Yarm
Medieval Town
Yarm
was a medieval market town possibly located on
the site of an earlier saxon village. It was first
recorded in the Doomsday the town has a long and
colourful history.
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The market town of Yarm is situated within
a northward pointing horseshoe meander of the
River Tees approximately 8 kilometres upstream
of Stockton on Tees in the north-east of England.
Map
Reference NZ 420 120.
Evidence suggests that the present town occupies
the site of a Saxon settlement, although its
precise location remains unknown. Yarm is recorded
in the Domesday Book as ‘Gerou’ meaning
fish weir and this probably indicates a relatively
small and poor settlement.
Several objects of Anglo-Saxon date have been
reported in the area including the discovery
in 1877 of a Saxon grave slab, which invites
the viewer to pray for the soul of Trumberhct,
who was Bishop of Hexham between AD 681 and AD
684. Other Saxon finds in the area include a
burial urn and a brooch. Little is known about
Yarm before the present street system pattern
began to evolve, probably in the twelfth century.
In the medieval period Yarm was an important
trading centre with its markets and fairs and
as a port exporting agricultural produce and
lead to the Low Countries. Under the patronage
of the De Brus family, the town achieved borough
status and began to expand. The lords of the
manor also gave land to establish the Hospital
of St.Nicholas and the Dominican Friary. Evidence
would suggest that the earliest settlements would
have been close to the parish church on West
Street. There was probably a ford across the
river at the north end of West Street, with the
Old Market Place at the southern end on Snaith's
Field. The High Street would then be a later
development associated with the expansion of
the town from the thirteenth century. The wealth
of Yarm became so great that it became a frequent
target for Robert The Bruce’s raiders from
Scotland, who sacked the town five times in the
fourteenth century. As the size of shipping increased
it became difficult to navigate this far upstream
and Yarm’s importance declined. It was
eventually overshadowed by Stockton and Middlesbrough,
both downstream.
The parish church of St. Magdalene combines
a sophisticated 12th century west end with a
Georgian nave and choir, while Bishop Skirlaw’s
bridge of the 14th century links Yorkshire to
Durham. The northern span was demolished during
the English Civil War to prevent Parliamentary
forces from using it.
There have been several excavations in Yarm
in the last 25 years, the majority concentrating
on the West and High Street areas.
In 1977 Cleveland County Archaeology Section
undertook an excavation on West Street. The earliest
building was an aisled, timber structure with
a hall running parallel to West Street and outbuildings
to the rear, all dating to the middle of the
twelfth century. It was later dismantled and
another timber building was erected. The final
structure to occupy the site was a substantial
timber barn. The pottery found within the site
is rather unremarkable, but one coin that was
found may provide the best dating evidence. The
coin was minted at York and is known as a ‘Flag
Penny’. These coins were issued when the
north was cut off from the London mints, forcing
York to supply all the region’s coined
money requirements. Map Reference NZ 417 130.
In 1980, the demolition and re-development of
101 High Street, offered Cleveland County Archaeology
Section the opportunity to compare this main
street with the results of the excavations on
West Street. Two areas were examined over 10
days of excavation. An area at the rear of the
High Street revealed a sequence of buildings
and stables, the earliest of which dated to the
thirteenth century. The High Street frontage
site exposed a blacksmith’s furnace that
dated to the fourteenth century.
Map Reference
NZ418 130.
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