igure 3 .3

F igure 3 ,4

S tratigraphy a t t he n orthern e xposures o f t he d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere a t s ection 1 : F igure 3 ,1,

F aulting o f L ate D evensian d eposits a t t he n orthern m argin o f t he d eposits o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere,

5 6

P late 3 .2

T he m ere 3 .1

e xposure

of

t he

d eposits

of t he

f ormer S kipsea W ithow

a t t he n orthern m argins o f t he l ate-section F igure 3 .3 .

a nd

c liff,

p resumably

F eats r est o n a n e rosional by

l akewater,

a lthough

1 :

F igure

s urface a nd

f aulting

i s

u ndoubtedly a lso r esponsible f or t he s mall s carp ( left, a bove t rowel). T he u pper p eats r est u pon a b rown, s andy s ilt - p ossibly t hat n oted b y G odwin a nd G odwin t hen

y ielded

M esolithic

i mplements.

T he

( 1933) w hich

p resent

b rown,

s andy s ilt i s a w eathering d eposit d eveloped u pon s ilts w ith many t hin a ttributed

l aminae of carbonate p recipitates - h ere t o p ollen z one I II. T he p oint of t he t rowel

r ests u pon a n e rosional s urface

developed

varved

a re s terile i n t heir l owest

l ake

s ediments.

T hese

l evels a nd a ttributed

t o p ollen z one I :

b ed/till

d enoted

b lack

s urface

l ine:

d istinguished

i s

b ottom b y

i ts

b y

r ight. c olour,

s tructure.

5 7

t he

The

t exturally

o riginal

l ake

s urface o f t he t ill -

The c last

upon

t ill c ontent

i s a nd

r eadily b locky

3 (

1/ 7

)

2 4cms

4 5

C lay, m arl ( 2.5Y 7 /2); s trongly l aminated w ith d ownslope-dipping, a lternate l ayers o f d ark g rey a nd w hite c lays; l ayers 2 0-50mm t hickness: o verall a w hite c olour. N oticeable s ub-unit o f d ark b rown l oam, 5 mm t hick 5cms f rom t op o f l ayer. Gastropods c ommon, n o b ivalves n oticed.

3 (1/6)

2 3cms

4 3/42

C lay m arl ( 5Y 4 /2); s trongly l aminated w ith a lternate l ayers o f d ark g rey a nd w hite c lays 2 0-50mm t hick, h owever p redominantly d ark i n c olour. M any b ivalves p resent.

3 (1/5)

2 8cms

4 1/40

C lay, s oft, ' sticky' ( 5Y 3 /1): s helly, G leyed i n l ower 1 0cms: p oorly d eveloped l aminations; g rey: f aulted -M ARKED N ON-SEQUENCE-

3 (1/4)

3 4cms

3 (1/3)

4 cms

3 (1/2)

5 cms

3 (1/1)

3 5cms

1

.

7 /6

C lay: l aminated d ownslope ( 5Y 3 /1); o ccasional w hiter laminae: b rown; v ery s helly: f aulted,

4

C lay, ( 10YR

l aminated; s helly; f aulted.

b rown

4/2 ) ;

3

C lay ( 7.5YR 4 /2 d ark g rey); s trongly l aminated w ith a lternate l ayers r epresented b y s light d ifferences i n g rain s ize, n ot c olour. S andy a t b ase, f ines u pward. P lant d ebris i n u pper p art: f aulted; o ccasional s hells. D ark b rown.

5 /2

C lay: s trongly l aminated w ith i ndividual l ayers i dentified b y d ifferences i n t exture; o ccasional s hells; d ark g rey ( 10YR 3 /1); f aulted, S andy a t b ase w here i t o verlies T ill u nconformably, T ill

S ediments T he s edimentological p roperties o f t he s ediments a re s hown i n F igures 3 ,5 a nd 3 .6. S everal i mportant t rends a re i llustrated. A nalytical m ethods a re s ummarised i n t he A ppendix.

5 8

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T extural p roperties o f t he L ate D evensian a nd F landrian d eposits a t t he n orthern m argin o f t he f ormer S kipsea W ithow m ere - S ection 1 , F igure 3 .1.

6 0

The d ata g iven o n t he m edian g rain s ize i ndicates t he p redominantly v ery f ine-grade c haracteristics o f t he s ilt a nd c lay s ediments c ollecting i n t he l ake: q uiet w ater c onditions a re i ndicated, T here w as a b rief i nflux o f c oarser s ands i n U nits 3 /1/2 3 /1/3 w hen s lightly m ore e nergetic c onditions p revailed. A s light c hange i n d epositional c onditions a re i ndicated a t t he j unction b etween U nits 3 /1/4 a nd 3 /1/5: m ore e nergetic c onditions p revailing, u ntil t he w eathering e pisode a nd e rosional h iatus b etween 3 /1/7 a nd U nit 5 a. N ot s urprisingly, w ater c ontent r eflects t he a vailable p ore s pace s uggested b y t he median p article s ize c urve, T he c arbonate e quivalent d ata i ndicate t hat t he l ower s ediments o f U nits 3 /1/1 t o 3 /1/4 a re e ssentially s imilar w ith n otable l evels o f c arbonates. T his i s a lso t rue f or the l oss-on-ignition d ata, T he o verlying s ediments o f U nits 3 /1/5 t o 3 /1/7 a ll d isplay s ympathetic t rends i n m edian p article s ize, c arbonate e quivalent a nd l oss-on-ignition. G rain s ize d ecreases s lowly, w hereas c arbonate e quivalent a nd l oss-on-ignition s how g radual i ncreases. Episodes o f f reezing a nd n on-freezing o f t he l ake s urface

and

A p ossible i nterpretation o f t hese s equences i s a s f ollows i ncorporates t he f ield o bservation o f t extural v arves f requently

o ccurring i n U nits 3 /1/1 t o 3 /1/4, a nd l ayers o f p recipitated c arbonate o ccurring a bove t hese l evels. A ll t hese p henomena w ould b e o btained i f t he d eposits o f U nits 3 /1/1

t o

3 /1/4 w ere

a ssociated

w ith

f requent,

p robably s easonal, f reezing o f t he l ake. T his w ould p ermit d eposition o f t he f inest g rade o f d eposits i n w inter a nd e ncourage

t he the

f ormation o f v arves, T he m olluscan s tudies d escribed i n C hapter 6 i ndicate o nly l imited b iological a ctivity w ithin t he l ake a nd a t t he l ake s ediment s urface a t t his t ime, T he r esult w as l ittle d isruption o f s edimentary s trutures b y b ioturbation. I n s uch a p eriodically f rozen l andscape, e arliest t ime a vailable f or i ts c olonisation, t he r ates o f

a t t he i nput o f

organic detritus a nd c arbonates ( in s olution o r a s p articulates) a re l ikely t o h ave b een l ower t han a t l ater s tages when b iological a nd f luvial

p rocesses w ould h ave b een m ore a ctive,

T he u pper d eposits a re

t herefore s een a s t hose o f a m ore f rost a nd i ce-free l andscape, w ith i ncreasing b iological a ctivity, s oil m aturation, n utrient c ycling, a nd d isturbance o f l ake s ediments b y w ind a nd w aves t hroughout m uch g reater p arts o f t he y ear, I t i s i mpossible t o i dentify t he t ime g ap r epresented b y t he j unction b etween U nits 3 /1/4 a nd 3 /1/5. T he

p roperties

o f

t he

s ediments

o f

U nit

5 a

s uggest

weathering, l oss o f c arbonates, c olour a nd p edogenic m ottling d eveloping u pon l ake s ediments, T hese ' browner' s ediments m ay b e t he e quivalent o f t hose i dentified i n t he e arlier s tudies o f G odwin G odwin ( 1933) w hich w ere a ssociated w ith M esolithic i mplements,

a nd

E rosional e pisodes T he i n F igure e rosion

3 .3

s tratigraphic

r elationships o f t hese d eposits a re s hown

T hese d ata s how t he

w ithin

t he

c lay-silt

p resence

s equence

6 1

o f a n otable

e pisode

o f

( between 3 /1/4 a nd 3 /1/5) a nd

t hat

i ts

u pper l imit i s m arked a lso b y a n otable u nconformity

U nits 5 a nd 6 )8

T hese e rosional e pisodes m ight

c orrespond

t o

( between e ither

i ncreased s torm a ctivity g enerating e rosive l ake s ide w aves, a nd/or f alls i n l ake l evel e xposing t he u ncohesive s ediment s urface t o e rosion by o verland f low, r ain s plash, a nd w ave a ction d uring t he r egression a nd t ransgression o f t he l ake m argin w aves, T he w eathering a ssociated w ith t he u pper u nconformity ( to y ield U nit 5 a) i ndicates a t l east p roximity t o t he a tmosphere i f n ot a ctual e xposure a s a s oil s urface, F aulting T wo e pisodes o f n ormal

f aulting a re d etectable

( Figure 3 .4).

O ne s et o f f aults a ffecting U nits 3 /1/1 a nd 3 /1/4 a nd t he t ill a re l et d own i n a n e n e chelon s eries o f n ormal f aults w ith t hrows o f 5t o 1 8cms, T hese f aults d o n ot a ffect t he u nconformable b oundary b etween U nits 3 /1/4 a nd 3 /1/5. C onsequently, t hey a ppear t o b e a ssociated w ith t he p eriod o f t ime t hought t o r elate t o f requent f reezing o f t he l ake, H owever,

b oth

t hese

l ayers a re a ffected b y a f urther s et o f

n ormal f aults ( F2) w ith a t hrow o f b etween 3 0 - 6 0cms. T he w oody p eat o f U nit 6 i s i nflexed o ver a s mall, e roded s carp l eft by t his s econd p hase o f f aulting. T he i nherent e rodibility o f t he l ake d eposits s uggests t his minute ' fault s carp' w ould n ot g reatly p re-date t he d eposition o f t he p eats o f U nit 6 ; T he f aulting e pisodes a re t herefore

s hown e lsewhere t o b e F landrian. t hought t o b e L ate D evensian -

( during t he v ery e arly h istory o f t he l ake) a nd p re-dating U nit 3 /1/5 a nd m uch l ater i n t he L ate D evensian, a ffecting U nits 3 /1/5 a nd 3 /1/6. T he m echanisms r esponsible f or t his f aulting a re u nclear. F luctuations i n p ermafrost s tate m ight b e a ssociated w ith b oth t he f irst a nd s econd p hases; a nd a dditionally d ewatering o r c ompaction i n t he s econd. T he l imited s patial e xtent o f t hese f aults i s i ndicated by t heir b eing d etectable i n t he 1 982 e xposures, b ut n ot t he 1 981, 1 983, 1 984 e xposures,

T HE S OUTH W EST A ND C ENTRAL M ARGINS O F T HE L ATE D EVENSIAN L AKE w ith NI , T hew a nd C .O.

H unt

S tratigraphy a nd I nterpretation T he s tratigraphic r elationships o f t he L ate D evensian d eposits i n t he c entral a reas o f t he e xposure ( sections 8 , 5 , 7 : F igure 3 ,1) a re s hown i n F igures 3 .7, 3 .8 a nd P late 3 .3. T he l ocations a nd d etails o f t he s ampling p oints f or t he p ollen, molluscan a nd p alaeomagnetic s amples a re s hown i n F igures 3 ,7 a nd T able 3 .1. ( i)

B uried a nd f oreshore e xposures T he

t rial

p it

a nd

c oring

s tudy i n

t he

c entral a rea o f t he

e xposure i ndicated t he p resence o f a s hallow c lay/silt f illed t rough b eneath t he b each l inking t he f ormer W ithow mere w ith t he e nclosed b asin i mmediately i nland o f t he e xposures, N o s and o r g ravel d ominated l ithofacies w ere i dentified i n t his r egion. D eposits s imilar t o t he b lue/grey

v ivianite-rich

f oreshore

a t v ery l ow t ides a fter w inter s torms i n t he a rea

s ilts

i n

6 2

t his

a rea

a re

e xposed

o n

t he

1 00 - 2 50m

r r l

/,

3

( z )

CO

a .

( . NC . 1 10

(4 2 I s i2

/1 7 •

•

Ni o/ n

e; 0

0 -o

:9

C I°

C /Z - P IL °

% J e

/

; /

r r )

/ /

/

(i )

( " ) ?L •r)( 12 ' ( › )( N - g r•I (' I CO . • 4

/

/'

,/ / /I/ //

0 0

C2 )

S .E. o f t he s tream e xit. T hese r arely y ield f ossils, a lthough o ne s ubstantial p iece o f c ompacted t ree b irch b ranch w as e xcavated a nd y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate o f 1 0,710+70 y ears b .p. ( Q-3035). U nfortunately, t he c ontinued r e-discovery o f e ven m ore c omplexities i n t he s equence m akes i t i mpossible t o r elate t hese f oreshore a nd b uried d eposits r eliably w ith e ach o ther, o r U nits i n t he main e xposure o f S ections 7 , 5 , 8 ( Figure 3 .1), e ven t hough t hey a re s imilar l ithologically. ( ii)

C liff-exposures - s ections 7 ,

5 ,

8 : F igure 3 .1

T he d etails o f t his s equence a re s hown i n F igures 3 .7 a nd 3 .8 a nd d escribed p reviously. S everal i mportant p oints e merge f rom t hese d ata. T he b lue-grey s ilts c ontaining t he f lint b lade e xposed a t s ection 3 p ass u nder t he g ravel u nit 4 * T he g ravel ( Unit 4 ) i nterdigitates w ith t he f ine g rain l ake s ilts o f U nit 3 B , C , D , f or t hree r easons. I n s everal c ases t he g ravels a nd s ilts a re g enuinely i nterbedded, d emonstrating s ynchroneity. I n o ther c ases t he c ontact m ay b e d ue t o t he p resence o f f aults o r a l ow a ngle s lide ( 4Fi) w ith a l ateral d isplacement o f 1 -2m. A t o ther l ocations, t he c ontacts i ndicate t he p resence o f major u nconformities ( 4vii), a nd i n s ome c ases a p eriod o f t ime s ufficient f or t he d evelopment o f a p eaty l ake m argin s oil o r d etrital s ediment f ormed ( 4ii). T hroughout t his p eriod t he g ravel l ithofacies n orth a nd w est o f s ection 6 o bviously c ollected w ithin t he l ake, T his i s i ndicated -b y t he p resence o f p rominent g raded b edding a nd w ell s orted s ediments, F urther u pslope s outh a nd w est o f s ection 6 , s tratification b ecomes l ess c lear, t here a re n o c lear s orting o r f abric i n t he g ravel s equence* I n t his a rea, t hese g ravel-rich s ediments h ave t he p roperties o f t hose g enerated b y s lump , s lide o r o ther m ass m ovements. T he g eneral i nterpretation o f t he s equence t herefore c onsists o f: ( a)

a n o pen c lear w ater l ake;

( b)

l ocalised i nstability o f t he a djacent h illslope l eading t o e pisodic m ass-movement, s lumping, m udflow, a nd s lides i nto t he l ake w hich l ed t o:

( c)

i nterbedding w ith f ine g rained s ediments o f t he l ake; g raded b edding , s orting a nd r e-working o f t he g ravels o ccurring i n w ater a t t he l ake m argin b y w ave a ction. T his m ight r elate t o d aily o r s easonal f luctuations.

( d)

m ajor s lides, s lumps, f olds a nd n ormal f aulting d eveloped ( Plate 3 .3) a t s everal t imes. A t l east t hree e pisodes o f f aulting a re n oted ( Figure 3 .8). N ormal f aults X X a re d isrupted b y t he l ateral s lide ( YY), w hich a ppears t o h ave o ccurred a long a l ine o f p eaty d etritus; f inally Y Y i s a ffected b y a s eries o f n ormal f aults Z Z w ith v ery s mall d ownthrows. S ince t he X X a nd Z Z s eries d ie away i n G ravel m ember 4 d, t hey p resumably d ate f rom t his p eriod, p lacing t hem r elatively l ate i n t he L ate-Devensian s equence.

6 4

s ee a lso • r 1 *t l

0 0

•

CO

Cr)

4 1 b 0 D I 0 • H

P late

3 .3

4 )

6 5

C i )

•

E x 4 0

6 6

Faults

and

( e)

o n t hree o ccasions ( 1 411, 4 v a nd 4 vii) t he l ake m argin s ediments w ere e roded, e ither b y i ncreased w ave a ction, a nd/or a s a r esult o f a l owering o f l ake l evel, T he e rosional s urface 1 4 11 i s v ery c lear. E ach e rosional e pisode w as f ollowed b y t he a ccumulation o f p eaty d etrital s ediments i ncluding t he r emains o f t ree a nd d warf b irch ( Chapter 5 ), B ranches o f t ree b irch f rom k u y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate o f 1 0 ,440+80 b . ! ). ( SRR 1 943), T he s tratigraphic e vidence s uggests t hat a t l east s ome o f t hese macrofossils ( including s ample S RR 1 943) h ave b een i ncorporated i nto l ower d eposits b y s lumps o r i n l oad s tructures. T hese e vents must p ost d ate t he f ormation o f U nit 4 , b ut t he p eriod o f t ime i nvolved i s u nknown.

( f)

A c essation o f s lope i nstability f ollowed t he l atter p hase o f e rosion ( 4vii) w ith t he r eturn t o t he d eposition o f e ssentially s and a nd g ravel f ree b lue s ilts ( Unit 3 E). T here i s n o e vidence t o i ndicate s lumping a nd f olding c ontinued i nto t his p eriod.

( g )

A f inal p hase o f e rosion a ffecting a ll t hese d eposits o ccurred t o p roduce a l ow-angle u nconformity b etween 3 E a nd t he F landrian l acustrine p eats o f U nit 6 . T he b ase o f t hese o verlying d eposits ( Unit 7 ) y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate o f 9 880+60 b .p. ( SRR 1 944). A ccelerated w ave e rosion a nd/or l ake l owering a re p robably a gain r esponsible. A t hin l ong d eposit i s a lso p resent a t t his s tratigraphic l evel ( Unit 5 a).

( h)

f inally, w eathered, b rown w ater-washed l ake s ilts ( Unit 5 ) a re a lso p resent a t t he t op o f t he D evensian s equence. T he l ayer i s a ffected b y s mall s cale mass-movement. I t i s o verlain b y p eats r elatively l ate i n t he F landrian p eat s equence: i t m ay b e t he b rown s andy s ilt y ielding M esolithic r emains n oted b y e arlier w orkers ( e.g. G odwin a nd G odwin 1 933). T he d ate o f t he w eathering m ay r ange f rom f inal L ate-Devensian t o e arly-mid F landrian.

T he a ctual c ause(s) o f t he m ass-movement a re n ot f ully c lear. T heir f ossil c ontent ( Chapters 5 a nd 6 ) i ndicate c ool/cold c limates w ith t undra a nd m ilder o scillations. A l ikely c ause i s t he l ocalised, r epeated t hawing o f f rozen g round o n t he l ocal h illside, p ossibly b rought a bout b y m ilder c limatic f luctuations a s w ell a s t he t hermal, m echanical, e rosional e ffects o f t he l ake i tself. T hese a gents w ould a lso g ive r ise t o t he r ecurrent f aulting, s liding a nd s lumping n oted i n t he s ection. B iostratigraphic e vidence f or t he m ore p recise c orrelation, d ating a nd i nterpretation o f t hese d eposits a re p resented i n C hapters 5 a nd 6 . T extural p roperties P article s ize d istribution d ata f or t he s amples l ocated i n F igure 3 .7 a re g iven i n T able 3 ,2, T he a nalyses c oncentrated o n t he c oarse f raction. S imple i nspection o f t he T able i ndicates c lasts s ize i n t he g ravel m ember v aries s ignificantly, a nd s orting v aries f rom p oor t o v ery g ood, t hus c onfirming f ield o bservations, F urther d etailed n umerical m anipulations o f t hese d ata a wait c learer u nderstanding o f t he m athematical m ethods, t heir a ppropriateness a nd o bjectives w ith t hese c ategories o f d eposit.

