Archaeologists working on the A66 route in Cumbria, England, have uncovered more traces of an early medieval settlement near Kirkby Thore.
The excavation is part of the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project. Oxford Cotswold Archaeology first identified the site in autumn 2025 after finding the remains of a timber hall and a sunken-feature building.
Work resumed in April with a larger excavation area opened around the earlier discoveries.
Topsoil is being removed in stages using mechanical excavators while archaeologists examine changes in the ground beneath. Buried remains often appear as darker marks in the soil where buildings, pits or boundaries once existed.
The timber hall measured around 10 metres by 5 metres and survived as rows of postholes where wooden supports once stood. Nearby archaeologists uncovered a sunken-feature building, usually referred to as an SFB.
These structures are uncommon in Cumbria but are known from sites across Europe dating between the 4th and 7th centuries. They were partly dug into the ground and may have been used for storage, craftworking or domestic use.
Excavators recovered two spindle whorls from the building, both linked to wool spinning and textile production. One was made from reused Roman pottery while the other had been shaped from local stone. An iron knife blade was also found.
The finds suggest people at the site were involved in farming and small-scale craft activity.
Cumbria developed differently from southern England during the early medieval period. Influences from the Irish Sea region remained important before Scandinavian settlers arrived centuries later.
"The early medieval period (around 400-1100 AD) in Cumbria had different cultural influences to Southern England. Instead of being mainly ‘Anglo-Saxon’, this area was influenced by people from around the Irish Sea and later by Scandinavian settlers (often referred to as “Vikings”, though the term is not strictly accurate). This diversity is often visible in the types of features archaeologists find," said Oxford Cotswold Archaeology.
Comparable sites have been excavated elsewhere in Cumbria, including Fremington, Parkers Croft near Shap and the Carlisle Northern Development Route. Similar timber halls, spindle whorls and sunken-feature buildings have been recorded at those locations.
Archaeologists are now investigating whether the remains at Kirkby Thore formed part of a wider settlement rather than a single isolated building. Larger estate centres from the period often contained halls surrounded by smaller structures linked to agriculture and production.
Earlier trial trenches carried out in 2024 indicated more archaeology survived beyond the original excavation area. Current work is focused on exposing additional sections of the site to establish its full extent.
The discoveries may provide more evidence for a period of Cumbrian history that remains poorly understood, particularly the centuries between the collapse of Roman Britain and later Scandinavian settlement.
The place-name Kirkby also reflects that later Norse influence. Derived from Old Norse, it means “village with a church.”
Excavation work at the site is continuing.
Sources : Oxford Cotswold Archaeology