The Lost Anglo-Saxon Village of Dadsley, Tickhill, South Yorkshire

Philip Taylor - Dissertation for an MSC in Landscape Archaeology - 2012

Philip Taylor, who is a Team Leader in Geo/Environmental for Opus International Consultants UK Ltd., has been kind enough to send a copy of his 2012 MSC dissertation for us to make available to people interested in the local history of Dadsley.

It is a detailed study and also gives a fascinating insight into a variety of research methodologies available.

The project describes the search for the Deserted Medieval Village of Dadsley in South Yorkshire. The chapters detail how the search for this Deserted Medieval Village was undertaken, from the initial desk based research element, through to the site based geophysical survey works.   

Whilst ultimately the exact location of the village was not located, this project does provide the archaeological background to the area as well as detailing several areas which would benefit from intrusive investigation works in order to confirm the conclusions drawn.

Dadsley was a flourishing village following the Norman Invasion, probably as a result of the construction of Tickhill Castle circa 1080AD. Whilst the castle may have benefited Dadsley initially, it is likely that this was ultimately its downfall with villagers eventually moving closer to the castle for reasons of security as well as trade. This population movement resulted in the formation of the modern day Tickhill.

To view the whole dissertation please click here. Please note, the file is large (15MB PDF) and may take some time to open.