Doncaster Ramblers: Wadworth Archaeology Wander

On a chilly, breezy morning a dozen of us met at Wadworth Church for this walk of just over 5 miles. After the briefing, which included information about the September coach trip (details on the website), we crossed the cricket field to Wadworth Hall, which is a grade I listed Manor House. It was built in 1749 for the Wordsworth family by the renowned northern architect James Paine. It is currently a private residence and has been since approximately 1995. The house, however, has served a number of purposes over the past 250 years. We then walked around the corner and walked into The Shrubbery. The site was donated to the Woodland Trust in December 1994 from the Wadworth Hall Trust. The wood was formerly part of the grounds of the Hall, and still contains some garden features including an old fishpond and Ha-Ha wall. Also within the woodland are 4 wells known as the Gospel Wells, which were covered by metal grids for safety in 1995. The wells, Ha-Ha and fishpond are historic landscape features. The wood has been designated a Site of Scientific Interest by Doncaster Council, being a deciduous woodland on limestone with a species rich flora.

From The Shrubbery we wandered to Wood House Lane, for one of the finest views over Doncaster before backtracking to Green Lane to reach the right of way which crosses surely one of the largest fields in the area to reach Wadworth Wood, which we passed through to reach the pass under the M18 and enter Edlington Wood. Wadworth Wood and Edlington Wood are as chalk and cheese, the former a commercial wood with little or no undergrowth or birdlife, the latter a rich haven of both, with a phenomenal archaeological record. There are the earthwork remains of a Romano-British settlement consisting of enclosures with many finds, most of which date to the 3rd to 4th centuries and earthwork remains of possible Early Medieval or Medieval settlement of rectangular buildings. Between January and August, 1935, Romano-British brooches, pottery and Roman coins were found by the woodman, Mr. Cameron, and his family. The site was later investigated by archaeologists, and again in 1945. Much earlier than the 3rd and 4th century site is the Mesolithic site in the area of The Crags. During the final stages of the last Ice Age, which peaked at 21k years ago, and ended 11.5k years ago, Edlington was a place of settlement for the Palaeolithic/Mesolithic groups of early nomadic humans. The groups had followed the improving climate northwards as the ice sheets covering Europe retreated. In 2003 the South Yorkshire Archaeological Survey found evidence that these early groups of humans had been using caves and natural outcrops in Edlington wood as shelters and bases for hunting. Additionally quantities of flint tools from the period were unearthed near to a rock shelter in the wood. During the period in which the tools can be dated the landscape of the area was a vast treeless tundra, with forestation occurring only as late into the period as 7500 BC. More recently LIDAR has shown a huge network of old tracks, field boundaries, etc in the wood. All this archaeological evidence exists because the area has never been ploughed. Two large areas were cleared in the 1970's in anticipation of limestone quarrying, but the quarrying never actually happened.

Stopping for our refreshments on a convenient fallen tree we continued through the wood until we reached a junction, where the well-known story of the white greyhound was told. Viscount Molesworth, MP for the West Riding was saved from death by his faithful dog when a gardener, told to check the outside toilet, was killed by the villain hiding inside. On the death of the dog a monument was erected. Of the dead gardener, we have no information. We passed under the M18 once more and followed a path to the south of Wadworth Wood, and thence back to Wadworth Church, reaching it at 12.35. Thanks to Barry ('I know my place') for assiduously backmarking. David Gadd

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