A1 upgrades in Yorkshire unearths interesting Roman finds.
A1 road works have unearthed much more than expected in the North East.
The current upgrades to the A1 Leeming to Barton stretch is now over 90% complete according to Highways England.
Their works to replace the existing dual carriageway with a three-way lane motorway are part of the Government’s £15bn investment in motorways and strategic A-roads.
The upgrades intend to improve safety and also the journey times between London and the North East.
However, the road works have unearthed more than expected…
A team of archaeologists from The Northern Archaeological Associates have discovered thousands of artefacts ranging from the Mesolithic age right through to the 20th century.
The exciting finds, discovered during excavations of the section from Ferrybridge to Piercebridge are shedding light on Roman life in North Yorkshire!
The new discoveries include:
• Ancient leather shoes
• Keys of various sizes
• A lead plumb bomb
• A pewter inkpot and a number of Roman pens
• Large sheets of leather
• An amber figurine
• A rare silver, snake shaped, wrap-around ring
• Coin workshops; considered to be the most northerly example of gold, silver and copper coin production ever to be found in Europe.
The objects suggest that wealthy Romans settled in England much earlier than previously thought. The discovery of the Roman settlement in Scotch Corner pre-dates settlements in York and Carlisle by 10 years.
These historically significant finds will however, impact the completion of the roadworks, which will now be completed by the end of the year.
Highways England expects to open the southern section of the scheme in the late summer.
You can find some images of the findings here: https://goo.gl/photos/715qfBBMapaXAJar5