Archaeologists may have uncovered the remains of a timber hall on land once owned by Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo‑Saxon King of England, offering a rare glimpse into the wealth and influence Godwinson held before his death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The excavation, led by University of York lecturer Dr Jim Leary, has revealed evidence of a timber hall, a malthouse and a sunken tower on a site near Skipsea Castle in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The Norman motte‑and‑bailey castle, built around 1086 on the edge of an ancient lake, no longer survives, but its mound remains a prominent landmark.
These discoveries form part of a six‑year project examining the area’s early medieval past and will feature in the upcoming series of the BBC’s Digging for Britain, due for release in January.
One of the earliest finds was the remains of a building containing a large tandoori‑style oven, its intense heat having turned the surrounding soil red. Charred seeds nearby indicate the structure functioned as a malthouse used for brewing beer. According to Dr Leary, the original floor survived, and the building likely dates to AD 750–850.
As the excavation progressed, the team uncovered the base of a tower that had sunk into the ground, accompanied by postholes and a cellar. Dr Leary told the Daily Mail: “The tower is an indicator of a high‑status site, the Malthouse is also an indicator of high‑status. It is not the sort of thing that is normally found. This suggests it is probably a lordly centre. We know that Harold Godwinson owned the land, but we don’t know that he ever visited it.”
The tower appears to mirror a structure Godwinson is believed to have had at Bosham in Sussex. As Dr Leary noted, “The tower may relate to Godwinson, as he did have a similar tower in Bosham in Sussex. We know he had it because it was depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.”
Attention then shifted to a large timber hall built above the earlier malthouse. Although the hall has not yet been dated, its scale and construction suggest it served as a venue for political gatherings, feasting and cultural activity — all hallmarks of elite Anglo‑Saxon estates.
Among the most striking finds was a piece of worked amber, apparently being prepared for jewellery. Dr Leary described it as the “standout find”, saying it reinforced the idea that the site was a place where luxury goods were produced or enjoyed by wealthy individuals.
The Domesday Book, commissioned by William the Conqueror after taking the English throne, records the Skipsea area as land formerly held by Godwinson. The new discoveries suggest the hall may have been part of a significant estate linked to the king or his household. The region retained its strategic importance after the conquest, with the Norman castle thought to have been constructed roughly two decades later.
Reflecting on the site’s significance, Dr Leary said: “It does indicate high‑status sites, and the fact that he [Godwinson] owned it, you know, all of these things sort of link up.”
Even so, no definitive evidence yet ties the structures directly to Godwinson himself. The site may also correspond to the lost settlement of Cleeton, mentioned in Domesday records but long considered missing.
For co‑director Dr Elaine Jamieson, the scale and rarity of the discoveries exceeded expectations. “We definitely were surprised in the sense that we thought there might be a hall there. The nature of archaeology is you don’t always find what you’re looking for, so it was surprising,” she said.
“But the other two structures, the malthouse, we had no inclination that was there, and the sunken tower structure is a very rare building. There are very few of them that have actually been excavated, so that was a real surprise. We had no idea that was there as well, so that’s really exciting.”
The site also serves as the University of York’s leading undergraduate field school: “We use this as the main undergraduate field school for students at the University of York, so this is where they get their first real taste of excavation, and it has blown us away,” Dr Leary said. “We will be digging for the next few years, and it is tremendously exciting.”