6 7

S ample N umber

P rofile

L ayer

W eight ( wet-grammes)

C olour ( Munsell)

1 2

P 8 1 P 8 1

1 0 9

5 0 1.6 4 25.0

2 .5Y 7 /4 2 .5Y 5 /2

1 38b 1 35 1 36 1 37 5 6 7 8

P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8

P P P P 1 1 1 1

3 E 3 E 3 E 4 vii 4 iv 4 iv 4 d 4 d

5 95.8 6 04.8 6 07.3 5 64.9 9 66.0 4 73.9 3 26.9 8 28.7

5 Y 3 / 1 5 Y 4 / 1 5 Y 5 / 1 5 Y 2 5/ 1 5 Y 5 /3 2 .5Y 4 /2 2 .5Y 5 /4 2 .5Y 5 /6

9 1 0 1 1 2

P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8

1 1 1 1

4 d 4 d 4 d 4 d

3 36.9 6 92.3 3 33.6 7 4 1.9

5 Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y

5 /4 4 /4 4 /4 5 /6

1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 2 3

P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8

1 1 1 1 2

4 d 4 d 4 d 4 iii 4 iii

5 40.1 5 38.9 4 99.4 8 78.5 7 74.0

5 Y 2 .5Y 5Y 5 Y 2 .5Y

4 /3 4 /4 4 /2 4 /3 4 /2

1 7 2 4 2 5 1 8

P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8

1 2 2 1

4 iii 4 iii 4 iii 4 ii

9 78.9 9 09.3 6 11.2 5 23.2

5 Y 5 Y 5 Y 5 Y

5 /4 4 /2 3 / 1 3 / 1

1 9 2 0 2 1 3 0 2 2 3 2 3 3 3 4

P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8

1 1 1 2 1 3 3 3

4 c 4 c 4 c 4 c 4 c 4 b 3 b 3 b

6 74.6 8 55.9 5 67.7 5 84.3 5 00.0 5 86.5 5 77.6 5 93.8

5 Y 5 Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 5 Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y

4 /2 4 /3 4 /0 3 /0 4 /2 3 /0 3 /0 3 /0

3 5 L S7 3 6 3 7 3 8 3 9 4 0 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 5 L S4 L S5

P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 9 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8 P 8

3 L S 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 L S L S

4 a 4 a 4 a 4 a 3 a3 3 a3 3 a3 3 a2 3a 2 3a 1 3a 1 3a 1 3a 1 3a 1

5 79.4 5 08.9 7 53.8 6 02.6 5 95.6 6 06.5 4 8 1.7 5 8 1.5 3 46.4 5 82.9 5 99.9 5 97.4 5 82.1 5 82.2

5 Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y 5 Y 5 Y 2 .5Y 2 .5Y

4 / 1 4 /4 3 /0 3 .5/0 3 /0 3 /0 3 /0 3 /0 3 /0 3 /0 4 / 1 4 / 1 4 /0 3 /0

verage 6 04.3 T OTAL 2 7,194.3; A T able 3 .1: S AMPLE P ROVENANCE, W EIGHTS A ND M UNSELL C OLOURS F OR T HE C ENTRAL E XPOSURES A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW ( Section 8 : F igure 3 .7, s ee a lso F igure 3 .1)

6 8

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T HE F LANDRIAN S EQUENCE

c hapter

Examination o f t he s tratigraphic r ecord a t t he s tart o f t his and d etailed s tratigraphic s ections i ndicates that t he

F landrian p eats o verlie t he L ate D evensian s ilts a nd g ravels w ith a marked a ngular u nconformity ( Figures 3 .1-3.4, 3 .7) w hich i s a lso e vident i n t he s edimentological a nd p alaeontological p roperties o f t he d eposits. T he s edimentological c haracteristics o f t he p eat i ndicates t hat a t a bout 9 880+60 b ,p,, t he S kipsea W ithow m ere c ontinued t o b e a l argely o pen-water l ak e, b ut w as n ow c haracterised b y t he d eposition o f o rganic, n ekron m uds ( Unit 6 ) r eflecting t he n atural mineral e nrichment a nd a ssociated a quatic a lgal g rowth i n t he l ake, I nitially, f ew w oody r emains w ere i ncorporated i nto t he a ccumulating o rganic m uds; h owever after c , 1 m o f s uch d eposits h ad a ccumulated, i solated b ranches a nd t runks w ere d eposited. P resumably t hese f ell i nto t he l ake w ith b ank c ollapse a nd e ventually s ank, T here a re o ccasional t hin ( 1cm) t hick l ayers o f r eworked b rushwood, s uggesting a b rief p hase o f l ake l owering a nd r eworking b y o verland f low o r l ake m argin w aves. A t a pproximately 7 000 b l i p, ( Chapter 7 ) t here i s a t ransition ( Unit 7 ) t o i n s itu a nd r eworked c arr p eats. T here i s a bundant f lat-bedded, r eworked b rushwood, w ith m any s andy p artings ( Unit 8 ) a nd c ut-and-fill s tratification, W idespread r eworking a nd e rosion o f h illside s oils b y o verland f low i s i ndicated. The e xtent o f h umification v aries s uggesting a s eries o f b rief a nd l onger e xposure t imes t o t he a tmosphere. T his s equence d emonstrates t he s pread o f A lder d ominated c arr w oodland b y s uccessional p rocesses i nto t he l ake. P lant macrofossils i ndicate t he a bundance o f A lder, A sh, O ak a nd H azel. H owever t he p resence o f e arly n eolithic c arved s takes,

c oppiced

t imber

a nd

wooden

p egs a nd ' fixings' ( Plates 8 .1-8.5, C hapter 8 ) i ndicates b oth u se a nd management o f t he l ocal w oodland, I n t his c ontext, t he p resence o f s andy l ens a nd p artings might s uggest s oil e rosion c aused b y f orest c learance, T here i s n o e vidence t o s uggest f luvial o r l acustrine e rosive a gents w ere r esponsible f or t he i nitial e rosion, a lthough t he l atter n o d oubt r eworked s ediment i nputs i n t he l ake b each z one,

4 500+50

T he b ,p,

f ormation o f c arr p eats a t t he s ite t erminated a t a bout ( SRR 1 942) w hen t he e ntire s equence b ecame b uried i n a l ithofacies ( Units 9 a nd 1 0), whose f ield

r elationships i ndicate i t i s l argely a s lope w ash d eposit. F ield e xamination i ndicates t his i s a c omplex d eposit, a ffected b y s ubsequent p edogenic p rocesses, I t h as n ot b een e xamined i n a ny d etail. T he a vailable f ield e vidence s uggests i t m ay a lso h ave f ormed a s a r esult o f a ccelerated s oil e rosion c onsequent u pon f orest c learance a nd e arly f arming. C ORRELATIONS W ITH P REVIOUS S TUDIES E stablishing

t he

n ature

o f

c orrelation

e xposures

W ithow G ap by P hillips

a t

t he

b etween

t he

b iostratigraphic

7 0

t he

l ithostratigraphic p revious

( 1826),

s tudies

A rmstrong

a nd

o f

t he

( 1923)

a nd

4 ) M C D 0 4

. > I l e

• 4 U

e t ,

H . I

C I,

.

H M 4 )

l a -• -0 4 c nt 0 • • N U U, I H 4 N i $ 4 C D C D 0 E 4 .o e L n U ) - C ' N 4 . 2 ' M X , 4• H C 0 : 1 C l

g i 0 X ) 4 0

0 1

A > ( 1 4 0 U

w 0 0

4 )

1

0 4 0 M

.

a

4

M

1

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k 4 . a

E l

40 / 1

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N

H

0

3 f a a )

. g

4 . 1 E l ' • • • . 4 > 4 c n 43 . 4 1 . 4 4 ) , 1 1 , . W $ 4 U 3 •1 4 a )f c s . : 1 . 4 ' , ' 1 4 . 1 4 . Z U • . I r I 1 . 4 4 . ) . I 0 V - N 1 M . 2 1 0 U / M 4 ) H > 4 W C U ) 4 4 . 3

0 1 4

. n W 0 . s 4 U f a

)..-I0 b04 , .

a ) 0 , ( 1 ) ) t n a , 0 1 4 8r z :

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M I

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-H i n . )

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•

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4 . )

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• 4 r a

• C A

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o

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) 4 4 )

4 u ) x a ) 0 4 4 0 E E 0 4I.4 I ) 0 ) 0 H K S U ) 4 •1 . 4 4 U

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A

( 1 ) 0

w 0 w 4 0 4 -1

buttery blue clay

4 . 1 3

0, . . , : c ‹c o

0 . 1 1 4

4

a ) c o , s 4 . 1 -, 4 U 0 4 H M I H . . 1 4

2

a ) . C, U 1 4 4 . 1 4 c l i C D 0 H 0 . 1 , 4 . 4 0 )

M 0 C O Hi l > U H 4 0

. 4 4 3 0 V

55

0

4 1 i c 1 > 4 C D A X C l i . I .

C D 0 V 4 . 4 ( 1 )

• u ) . 1 ) 0 c i

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a )

5 c o L c l a ) c n s a ) . H '2 , 1

b

H

RECORDS OF THE DEPOSITS OF SKIPSEA

C A

a )

NOT PRESENT

V a ) 4 ) -V C D M 4

4 4

O W

a

4 . )

R.

a )

0 . )

h

4 3 0 a 0 o C a C l )

trees,

. 4 . 4 c o 4 ) • 4 4 ) c e 1 3 0 1 3 ) 4 H 4 1

. 1 . i M a ) 0 4

a

Lf l

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1 .

a

branches,

logged 1894*

• I C D 0 0 4

4 )

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1 . a a

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A 0 4

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8

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4 i m i

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0 E 4

0

H ' C I

1 , 4

4 . 1 M

. 4

4 H

0 4

H 0 3 5 4

. 4

E i H U

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t i )

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3 .3:

4 .

c f ) Z 0 H >

4 . ) R I ( 1 )

0 .75m fibrous

0

E i

U 1

u

H

4 c d

( i )

0

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&

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c u

•. 4 H H

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g ) u

Table

A

etc.

C . )

G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933) i s v ery d ifficult. I t i s s alutory t o n ote t hat t he e xposure s een b y P rofessor a nd L ady G odwin w ould h ave b een a t l east c . 5 0m s eaward o f t he l ine o f c ollapsed p illboxes n ow f ound o n t he b each a nd s hown i n P late 2 * The p resent s tudy of l ithofacies v ariation o nly s erves t o e mphasise t he e xtent t o w hich s uch v ariation a lso o ccurred i n t he s eaward d irection f rom t he p resent e xposure. T he s equences a re s ummarised i n T able 3 .3. p arallelism i n t he b asic s equence o f:-

T here i s a c lear

Y OUNGEST c olluvium ' woody' p eat ' muddy ' b rown s ilts/clays b lue

' buttery'

g ravel b oulder c lay O LDEST T he l ithostratigraphic p arallels s uggest i t i s p robably b roadly c orrect t o p rovisionally c orrelate t hese u nits a s s hown i n T able 3 .3 , a nd m ake t he o bvious c orrelates w ith F igure 3 .1. F ive f urther

p oints merit

s tating.

F irst,

a s

t oday,

t he

g ravel m ember ( Unit 4 ) w as r estricted i n 1 826 t o s outhern e xposures a t t he W ithow G ap* S econd, t he p resent s tudies h ave l ocated f ossiliferous c lay/silt m embers ( Unit 3 a) o ccurring b eneath t he g ravels o f U nit 4 , I t i s n ot c lear w hether P hillips a nd S heppard w ere i n e rror, o r w hether t he g ravels o f U nit 4 c ompletely c ut o ut t he u nderlying f ossiliferous s ilts e xcept a t t he very margins o f t he f ormer l ake, a s r epresented t oday* T hird, t he p resent s tudy h as d etected n otable u nconformities/ e rosional e pisodes w ithin t he c lays/silts o f U nit 3 a nd t he g ravels o f U nit 4 * T extural a nd p alaeontological s tudies ( Chapters 5 a nd 6 ) e mphasise t he r egional c limatic, b iogeographic a nd l ocal s ignificance o f t hese e rosional e pisodes. F ourth, w eathering a nd s lumping e pisodes a re n oted, p re-dating t he e arliest l ake d eposits, a nd a ffecting t he T ill s urface* F inally, a lthough i t c annot i n a ny s ense b e d emonstrated t he b rown s andy s ilts w ith M esolithic a rtefacts w hich i nterested A rmstrong ( 1923a,b) h ave t he g eneral t extural, p alaeontological ( Chapters 5 a nd 6 ) a nd f ield r elationships o f U nit 5 i n t he p resent s tudy. T his i s i nterpreted a s a ( very l ate) L ate D evensian - e arly F landrian r eworked w eathering p roduct d eveloped u pon a n e xposed s urface o f

L ate

e pisode

D evensian

l ake

d eposits*

I t

w ould

t herefore

s uggest

o ne

o f l ower l ake l evels d uring a p eriod o f m esolithic o ccupation.

I t f ollows f rom t his i nterpretation t hat t he f aunal r emains n oted i n e arlier s tudies i n

a rtifacts, f loral a nd a ssociation w ith this

s tratum, a re l ikely t o r epresent a n a ssemblage d eriving f rom a n umber o f p eriods o f t he L ate-Devensian, a nd p ossibly v ery e arly F landrian.

7 2

C HAPTER 4 P ALAMMMAGNETIC S TUDIES O F L ATE-DEVENSIAN L AKE D EPOSITS A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE b y S ,J, G ale I NTRODUCTION S ymbols D eclination I nclination I ntensity o f m agnetisation Jo

I ntensity o f n atural r emanent m agnetisation

09 5

A c ircle, c entred o n t he m ean, g roup o f p oints o n a s phere

e nclosing 9 5% o f a ny F isherian

I f a d etrital s ediment c ontains magnetic p articles, t hen d uring d eposition, t hose p articles w ill b e a cted u pon n ot o nly b y c onventional s edimentological p rocesses, b ut a lso b y t he a ligning f orces o f t he p revailing g eomagnetic f ield. T hese a ligning f orces w ill continue t o o perate o nce d eposition h as o ccurred a nd p rior t o c onsolidation o f t he s ediment; d uring t his t ime m agnetic p articles may be f ree t o r otate a nd h ence t o b ecome r ealigned w ith t he p revailing f ield ( Irving 1 957, T ucker 1 980), T he r emanent magnetisation o f detrital s ediments m ay t herefore p rovide a n a ccurate r ecord o f t he c haracter o f t he g eomagnetic f ield a t t he t ime o f d eposition. F rom a s tudy o f c ontinuously-deposited s edimentary s equences, a long w ith r ecords o f a rchaeomagnetic s tudies a nd g eomagnetic o bservations, i t h as t hus b een p ossible t o r econstruct t he p attern o f v ariations i n t he Earth's magnetic f ield f or t he l ast 1 5,000 y ears o r m ore. U nfortunately, b ecause t he E arth's m agnetic f ield d oes n ot c onstitute a s imple

d ipole,

s uperimposed, o nly p rovide a f ields. A s a t he p attern o f

but

a d ipole

w ith

a n umber

o f n on-dipolar

e lements

t hese r ecords o f s ecular v ariations i n p alaeomagnetism r ecord o f g eomagnetic c hanges w ithin s pecific n on-dipole r esult, i t h as b een n ecessary t o a ttempt t o r econstruct s ecular v ariations i n p alaeomagnetism f or a n umber o f

r egions o n t he E arth's s urface, G iven

t he

f oregoing,

i t h as b een s uggested t hat t he d ate o f

d eposition o f s edimentary s equences may b e e stablished b y c omparing t heir r emanent m agnetisation w ith t he m aster c urves o f s ecular v ariations i n p alaeomagnetism e stablished f or e ach n on-dipole f ield. T he s uccessful a pplication o f t his a pproach i n a l imited n umber o f s tudies ( see, f or e xample, G ale, H unt a nd S outhgate 1 984 f or a n a pplication i n a n a rchaeological c ontext) e ncouraged t he b elief t hat t he t echnique m ight b e u sed t o d ate p art o f t he S outh S ection a t S kipsea. S ince t hat p art o f t he s ection i nvestigated h as b een s hown b y b iostratigraphic, l ithostratigraphic a nd r adiometric m ethods t o b e o f L ate-Devensian a ge ( Chapters 5 a nd 6 ), i t w as c onsidered t hat i t m ight b e p ossible t o c ompare t he p alaeomagnetic r esults o btained a t S kipsea w ith those o f t he l arge n umber o f s tudies o f s ecular v ariations i n p alaeomagnetism i n B ritain during t he L ate-glacial ( Mackereth 1 971, C reer, Mackereth, M olyneux a nd T hompson 1 972, T hompson 1 973, C reer, G ross and L ineback 1 976, T hompson 1 977), A c omposite c urve L ate-glacial p alaeomagnetism i n B ritain i s s hown i n F igure 4 ,1,

7 3

o f

0

MI>

•

k o 1 2 e ; Z . . . . . I

, v ) L • t i e c L z kJ

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S AMPLING P alaeomagnetic s ampling w as c onfined t o t he c entral a rea ( Section 5 ) a t S kipsea ( Figure 3 .1), S ampling s ites were e stablished w ithin t he u pper 2 0mm o f b eds 2 6, 2 7, 2 8, 2 9, 3 1, 3 5, 3 9 a nd 4 0 ( Figure 3 ,7). A t e ach s ite, f our o rientated s pecimens o f 2 0mm d epth x 2 0mm d iameter ( 26A-26D , e tc.) w ere t aken, t he s ampling m ethod f ollowing t hat s uggested b y T arling ( 1983 :79) f or s ubaerially-exposed s oft s ediments,

M EASUREMENT T hree s pecimens, 2 7A, 3 1A a nd 3 9A, w ere s elected f rom t he t op, m iddle a nd b ase o f t he s ampled s ection r espectively. T he s tability o f t he r emanent m agnetisation o f t hese s pecimens w as e xamined b y p rogressive s tepwise d emagnetisation i n a lternating m agnetic f ields u p t o a m aximum f ield s trength o f 6 0 m T. T he d irection a nd i ntensity o f m agnetisation a fter e ach d emagnetisation s tep w as m easured u sing a D igico s pinner m agnetometer ( Molyneux 1 971) ( Figures 4 ,2 , 4 ,3), F or a ll t hree s pecimens, t he d irection o f m agnetisation c hanged r elatively l ittle a t d emagnetisation s teps b etween 5 m T a nd 3 0 m T, B y c ontrast, t he s pecimens e xhibited v ariable c hanges i n t he d irection o f m egnetisation d uring t he i nitial d emagnetisation s tep ( 5 mT), a nd e rratic c hanges i n d irection o f m agnetisation a fter d emagnetisation t o l evels h igher t han 3 0 m T, T he i nitial c hange i n m agnetic d irection c an b e a ttributed t o t he p resence i n t he s pecimens o f a v iscous m agnetic c omponent o f v ery l ow c oercivity. O n t he o ther h and, t he e rratic b ehaviour a t h igher d emagnetisation l evels m ay b e a ttributed t o t he a cquisition b y t he s pecimens o f e ither a nhysteretic r emanent m agnetisation o r r otational r emanent m agnetisation d uring m agnetic c leaning. T his i s d espite e fforts h aving b een m ade t o m inimise t he a cquisition o f a nhysteretic r emanent magnetisation b y cancelling t he a mbient m agnetic f ield a t t he p oint o f d emagnetisation. E fforts w ere a lso m ade t o t ake i nto a ccount t he p ossible a cquisition o f r otational r emanent m agnetisation b y t he u se o f t he f ollowing p rocedure. A fter e ach d emagnetisation s tep, t he r emanence o f e ach s pecimen w as m easured, T he o rientation o f t he s pecimen w as t hen r eversed a nd i t w as d emagnetised a gain t o t he s ame p eak f ield v alue. A s econd m easure o f r emanence w as t hen m ade a nd t he a verage v alue o f r emanence w as t hen t aken a s t he t rue v alue a t t hat d emagnetisation l evel. I t w as a ssumed t hat t he s table m agnetic d irections e xhibited b y t he p ilot s pecimens a fter d emagnetisation i n f ields o f 5 -30 m T r epresented t he p rimary m agnetisation o f t he s pecimens. A ll t he r emaining s pecimens w ere t herefore p artially d emagnetised i n p eak a lternating m agnetic f ields o f 2 0 m T t o r emove t he v iscous c omponents o f m agnetisation a nd t o i solate t he p rimary c omponent o f r emanence, T he d irection a nd i ntensity o f m agnetisation o f t he s pecimens w as t hen m easured i n t he m agnetometer,

R ESULTS T he m easurements o f d irection o f m agnetisation o btained f rom e ach s pecimen w ere u sed t o c alculate s ite m ean-direction a nd s ite 0 95-direction v alues f or e ach s ite. S imilarly, t he m easurements o f

7 6

F igure 4 ,3

S terographic

( equal

a ngle)

p rojections o f d irections o f

magnetisation ' o f s pecimens 2 7A, 3 1A a nd 3 9A d uring p rogressive s tepwise d emagnetisation i n a lternating magnetic f ields ( peak a lternating-field values g iven i n millitesla), S olid c ircles o n l owr h emisphere, o pen c ircles o n u pper,

7 7

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i ntensity o f m agnetisation o btained f rom e ach s pecimen w ere u sed t o c alculate s ite m ean-intensity a nd s ite s tandard-deviation i ntensity f or e ach s ite. T he r esults a re s hown i n F igure 4 .4* I t s hould b e n oted t hat s pecimens 2 6D a nd 2 8C w ere e xcluded f rom t hese c alculations, s ince t heir c leaned m agnetic d irections ( D = 2 00.7 0 , I = 3 5.7 0 a nd D = 3 03.2 0 , I = 46.9 0 r espectively) s uggested t hat t hey h ad e xperienced p ost-depositional d isturbance.

