| Description | The area around Dunningley Hill and Dunningley Farm was visited (on a unknown date) by Dr. M. L. Faull in company with J. Ross (Leeds Planning Department) to inspect the earthworks of a possible medieval settlement. Dunningley Farm was the birthplace of Saxton, the 17th century map maker.
Field A (see attached map in township file for field locations) to the south of Dunningley Farm had been ploughed and so could not be inspected. Field B had an extremely steep slope but with no signs of terracing, but the ridge and furrow survived at C with a headland at D. The earthworks at E, surviving as a mound some 8ft high, appeared to be relatively modern, and were possibly a rubbish dump for the settlement. A prominent sunken way (F, G, H, I) ran north east from the settlement. Along F the height of the earthwork alongside the sunken way was some 4 5ft rising along G to some 8 10ft. Along H the earthwork stood between 6 10ft high, surmounted by a wall, and along I it rose to some 12ft. The land in field J was level with the top of the earthwork. The surface of the sunken way has been paved with large stones.
In field J a slightly raised terrace (K) ran across the south eastern part of the field linking the sunken way to the farm buildings, and a second terraced way at L led from the main track westwards across the field. Along the line M there was a bank 4 6ft in height with a platform extending from the bank at N. There was ridge and furrow in the low lying area at O.
(Text edited from Faull, undated)
This site needs closer examination around the existing buildings and better interpretation if feasible. Dunningley occurs as a pers. name in the early 13th century, perhaps suggesting this is a medieval settlement. |