Tanhouse Holm Field, Galgate, Lancashire. Excavation Report

In November 1996 an archaeological excavation was carried out in part of the
former Tanhouse Holm field (SD 4840 5564) off Church Lane, Galgate,
Lancashire, in accordance with a brief provided by the Lancashire County
Archaeological Service, and which followed on from an initial archaeological
assessment and a subsequent archaeological evaluation. The excavation was
carried out by Lancaster University Archaeological Unit on behalf of Norman
Jackson Contractors Limited.
An open area excavation (measuring 30m by 10m), largely constrained by the
location of underground services, was undertaken in the southern portion of the
field. This encompassed an evaluation trench which had revealed a degraded
cobbled surface in association with a few sherds of medieval pottery, which, given
also the place-name evidence, was postulated as a possible tannery. The
excavation involved the mechanical stripping of topsoil, under archaeological
supervision, followed by manual investigation of archaeological deposits.