D ISCUSSION I ntensity T he i ntensity o f m agnetisation o f t he s pecimens a t 2 0 m T w as generally r elatively l ow (- 1 0 - 3 A m1 ) , i ndicating a l ow m agnetic m ineral c ontent i n t he m aterials s ampled. T he o nly e xceptions t o t his were s ite 2 6 w ith v ery l ow magnetic i ntensities o f -1 0 -4 A m1 ,a nd s ite 4 0 with r ather h igher m agnetic i ntensities o f -1 0 -2 A m1 . T hese variations m ay i ndicate d ifferences i n t he m ineralogical o r l ithological n ature o f t he d eposits. T he h igh m edian-coercivities (- 4 0 m T) o f t he d emagnetised p ilot s pecimens ( Figure 4 .3) s uggested t he p resence o f h aematite a s t he m ajor m agnetic c onstituent o f t he d eposits ( Dunlop a nd S tirling 1 977)* D irection A lthough t he d irections o f m agnetisation o f e ach o f t he s ites s ampled d isplayed c onsiderable s catter ( Figure 4 .4), t he o verall u nitm ean d irection o f D =3 49 .5 0 a nd I = 6 1.3 0 , o btained b y c ombining t he m ean v alues f or e ach s ite, w as c lose t o t hat o f t he g eocentric a xiald ipole v alue a t S kipsea ( D = 3 60,0 0 , I = 7 0,0 0 ) . T his s uggested t hat t he p rimary m agnetisation o f t he s pecimens w as l argely a f unction o f t he d irection o f t he a ncient f ield, w hich t ends, o ver p eriods a s s hort a s 2 k a, t o a pproximate t o a g eocentric a xial-dipole ( Tarling 1 983:190-194). T he s catter o f v alues m ay h ave b een t he r esult o f p ostd epositional d isturbance, p articularly a s t he d eposits c an b e s een t o h ave u ndergone s lumping a nd f aulting ( Figure 3 .7). A lternatively , r andomisation o f m agnetic d irections i n d eposits s uch a s t hese, c omposed m ainly o f s ilt, m ay h ave b een a f unction e ither o f t he f abric o f t he s ediment, w hich t ends n ot t o a llow p articles t o r ealign t hemselves p ost-depositionally w ith t he p revailing m agnetic f ield, o r o f t he m ovement o f p articles o ut o f magnetic a lignment a s t hey w ere d eposited i n i rregularities o n t he s ediment s urface* A lthough t he n ormal p olarity o f m agnetisation o f t hese b eds e xcludes t hem f rom h aving b een d eposited d uring a ny o f t he m agnetic e xcursions r ecorded d uring t he B runhes n ormal-polarity E poch ( Verosub a nd B anerjee 1 977, V erosub 1 982, T arling 1 983:211-215), i t i s i mpossible t o e stablish a ny p attern o f s ecular v ariation f rom t he m easurements m ade a t S kipsea W ithow, T he m agnetostratigraphic r esults t herefore p rovide n o f irm e vidence o f t he d ate o f d eposition o f t he b eds. N evertheless, t he r esults o btained d o n ot e xclude t he d eposition o f t he b eds f rom h aving t aken p lace d uring p ollen z one I o f t he L ateD evensian, a s i ndicated b y t he p alynological a nd m olluscan e vidence ( Chapter 5 ),

7 9

C ONCLUSIONS P alaeomagnetic

a nalysis o f p art o f t he S outh S ection o f t he

U pper P alaeolithic s ite a t S kipsea, E ast Y orkshire, i ndicates that t he d irection o f r emanent magnetisation o f t he d eposits l argely r eflects t he d irection o f t he a ncient g eomagnetic f ield. H owever, t he r esults a re o nly a ble t o c onfirm- t hat t he d eposits w ere l aid d own d uring t he B runhes

n ormal-polarity

E poch,

a nd

e xcursions r ecorded d uring t hat t ime,

8 0

n ot d uring

o ne

of

t he magnetic

C HAPTER 5 T HE P ALAEOBOTANT O F T HE L ATE-DEVENSIAN S EQUENCE A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE b y C .O. H unt, A .R. H all a nd D .D. G ilbertson, w ith c ontributions b y A nne B lackham , C hristine W illiams a nd H .K.Kenward.

I NTRODUCTION P ollen a nalysis h as b een c arried o ut o n s amples f rom s ections T he s tudies o f s ection 7 a re p rimarily c oncerned w ith t he F landrian a nd a re d iscussed i n C hapters 7 a nd 8 .

1 , 7 , 8a nd 3 ( Figure 3 .1).

P lant m acrofossil a nalysis w as c arried o ut o n s amples f rom s ection Most o f t he p ollen s amples w ere s plit f rom t he s amples t aken

8 . f or

molluscan a nalysis b y D , W oodall a nd N . T hew ( Chapter 6 ). The p lant macrofossils w ere s eparated f rom t he s amples f rom s ections 8 a nd 1 u sed f or m olluscan a nalysis b y N . T hew a nd D . W oodall respectively, s ee F igure 6 ,1 f or d etails. S ample p rovenance i s s hown i n F igure 3 .7. T he p ollen s amples f rom s ections 1 a nd 3 w ere p repared u sing hydrochloric a nd h ydrofluoric a cid a nd a cetolysis. T hese t echniques gave v ery s parse a ssemblages o f p oorly p reserved p ollen. M ore s ophisticated t echniques ( Hunt 1 984) were t herefore u sed t o p repare pollen

f rom

s ection

8 .

T he

s amples

w ere

b oiled

i n

5 % p otassium

h ydroxide , s ieved f rom 1 20 m icron a nd o n 1 0 m icron n ylon s ieves a nd ' swirled' o n a c lock-glass. 5 m1 s amples w ere u sed a nd Eucalyptus p ollen p ills a dded s o t hat p ollen c oncentration i n t he s ediment c ould be e stablished, a s s ummarised i n J ones a nd C undill ( 1978), I t w as l ater d iscovered t hat s ome o f t he p ills c ontained n o E ucalyptus p ollen, s o p ollen c oncentration i n t he s ediment

c ould

n ot

b e

e stablished

f or

e very s ample. B etween 5 a nd 1 65 g rains w ere i dentified f rom e ach s ample i n s ection 1 , 1 00 g rains w ere i dentified f rom e ach s ample i n s ection 3 , a nd 5 t o 7 20 grains were i dentified f rom e ach s ample i n s ection 8 . P re-Quaternary p alynomorphs a nd Q uaternary o rganic w alled m icrofossils w ere a lso c ounted i n s ection 8 .

M ICROPALAEONTOLOGY:

T AXONOMIC N OTES

P ollen T he W ebb

i dentification

O rganic-Walled M icrofossils ( a)

o f

p ollen

i n

g eneral

f ollows M oore a nd

( 1978).

P ediastrum

w ell-known,

( Figures 5 .1,

( Figure

5 ,1;

b eing i llustrated b y,

1 ).

5 .2). T hese

f or e xample,

8 1

a lgal m icrofossils a re

C ookson

( 1953),

1

4

F igure 5 .1

( all x -1 000) M icrofossils f rom W ithow, 1 , P ediastrum s p, 2 . 3 . I .

L ate D evensian l ake d eposits a t

C osmarium s p. ( Desmid) B otryococcus s p. S taurastrum s p.

( Desmid) 8 2

5 9 6 .

S pirogyra s p, Z ygnema t ype

S kipsea

3

5 F igure 5 ,2

( all x 1 000) M icrofossils f rom L ate D evensian l ake d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow. 1- 5 . O rganic-walled m icrofossils, i ncertae s edis.

8 3

F igure 5 ,3

( x 2 000) M icrofossil f rom L ate D evensian d eposits a t Skipsea W ithow, D inoflagellate c yst, r edrawn f rom a s canning e lectron m icrograph, s howing c ingulum, a rchaeopyle, a nd t abulation o f t he o perculum,

8 4

1

3

F igure 5 ,4

2

( x 1 000) M icrofossils f rom L ate D evensian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow. 1 , D inoflagellate cyst, s howing i ncipient a rchaeopyle f ormation a cross t he a pex o f t he c yst, d orsal v iew, 2 . D inoflagellate c yst, s howing a rchaeopyle, d orsal v iew.

3 .

D inoflagellate c yst, s howing a rchaeopyle o perculum, l ateral v iew,

a nd a ttached

F igure 5 95

( x 1 000) M icrofossils

f rom

L ate

D evensian

d eposits

a t

S kipsea

W ithow,

1

2

3 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .

4

D inoflagellate c yst, s howing c ingulum, s ulcus a nd i ncipient a rchaeopyle f ormation a t a pex, v entral v iew. D inoflagellate c yst, s howing a rchaeopyle f ormation a nd c ingulum, d orsal v iew. D inoflagellate c yst, s howing s ulcus and c ingulum, v entral v iew. D inoflagellate c yst, s howing a rchaeopyle a nd c ingulum , l ateral v iew.

8 6

( b) D inoflagellate C ysts ( Figures 5 .3-5.5). P leistocene f reshwater d inoflagellate c yst i s p resent

O ne s pecies o f i n t he S kipsea

s ection. I ts d istribution, p reservation a nd m orphology ( there a re n o s imilar p re-Pleistocene s pecies) s trongly s uggest t hat t he c ysts a re n ot r ecycled f rom t he u nderlying t ill. S imilar c ysts h ave b een s een i n f luvial d eposits o f t he R iver W itham , L incolnshire ( C. G roves, p ers. c omm.) a nd i n l acustrine.deposits f rom t he M orecambe B ay a rea ( C.O. H unt, u npublished). T he c ysts a re c ornucavate t o c ircumcavate, a nd p eridiniold t o o void i n f orm, T he i nner w all i s s cabrate, a nd l ess t han 0 .5mm t hick; t he o uter wall i s a lso s cabrate, a nd v ery t hin. I n m ost s pecimens, b oth t he i nner a nd o uter w alls s how a r ounded e pitract a nd t wo v ery b luntly r ounded a ntapical h orns; i n s ome s pecimens, h owever, t he i nner b ody i s o void r ather t han p eridinioid. T he t abulation i s i ndicated by t he c ingulum, a rchaeopyle a nd b y v ery s hallow g rooves o n t he i nner w all a s 4 ' 3 1 7 " 5" 2 ". T he c ingulum i s b road, l aevorotary, a nd i ndicated by b ulges i n t he o uter l ayer a nd o ccasionally b y v ery l ow ( less t han 0 .25 m icrons) s mooth-topped r idges o n t he o uter l ayer. T he a rchaeopyle o pens b y a t ransapical s uture a nd a s uture a t t he a nterior e dge o f t he g irdle. O n s ome s canning e lectron m icrographs, t abulation on t he o perculum i s i ndicated b y i rregularly-developed c racks. A n a rchaeopyle t abulation o f o ne a pical, t hree i ntercalary a nd a t l east t hree p recingular p ara-plates i s i ndicated, A f lagellar ' slit' c an b e s een u nder t he s canning e lectron m icroscope; m icrons l ong a nd T he

i t

i s

b etween

2 0

a nd

2 5

1 -2 m icrons w ide.

o uter

l ayer v aries b etween 5 8 m icrons a nd

1 50 m icrons i n

l ength, a veraging 9 1 m icrons ( 8 s pecimens m easured), a nd 5 0 m icrons t o 1 20 m icrons i n b readth, a veraging 6 8 microns ( 8 s pecimens m easured), T he s eparation o f t he a nterior a nd p osterior p ericoels varies b etween 2 and 1 5 microns, a lternatively t he c ysts m ay b e c ircumcavate, w ith s eparation o f t he t wo w all l ayers o f u p t o 2 5 m icrons, T hese c ysts a re v ery s imilar t o t ype D c ysts o f N orris a nd M cAndrews ( 1970), d iffering o nly b y b eing l arger ( type D c ysts h aving a l ength o f b etween 4 9 m icrons a nd 5 7 microns) a nd i n h aving a s lightly more

p eridinioid

outline,

T he

o verall

m orphology

o f

t ogether w ith t he n ature o f t he a rchaeopyle a nd t he s uggests t hat t hey a re c ysts o f a s pecies o f P eridinium,

t hese

c ysts,

t abulation,

( c) Zygnemataceae ( Figure 5 .1, 5 , 6 ), M ost o f t he m icrofossils a ttributed h ere t o t he Z ygnemataceae a re s imilar t o t hose a ttributed t o Spirogyra s ppe b y V an G eel ( 1976) a nd V an G eel a nd V an d er H ammen ( 1978). R arer f orms s imilar t o t hose d escribed a s ' Type 5 8: Zygnemataceae' b y V an G eel ( 1976) a nd ' Zygnema - t ype' b y V an G eel a nd Van d er H ammen ( 1978) a re a lso i ncluded; t hey a re n ot d ifferentiated i n the d iagram ( Figure 5 . 8 /9 ) s ince a ll t he Z ygnemataceae s hare c ommon e cological r equirements ( references i n V an G eel a nd V an d er H ammen 1 978) o f s hallow, s tagnant, o xygen-rich f resh o r s lightly b rackish water,

w hich

r eaches t emperatures o f a t l east

1 00C f or a t l east a f ew

months o f t he y ear. ( d) can

b e

Desmids a ttributed

( Figure 5 ,1; 2 , ) 4. M ost o f t he d esmids r ecovered t o t he b iplex g enus C osmarium. R are t riplex f orms

a ttributed t o S taurastrum s pp. w ere a lso r ecovered,

8 7

S AMPLE

T AXON

S K6

V accinium t ype, A ster t ype, C a lum , P olygonum c onvolvulus

S K9

R hamnus o S pi na t ype

S K 13

S axifraga g ranulata t ype, M ercurialis

S K 17

G eum

S K 18

C irsium t ype, Meyanthes

S K 19

L inaria , V icia c racca

S K33

G lancin g ! , E phedra

S K37

D ryas

L G5

S cabiosa c olumbaria

S K39

M entha

A 4

P olygonum c onvolvulus

T able 5 .1

C ircaea ,

O CCURRENCE O F R ARE P OLLEN T AXA I N T HE L ATE-DEVENSIAN D EPOSITS A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE ,

S ECTION 8 : F igure 3 .1.

8 8

( e) Botryococcus ( Figure 5 ,1; 3 ). C olonies o f a Botryococcus s pecies s imilar t o t hose i llustrated b y C ookson ( 1953) w ere r ecovered. F or t he p urposes o f t his s tudy, e ach c olony o f Botryococcus w as r ecorded a s o ne i ndividual. Botryococcus i s a p lanktonic a lga o f f reshwater a nd b rackish l akes a nd p ools ( Round 1 973),

( f) ' Type 1 19'. M icrofossils i dentical t o t hose i nformally n amed a s ' Type 19' b y P als, V an G eel a nd D elfos ( 1980) w ere r ecovered f rom t hree s amples. T hese m icrofossils a re c haracteristic o f s low-moving f reshwater i n t he N etherlands ( Pals, V an G eel a nd D elfos 1 980),

( g) O ther o rganic-walled m icrofossils. A n umber o f o rganic-walled m icrofossils o f p robable a lgal o rigin w ere s een. i nclude:

o ther T hese

( i)

a s pherical p silate ' cyst' 1 5-25 m icrons i n d iameter, s howing a n e quatorial s uture ( Figure 5 .2 ; 3 ),

( ii)

a n o void ' cyst' 1 5-20 m icrons l ong, 1 0-15 m icrons w ide, b earing w idely s paced ( 2 m icrons) b aculate p rocesses 1 ,5-2 m icrons h igh a nd l ess t han 0 ,5 m icrons t hick, s howing a s emi-circular s uture ( Figure 5 .2 ; 5 ),

( iii) a s pherical ( 40-60 m icrons d iameter), t hick-walled ( 2-3 m icrons) ' cyst', s howing a n e quatorial s uture, w ith a r egular r eticulum w ith s traight-topped, n arrow ( less t han 1 m icrons) l ists, 2 -4 m icrons h igh, e nclosing p olygonal l umina w ith r ounded c orners ( Figure 5 ,2; 1 ). ( iv)

a f lattened-ovoid ( 30-60 m icrons d iameter) ' cyst', w ith a n e quatorial s uture, w ith t hree t o s ix l ines o f h ollow , b ulbous, o pen-topped p rocesses, 2 -10 m icrons h igh a nd 1 -8 m icrons w ide r unning d own t he l ongitudinal a xis o f e ach h emisphere ( Figure 5 ,2 ; 4 ).

( v)

s pherical ' cysts', 8 -15 m icrons i n d iameter, b earing a d ense o rnament o f b aculate p rocesses 4 -10 m icrons l ong ( Figure 5 ,2 : 2 ).

S ponge S picules S ponge s picules w ere r ecovered f rom s ample 1 42, w here t hey o ccurred w ith a n a bundance o f 0 ,4% o f t otal p ollen, T he s picules a re h ollow, a cicular, u p t o 8 0 m icrons l ong a nd 1 0 m icrons w ide. T hey a re s imilar t o t he s picules o f m any s pecies o f f reshwater s ponge, b ut t heir m orphology i s t oo g eneralised t o a llow a ttribution t o a ny p articular t axon,

8 9

S ample n o, 7 /M/ 16 u pper 1 .0 1 .51.6m

a ir d ried w eight ( kg) d epth

7 /M/ 17 l ower 0 .5 1 .61.7m

T axon B eta' s ' n ana L . B etula s p (p)

C ares s pp C aryophyllaceae c f. C retaegus m onogyna J acq. G roenlandia d ensa ( L.) F ourr. L usula s p. W ymphaea a lba L . P opulus s p. P otamogeton s pp. P otentilla p alustris L . R anunculus s ubg. B atrachium ( DC.) A . G ray R . s p. i ndet. R unes a cetosella a gg. C f. S alix s p. S choenplectus s p. M osses, A lgae A ulocomnlum p alustre ( Hedw) S chwaegr. B ryan s p. C alliergon s p C ratoneuron f ilicinum ( Hedw) S pruce S phagnum s p. C hars s p(p)

f cs f cs

1 1 0

-

f r m c n s f rst p yr s s b s p yr a

5 7 i f 4 2 1 1 2 4 0 2 3 2 3 1 4 5 7

4 3 1 _ 1 1 1 _ 1 1

a a f r b s n

l f , s ht s ht s ht s ht l ye, s ht, t ips o o

2 1

1 1

1 0

K ey t o a bbreviations: P arts: a - a chene(s); a n - a nther (s); b - b ud(s); b s - b udscale(s); c ar - c arpel(s); f ca - f emale c one a xes; f cs - f emale c atkin s cale(s); f r - f ruit(s); f rst - f ruitstone(s); l f , l ye - l eaf , l eaves; m c - m ale c atkin; n - n ut(let)s; o o - o ospore(s); p yr - p yrene(s); s ht (s) - s hoot(s); w - w ood. E lsewhere: f , f f - f ragment(s); f r - f requent; i mm - i mmature; o- o ccasional.

T able 5 .2.

P LANT M ACROFOSSILS F ROM L ATE-DEVENSIAN D ARK G REY L AMINATED S ILTS ( UNIT 3 c) A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW : S ection 7 ( Figure 3 .1).

9 0

F igure

5 ,6

S ource a reas f or p re-Quaternary p alynomorphs r ecorded f rom t he S kipsea T ill, K ey - p l P leistocene; k u U pper C retaceous k l L ower C retaceous; j u U pper J urassic; j m M iddle J urassic; j l L ower J urassic; j u ndifferentiated J urassic; p t P ermo-Triassic; c C arboniferous; +S kipsea W ithow G ap.

9 1

R ESULTS T he r esults o f t he p ollen a nd p lant m acrofossil a nalyses a re s hown i n F igures 5 ,6-5,9 a nd T ables 5 ,1 a nd 5 ,3» T he a ssemblages a re d ivisible i nto t hree m ajor u nits, c orresponding t o: ( i)

t he b asal t ill

( ii)

t he l acustrine s ilts a nd g ravels

( iii) t he o verlying p eats. T he r esults a re s tudies - N os, 1 , 7 a nd 8 .

d iscussed

i n

d etail b elow f or e ach s ection

T he T ill T he T ill i s o nly s parsely p alyniferous, c ontaining o nly 1 50 p alynomorphs/cm3v O nly 8 g rains/cm3 ( of P inus a nd G ramineae) w ere s een i n a s tate o f p reservation s imilar t o t he Q uaternary p ollen i n t he o verlying l acustrine d eposits, O ther Q uaternary t axa p resent i ncluded P ieea, Alnus, T ilia, Fraxinus, Pediastrun, a nd marine d inoflagellate c ysts, m ostly S piniferites s pp, T he p alynomorphs i n t he t ill w ere p resent i n t he f ollowing p roportions: P leistocene

1%

L ower - M iddle C retaceous

1%

J urassic ( mostly L ower - M iddle) T riassic - R haetic

5 8% 1 %

C arboniferous

1 9%

T he p alynomorphs a re m ostly i n v ery g ood c ondition,

and

s how

l ittle e vidence o f w eathering o r c orrosion. I t i s l ikely t hat t he g lacier w hich l aid d own t he S kipsea T ill p assed o ver r ocks o f a ll t hese a ges

t o

e ntrain

t he

p alynomorphs.

