Excavations of Roman Crambeck Kilns, Welburn, North Yorkshire

This will be our principal spring excavation, focusing on the Roman industrial landscape at Welburn. The site near the village of Welburn, North Yorkshire, forms part of the wider Crambeck pottery industry, one of the most distinctive ceramic and important industries of late Roman Britain.

Crambeck Ware is nationally significant for its unique painted decoration, specialised vessel forms, and its wide distribution across northern Britain. It provides key evidence for late Roman pottery pottery, trade networks, and cultural identity.

The area we are investigating has already produced over 20 kg of Crambeck Ware, an exceptional concentration that strongly indicates intensive pottery production and waste disposal. This suggests we are working directly within the industrial zone of the kiln complex.

Our surveys have reinforced this interpretation: 

• Geophysics has revealed kiln-like anomalies, including circular and rectangular structures consistent with firing chambers. 

• Magnetic signatures show burnt soil and industrial residues typical of pottery production.

 • Test pits have produced dense pottery spreads, firing waste, and occupation debris.

The 2027 season will focus on excavating these kiln structures, mapping working floors and waste dumps, and understanding how pottery production was organised in the late Roman period. Volunteers will receive full training in excavation, recording, finds processing, and interpretation.