Mesolithic Project

The Mesolithic period, also known as the Middle Stone Age, lasted for over 6000 years from around 10,000 BC to around 4000 BC. It began at the end of the last Ice Age (at the end of the Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age) and it continued until the first appearance of farming in the Neolithic (New Stone Age).

Although the period was long lived we know relatively little about it. The North York Moors National Park and Tees Archaeology have teamed up to find out more and have set up a three year project with funding from English Heritage.

The report for the 2008 season of work is now completed and can be downloaded by clicking on the links to the right of this page. There are also figures which can be downloaded.

The Full and interim reports of the Mesolithic Project Farndale 2009 are now available and can be downloaded by clicking the links on the right of this page.

We have a four week season of fieldwork planned for 2010 where we hope to discover more about the period through fieldwalking, test trenching and environmental sampling.

If you would like to volunteer for the 2010 field season between Monday 12th July and Friday 6th August 2010 (Mondays - Fridays), please contact Ian Jones on

(01429 523455; ian.jones@hartlepool.gov.uk )

or download our volunteer form from the home page

A key part of the project is identifying new sites by identifying flint scatters. If you would like to be involved please email the National Park archaeology volunteers address

(archaeology-volunteers@northyorkmoors-npa.gov.uk )

or call the offices (01439 770657) asking for Mags Waughman.

Highcliffe Reconstruction