I t i s t hus l ikely t hat t he S kipsea

g lacier m oved d own t he N orthumberland - Y orkshire c oast i n a g enerally s outherly d irection, s ince t his i s t he o nly d irection i n w hich f ormations o f C retaceous, a ge w ould b e c rossed

T he L acustrine S equence: I n

J urassic,

T riassic-Rhaetic a nd C arboniferous

( see F igure 5 ,6),

g eneral,

G eneral P roperties t he

l acustrine

s ilts

a nd

g ravels

s how

a

c onsiderable u niformity i n t heir p ollen s pectra, a ll s amples h aving a ' cold-stage' a spect, M ost s amples c ontain h igh i ncidences o f C yperaceae a nd G ramineae, T he s edges, a nd p erhaps s ome o f t he g rasses, w ere p robably g rowing c lose t o t he s ample s ites, S kipsea

W ithow l ake,

a t t he margins

o f

t he

T he s ubstantial r epresentation o f s edges i n t he

p lant m acrofossil a ssemblages

( Tables 5 ,2,

5 ,3)

l ends

s upport

t o

t his

a rgument. T he h igh i ncidences o f C yperaceae a nd G ramineae d erived f rom l ocal v egetation o bscures, t o a n e xtent, t he f luctuations i n t he r egional p ollen r ain,

9 2

+

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1 . 4

T he p ollen p rofiles ( Figures 5 .7, 5 .9 a nd 5 .11) s amples a re c haracterised b y l ow b ut c ontinuous i ncidences o f P inus a nd

a lso

Betula.

I n

s ections

1a nd 3 , Betula p ollen w as n ot s ubdivided,

b ut i n

s ection 8 m ost b irch p ollen w as c omparable w ith p ollen o f B etula n ana, L eaf i mpressions a nd m acrofossils o f B etula nana a re r elatively a bundant i n t he L ate D evensian d eposits ( Plate 5 .1, T ables 5 .2, 5 .3). P inus i s t he m ost c ommon t ree p ollen i n m ost s amples, b ut t he a bsence o f P ine macrofossils s uggests t hat i t m ay n ot h ave b een l ocally p resent* V ery l ow a bundance o f B etula c f. n ana, t ree b irch a nd S alix a re, h owever, a ccompanied b y t he o ccurrence o f p lant macrofossils, s uggesting t hat t hese t axa w ere p resent. J uniperus a nd P opulus a re n ot r epresented a t a ll b y p ollen, t axa a re p resent ( Tables 5 .2,

a lthough p lant m acrofossils o f b oth t hese 5 .3),

P ollen o f s hrubs a nd dwarf s hrubs i s c onsistently p resent, p articularly E ricaceae, H elianthemum, a nd t he r arer HippophRe a nd Rhamnus, T he l atter t hree t axa a re, t o v arying e xtents, s hade-intolerant; H ippophRe i s a lso t olerant o f c onsiderable g round i nstability. H erb t axa a re r epresented b y b oth p ollen a nd m acrofossils. M ost a re t olerant o f, o r c haracteristic o f, o pen h abitats, p articularly t he C ompositae ( Artemisia , L iguliflorae a nd A nthemis t ype, A ster t ype, Serratula t ype

a nd

C irsium t ype),

Rumex acetosa,

Rumex a cetosella ,

P lantago s ppv, Thalictrum , G eranium , C aryophyllaceae, C henopodiaceae. P ollen o f Oxyria, s pores o f Botrychium a nd macrofossils o f Dryas r epresent t hree t axa p articularly c haracteristic o f m ontane a nd n ortherly h abitats.

1 969,

W est

A s i n many o ther D evensian d eposits k nown i n B ritain ( Bell 1 977a,b; P ennington 1 977), a g roup o f t axa w ith a w ide r ange

o f g eographical

a nd

e cological

p references

i s

o ften p resent.

T his

g roup i ncludes s everal t axa w ith p resent d ay n ortherly o r a rctic-alpine d istributions, s uch a s Dryas, L innaea, Empetrum-type a nd Betula nana, t ogether w ith a g roup h aving m odern s outherly a nd e asterly d istributions, s uch a s Sanguisorba, Ephedra, R hamnus, Scabiosa columbaria, S cilla a nd Helianthemum ( Fitter 1 978). I t w as c oncluded b y B ell ( 1969) t hat t he c ombination o f h abitat a vailability a nd

r elatively h igh s ummer t emperatures l ed t o t he d evelopment o f t his

' mixed'

t ype o f D evensian f lora.

I n g eneral t erms, t he p ollen a nd p lant m acrofossils s uggest a n o pen l andscape d ominated b y a g rass/herb/dwarf s hrub vegetation o n w hich o pen w oodland o ccasionally d eveloped,

M arsh v egetation d ominated

t he m argins o f t he S kipsea l ake, S hifts

i n

t he

p lant

m acrofossil

a ssemblages

a nd

p ollen

s pectra a llow t he l acustrine s equence t o b e s ubdivided. B ecause t he p lant macrofossil a ssemblages a nd t he p ollen s pectra s how s imilar s hifts a t the s ame t ime, i t i s p ossible t hat t hey might r eflect r egional

v egetational c hanges a s w ell a s c hanges i n l ocal s edimentary

e nvironments.

9 1

N ORTHERN E XPOSURES

( section

1 , F igure 3 .1).

P lant m acrofossils ( Unit 3 /1/1-7).

( A,H 0

P lant m acrofossils a re e specially i mportant i n t his c ontext, p roviding v aluable e vidence o n l ocal p resence o r a bsence o f a p articular t axon. T he r esidues f rom U nit 3 (1/1-1/7) w ere e xamined f or p lant macrofossils, T hese a ll y ielded o ospores o f C hara a nd p yrenes o f P otanogeton w hich w ere p robably p rimary c olonisers o f t he l ake m argin, H owever, U nit 3 (1/2) a lso y ielded o ther a quatic a nd w ater s ide t axa - n otably H ippuris vulgaris a nd E leocharis s p. A s ingle f emale c atkin o f t he d warf b irch Betula nana w as a lso f ound. T his s lightly h igher c oncentration o f r emains p ossibly r eflects t he r esults o f i nwashing f rom t he n earby m argins o f t he b asin. T he p resence o f d warf b irch s uggests a n o pen, p ossibly s ub-arctic, c limate. I nsect a ssemblages

( by H arry K enward)

T he s mall a ssemblages f rom t he s amples i n s ection 1 i ncluded s ome a nts a nd b eetles, T hose o f t he l atter t hat c ould b e i dentified a re i ndicative o f o pen, t reeless v egetation, p erhaps s hort g rass a nd m oss.

C ENTRAL E XPOSURE

( Section 7 ,

F igure 3 ,1)

P lant m acrofossils T wo b ulk s amples 7 /M/16 a nd 7 /M/17 f rom U nit 3 c w ere i nvestigated f or p lant m acrofossils, T he r esults a re s et o ut i n T able 5 .2. T hese s amples o ccurred a t 0 ,2m ( 1 6) a nd 0 ,4m ( 1 7) a t t he b ase o f t he F landrian p eats r adiocarbon d ated t o 9 880+60 b ,p, ( SRR 1 944), L ate D evensian C lays T he

l owest

s ample

- N o,

7 /M/17,

y ielded

a v ery

s mall

a ssemblage o f p lant m acrofossils, T hese w ere i n a p oor s tate o f p reservation, s uch t hat i t w as n ot p ossible t o d istinguish f ruits o f d warf b irch, Betula nana, a mongst t hose i dentified t o t he g enus Betula: s ee a lso P late 5 .1. T he o ther m acrofossils a re p robably a ssociated w ith a quatic o r a quatic-marginal h abitats a nd n o d oubt r epresent a n e arly s tage o f c olonisation o f t he l ake a t t his s ite. T he b irch f ruits, w hether d warf o r t ree b irch ( or b oth) r epresent e arly c olonisation o f t he s urrounding d rier l and b y w oody p lants. T he n ext, u pper s ample ( 7/M/16) y ielded a m uch l arger a ssemblage o f p lant m acrofossils. T he b ulk o f t hese w ere f ruits o f b irch ( the m ajority w ere c ertainly t ree b irch, a lthough a s ingle f emale c atkin o f B etula n ana w as f ound), n utlets o f S choenoplectus ( probably S choenoplectus l acustris, t he b ulrush), p yrenes o f P otanogeton s pp,, a nd o ospores o f C hars .' T he o ccasional b ud-scales o f P opulus ( probably P opulus t renula) a re o f i nterest h ere, a s a re t he l eaves a nd s hoot t ips o f S phagnum. W hilst t he f ormer a re

9 5

P late 5 .1

L eaf i mpressions of Betula nana f rom t he l ake s ilts ( Unit 3 ) a t S kipsea W ithow mere: T revor C orns.

9 6

L ate D evensian p hotograph b y

c onsistent w ith t he o pen-woodland v egetation i ndicated b y t he n umerous b irch f ruits a nd a bundant Betula p ollen, t he Sphagnum l eaves ( and s pores i n F igure 5 .7) a re l ess e asily e xplained. T he g enus i s r ecorded b y D ickson ( 1973:69-72) f rom L ate-Devensian d eposits a t s everal s ites i n B ritain, a lthough a ll a re i n t he w est. H e d iscusses t he p ossible h abitats the m oss m ight h ave o ccupied a t t his t ime, b ut i t m ay b e t hat s ome o f t he material f rom t he p resent s ite i s r eworked f rom o lder ( interglacial?)

d eposits.

T his i s p erhaps s upported b y t he d ecline o f

Sphagnum i n t he s pore r ecord w ith d ecreasing m ineral s edimentation. T he t entatively i dentified h awthorn f ruit ( cf. Crataegus m onogyna ) r ecorded f rom s ample 1 6, may l ikewise h ave o riginated i n o lder s ediments. T he r eworking o f ? Ipswichian v ertebrate r emains i nto D evensian g lacial d eposits i s w ell k nown i n H olderness. On

t he

o ther

h and,

t he

l eaf

a nd

s hoot

o f

Aulocomnium

palustre, a f requent c oncomitant o f c ertain Sphagnum s pp. i n w et, a cid h abitats, a re l ess l ikely t o b e r eworked. T he m oss i s k nown f rom L ate-Devensian d eposits a t H ooks, s ome 2 0km s outh o f S kipsea ( Dickson 1 973 :223) a nd h as n umerous o ther L ate-Devensian a nd e arly F landrian r ecords, T he

r emainder

o f

t he

a ssemblage

f rom

t his s ample i ncluded

a quatic a nd w aterside/marsh t axa, a nd f our f ruits o f Rumex aeetosella, a t ypical L ate-Devensian w eedspecies r epresenting t he d isturbed s oils c aused b y s oil e rosion a nd p ossibly m ass m ovement.

C ENTRAL EXPOSURES

( Section 8 )

T he l ocal p lant a ssemblage b iozones r ecognised i n t hese e xposures a re d efined b elow w ith t heir i nterpretation. T he p lant m acrofossils a re l isted i n T able 5 ,3, t he r esults o f t he p alynological s tudies a re s et o ut i n F igures 5 ,8 a nd 5 »9, a nd t heir s tratigraphic d istribution i n t he s ection i s i llustrated i n F igure 500»

B iozone S KA C HARACTERISTICS: V ery r estricted Q uaternary p alynomorph a ssemblages ( 5-29 g rains/cm 3 ) t ogether w ith a bundant a ssemblage o f p reQ uaternary t axa ( up t o 6 16 g rains/cm 3 ) , P inus, G ramineae, C yperaceae a nd h erb t axa Artemesia, C ompositae ( Liguliflorae), R umex s pp., C henopodiaceae, A nthemis-type, Thalietrum) d ominate t he a ssemblages. S alix, F ilipendula, Typha, Betula o f. nana, B elianthemum , Empetrum-type a nd C oryloid a re a lso p resent, O CCURRENCE :

S ection 8 ,

I NTERPRETATION:

u nit 2 ;

P inus

a nd

S ection

1 , u nit

G ramineae

a re

3 /1/1.

p resent

i n

t he

u nderlying t ill; i t i s p robable t hat t hey, t ogether p erhaps w ith t he ' Coryloids', a re r ecycled f rom t he t ill, t ogether w ith t he p reQ uaternary p alynomorphs. T he r esidual p ollen a ssemblages a re d ominated b y h erb

t axa

a nd

s ome

dwarf

s hrub

p ollen,

i ncreasingly i mportant.

9 7

.

w ith

C yperaceae b ecoming

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i n a g s r l

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s eems

t o

confirm

t hese

c ross-stratigraphic

correlations;

i ndications o f h orizontal v ariation i n s pecies r epresentation a vailable f or t he L ate-Devensian* LMAZ-LG:

t oo

T he c alcium c arbonate c ontent i n l ayer 1 /1/1 ( Chapter 3 ) w as h igh t o e xplain t he t otal a bsence o f m olluscs i n t erms o f c hemical T his a bsence c an t herefore b e t aken w ith t he v arved n ature

of t he d eposit with

t o r epresent t he p roduct o f a p erennially

c onditions

Alternatively,

b eing

the

t oo

a bsence

s evere o f

f or

molluscs

LMAZ-T:

' Transitional z one '

bare,

b e

o verlying t he v arved

t olerant

s ilts,

f rozen t o

due

t o

indicate

s pecies a re

s urface

p resent

T he

h igh

e xtreme d ifficulty o f i dentifying

s o

t oo

i s

a re

L ate-Devensian c omm)

a re

c ounts

f ound P .

i n

o f

a round

r epresented

s pecies,

i nequilateral P .

I n

s pecies

o f g astropod

a nd

Gyraulus

Armiger erista a nd

c omposition,

r atio

amnieum

a nd

w ater,

s uggests

P isidium

while

c lear,

P .

laevis,

a bundance

this

d eep

water*

b oth

r equire

P .

w ith

c ounts,

s uggest

a

T he g astropod:

M oreover, moving

nitidium

s ingle

T hese l ast t wo

P isidium

c alcareous

a lso

i ndicate

e utrophic w ater* T he d ecrease

r atio

r easonably

a nd

h owever,

t ogether

henslowanum

subtruneatum

p ers. .

t hat of z one A 1-3 o n t he t olerant Lymnaea p eregra,

Sphaerium l aeustre.

c oincident w ith r elatively h igh

( Kerney,

s ubtruneatum.

s ignificant d evelopment o f f reshwater m acrovegetation* b ivalve

P .

w hich i n t he p eculiar

a t t his s ite

i n s ome w ays s imilar t o

of

l ake.

P isidium s pecies*

hibernieum a nd P . easertanum ,

p iscinalis

s pecimens

t he

l owering*

P isidium subtruneatum a nd P isidium s pp*

a ssemblage i s e cologically s imilar t o c entral margins ( section 8 ), with the Valvata

a

c ontemporary l ayers i n t he c entral p rofile,

morphologies

t erms

i n

- V alvata p iscinalis

the

subtruneatum

d elay

i ndicative o f s lope-wash f rom a

p oorly v egetated b oulder c lay g round

P isidium s pp*

t he

P isidium s pp*

T his d eposit m ay t herefore r epresent a p eriod o f l ake l evel LMAZ-A1-3:

l ake,

s urvive*

c reation o f t he l ake*

- Lymnaea p eregra -

A s mall n umber o f t he m ost s ilty-sand,

m olluscs

may

n ecessary f or c olonisation u pon t he i nitial

i n t he

s evere

i n a bundance a nd t he

i ncreased g astropod:bivalve

u pper h alf o f 3 /1/4 c orrelate w ith the

b eginning

o f m ore

c onditions i n z one A 4.

L MAZ-B:

N ot P resent

L MAZ-C:

V alvata p iscinalis - G yraulus l aevis T he

T he

t hus

No Nollusea

w eathering*

but

s ome

a re

p resence

s pecimen

o f

o f

Armiger

h igh

numbers

crista

i s

of

G .

p robably

laevis i s s ignificant. i ndicative

of

e arly

c olonisation b y p opulations c oincident w ith t he b eginning o f r enewed m acrovegetation g rowth. T his a ssemblage w ould t herefore b e s een a s r epresenting

t he

e nd

o f

z one

C ,

after

the

most

a dverse

e cological

c onditions h ave b een r eplaced b y a m ore f avourable e nvironment*

1 39

h is

Woodall's ( 1980) i dentification of Valvata macrostoma i n r eport i s p robably m istaken; t hese i nstead b eing the v ariety

1 981

alpestris

of

V .

piscinalis,

w hich

c haracteristic o f l ake h abitats LMAZ-D1:

Valvata

h ave

a f lattened

( Fretter a nd G raham

piscinalis

- Lymnaea

s pire

a nd

a re

1 978),

peregra

- A rmiger

c rista

- Gyraulus laevis - P isidium s pp. A ll t hese s pecies a re g eneralists e xcept f or A rmiger which n ormally r equires f airly h igh l evels o f w ater c alcium

crista,

a nd r elatively l ush t he

g eneralist

f reshwater macrovegetation.

s pecies

b e a c haracteristic l ake.

T he

t ogether

w ith

r atios

w ater a nd p lentiful macrovegetation

r emain h igh,

f or

t he

lung

Bathyomphalus contortus a lso

f avours a bundant v egetation L MAZ-D2;

( Macan

Bithynia t entaculata -

t o

Gyraulus

LMAZ-D1. laevis.

T here

i s

Valvata p iscinalis

a r elative

the

next

decline

i n

d ecline

i n

( Boycott

of

v egetationally

1 936),

r elative

s uccessional i mportance

T his t axon i s c haracteristic o f w ild,

Lymnaea peregra a lso

pulmonate

t his t axon a lso

1 950),

u ndeveloped h abitats i n m odern B ritain a nd

s uggesting s hallow

breathing

a ppears;

T his a ssemblage a ppears t o r epresent s tage

r ise i n numbers o f

f eature o f t he e arliest s uccessional s tages i n t his

gastropod:bivalve

gastropods.

T he

s ignificant A rmiger crista m ay

k rmtger c rista

i mportance,

B ithynia

tentaculata a ppears i n l arge numbers, this t axon r equiring b oth a bundant v egetation a nd f airly c alcareous w ater ( J. Y oung 1 975, D ussart 1 976, z one;

F retter a nd G raham

1 978),

V alvata cristata a lso a ppears i n t his

i t i s t ypical o f a bundant v egetation i n s hallow w ater w ith l ittle

movement

( Fretter

a nd

G raham

1 978).

g astropod:bivalve r atio a lso i ndicates

M oreover

v ery

t he

c onsiderable

v ery

h igh

s hallowing,

w hile t he very h igh a bundance f igures f or gastropods c onfirm r elatively h igh f avourability o f e cological c onditions, LMAZ-D3:

Valvata

cristata

-

Valvata

piscinalis

-

t he

Bithynia

t entaculata - P isidium s pp. I n t erms

o f

e cological

p reference. a ttributed v egetated,

t he

1 930's,

t his

z one

r atio,

i s

f airly s imilar t o D 2 i n

a bundance

a nd

species

T he r elative c hanges i n r epresentation c an, t o

this

s hallow ,

B oylan's f rom

t erms,

gastropod:bivalve

s ame

b eing

next

s uccessional

s tage

i n

a w ell -

l ake m argin l ocation d uring a n i nterglacial

( 1966)

u pper

p rovide

t he

habitat

t herefore, b e

s ome

l ist o f f aunas

f rom p rocessed

s tage,

s amples,

t aken

c lay-silt h orizons a nd a nalysed b y K ennard

i n t he

i nteresting c ontrasts w ith these

data,

The

v ery

p rominent c ounts f or Valvata piscinalis a nd Armiger crista, t ogether w ith s ignificant n umbers o f Valvata cristata, Bithynia tentaculata, Gyraulus

Lymnaea

laevis

peregra

v alues

p lace

a nd

Bathyomphalus

contortus

and

l ow

t hese t hree c ounts m id-way t hrough z one

D 2 : ( Woodall s ampled t he t op a nd b ottom o f t his l ayer). I n a ddition, h owever, H ippeutis complanatus i s a lso p resent in s ignificant numbers,

w hile

Myxas

glutinosa

( Müller)

a nd

Physa

( Linnaeus) a re r eported a s s ignificant i n o ne of the three Bithynia leachii ( Sheppard), Lymnaea s tagnalis ( L) a nd

1 40

f ontinalis s amples, P lanorbis

planorbis

( L)

w ere

a lso

n oted

i n

small s nail H y eonplanatus i n f inds i n K ennard's s tudy ( Boylan s ize u sed

n umbers,

T he a bsence o f t he

i n t his s tudy o f t he n orthern s ection. K ennard's

important.

H e

subtruneatun, eygnaea

P .

r ecords

o f

r ecorded

P isidiun

( L),

(Malm),

s mall

t his s tudy i n c omparison w ith i ts 1 966) may r eflect t he l arger s ieve

P .

s ignificant

n umerous

nitidun

w ith

annieun,

niliun

a nd

P .

n umbers

Sphaeriun

P .

s mall

o f

b ivalves

eorneun,

n umbers

easertanun,

henslowanum.

o f

P .

