East Yorkshire Landscapes Past and Present

East Yorkshire Landscapes Past and Present

The aim of this conference is to showcase the link between the rich archaeological heritage of the East Riding of Yorkshire and its unique landscape. There will be particular focus on the Yorkshire Wolds and hinterland, exploring the geology, water supply and the way past people and animals interacted with the changing landscape over a long period of time.

Last year's conference was a sell out, so book early.

Programme

Friday 14th November 2025

The Community Hall, Burnby Hall, Pocklington

​9.30 – 9.50 - Registration

9.50-10.00 - Welcome and introduction

10.00-10.40 The Geology and Landscape of the Pocklington District - Richard Myerscough (Yorkshire Wolds Reassessment Project).

10.40 -11.20 A World of Water, Dragons and Dew Ponds - Jon Traill (Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Living Landscape Manager).

11.20 -11.40 - COFFEE

11.40 -12.20 Revisiting “Ancient Landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds”. - Matthew Oakey (Aerial Survey Principal, Historic England).

12.20 -1.00 Seeing beneath the soil – Geophysical surveys in eastern Yorkshire - James Lyall (Geophiz.biz)

1.00 – 2.20 - LUNCH (the ticket price includes a pass to Burnby Hall Gardens where the cafe can be accessed for lunch)

2.20 - 3.00 Livestock and landscape in later Prehistoric and Roman Eastern Yorkshire - Dr Clare Rainsford (Zooarchaeologist)

3.00 - 3.40 Forty years researches on a past East Yorkshire landscape - Dr Peter Halkon (Chair East Riding Archaeological Society, PDHT)

3.40 - 4.00 - TEA

4.00 - 4.15 - Panel of speakers and closing remarks

The Geology and Landscape of the Pocklington District

Richard Myerscough – Yorkshire Wolds Reassessment Project (WRAP)

This talk will explore the relationship between geology and the landscape of the Pocklington area and the part played by geological and geomorphological forces, in particular the role played by faults; together with the study of building materials and how geology has affected the way past peoples lived in and utilized the landscape.

A World of Water, Dragons and Dew Ponds

Jon Traill - Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Living Landscape Manager

This talk will take a look at the environmental heritage of the Yorkshire Wolds with particular emphasis on the critical role that water has in the landscape. It has not only helped to shapethe landscapes we see and appreciate today but it is becoming increasingly more important how we value water, as our weather patterns change.

Revisiting Ancient Landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds.

Matthew Oakey, Aerial Survey Principal, Historic England.

2027 will see the 30th anniversary of Cathy Stoertz’s seminal publication Ancient Landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds. Bringing together five years of research and mapping from aerial photographs, the book still underpins much of our knowledge of the cropmark landscapes of this part of East Yorkshire. This talk will explore how aerial survey in the intervening decades has continued to develop our understanding of archaeology on the Yorkshire Wolds. It will also introduce a new Historic England project which is revisiting part of the area mapped by Cathy in the 1980s to see what new stories about the landscape we can uncover.

Seeing beneath the soil – Geophysical surveys in eastern Yorkshire

James Lyall, Geophiz.Biz

As most of Eastern Yorkshire’s archaeological heritage liesburied under farmland various methods of geophysical survey are needed to reveal past features in the landscape. Using most of the available methods over many years, James has covered a large area of eastern Yorkshire with some stunning results, ranging from Bronze Age burial mounds to Anglo-Saxon settlements.

Livestock and landscape in later Prehistoric and Roman Eastern Yorkshire

Dr Clare Rainsford, Independent Zooarchaeologist, York

Clare is a specialist in the analysis of animal bones from archaeological sites in the region. Examining remains of both wild and domestic animals can provide information about historical economies, agricultural practices, dietary habits, and the landscape. Evidence also suggests that animals played roles in religious and ritual activities during these periods. Examples in this talk are drawn from recent research in eastern Yorkshire, including exciting new developments in scientific methods of investigation.

Forty year’s researches on a past east Yorkshire landscape

Dr Peter Halkon – Chair East Riding Archaeological Society, Trustee PDHT

This contribution will reflect on over forty years study of the wetlands and Wolds around the valley of the river Foulness. Linking the hinterland of the Yorkshire Wolds and the Humber estuary, this region has witnessed dramatic landscape transformation due to the effect of changing climate and sea levels. From the early hunter gatherers to the end of the Roman period, archaeological evidence recovered including the Hasholme Iron Age logboat, one of Britain’s earliest iron industries and Roman roadside settlements has shown how humans have lived and worked in this previously underexplored part of East Yorkshire.