T his

a re

P isidun Anodonta

personatum

b ivalve

f auna

c onfirms the e cological p icture p rovided b y t he g astropods o f a f airly shallow,

well

v egetated,

e utrophic l ake w ith m oving c alcareous w ater

and a f ine-grained s ubstrate. zone,

Hippeutis

S everal

complanatus

n ew

l ikes

s pecies

w ell

a rrive

v egetated,

i n

t his

s hallow

D 2

l ake

margin h abitats, w ith e utrophic, c alcareous water ( Okeland 1 969, J . Young 1 975). Bithynia leaehil o ccupies s imilar c alcareous l ocations to

i ts

r elative,

Lymnaea among

B .

stagnalis

d ense

tentaeulata

p refers

vegetation

( Fretter

q uieter,

( Okeland

a nd

G raham

c alcareous w ater,

1 969,

B oycott

1 978).

l ike t hat f ound

1 936,

E llis

1 969).

Myxas glutinosa o ccurs i n s imilarly q uiet w ater w ith a f ine s ubstrate vegetation

( Boycott

1 936),

Physa fontinalis d islikes b oth s oft a nd

very h ard w ater,

b eing c ommonly f ound w ith a bundant

1 969,

1 969,

O keland

planorbis bodies r equires a nd

p refers

( Boycott

J .

h ard,

1 936,

s ubstrate

q uiet

E llis

t he p resence o f

a f irm

Y oung

w ater

1 969,

f ish,

w ith

1 975,

w ater

a ' slum'

h abitats

( Boycott

that

n either

r ecorded

t his

l and

s tudy n or

s pecies,

t hat

vegetation 1 976).

s mall, 1 976),

( Boycott

s pecies, 1 936),

i n c ontrast

L ate-Devensian i n t he c entral

w ithin

D ussart

w hich a re e ssential

h ard

Pisidiun personatun i s s uch a s marshes

D ussart

t o

i ts

o nly

l ife

w ater

( 1981)

t o t heir c ontinued

c ycle,

E llis i n

1 962),

' marginal'

I t i s a lso i mportant

o f W oodall

e xposure

c onfined

A nodonta e ygnaea

1 936,

f ound

( Macan

Planorbis

t o

o r B oylan p resence

n ote

( 1966) i n

the

( section 8 ),

T HE S OUTHERN P ROFILES A s mall s tratigraphic

f auna w as r ecovered f rom s ection 3 ( Table 6 .14).

r elationships o f t he

s amples a nd a f lint

b lade

a re

T he

s hown

i n F igure 3 ,2. T he m olluscan l arge,

o pen

b odies

f auna i s e ntirely c omposed o f s pecies f avouring

o f h ard w ater:

V alvata p iseinalis i n p articular i s

a t ypical l acustrine s pecies o ccurring i n g reatest n umber i n q uieter, d eeper w ater a t 1 .5m t o 2 m i n l akes o r t he m ore s lowly m oving p arts ( pools) s hallow

o f r ivers f low

( Okeland

- e .g.

1 964).

Aneylus

t errestrial

t axa w ere d etected.

t hat

i n t he c entral

t he

n oted species

r anging

a re

t olerant

S pecies

c haracteristic

f luviatilis - a re a bsent. T he

r apid n o

f auna i s i mpoverished c ompared

t o

e xposures o r r ecorded o f

o f

S imilarly ,

a w ide

r ange

o f

i n B oylan

( 1966).

c limatic

c onditions,

A ll

f rom t emperate t o a rctic l atitudes. T he

s pecies c omposition c orrelates

w ell

w ith

LMAZ-A3

o r

A 4

f rom t he c entral p rofile i n t erms o f l ow a bundance, l ow g astropod: b ivalve r atios a nd s pecies r epresentation. T he t wo operculae o f B ithynia tentaeulata a re t he c entral

e xposures

e specially

f rom L MAZ-A3 o n,

1 41

i nteresting,

t hese o ccurring i n

+Valvata c ristata

( L.)

* Bithynia l eachii

( Sheppard )

* Physa f ontinalis

( L.)

s tagnalis

* Myxas g lutinosa

( Müller)

+ Planorbis planorbis

* Hippeutis complanatus l acustris

( L.)

( L.)

( Godwin a nd Godwin 1 933)

mud pollen z one V

( 1966).

1 32

+

2 3

+

C

1 9

+

?

4 16

?

( L.)

2

( L.)

c

c

( Müller)

( Muller) 1 1

( Held )

P isidium s ubtruncatum P isidium h enslowanum

( Malm )

c

-

c

-

( Sheppard )

( Jenyns)

P isidium s pp.

4 2

Total b ivalves

?

b ivalve counts a re

t hermophile g roup

T able 6 .l .

5

C

( Poli)

+

+

C

( Malm )

N ote:

3 6

2

P isidium c asertanum

P isidium n itidum

B oylan +

* Pisidium personatum + Pisidium m ilium

r ecorded i n

3 2

( L.)

cygnaea

Sphaerium c orneum

K ennard,

•

1 2

Total gastropods:

+ Sphaerium l acustre

s tudied b y

+ +

( L.)

( L.)

P isidium amnicum

1 3 1 53

C

( Alder)

B athyomphalus c ontortus

+ Anodonta c f.

• •

1

( Muller)

* Acroluxus

0 V

( L.)

Lymnaea peregra

+Armiger c rista

s ide n ekron

( Müller )

+ Bithynia t entaculata

Gyraulus l aevis

( Phillips 1 829)

( Müller)

Valvata piscinalis

+ Lymnaea

n ekron mud ? pollen z one V

( I ;

b lue s ilt - ? pollen z one I V

a ) r c i

0

I I;

f or v alve n umbers, *

not MNI.

4 2

G astropod/Bivalve r atio = 9 .90

t hermophile g roup I II

EARLIER STUDIgS OF T HE MOLLUSCAN REMAINS F ROM SKIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE

1 42

+

• « ; 1 -

1N

t r 1

3 a A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW

t e *

t e \

C ) I

0

2

N

I

0

L C 1

I

r

t r 1

N

L C \

S ample

( 1

k g)

I

z

0 1 1 f i

• •

. . c ; 0 „ . 1 . 4 Z .Z 0 2

C D, , U p g r z. . ., 1 . . 0 . , z H I 1 . 4

. p ,p , c o

( I )

01. _ . , g

. . .

0 3

M olluscs

h Igl l c x . 4 1

1

> l a, . r X 4 I

0

5 115 e 4

• r ■ I e . 1

• H

o r i o r 4 • r i o r ( . r 4

f l i 2

C d r — i 4 > 0 E 4

143

I ( C O 1 ) O D I 1 4 > 0

2P ` '

r 1 0 P Li0

M AINLY M OLLUSCAN - F OUND I N L AKE S ILTS O F

N

M ACROFOSSILS

r I C d 4 > 0

. e _ . _ V D ( 1 )

, _ 1 a i E i

[ S OUTH

C ENTR E ] OMNI

O M.

N ORTH

. . .M I •• •.• 0 .••• /M g . O M» ••••• • • •• 0. 1 11 ,

• • ••• • ••••

I MO

• • • s

A BSENT

A m.

OM . 0 1 1 10 • •• •• Mr am•

Ma r

Mr

• •••

P EAT

A SSEN T

A M»

*M r .

• •• •• •

« O,

• • ••• • I •••

» lb

M

I el »

Of f» g m »

« MP

OV A

1 M 1 1.

1 11 11

E

L L ,

W EATHERED I MO

4 1 »

1»

. 1O .•

WM.

i l •••

A BS ENT

C3

Imme

W a r

e ms

tw o

t o m

C2 a « « M e

am.

M I»

t «b « M l e

1 A BS ENT

D EVENS 1AN

B1 A4

A BSENT M M. « a lb

••••

A3 A2 NM.

M OB

«R e

A l-A3

••••

A1 4 .

A BSENT I 75 b F igure 6 ,5

LG ove z >v S K IPSEA T I LL

M olluscan a ssemblage z ones a t S kipsea W ithow m ere a nd c orrelation a cross t he W ithow G ap e xposures,

1 4 1 4

t heir

MOLLUSCAN P ROFILES

B IOSTRATIGRAPHIC

C ORRELATION B ETWEEN T HE

S KIPSEA W ITHOW

F igure 6 ,5 p rovides a c omposite p icture o f t he v arious p rofiles d iscussed a nd i llustrated f rom t he v arious S kipsea p rofiles. E xamination o f t hese d ata s uggests t hat a fter a n i nitial s terile p hase, e videnced b y t he m ollusc-free v arved s ilts o f the n orthern e xposure ( section 3 ), t here i s a s equence t hrough L MAZ-A t o C t hat i s w ithout i nterruption i n t he c entral a reas. H owever, t here i s a n on-sequence, p robably a s a r esult o f e rosion o f L MAZ-A4 t o m id C i n t he n orthern s equence ( section 3 ). A t s ection 3 , w eathering a ppears t o h ave r emoved the u pper p art o f L MAZ C , w hereas t he F landrian L MAZ-D a ppears t o h ave b een l ost f rom p arts o f the s outhern s equence f or t he s ame r eason. H owever, F landrian L MAZ D i s p reserved i n t he t op o f t he c lay-silts o f t he n orthern e xposure ( Unit 4 ). E rosion a nd a cid c onditions h ave c aused t he l oss o f m olluscs i n t he o verlying ( very l ate) L ate-Devensian a nd F landrian d eposits i n t he c entral e xposures. T he

i mportance

o f

t hese

d ata

l ies i n t he e xtent t o w hich a

c lear a nd u seful m olluscan b iostratigraphy h as e merged. i s

a bundant

e vidence

o f

l ocal

e nvironmental

S econd,

c hange

t here

- e specially

f luctuations i n w ater l evel/erosion/sedimentation - a nd o f c limate,

P REVIOUS S TUDIES A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW P hillips

( 1829) T he

e arliest

m olluscan r ecords o btained f rom S kipsea W ithow

m ere b y P hillips i n 1 826 ( published 1 829) a re g iven i n T able 6 ,13, T he s tratigraphic r ecord made a t t hat t ime i s s ummarised i n F igure 1 ,7. S ignificantly, h is l og s hows t hat t he L ate-Devensian s equence w as c ompletely l ost a bout 2 40m f urther e ast t owards t he c entre o f t he m ere, w here h is n otes w ere m ade p rior t o c oastal e rosion. A n otable p eriod o f e rosion i s e videnced, T his e pisode w as p robably c ontemporary t o t hat e arly i n t he F landrian s een i n b oth t he m ain c entral a nd n orthern p rofiles p rior t o t he b eginning o f p eat d eposition; i ndeed t he s equence r ecorded b y P hillips w ith a t hin ( 0.3m) g ravel o verlain b y b lue c lay u nder p eat,is i dentical t o t hat l ogged i n t he c entral p rofile s ubsequent t o t he e rosional e pisode. T he b lue c lay i s r ecorded a s h aving Sphaerium s ppe, w hile a n a dditional ' yellowish c lay' r epresenting a n ekron m ud b etween t he c lay a nd o verlying p eat w as s aid t o c ontain a bundant B . tentaculata, S . corneum a nd S . lacustre ( Muller), w ith a f ew Lymnaea s tagnalls. I n g eneral, t his r ecord i s v ery s imilar t o t hat

f rom t he e arly F landrian

L MAZ

D o f

t he

n orthern

p rofile, T he Ancylus f aunas B oth

A rmstrong

( 1922) a nd G odwin a nd G odwin

( 1933)

r eferred

t o a n ' Ancylus' f auna i n n ekron mud r ecorded a s a b rown o rganic s ilt b etween t he s ilty c lay m arls a nd m ain p eat d eposit, B y c omparison w ith o ther k nown r ecords o f m ere d eposits i n t he H olderness a rea, ( Table 6 ,13) a nd a c onsideration o f t heir c omparative e cological

1 45

p references,

t his

r ecord

o f

Aneylus

must

r efer

t o

Acroloxus

laeustris ( formerly Aneylus l aeustris) w hich p refers q uiet w ater, h ard o r s oft, a mong a bundant v egetation t o which i t can c ling; b eing r esistant t o o rganic a cids i t c an t olerate f airly p eaty w ater.

L ATE Q UATERNARY M OLLUSCAN F AUNAS O F H OLDERNESS T able 6 ,15 l ists a ll p reviously p ublished f rom H olderness,

molluscan

r ecords

L ate-Devensian R eid ( 1885) m akes v ague r eferences t o s hells b eing d erived f rom " ?pro-glacial v arved s ilts" c ontemporary w ith t he W ithernsea T ill i ce, O nly L ymnaea p eregra i s c learly i dentified a s c oming f rom o utwash g ravels a t B ridlington ( Reid 1 885), T he s tatus o f these s pecimens i s u nclear - w hilst u biquitous t axa l ike L ymnaea p eregra m ight r epresent e arly c olonisers, t he t ype o f g lacial d erivation a nd r eworking s uggested f or t he K elsey H ill G ravels ( chapter 2 ) may a pply h ere. O therwise i n a ll c urrent c oastal e xposures o f l acustrine t exturally-varved s ilts i dentified i n t he a rea, n o n on-marine M ollusca h ave b een r ecovered. T his s terile p eriod w ould c orrespond w ith S kipsea L MAZ-LG, R ecords o f s terile v arved s ilts h ave b een m ade f or B ridlington ( Reid 1 885), B armston ( Bridger i n C att 1 977), H orsea ( Etheridge 1 875, R eid 1 885), K ilnsea a nd E asington ( Reid 1 885). T he e arliest c olonisers o f t he l akes w hich developed o n t he L ate-Devensian t ills r ecorded e lsewhere i n H olderness a ppear t o b e L ymnaea peregra i dentified b y R eid ( 1885), T he s ame s pecies, t ogether w ith

a f ew

s pecimens

o f

P isidium,

a re

t he

e arliest

c olonisers a t

S kipsea. S ites

o f

' probable'

L ate-Devensian

a ge

at

t he

f ollowing

H olderness l ocations h ave y ielded n on-marine m olluscs a t:

B armston ( Valvata p iscinalls,

S phaerium s pp.

C att

H olpton ( Planorbis s pp., L ymnaea p eregra, eorneaum, P isidium s pp, - r ecorded b y R eid i n

1 977); Sphaerium 1 885 - a nd

a dditionally B ithynia tentaeulata r ecorded b y P hillips i n 1 829); B ridlington

( Valvata

s p.,

Lymnaea

s py,

Sphaerium

s py,

P isidium s p,),

T he

f aunas

a re

e ssentially

s imilar

D evensian a t S kipsea W ithow.

1 46

.

t o

t hose

o f t he

L ate-

EARLY F LANDRIAN F AUNAS I N H OLDERNESS Freshwater f aunas.

R ecords f or e arly F landrian l ake d eposits a re r ather m ore i nformative, I n g eneral t erms, t hey c onfirm t he s uccessional p attern established a t S kipsea W ithow , w ith m ost r ecords b elonging t o m arls o r c lay s ilts i mmediately b eneath t he t hick p eat d eposits t hat p redominate i n t he F landrian m ere d eposits a long t he H olderness c oast. M ost r ecords a re u nsystematic, w ith s pecimens p icked b y e ye, explaining t he o ver-representation o f t he l arge A nodonta s p. i n m ost of t he marls, T he b est d ata c omes f rom H ornsea, w here S heppard ( 1906) l isted a c onsiderable n umber o f s pecies r ecovered f rom t he H ornsea ' Old Mere' d eposits s ectioned b y t he c liff r etreat. M ost s pecies w ere f ound in t he majority o f b ands o f marls b eneath a nd w ithin t he b ase o f t he main p eat b ody. T he l ong l ist o f t axa i ncludes s everal n ot s een a t Skipsea i n L MAZ D ( including Segmentina nitida, Gyraulus albus, Anisus

vortex,

Lymnaea

auricularia

a nd

Anodonta

anatina),

Sheppard ( 1906) a lso l isted t he m olluscan s pecies l iving i n t he p resent Hornsea mere a t t he s tart o f t he t wentieth c entury. T he m odern f auna i s s een t o b e m ore s pecies r ich, a nd i ncludes l ate c olonisers Planorbls carinatus ( Müller), P lanorbis corneus ( L),

s uch a s Lymmaea

palustris

B oycott

1 936)*

f auna

( Müller)

a nd

Lymnaea

glabra

( Müller)

-

( see

T he m odern f auna l acked G yraulus l aevis, B oylan ( 1966) p rovides a d etailed a ccount o f a molluscan f rom l ake s ilts a t B armston, T his i s a ttributable t o K erney's

1 977 m olluscan b iozone ' d', s ince i t c ontains t he t errestrial mollusc D iscus rotundatus, T his e quates w ith F landrian p ollen z ones V I t o V IIa o f t he G odwin 1 975 s cheme - a s i llustrated i n T able 2 .1 h ere. T he s pecies d iversity p resent l ies m idway b etween t he v ery e arly F landrian a nd m odern f aunas n oted b y S heppard ( 1906) a t H ornsea O ld M ere. T he B armston f auna l acks G yraulus l aevis - t his s pecies' d isappearance i s a r egular f eature o f i nterglacial s uccession i n l akes. I t i s c onsequently of i nterest t hat t his t axon i s k nown f rom s tream marls a t B urton S almon, W est Y orkshire, w hich a re a ttributed t o p ollen z ones V I t o V IIb o f t he G odwin s cheme

( Norris e t a l.

1 971).

T he B armston r ecord p rovides u seful q uantitative

d ata

which

i ndicates t hat a d istinct m olluscan a ssemblage w as p resent: Valvata cristata P isidium casertanum p eregra - P isidium p ersonatum - A ncylus f luviatilis,

Lymnaea

w ith s mall n umbers o f: Valvata

p iscinalis,

c ontortus,

Bithynia

t entaculata,

Bathyomphalus

A croloxus l acustris a nd P isidium a mnicum,

T his a ssemblage i ndicates a w ell v egetated s luggish r eaches a nd a reas o f m ore a gitated w ater,

w ater

b ody,

w ith

c os. ; i ,

P ROSOBRANCHIA * Theodoxus f luviatalis * Valvata c ristata

V alvata p iscinalis xB ithynia

( L.)

1 3

( Müller ) ( Müller )

t entaculata

* Bithynia l eachii

+

+

( L .)

+

+

1 245

+

+

+

3 55

+

+

2 90

+

5 0

+

+

( Sheppard )

P UL M ONAI A * Aplexa h yporum

( L .)

* Physa f ontinalis

+

( L.)

* Lymnaea t runcatula

( Heller )

* Lymnaea a uricularia palustris

( Müller )

xL ymnaea

s tagnalis

( L .)

* Lymnaea g labra

1

+ +

1 +

+

2 2

+

.

L ymnaea peregra

+

( Mellor )

planorbis

Anisus l eucostoma

+

+

+

+

( L .)

* Planorbis c arinatus

* Animus v ortex

+

+

xL ymnaea

xP lanorbis

+

( L.)

5

+

+

4

+

( Moller )

+

( Millet )

+

( L .)

G yraulus l aevis

9 00

1 8

+

+

( Alder )

+

* Gyraulus a lbum

( Müller)

+

4 6

xA rmiger

( L.)

+

4 6

+

+

2 72

+

c rista

xB athyomphalus

c ontortus

* Planorbarius c orneus * Hippeutis E

( L .)

+

( L .)

t . a _ n. at 3 is

+

( L .)

+

* Segmentina n itida

+

* Acroluxus l acustris

( L.)

xA ncylus

( Heller )

f luviatalis

+ 1 07

P lanorbis s pp .

+

+

B IVALVIA xA nodonta

c ygnea

xA nodonta

a natina

( L .)

S phaerium c orneum

( L .)

212 2 9 1 ,29 1

r ivicola

xS phaerium

l acustre

P isidium a mnicum

+

( L.) +

+

+

+

( Poll) +

+

1 250

+

5 60

+

+

2 3

+

( Malm )

+

( Jenyns )

t hermophile g rade I I

+

+

( Sheppard ) + +

+

• t hermophile p ollen z one I II o r I V -s ee t ext f or e xplanation.

A ll b ivalve v alue. a re f or v alve c ounts. Table 6 .15.

+

+

P isidium a pp.

x

+

1 57

( Held )

P isidium h enelowanum

N ote:

+

+

( Haller )

P isidium s ubtruncatum

P isidium n itidum

+

+ +

( W iller )

P isidium c asertanum

m ilium

+

+

* Pisidium personatum ( Malm ) xP isidium

+

MOLLUSCAN D ATA m om O THER H OLDERNESS M ERES - W ITH S UGGESTED C ORRELATIONS W ITH S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE L OCAL M OLLUSCAN A SiEMSLAGE Z ONES A ND G ODWIN 'S ( 1975 ) POLLEN Z ONES.

1 48

+

Land S pecies U nfortunately,

l and

s pecies

o f

L ate-Devensian a ge a re n ot

k nown f rom o ther H olderness s ites, T he c oncentration i n t he a rea o f s lumping and mass m ovement o nly a t o ne s ector o f t he f ormer L ateD evensian S kipsea W ithow m ere l ake which

' normal'

molluscan t he

s tudies

o f

l ake

s horeline e mphasises d eposits

e vidence o f t he c haracter o f t he

l ake.

T his

O F

A

f ail

f ormer

t he

t o

l and

f ad es a t H oxne,

B IOLOGICAL

s imple

S UCCESSION

m odel

o f

t o

d irect

s urface

a round

( 1956)

i n h is

S uffolk,

A ND

s uccession

e xtent

y ield

p henomenon w as n oted l ong a go b y S parks

s tudies o f t he l ake-centre

THE E FFECTS F AUNAS

may

D ISPERSAL A MONG M OLLUSCAN

a nd

h abitat

c hange

after

d eglaciation m ight b e t hat a n a meliorating c limate a llows n ewly a rrived organisms

t o

c olonise

p reviously e xcluded s evere,

vegetation

f aunas a re r ange

species

a n

a rea

t oo

h arsh

f rom

o f

b e

b oth

the

a nd

c limate

n iche

' succession'

T he s pecies

c apable o f w ithstanding a

e cological

i mproves,

a nd

c limatic,

a nd

a f ew

vegetation

will

i ncrease

i n

I n

s pecies, o ccurs,

u p

a nd

b ecome

more

c omplex,

s o

w ith a l arger n umber o f e cological n iches w ith

w idth,

c onsequence,

s pecies,

a s

w ith

which

p olyclimax

t he

t o s pecific e cological

s pecies,

i s

a nd t he m olluscan

i ncreasingly modified a nd i mproved f rom t he

' intermediate'

' specialist' a dapted

b ecomes

p oint o f v iew,

r eplaced b y

b een

c limate

d iversity a nd s o w ill t he a ssociated m olluscan f aunas.

e nvironment

decreased

h ave

the

s pecies d iversity,

' generalists'

A s t he vegetational c ommunities b uild molluscan

might

While

s pecialise i n i nhabiting p oor h abitats a voided b y o ther

A s

abundance

w ill

c onditions,

which

t hey

i s s tunted a nd w ith f ew s pecies,

p resent

molluscs,

the

w hich

c onditions,

s imilarly l ow i n n umbers a nd

of m olluscs w ide

b y

e nsuing

' generalist' a re

i n

t urn

v egetation

s pecialist

s pecies

a re

s ucceeded d evelops

c ommunities

by a nd

b eing

c onditions a nd t o c ompetition w ith o ther

t he g eneralist s pecies o ften d ecrease

i n

numbers

a s

a r esult

of s uch c ompetition. T he

o rder

a nd

s peed

t o t heir d ispersal c apabilities. t he d istance b etween s uitable

a t w hich s pecies i nvade i s a lso r elated M olluscan d ispersal i s i nfluenced by h abitation s ites, t he d iversity o f t he

r eceiving a rea ( dictating t he number o f a dequate h abitats) a nd t he a daptability of t he s pecies b eing d ispersed ( Boycott 1 934, 1 936, V alovirta 1 977). D ispersal i s a lso d ependant o n s uitable c arriers, t hese most c ommonly b eing i nsects a nd b irds ( Boetters 1 979, 1 982, B oycott

1 926,

s pecies,

t he

O keland

1 969,

g reater

t he

1 979)

a nd

o ccasionally mammals

d iversity o f t he r eception a rea,

f or

l and

t herefore,

t he g reater t he l ikelihood o f c olonisation. S uccessional d evelopments i n t he S kipsea W ithow M olluscan f aunas T able r eached f aunas,

6 ,16

i ncludes a n a ssessment o f t he

s uccessional

s tage

b y t he a ssociated v egetation a s r evealed b y t he molluscan S tage I i s t hought t o b e ' primitive' w ith l ittle v egetational

d iversity, a bundant a nd

D uring L MAZ A , v egetation s eems t o h ave b een r easonably c apable o f s upporting a f airly a bundant molluscan f auna,

1 49

L .M.A. Zone

C limate/Species w ith t emperature Successional

stages/Vegetation

d efined d istributions

Oldest * (?)Pisidium casertanum v ar ponderosa:

P robably r easonably abundant,

1

A

but not very d iverse and

o nly

f rom i nterglacial and i nterstadial a ssemblages.

s uccessionally " primitive" ( ? becoming m ilder)

s tage I A2

L ess abundant,

A3

Abundant and d iverse,

s tage

s till

( cool)

" primitive",

I B ithynia t entaculata:

but

s uccessionally stage I I

Armiger c rista:

developed.

P isidium m ilium:

6 6

6 60 67 ° N i n F ennoScandia i n F ennoScandia

6 6° 67 ° N in FennoScandia

( becoming milder) Armiger crista:

At c entre o f this z one

A4

appears at end of t his z one

vegetation i s very poorly ( mostly v ery c old - s tadial)

developed.

B

1

Vegetation very abundant and

* Physa f ontinalis:

d iverse reaching s uccessional

* Myxas glutinosa:

stage

c .

6 3° N i n FennoScandia

6 3° N i n FennoScandia

Armiger c rista

I I/III

* Hippeutis c omplanatus:

6 3 ° N in FennoScandia

P isidium m ilium ( mild ) B2

Vegetation very abundant and

Valvata c ristata:

diverse;

B ithynia t entaculata

s uccessionally

developed,

s tage I II

6 5° N i n FennoScandia

* Physa f ontinalis * Myxas glutinosa Armiger crista * Hippeutis c omplanatus Sphaerium l acustre P isidium m ilium ( mild)

cl

Vegetationally poor;

F ew B ithynia t entaculata,

stage

Sphaerium l acustre,

I -II

C2

Vegetationally extremely poor.

C3

Vegetationally poor;

Molluscs w eathered and

s tage

n on-sequence

I -II

( C 1 - C3

D

d iverse,

( WARM I NTERGLACIAL ) NOT PRESENT I N S ECTIONS STUDIED

V egetation abundant and d iverse,

mostly very cold - stadial)

s uccessionally

d eveloped s tage I I D2

l ost and possible

Molluscs weathered out

V egetation abundant and

1

Armiger c rista,

P isidium milium

s uccessionally

d eveloped s tage I II Vegetation very abundant and

D3

d iverse;

s uccessionally very

d eveloped s tage

I V

( WARM I NTERGLACIAL )

( nekron

V egetation very a bundant and

B ithynia t entaculata

) r ecorded by

d iverse s tage

Lymnaea s tagnalis

) Phillips

S phaerium c orneum

) ( published 1 829)

I V

mud)

1 826

Y oungest

n ote:

i ndicates t hermophile c lass c lass

T dule 6 .16.

I I;

I II;

t hose not s o d esignated a re t hermophile

f or e xplanation s ee t ext.

I NFERRED S UCCESSIONAL/VEGETATIONAL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ACHIEVED D URING EACH LOCAL MOLLUSCAN A SSEMBLAGE ZONE A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW MERE CENTRAL EXPOSURES D EFINED

( SECTION 6 ).

T HE SUCCESSIONAL STAGES

I N THE TEXT.

1 50

I - I V ARE

b ut i t was c omplexity

s uccessionally ' primitive' l acking s ufficient e cological t o s upport s pecies l ike A rmiger e rista a nd P isidium m ilium

which a re b oth e asily d ispersed ( Boycott 1 936). L ocal m olluscan a ssemblage z ones A 4 a nd C , h owever, s eem t o h ave h ad b oth l ow a bundance a nd d iversity a s t he a ssociated m olluscan f aunas w ere v ery p oor, B y c ontrast, L MAZ A 3 a nd B 1 s how s igns o f s ome s uccessional d evelopment, with Armiger e rista, B ithynia t entaeulata, a nd P isidium m ill i= p resent i n v arying q uantities, a ll t hree r equiring a d eveloped v egetational c ommunity. Myxas g lutinosa w hich f avours s tony r ather t han ' muddy s ubstrates a nd w ill t olerate t he p oor macrovegetation o f e arly s uccessional s tages h as a lso a rrived b y t his s tage. L MAZ B 2 h as e vidence o f e ven g reater s uccessional d evelopment, eristata a nd H ippeutis e omplanatus a lso b eing p resent, L MAZ

D s hows s imilar c omplexity t o B 2.

w ith

H owever,

i t

V alvata

w as

o nly

i n L MAZ D 2 o f t he F landrian t hat a s ufficiently m ature v egetational c ommunity w as w ell e nough e stablished t o p ermit s pecialist v egetational s pecies l ike B ithynia l eachii, P hysa f ontinalis a nd A eroloxus l aeustris t o a ppear, i n a ddition t o m ore s lowly d ispersing t axa s uch a s L ymnaea s tagnalis, M yxas g lutinosa, P lanorbis p lanorbis a nd A nodonta e ygnaea.

D ISTINGUISHING C LIMATIC I NFLUENCES O N M OLLUSCAN A SSEMBLAGES H abitat c onditions a re a lso o bviously e xtensively b y t he

more

r egional

c limatic

f actors,

i nfluenced

s uch a s t emperature,

r ainfall

a nd i nsolation. C limatic v ariation c an t hus b e u sed t o e xplain b oth s patial d istribution p atterns, g iven s imilar l ocal h ydrological r egimes, a nd c hanges i n s pecies r epresentation t hrough t ime i n f reshwater l ocalities; a s o ccurred t hrough t he L ate-Devensian a t S kipsea W ithow m ere. F or

e xample,

t emperature

i ncreases

a re

matched

p roportionately b y l arger c oncentrations o f d issolved c alcium c arbonate ( required b y m ost m ollusc s pecies f or s hell f ormation, a nd a l imiting f actor t o s ome s pecies c alled ' calciphiles' b y B oycott 1 936) a nd t rophic s tatus ( i,e, i ncreased b acterial a ctivity p romotes m ore r apid b reakdown o f o rganics i nto d etritus, m ollusc

s pecies'

d iets,

f ood

w hich f orms t he

majority

o f m ost

a vailability b eing t he p rimary l imiting

f actor - R eavell 1 980), w hile t he a mount o f d issolved f rom t he a tmosphere d ecreases, T emperature a lso

o xygen a bsorbed a cts i ndirectly

t hrough i ts v ery g reat i nfluence o n b oth t he q uantity a nd q uality ( diversity) o f a quatic m acrovegetation. S unlight i s a lso a n i mportant f actor i n m acrovegetation g rowth, w hile r ainfall r egimes ( i.e. q uantity a nd s easonal d istribution) a ffect t he s upply o f w ater a nd m inerals t o a f reshwater h abitat a nd t hus i nfluence m olluscs d irectly, a nd i ndirectly v ia macrovegetation. T hese t hree f actors o f t emperature, s unlight a nd r ainfall r egime v ary s patially w ith l atitude, a ltitude, r egional t opography ( i.e. p roximity t o a reas o f h igh a ltitude) a nd c ontinentality ( i.e. p osition o f s ite r elative t o t he c oast a nd t o w ind c urrents b lowing i nland f rom maritime s ources), W hile r ainfall a nd s unlight a re i mportant i ndirect i nfluences o n m olluscan d istributions, h owever ( mostly t hrough t heir c ontrol o f m acrovegetation), o nly t emperature a cts d irectly a s a l imiting f actor t o molluscan s urvival, g iven r easonably s table h ydrological

c onditions.

1 51

T he

d egree

o f

i nfluence

t hat

t emperature

e xerts

o n

t he

d ifferent m olluscan s pecies d epends l argely o n g enetic c haracteristics, ( relating c ycle).

t o

l ife-span,

r eproductive

D uring t he w inter,

j uveniles

must

s urvive

m ethod a nd

c older

w ater

s ubstrate t o h ibernate,

t he c old; t o

n ear

t he

m ost b ivalves a nd

t end t o burrow

i nto

a ffording t hem c onsiderable p rotection f rom

p ulmonate g astropods,

r emain

s eason h alf-grown

t emperatures;

p rosobranch g astropods b reathe d iffused o xygen a nd t he

t heir b reeding-life

a fter t he s ummer b reeding

s urface

h owever,

( except

a re l ung b reathers

f or

a f ew s pecies

which

l ike

h ave

Lynnaea

peregra t hat c an a bsorb d issolved o xygen w here c oncentrations a re h igh e nough), W ater h as a h igher s pecific h eat c apacity t han the l and, e nsuring that the

h igher w inter t emperatures d ue t o s lower c ooling; i t f ollows s hallow w ater i nhabited b y p ulmonate gastropods i s l ess

i nsulated

t han

t he

d eeper

w ater

s urrounding

t he

p rosobranchs a nd

b ivalves w hich a lso h ave t he b enefit o f a s ubstrate c overing. A r eview of t he l iterature s uggests that d espite t hese h abitat d ifferences d uring t he c older w inter m onths, h owever, s ummer t emperatures

s eem

t o

b e

m olluscan p opulations,

t he

more

i mportant

b ecause a s B oycott

" Generally s peaking, o nly i n s ummer,

l imiting

p oints o ut

f actor

u pon

( 1936 :168):

o ur M ollusca a re a ctive, g row a nd b reed

a nd w ithin t he r ange o f o ur

( British)

c limate

t he h otter i t i s t he b etter." M oreover, " cold

s uch

l ike o ther

a s

w e

e xperience

d oes n o p erceptible h arm,,,and

f resh-water a nimals s nails c an b e

f rozen

into

i ce

f or a g ood l ong t ime w ithout b eing k illed;" w hile " some

of

t he

s outhern

S iberia l ive t hrcugh a nywhere"

( Boycott

T he

i mplication

c lear

i n t he s ummer m onths,

w hich

a t

b irth.

T hus

t heir

most

s o c alled

s pecies,,,in S candinavia a nd

s evere

w inters

t han

we

h ave

1 936:170),

v ulnerable a re

( British)

f ar more

i s

f ragile

' warmth

t hat

molluscs

are

w hen b reeding o ccurs i n

t he

l oving'

w eeks

a t

t heir m ost

producing

y oung

i mmediately f ollowing

s outhern

B ritish

s pecies m ay

s urvive i n S iberia, where t he c ontinental c limate p rovides w armer s ummer t emperatures t han m uch o f n orthern E ngland a nd S cotland ( up t o + 15 0 C ), d espite f ar c older w inter t emperatures ( as l ow a s 14 0 C ). I t f ollows,

t herefore,

s ummers, s urvive

t hat

r elatively

i n c omparison w ith

p rosobranchs a nd

i s

n o

s urprise

that

t he

" deep-water"

a nd

t he

areas

w ith

c old

s ubstrate-dwelling

t he i nfluences o f c limate o n m olluscan a ssemblages

f reshwater l ocation t hrough t ime m ust d epend,

d istinguishing b oth i ndirect a nd d irect c limatic i mportance

i n

b ivalves.

D etecting a t a ny o ne

i t

f ew s pecies o f s hallow w ater p ulmonate g astropods

a re c limatic c ontrols o n t he c ritical

e cological

a bundance a nd d iversity o f a quatic m acrovegetation,

1 52

t herefore,

i nfluences,

o n

O f g reat

f actors

o f

i n a ddition t o

influences o n d issolved c alcium c arbonate a nd t rophic s tatus o f t he water b ody* T emperature h as a d irect i nfluence, h owever, o n many p ulmonate g astropod s pecies,

a s w ell a s s ome v iviparous p rosobranchs

( a

g enetic a daptation c onferring c ompetitive a dvantage w ith s eparate males and f emales i n f avourable e cological c onditions, u nlike m ost s pecies which a re h ermaphrodites - C alow 1 981), these having n orthern a nd continental

l imits

d efined

b y

s ummer t emperatures*

C onsideration o f

t hese l imits a llows a n a ssessment of changes i n t emperature r egime s hould the n umerical r epresentation o f s uch s pecies v ary s ignificantly o ver t ime w ithin

f airly h ydrologically c onstant w ater b odies*

C limatic I nfluences a nd t he S kipsea W ithow M olluscan a ssemblages The conditions, a bundance

p receding d escribes

a nd

f luctuations

q uality i n

s ection d etail

of

aquatic

s pecies

milium

w hich

t he a nd

r elative

B ithynia t entaeulata,

r equire

a bundant

e lements o f

e cological

c hanges a s

i n

t he

r evealed

c omposition

by

( e.g.

V alvata eristata a nd

macrovegetation)*

i ndirectly p rovides e vidence o n e nvironmental i ncludes

l ocalised

a pproximate

macrovegetation

a bundance

s pecies l ike Armiger e rista, Pisidium

d escribing

i n

f avourability

T his

but

a lso

s uccessional c hange i n b oth m olluscan a nd p lant

p opulations w hich c an p erhaps mask c limatic v ariations* T able

6 .16 g ives a q ualitative a ssessment o f t he r ichness o f

macrovegetation b ased o n a bundance a ll

t he

molluscan

s tudies*

w ithin each s ample,

f igures a nd s pecies c omposition

f or

I t a lso l ists d etails o f s pecies p resent

w hich g ive d irect i nferences o n t emperature r egimes

through t heir n orthern a nd c ontinental t olerance l imits w ith r egard t o s ummer t emperatures* T his t able i ncludes two q ualitative n otations w hich

need

e xplaining:

a n i ndex o f t he s uccessional

v egetation i n t he m ere t he

e xtent

t o

w hich

t hermophilous.

t he

T hese

M olluscan

( explained i n t he n ext molluscan

i deas d erive s pecies

s pecies

s tage a chieved b y

s ection),

a nd a n i ndex o f

r ecovered a t S kipsea a re

f rom t hose o f S parks

r eferable

t o

( 1961,

t hermophile c lass I i nclude

a ll t hose t hat h ave d istributions e xtending c onsiderably A rctic

C ircle;

t o s ummer c limatic

a nd

winter

c old

s ignificance . *

( 66 0 N )

t olerint

n orth

of

the

t hese a nimals h ave d eveloped a h igh d egree o f t olerance and

T hey

t hus a re

b ut

n ot

b eyond,

o f c old c onditions,

i n

p rovide

not

b elonging t o t hermophile c lass I I a re C ircle

1 964).

s hown

f ound a s

o ther

l ittle on

o f

palaeo-

T able 6 .16*

d ata

S pecies

f ar n orth a s the

A rctic

words, w hile b eing e xtremely

t hey a re n ot c apable o f s urviving

e xtrem

s ummer c old w hen t he y oung a re p roduced. T heir p resence i n t he S kipsea W ithow s amples i ndicates t hat i n t he c ontexts o f t he L ate-Devensian i n B ritain,

c onditions w ere n ot b ad e nough t o w arrant t he t erm

a lthough i f t he w inters

may

I II

o nly

are

c limate

h ave

was

very

c ontinental

b een e xtremely c old.

f ound

t oday

i n

s outhern

a s

i n modern

' stadial', S iberia,

S pecies b elonging t o t he c lass S candinavia

( up

t o

c .

6 30N );

a lthough t he w inters h ere m ay b e c old ( some o f t hese s pecies a re f ound i n milder r egions o f S iberia t oday) s ummer t emperatures must b e i n t he o rder

of

+ 14 0

t o

1 60C ,

G iven

t hat

t he

c limate i n n ortheast B ritain

s eems n ever t o h ave b een a s c ontinental a s t he h uge p lateau e xpanse of m odern S iberia ( although w ith a c onsiderably l ower s ea l evel, p alaeot emperature r egimes i n H olderness t han

t oday)

S kipsea

i t

w ould

s equence,

s eem

s afe

w ould

h ave

b een

f ar more

variable

t o s uggest t hat, w here p resent i n t he

c limate w ould h ave b een o f a " milder" n ature.

1 53

F rom t his a ssessment o f ' indicator s pecies' a nd a ppreciation o f t he e vidence f or v egetation d evelopment, i t c an

a n b e

c oncluded t hat L MAZ D r epresents t he s tart o f t he p resent F landrian i nterglacial, a nd L MAZ B s eems t o r epresent a " milder" e pisode. C onversely, t he e xtremes o f L MAZ A 4 a nd C c learly s uggest ' stadial' t ype c onditions w ith v ery l imited f loras a nd f aunas p resent. A l a nd A 3 a re i n s everal

s enses i ntermediate i n s tatus,

T he C limatic S ignificance o f o ther H olderness M olluscan A ssemblages L ittle c an b e s aid o f t he c limatic s ignificance of t he f ew L ate-Devensian r ecords o ther t han t he f act t hat t heir f aunas a re i n k eeping w ith t he s tratigraphically a scertained z onal a ssignations r eported i n h ere, I n T able 6 .16, s pecies m arked w ith a n a sterix b elong t o t hermophile g roups I II o r I V ( IV i s n ot r epresented a t S kipsea W ithow b ut i ncludes s pecies l ike Smp lentina n itida w hich i s n ot f ound n orth t able

o f 6 1 0N b ut i s s till k nown f rom S iberia - S parks 1 957). T his u sefully d emonstrates h ow much h igher i s the p roportion o f

p ulmonate g astropods a mong t he I II-IV t hermophile g roup, m ost o f t he o thers b eing w ithin g roup I I ( marked w ith a c ross). T his i s i n s harp c ontrast w ith t he h ardy b ivalve s pecies. N ot s urprisingly, a ll t he L MAZ E p eat a nd s ilt a ssemblages c ontain many r epresentatives o f t he t hermophilous s pecies a ssociated w ith a v ery r ich a nd a bundant v egetation w hich i s s uccessionally a dvanced.

T he

W ider

C limatic

S ignificance

o f

t he

S kipsea

W ithow

M olluscan

S equence N azeing U nfortunately, v ery f ew p ublished r ecords e xist f rom o ther f reshwater L ate-Devensian d eposits, A u seful s tudy c omes f rom N azeing i n t he L ea V alley n ear L ondon ( Allison, G odwin a nd W arren 1 952) b elonging t o p ollen z ones I t o I V o n t he G odwin ( 1975) c hronology, I n t his s tudy, l and a nd marsh s pecies c omprise b etween 3 0-100% o f t he f aunas, t hat

p reventing a d irect c omparison o f e cological

a t

S kipsea

W ithow,

T he

a ssemblages

d o,

f acies c hange w ith h owever,

p ermit

p otentially u seful c omparisons o f s pecies p resence a nd a bsence i n t he L ate-Devensian w ith r eference t o c limatic v ariation. O f t he c lass I II t hermophiles s een a t S kipsea, o nly H ippeutis c omplanatus w as f ound i n G odwin's ( 1975) p ollen z one I V o nwards a t N azeing; M Yxas g lutinosa o nly

i n

p ollen

z one

I I,

a nd A croloxus l acustris o nly f rom p ollen z one

I V o nwards. O f t he s pecies b elonging t o t he g roup I I thermophiles a t N azeing, V alvata cristata w as o nly p resent f rom p ollen z one I V o nwards, B ithynia t entaculata w as f ound i n p ollen z ones I I a nd I V o nwards,

A rmiger

crista

w as

p resent

i n

p ollen

z ones

I ,

I I

a nd

I V

o nwards, a nd P isidium m ilium o nly f rom f inal p ollen z one I II o nwards, I nterestingly t hough, L ymnaea s tagnalis, L ymnaea p alustris a nd P lanorbis p lanorbis w hich a re a lso n ormally a ssigned t o group I I t hermophiles w ere

f ound

i n p ollen z one I II,

1 5 1 4

S turton,

L incolnshire

A t S turton, n orth L incolnshire, P isidium milium h as b een f ound f rom d eposits d ating f rom t he e nd o f t he L ate-Devensian, w hich a lso c ontain a l and a nd m arsh m olluscan f auna s imilar t o t hat s een a t Skipsea W ithow mere i n L MAZ-C, a t t he t op o f t he L ate-Devensian s equence ( Preece a nd R obinson, 1 984), B erkshire v alleys A r ecent s eries o f s tudies o f r iver v alley d eposits i n B erkshire h as r evealed m ore f aunas d ating f rom t he v ery e nd o f t he L ate-Devensian. I n a ddition t o a r estricted l and a ssemblage, f reshwater s pecies i ncluded A nisus l eucostoma, A ncylus f luviatalis, P isidium o btusale, P isidium s ubtruncatum a nd a lso, i mportantly , a f ew V alvata cristata a nd B athyomphalus c ontortus ( Holyoak 1 983), I t s eems, t herefore, t hat a t t hese t wo l ocations, a s a t S kipsea W ithow, t he e nd o f t he L ate-Devensian i s marked b y a n a melioration i n s ummer t emperatures, c ristata, B erkshire

a llowing t he i nflux o f g rade I I t hermophiles l ike V alvata

Amager c rista a nd P isidum mili ta te s ites, t he a ccompanying f lora

G ramineae-Cyperaceae

d ominance

t ypical

I nterestingly, a t t he s till r etains the

o f

t he

r est

o f

t he

L ate-Devensian L och L omond s tadial. S taines,

W est L ondon A lthough

n ot

o f

d irect

c limatic

r elevance,

a

s tudy

o f f reshwater M ollusca f rom n ear S taines p rovides a v ery u seful e arly F landrian f auna ( Preece a nd R obinson 1 982) c omparable w ith t he F landrian m aterial a t S kipsea W ithow. L even V alley,

C leveland,

n orth Y orkshire.

A l ate D evensian/early

F landrian molluscan

f auna

h as

b een

r eported f rom K ildale i n t he L even V alley b y K een, J ones a nd R obinson ( 1984). T his f auna h as m any s imilarities t o t hat a t S kipsea. A f auna a ttributed t o p ollen z one I II i s d ominated b y l ake t axa - e specially L ymnaea p eregra a nd P isidium h ibernicum, I t i s g enerally s pecies-poor w hen c ompared t o t he S kipsea s ite, b ut t his f eature m ay a lso r eflect t he l ocation o f t he K ildale s ampling s ite w ithin t he p alaeo-lake's g eography. T he b ivalves P isidium p ersonatum a nd P isidium o btusale w ere n oted, T hese t axa h ave n ot y et b een d etected a t S kipsea. T he t ransition t o t he F landrian a t K ildale w as m arked b y t he l ocal c olonisation b y t errestrial s nails a nd t he d emise o f f reshwater t axa. T his r eflects t he i nfilling o f t his s mall l ake - a f ate w hich a lso b efell m any o f t he s maller l akes o f H olderness, S eamer C arrs O f g reater f uture i mportance p alaeoecological s tudy c urrently b eing c arried a nd

e arly

F landrian

t he N orth Y ork M oors, l ithological

a nd

d eposits a t S eamer C arrs, i n t he

b ed

g eomorphic

o f a f ormer

p roperties

o f

i s t he m olluscan o ut o f L ate-Devensian n orth o f H olderness a nd ' Lake

t hese

P ickering'.

T he

d eposits h ave m any

s imilarities w ith t hose f rom S kipsea W ithow m ere, A t p resent, t he s tudy i s o nly i n i ts e arly s tages ( J.G. E vans a nd R . C oles, p ers. c omm),

1 55 .

W hite B og, D enmark,

C o,

D own,

N orthern I reland,

a nd t he i sland o f S jaelland,

T wo o ther m ajor p ublished r ecords o f L ate-Devensian f reshwater m olluscan f aunas a re t hose f rom t he ' White B og', C o, D own, n ortheastern I reland ( Stelfox e t a l. 1 972), w hich c overs p ollen z ones I I a nd I V t o V I ( ascertained b y p ollen a nd p lant m acrofossil a nalysis), a nd t hat f rom l ake d eposits a t S jaelland, D enmark ( Marcussen 1 967), T he W hite B og s ite i s a l ake d eposit, a ffording m ore d irect c omparison w ith S kipsea W ithow m ere, P ollen z one I I a t W hite B og i s c haracterised b y V alvata cristata, G yraulus l aevis, A rmiger c rista, s tunted Lymnaea p eregra a nd o ne A croloxus l aeustris s pecimen. T here a re e ight s pecies o f P isidium, d ominated b y P isidium n itidum a nd P . h ibernicum a nd a lso i ncluding P . m ilium, T he e arly F landrian a ssemblage i ncluded B ithynia t entaculata, G yraulus a lbus , P lanorbis c arinatus, a nd Lymnaea auricularia, t hese l ast t hree s pecies b eing c lass I II t hermophiles. T he S jaelland s ite i s b roadly s imilar t o t he W hite B og a nd L ate D evensian a t S kipsea W ithow mere, T he molluscan f auna i s d ominated b y V alvata c ristata, V alvata p iseinalis , Bithynia t entaculata, Lymnaea p eregra, a nd P isidium nitidum A s a t S kipsea, P hysa f ontinalls a nd A rmiger c rista o ccur i n t hese d eposits o f a m edium s ized l ake. E arly a nd M id-Devensian M olluscan F aunas A lthough t here a re f ew s ites w ith f reshwater molluscan a ssemblages p ublished f rom t he L ate-Devensian, t here a re a c onsiderably g reater n umber a vailable f rom t he E arly a nd M iddle D evensian, a nd f rom e arlier g lacial p eriods. A l iterature s urvey c onfirms c onclusions m ade b y H olyoak ( 1982) t hat c lass I I t hermophiles a re v ery r arely f ound i n s tadial d eposits, b eing o ccasionally p resent a t t he e nd o r b eginning o f t hese s evere c limatic p eriods, w hile c lass I II t hermophiles a re e xclusively c onfined t o D evensian i nterstadials, I n d eposits w here c lass I I t hermophiles a re p resent, v ertical c hanges i n m olluscan a bundance f igures n ormally s eparate t he s tadial f rom i nterstadial o r i ntermediate-type c limatic z ones. T his p alaeoecological d ata f rom t he r eservoir o f p ublished E arly a nd M iddle D evensian s ites s upports t he s equence o f c limatic e vents l isted i n T able 6 ,16 f or t he S kipsea W ithow s ite,

F UTURE P ROSPECTS I f t his S kipsea W ithow s equence i s a ccepted a s v alid, a nd i t i s e qually a ccepted t hat t he s equence i s f airly c omplete, t hen i t m ight b e w orthwhile t rying t o m atch t hese m olluscan d ata t o c onclusions o n c limatic e vents, r eached o n t he b asis o f o ther e nvironmental i ndicators. A s i t s tands, i t m ight b e s uggested t hat L MAZ-A4 m ay b e e quivalent t o p ollen z one I z ( of G odwin 1 975) w hich i s t raditionally s een a s a s evere s tadial, t he 1 2,000 t o 1 2 ,200 c older e pisode d escribed i n C oope a nd P ennington ( 1977) a nd B eckett ( 1981), L MAZ-C may b e e quivalent t o t he e stablished p ollen z one I II, t he L och L omond s tadial,

1 56 .

S imilarly, L MAZ-B might b e s een a s e quivalent t o t he p ollen z one I I, o ften r eferred t o a s t he A llerdd i nterstadial, w hile L MAZ-Al a nd A 2 m ay r epresent p ollen z one I i. I f t hese a ssociations w ere s hown t o b e r eliable b y f uture s tudy , t hen t he S kipsea W ithow s ite w ould p rovide a n i nteresting c omparison w ith t he p icture i n t he w est o f B ritain w here p ollen z ones I a nd I I h ave b een a bandoned i n f avour o f t he s ingle L ake W indermere I nterstadial

( Coope

1 977,

P ennington

1 57

1 977).

C HAPTER 7 T HE FLANDRIAN V EGETATIONAL H ISTORY O F T HE H ERBS O F H OLDERNESS

T he f irst t wo p arts o f t his a ccount d escribe a nd i nterpret t he F landrian v egetational h istory o f S kipsea W ithow m ere, T he f inal p art i ntroduces n ew p ollen d iagrams f rom t he o ther m eres o f H olderness a nd d escribes t he v egetational h istory o f t he r egion. M icro- a nd macrofossils h ave b een e xamined f rom t he F landrian d eposits a t S kipsea W ithow mere, T he p ollen d iagram e ncompasses t he u pper p art o f t he L ate-Devensian s equence a t s ection 7 ( Figure 3 .1). P lant m acrofossils o f t hese c old s tage d eposits w ere r eported i n c hapter 5 .

A P OLLEN A NALYTICAL S TUDY O F T HE F LANDRIAN V EGETATIONAL H ISTORY A T S KIPSEA W ITHOW b y A nne B lackham a nd J .R. F lenley

T he f irst p ollen a nalysis o f S kipsea W ithow w as c arried o ut b y G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933). S ince t hat t ime t here h as b een c onsiderable e rosion o f t he c oast s o t hat t he e xposed s tratigraphy h as c hanged. I n a ddition, p alynological t echniques h ave a dvanced: f ar m ore p ollen t ypes c an b e r ecognised, a nd p ollen c an b e e xtracted f rom s ediments p reviously c onsidered i ntractable. T hese f actors c ombine t o m ake a n ew s tudy o f t he d eposits w orthwhile,

T ECHNIQUES T he e xposed f ace i n t he c liff w as c leaned a nd s amples w ere r emoved d irectly f rom i t. T he s ample a t 2 .63m w as o btained f rom t he b each a t l ow t ide. T he p ollen w as e xtracted i n t he l aboratory b y s tandard p rocedures ( Faegri a nd I versen 1 975), P ollen w as c ounted u nder h igh p ower o f a V ickers P hase C ontrast m icroscope ( x 5 00-1200), T he c ollection o f o ver 5 000 r eference p ollen s lides a t t he U niversity o f H ull w as a vailable f or c omparison, b ut i dentification w as a lso a ided b y k eys a nd p hotographs ( Faegri a nd I versen 1 975 , M oore a nd W ebb 1 978, E rdtman, B erglund a nd P raglowski 1 961),

R ESULTS A s b oth t ree-dominated a nd n on-tree-dominated p ollen s pectra w ere p resent, t he r esults w ere e xpressed a s p ercentages o f t otal p ollen a nd s pores, a nd a re s hown i n F igure 7 .1. F or c omparison w ith t he w ork o f G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933) t he t ree ( + C orylus ) p ollen c ounts h ave a lso b een e xpressed a s p ercentages o f t otal t ree p ollen, a nd t hese a re s hown i n F igure 7 .2.

1 59

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D ISCUSSION Z onation o f t he p ollen d iagram F or e ase o f d iscussion, t he p ollen d iagram h as b een d ivided i nto s ix l ocal p ollen a ssemblage b iozones. T hese a re n umbered, w ith t he p refix W M f or W ithow M ere. A n a ttempt t o a llocate t hem t o r egional p ollen a ssemblage z ones w ill b e m ade i n t he n ext s ection. D ating w ill a lso b e c onsidered i n t he n ext s ection, a lthough s ome p reliminary s uggestions m ay b e m ade h ere. A b rief d escription o f t he z ones i s p resented h ere, Z one W M 1

( 2.65m)

D ominated

b y

B etula

p ollen,

P inus, S alix a nd G ramineae. D evensian ( before 1 0 ,000 b .p,), H igh v alues P ossible d ate:

f or L ate

S mall

P ossible

v alues

d ate:

f or L ate

Z one W M2

( 1,65m) C yperaceae. b .p.).

Betula, G ramineae a nd D evensian ( before 1 0,000

Z one W M3

( 1,62-1,22m) D ominated b y B etula a nd C orylus p ollen, P inus r eaches a p eak v alue a s % A P o n F igure 7 .2. Quereus a nd A lnus a ppear a t t he e nd o f t he z one. P ossible d ate: E arly F landrian ( c. 1 0,000 b .p, t o C . 7 ,000 b vp.), T his d oes n ot c onflict w ith t he 1 4 C d ate o f 9 880+60 ( SRR 1 944) a t 1 .50-1.55m.

Z one W M4

( 1,22-,67m) A lnus i s d ominant, Q uereus, U lmus a nd T ilia a re a lso p resent. F raxinus a ppears a nd P inus d isappears d uring t he z one. P ossible d ate: F landrian ( c. 7 000 ! p ep. t o c . 5 000 b .p.).

Z one W M5

( .67-,42m) T here i s a r eduction i n t otal t ree p ollen p ercentage, f ollowed b y a r ecovery. T he t rees m ost a ffected a re A lnus, L anus a nd t o a l esser e xtent, T ilia• G ramineae p ollen r eaches a p eak. C ereal a nd P lantago p ollen i s p resent, P ossible d ate: F landrian ( after c . 5 000 b .p.).

Z one W M6

( .42-.02m)

T here

i s a nother r eduction i n t otal t ree p ollen

p ercentage, a nd r ecovery t his t ime i s o nly p artial. T he t rees c hiefly a ffected a re A lnus a nd Minus. C ereal a nd P lantago p ollen a re c ontinuously p resent. P ossible d ate: F landrian ( after c . 5 000 b .p.). T he 1 4 C d ate o f 4 500+50 b ,p, ( SRR 1 942) a t 0 -,02m d oes n ot c onflict w ith t his, b ut s eems r ather o ld. C orrelation w ith t he p ollen d iagram o f G odwin a nd G odwin ( 1933) T he t wo d iagrams a re s hown f or c omparison i n F igure 7 .3. I t s eems p ossible t o c orrelate t hem a t t wo p oints. T he r ise o f A lnus , ( Zone WM3-4 b oundary), marking t he w ell-known B oreal-Atlantic t ransition, i s c lear a t a bout 1 ,22m o n F igure 7 .2 a nd a t a bout 2 ,11m o n F igure 7 ,2a. T he d ecline o f U lm 's, ( Zone W M4-5 b oundary), t he e qually w ell-known e lm d ecline, o ccurs a t a bout , 67m o n F igure 7 .2a a nd a t a bout 1 .42m o n F igure 7 ,3.

1 6 1

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I t i s c lear t hat t he l ower p art o f F igure 7 e2a i s u nrepresented o n F igure 7 ,2b, i n o ther w ords, t he n ew d iagram g oes b ack t o

a n

e arlier

s tage

t han t he d iagram p ublished i n

1 933.

C orrelations

a bove t he e lm d ecline a re n ot c lear, a nd i t i s u ncertain w hich h as t he g reater t emporal c overage a t t his p eriod.

d iagram

T he d evelopment o f S kipsea W ithow M ere A lthough t he e vidence i s r ather s light, t he f ollowing a ccount o f t he d evelopment o f t he m ere m ay b e a dvanced f rom p ollen a nalytical e vidence. T he m ere a ppears t o h ave o riginated i n D evensian t ime, t ogether w ith t he o ther m eres o f H olderness ( see n ext c hapter). I n L ate-Devensian t ime t he m ere w as a n o pen-water l ake i nto w hich c lay a nd s ilt w ere f reely t ransported, p robably a ided b y s olifluction, f orming t he d eposits b etween 1 .65 a nd 1 .55m. T his p hase c ame t o a n e nd a bout 9 880+60

b .p.

O pen w ater c onditions c ontinued,

b ut t he d eposit b ecame

m ore o rganic, p robably r eflecting t he g rowth o f a lgae Typha w as p resent a round t he margins o f t he l ake.

i n t he l ake. T rees g rowing

a round t he l ake c ontributed i ncreasing a mounts o f w ood t o t he s ediments. B y a bout 7 000 b .p, o r a l ittle l ater, t he l ake w as s ufficiently i nfilled t o a llow t he s pread o f f en a nd f en c arr a cross t he

s ampling

s ite,

T he f en s pecies i ncluded C ladium m ariseus a nd t he

f en c arr may h ave b een d ominated b y A lnus. A fter a bout 5 000 b .p. t he f en c arr w as e xploited b y m an f or t imber, T he o penings t hus c reated w ere c olonised b y C ladium mariseus a nd o ther s edges. T he r ecord c eased w hen s oil e rosion f rom t he s urrounding d eforested l and c overed t he s ite w ith s ilty c olluvium,

a t a d ate t o b e d iscussed b elow.

H istory o f t he r egional v egetation I t i s d ifficult t o d raw c onclusions f rom a s ingle d iagram w ith o nly t wo d ates, b ut a f ew s uggestions m ay b e made h ere, t o b e a mplified i n t he n ext c hapter. I n t he L ate D evensian, t he v egetation a ppears t o h ave i ncluded B etula, G ramineae a nd C yperaceae, b ut l ittle m ore c an b e s aid a bout i t. I n t he l ater s tages o f t he L ate D evensian, b efore 9 880+60 b .p., a Betula w oodland a ppears t o h ave c overed t he l andscape a nd t his w as s oon a ccompanied b y G orylus. T he l atter m ay h ave d ominated t he v egetation u ntil a bout 7 000 b .p., b ut P inus a nd S alix w ere a lso p resent. A bout 7 000 b .p., m ixed f orest o f Q uereus, A lnus, U lmus a nd T ilia i mmigrated a nd r apidly c ame t o d ominate t he f orests* T he A lnus c ould h ave b een g rowing i n t he f en c arr a round t he l ake, F raxinus a ppeared l ater a nd i n l esser q uantity, A t a bout 5 000 b .p. ( estimated: s ee n ext c hapter) t he f irst f orest c learance t ook p lace. T he w eed P lantago a ppeared a nd G ramineae i ncreased, s uggesting p astoral u sage ( Godwin 1 968), b ut c ereals w ere a lso g rown. T he c hief t rees f elled w ere U lmus, A lnus a nd T ilia. A lnus c ould h ave b een r emoved f rom t he f en c arr. S ome t rees, n otably F raxinus a nd Betula, a ppear t o h ave g ained a s hort-term a dvantage f rom t he c learance, p erhaps b y g rowing o n a bandoned l and. s hifting a griculture m ight h ave b een p ractised. T he c learance

f orest

t hen

b egan

r ecovered a gain,

c ompletely

f rom

t his

S ome

f orm o f

p hase,

but

a nd t his t ime d isturbance w as c ontinuous

u ntil t he e nd o f the r ecord. T he d ate o f t his i s u nknown, b ut r ecord c eases b ecause t he s ite w as c overed w ith s ilty c olluvium. a s i s s uspected, t his i s t he p roduct o f s oil e rosion f rom

1 63

t he I f, t he

s urrounding l and, r esulting f rom a gricultural a ctivities, t hen t he d ate of 4 500+50 b .p. a t 0 -0.2m i s p robably t oo o ld. S oil e rosion i s k nown t o i ntroduce o ld c arbon i n q uantity s ufficient t o c ause l arge e rrors i n 1 4 C d ates f rom d epositional s ites. T he d isturbance i n t his s econd c learance p hase i s a gain c onsistent w ith m ixed f arming. C ereal p ollen i s p resent t hroughout, b ut s o i s P lantago w hich i s u sually t aken t o s uggest t he p resence o f p asture.

F LANDRIAN P LANT M ACROFOSSILS F ROM S KIPSEA W ITHOW M ERE

b y A llan R .

H all

P lant m acrofossils w ere t aken f rom t he F landrian o rganic m uds a nd c arr p eats o f s ection 7 ( Figure s amples h ave b een s tudied:

- s ample 7 /M/2 f rom

3 .1

c arr

a nd

3 .7)

i n M arch

1 979.

T hree

p eats ( Unit 8 d) a t a d epth o f 2 0cms

o n F igure 7 .2, - s ample 7 /M/6 f rom w oody p eat w ith s and p artings a t a d epth o f 5 0cms ( Figure 7 .1) - s ample 7 /M/15 f rom

o rganic

m uds

( Unit

6 )

a t

a d epth

o f

1 40cms o n F igure 7 .1.

T he r esults a re g iven i n T able 5 .2. I n s ample 7 /M/15 ( silty w oody d etritus) n ear t he b ase o f t he F landrian, a n umber o f e lements o f t he L ate-Devensian a ssemblage ( described i n c hapter 5 ) w ere s till p resent, n otably S choenoplectus, P opulus a nd Betula. A s ingle f ruit o f A lnus i ndicates t he s tart o f l ocal a lder w oodland T here

w as

( cf.

s till

F igure 7 .1). a c omponent

o f a quatic

t axa

( Nynphaea a nd

P otamogeton s pp,) t ogether w ith t all h erbs o f w ater-side a nd marsh/fen h abitats ( Alisna, Eupatoriun, F ilipendula, P otentilla p alustris a nd S olanun d uleamara ), S ample 7 /M/6 ( sandy c oarse w oody d etritus) w as v ery r ich i n r emains o f a lder ( fruits, f emale c one a xes, w ood, b uds a nd a nthers a ll b eing r ecorded), w ith e vidence o f o ther w oody t axa f rom t he l ocal f orest: h azel ( Corylus), b ird-cherry ( Prunus p adus) a nd P runus s p.,

o ak

( Quercus)

a nd

t he

n ow

much

l ess

f requent

b irch.

B oth

Antitrichia curtipendula a nd N eckera c onplanata a nd p erhaps a lso Hypnum cupressiforne w ere p robably c orticolous ( living o n b ark) i n t he w oodland. I ndeed, t he s ediment g ives t he i mpression o f h aving f ormed f rom d rifted w oody d ebris, p robably n ot t ransported v ery f ar. T here w ere f ew n on-woody t axa i n r eflecting s hade b y o verhanging t rees. T he d ioica) d oubt

i s

a p lant

t ypical

o f

t his s ample, p erhaps s tinging n ettle ( Urtica

t he f en w oodland o r a lder c arr t hat n o

f ringed t he m ere a t t his t ime,

1 64

T he u ppermost s ample a nalysed ( 7/M/2, a c oarse w oody d etritus) c ontinues t his p attern, w ith a lder a gain t he m ost f requent t axon r ecorded. T he t entatively i dentified i mmature f ruit o f l ime ( Tilia s p.) a nd c upule f ragments o f y ew ( Taxus baccata) a dd t o t he l ist

o f w oody

t axa

f or

t he

s ite,

w hilst

t he

f ruits p erhaps r epresents a n i ncrease i n r eduction o f s hading a t t he w ater's e dge.

m odest c ount o f A lisma

a reas

o f

o pen

w ater

o r

a

T IMBER O RIENTATION S TUDIES b y D DG.

t runks a nd

T he a bundance a nd a pparent p referred o rientation o f t ree l arge b ranches i n F landrian U nits 7 a nd 8 a re t he t wo m ost

d istinctive a spects o f t hese l ake m argin d eposits. T he o rientation a nd d ip o f t ree

t runks

i n

U nit

7 - s hallow

w ater/lake margin d eposits - a re s hown i n F igure 7 ,4 ( sections 5 -7) a nd F igure 7 .3 ( sections 6 -4). I t i s c lear f rom t hese d iagrams t hat t he t runks a nd b ranches h ave n ot s imply p itched d own s lope i nto t he l ake: r ather t hey a re

p referentially o rientated t owards t he n orth-northeast,

M odern a nalogues ( Plate 1 .2) s uggests w indthrow i s a n i mportant t oppling a gent i n a lder/oak c arr i n H olderness. I f t his w as t he a gent r esponsible f or t he p referred a lignment a nd d ip a t S kipsea W ithow m ere, then t he dominant w ind o f t he t ime w ould h ave c ome f rom t he s outh-southwest: t oday.

t his

i s

a m ore

s outherly s ource t han p redominates

T he r eliability o f t his a nalysis i s u ncertain.

T OWARDS A V EGETATIONAL H ISTORY O F T HE M ERES O F H OLDERNESS b y

J .R.

F lenley

T he

d iscussion i n C hapters

1a nd 2 d emonstrated t hat S kipsea

W ithow i s n ot b y a ny m eans t he o nly f resh w ater d eposit i n H olderness, T he u neven t opography o f t he D evensian t ill f ormerly b ore n umerous m eres o f w hich t he o nly s urvivor i s H ornsea M ere, T he f ormer e xistence of m any o ther meres ( Figure 7 .5) i s c lear f rom h istorical r ecords, p lace n ames, t opography, v egetation a nd s edimentology, a s r eviewed i n C hapter 2 a nd i n T . S heppard ( 1912) a nd J . S heppard ( 1956), T he f ascinating h istory o f t he d rainage o f a ll b ut H ornsea M ere h as b een a ssembled

b y

J e

S heppard

( 1956,

1 957).

T he H olderness m eres a ppear t o h ave b een o f t wo t ypes. L arger m eres, t ypically e longate a nd a t l east 1 km l ong b y 2 00m w ide, i nclude H ornsea M ere, H ornsea O ld M ere, L ambwath M ere, S kipsea B ail M ere a nd S kipsea L ow M ere ( Figures 1 .6 a nd 7 .5). T hese o ccupy m ajor d epressions i n t he t ill s urface,

a nd t he f act t hat t hree o f t hem r un i n

a w est-east d irection s uggests t hat t hey m ight m ark t he s ites o f f ormer v alleys i n

t he u nderlying c halk ( Valentin

h ave d rained

t o t he e ast.

1 65

1 957), w hich w ould p resumably

LU

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Ma in meres

•

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, SK I P SEA LOW MERE / X SK 1PSEA BA IL MERE % . Dunn ington Brae mere• • X Mere X

W ITHOW MERE X

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x X

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ge K )RNSEA MERE 1 \ H at f ie ld West Marr X % &R ed Marr X ‘ •Ee l mere %X S X B ittern X X Boom Mere \X • 4 1 1 1 S 4 1 1 1 1 10 1 INLAMB WATH X

X

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Mere X BRAMERE Sw ine Marr •‘ Bo w marr x x \ • W illo w R o we Marr ‘Ma inber marre • > < eG i lderson Morr B i lton Marr• •Wyton Mar t R eed mar o r Swans Mar t -

x 4 I ‚ x

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Bo w mere e

8 km

e a t_ F igure 7 .5

T he a ncient m eres o f H olderness ( after S heppard

1 67

1 956)

T he s maller m eres, t ypically a bout 1 00m o r l ess a cross a nd c ircular o r o val i n s hape, a re p robably f eatures of t ill

often

d eposition. S ome d eep o nes a re p ossibly k ettle h oles Uses f ormed b y m elting o ut o f a l arge i ce b lock after d eposition), e .g. T he B og a t R oos. O thers, g enerally s hallower, may r esult s imply f rom u neven d eposition o f t ill e .g. G ilderson M arr n ear T unstall. S kipsea W ithow i s p robably o f t his l ast t ype, a lthough t opography i nland ( Plate 2 ,1) s uggests a c onsiderable e nlargement o f t he s ite i n t hat d irection, a nd w e c annot k now i ts f ormer e xtent s eaward; t hus i t may b e a r emnant o f o ne o f t he l arger m eres

( see C hapter 2 ).

T he meres s eem t o h ave b een o f s ome a rchaeological s ignificance* M esolithic f ish s pears h ave b een f ound n ot only a t S kipsea W ithow b ut a lso a t H ornsea O ld M ere, b efore t he c oastal e xposure

t here

w as

c overed

b y

a s ea

w all

( Armstrong

1 923b).

A

N eolithic dwelling p latform w as e xcavated i n S kipsea L ow M ere ( Smith 1 911). B ronze A ge p latforms h ave b een e xcavated a t s everal s ites: e .g. S kipsea L ow M ere a nd t he p assage b etween S kipsea L ow M ere a nd S kipsea B ail M ere ( Smith 1 911). I n N orman t imes, Skipsea B ail M ere p rovided a n atural moat f or t he k eep o f S kipsea B rough, t he c astle o f D rogo, L ord o f H olderness ( English 1 979)* T here i s documentation o f t he i mportance o f f isheries i n a t l east t he l arger meres i n m onastic t imes

a re

( Sheppard

t he

1 956,

1 957)*

T he t wo S kipsea m eres o nly l ocations f or i n

a re r emarkable i n a nother w ay: t hey s itu r ecords o f Trapa natans, t he

W ater C hestnut, i n t he B ritish F landrian ( Flenley, Maloney, F ord a nd H allam 1 975, F lenley a nd M aloney 1 976). T his s pecies n ow g rows n o n earer t han c entral F rance, a nd i ts o ccurrence c ould i ndicate mid-post g lacial t emperatures h igher t han t hose o f t he p resent d ay. A lternatively, o r a dditionally, man m ay h ave b een i nvolved, a s t he f ruits a re w idely u sed b y m an i n E urope a nd e lsewhere ( Hegi 1 909-31)* P OLLEN D IAGRAMS F ROM H OLDERNESS M ERES:

T HE D ATA

T he m ain d etailed p ollen d iagrams p ublished

f rom H olderness

meres a re t hose f rom T he B og a t R oos, a nd f rom H ornsea O ld M ere ( Beckett 1 981). T hese e stablish a s ystem o f r egional p ollen a ssemblage b iozones t o w hich o ther d iagrams may b e r elated* A s ummary of t he d iagram f rom T he B og i s i ncluded h ere f or c omparison ( Figure 7 .6). O ther

d iagrams a vailable

i nclude

t hose

f or S kipsea W ithow

( see C hapter 5 ) a nd s everal u npublished d iagrams. T he d rained meres h ave a fforded s uitable material f or p alynology c lasses at t he D epartment o f G eography o f t he U niversity o f H ull f or many y ears, a nd a n umber

of

u seful

o utline

d iagrams h ave

r esulted.

T he o nes i ncluded

h ere a re t hose f rom a s n ear a s p ossible t o S kipsea W ithow, i .e. f rom S kipsea B ail M ere ( 1982 c lass, F igure 7 .7) a nd S kipsea L ow M ere ( 1974 c lass, F igure 7 .8), I t i s w orthy o f r ecord t hat s tratigraphy s uggesting t he p resence o f a f ull L ate-Glacial a nd F landrian h as a lso b een r ecorded a t B ittern B oom M ere ( +11m), I nglepol o r I nglepool ( +5m) a nd

G ilderson M arr

( +2m), a nd p ollen d iagrams f rom t he

c onfirmed t his»

1 68

t wo l ast

s ites

D ISCUSSION S tratigraphy A ll t he meres ( if t hey h ave b een b ored s ufficiently d eeply) s how s imilar s tratigraphy a t t he b ase, t he L ate-Glacial b eing l argely r epresented b y i norganic d eposits. U sually t hese a re g rey o r p ink s ilts, p resumably t he r esult o f s olifluction. I n t he d eepest - a nd p erhaps f ormerly l argest - m ere i nvestigated, t he O ld M ere a t H ornsea, a c oarse c halky g ravel w as f ound a s w ell a s c lay ( Beckett 1 981). T he L ate-Glacial c lay i s i nterrupted b y a d arker, more c lay-mud, C . 2 0 t o 5 0cms i n t hickness, w hich a ppears t o

o rganic

r epresent t he W indermere I nterstadial o f P ennington ( 1977). I n a t l east t hree s ites, h owever ( The B og, S kipsea B ail M ere a nd t he I nglepol), t here i s a lso a l ower b and o f d arker, m ore o rganic c lay-mud, u sually c . 2 -5cms i n t hickness, A t R oos t his g ave a 14 C d ate o f 1 3, 0435+270 b .p. ( Birm-317). A lthough t here i s a p ossibility o f s uch e arly d ates b eing c ontaminated b y o lder c arbon d erived f rom t he t ill, t his s eems a r easonable m inimum a ge f or t he d eglaciation o f H olderness. T lken w ith t he d ate o f 1 8,240+250 b ‚p. ( Birm-108) f or t he D imlington M oss S ilts ( Catt a nd P enny 1 966), S kipsea a nd W ithernsea t ills,

i t

b rackets

t he

d eposition

o f

the

T he F landrian b egins e verywhere w ith d eposition o f a n o rganic ( gyttja). I n t he l arger m eres, t his c ontinues u ntil n ear the

l ake m ud surface,

but

t he

s maller m eres s oon t urned o ver t o p eat f ormation a s

t heir b asins w ere m ore r apidly f illed t o n ear t he w ater s urface. T rees p robably grew o n t he p eat i n s ome s ites, a s t hey d o n ot ( aided b y d rainage)

a t T he B og.

I n a ll

s ites e xcept T he B og,

t he u ppermost

p art

of t he s ediment s hows a r eturn t o m ineral d eposition. T his i s p robably the r esult o f s oil e rosion o n t he s urrounding s lopes, f ollowing d eforestation. dumper o n s ome s ometimes T nglepol),

I t i s n ot i mpossible t hat m ineral m aterial w as a ctually s ites t o a id r eclamation* D rainage o f t he m eres w as

c arried o ut b y m eans o f n ew s urface d itches ( e i ,g, a t t he o r p erhaps b y c analisation o f e xisting s treams ( ? S kipsea

B ail M ere a nd S kipsea L ow M ere). A lternatively , u nderground p ipes w ere p ut i n, e .g. a t T he B og , R oos a nd a t B ittern B oom M ere, l eading t o o ne of t he major d rainage c hannels, r ollnn a ssemblages E ach d iagram h as b een z oned a ccording t o i ts own p ollen n ssemblages, a nd t hese z ones a re s hown o n t he i ndividual d iagrams. I n a ddition, a n a ttempt h as b een m ade t o c orrelate t he d iagrams w ith e ach o ther n nd w ith t he r egional p ollen a ssemblage z ones o f B eckett ( 1981), t he r en i llfs o f t his e xercise a re s hown i n T able 7 ,1. B eckett d id n ot f ee l t ha h e h ad s ufficient i nformation t o e stablish r egional p ollen 3 ggPmbl l gy, z ones the

f i rst

s uccesnful 1 1 ; : 7+o u

f or t he L ate-Glacial a nd t his h as b een a ttempted f or h ere, T he e xtent t o w hich t his c orrelation i s w ill n ow b e c onsidered, a nd t he r egional v egetational

t ime

r eviewed.

1 69

Betu la- P ious

A lnus- U l mus

A lnus- Quercus

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1 70

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C -14 D ate B .P. i f k nown

R egional P ollen A ssemblage Z one

T he B og, R oos

A lnus-

R B 1 0

O ld M ere, H ornsea

S kipsea W ithow M ere

S kipsea B ail M ere

S kipsea L ow M ere

H O 5

W M 6

S B 7

S L 5

7

H O 4

W M 5

S B 6

S L 4

R B

6

H O 3

W M 4

S B 5

S L 3

C orylus/ M yricaU lmus

R B

5

H O 2

W M 3

S B 4

S L 2

B etulaP inus

R B

4

H O 1

W M 2

S B 3

S L 1

C yperaceae -h erbs

R B

3

R B

2

R B

9

R B

8

A lnusQ uercus

R B

A lnusU lmus

9 880 ± 6 0 ( SRR-1944) 1 0,120 ± 1 80 ( Birm-405)

G ramineae

, / ' B etula1 1,200 ± 2 20 h erbs ( Birm-406) 1 1,500 ± 1 70 ( Birm-318) 1 3,045 ± 2 70 ( Birm-317)

T able 7 ,1,

H elianthe mum h erbs

-

W M 1

S B 2

S B 1

R B l b R B l a

A C orrelation o f P ollen D iagrams f rom H olderness,

1 71

o nly

a t

T he e arliest z one r ecorded ( from 0 . 1 3,000 b4.) i s p resent T he Bog, R oos, a nd S kipsea W ithow a nd i s d esignated t he

H elianthenun - h erbs R egional P ollen A ssemblage B iozone ( RPAZ). A t R oos a nd S kipsea W ithow t his i s s ubdivided, b ut f urther e vidence w ould b e n eeded t o s ubstantiate a d ivision a t t he r egional l evel. T he l andscape was o pen, w ith f ew t rees ( Beckett 1 981, C hapter 5 , t his v olume). S hrubs ( Salix, J uniperus, H ippophäe rhannoides a nd Betula nana) w ere p resent but d id n ot e xclude n umerous h erbs* T he r egular p resence o f H elianthenun, w hich i s n ow typical of c halk g rassland, t estifies t o t he u nleached, n ewly d eveloped o n t he t ill. T he

c alcareous

n ature o f

Betula-herbs R PAZ c overs t he p eriod C .

the

s oil

1 2,000 b .p. t o c .

1,000 b .p. ( Beckett 1 981), a nd i s r epresented a t t hree s ites: T he B T )k a t R oos, S kipsea W ithow M ere a nd S kipsea B ail M ere ( 2 s amples)* P ollen o f t ree b irches i s a bundant ( >50% o f t otal d ry l and p ollen a nd spores) a t t he s mall meres but l ess s o ( c. 2 0%) a t S kipsea B ail M ere a nd l ess s till a t S kipsea W ithow. I t s eem jclear, h owever, t hat b irch woodland w as p resent, a lthough t his m ay h ave b een p atchy* O ther t ree p ollen i s p robably d erived o r w ind b lown. C limate m ay w ell h ave b een s imilar t o t hat o f t he p resent d ay.

b .p.,

T he C yperaceae - h erbs R PAZ, r oughly 1,000 b i ,p, t o c . 1 0,200 s eems t o r epresent a d istinctly c older p hase. T ree b irches w ere

n ot e liminated a ltogether a t R oos o r S kipsea W ithow , a lthough t hey a re a bsent i n t he s ingle s ample f rom S kipsea B ail M ere. P inus p ollen, p resent a t R oos a nd S kipsea W ithow, i s p robably w ind b lown f rom much f urther s outh. T he v egetation may h ave b een a s parse t undra, w ith o ccasional b irch i n f avourable m icrohabitats.

b op.

B irch w oodland r eappeared i n ( Birm-405) ( Betula-Pinus R PAZ).

H olderness b efore 1 0,120+180 T his z one i s represented a t

a ll f ive s ites. P inus i s n ow p resent i n q uantity sufficient t o s uggest i t g rew l ocally a lthough o ther t ree a nd C orylus p ollen w as p robably c arried i n o n t he w ind. C limate c ould h ave b een a s w arm a s a t p resent, t he l ow t ree d iversity b eing d ue s imply t o s low m igration f rom s outhern r efugia. T he o f

Corylus

n ext a nd

H olderness i t i s

R PAZ

Myrica l ikely

i s d esignated a re t hat

n ot t he

Corylus/Myrica-I llaus.

r eadily p ollen

i s

d istinguishable, n early

a ll

P ollen but

d erived

i n

f rom

Corylus. U lnus a nd Quercus a rrive e arly i n t his z one a t R oos a nd H ornsea but l ater a t S kipsea W ithow, A t t he o ther s ites t he d iagrams a re t oo s ketchy t o p ermit c lose c orrelation a t t his t ime. I t i s n ot u nlikely, h owever, t hat i mmigration w ould p roceed i n a n i rregular m anner i f i t w as n ot c losely c ontrolled b y c limatic c hange. A s ingle g rain o f T rapa a t t his l evel i n S kipsea Bail M ere i s p robably t he r esult o f c ontamination i n s ampling. T he

maximum

d evelopment

o f

f orest

i n

H olderness c oincided

w ith t he e nsuing A lnus-I nnus R PAZ, N on-tree p ollen i s u sually a t a minimum, a nd f orest t ree d iversity i ncreases w ith t he u se o f A lnus a nd T ilia, b oth p reviously p resent b ut i n s maller q uantities i n m ost a reas*

A gain i t

i s

u nnecessary

t o

i nvoke

i mmigration m ay b e t he e xplanation.

1 72

c limatic

c hange;

d elayed

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