More information : Thoresby (a) mentions tesserae from a pavement near Beverley & Gent (1733) says: "About 12 years ago, as a Country-Man was plowing, in Bishop Burton field, two miles distant from Beverley, his Plow happening to go deeper than usual, grated upon some harder matter, than he though was common. Surpriz'd at this, he immediately uncover'd the Place; and found a curious Pavement of red, white and blue stones; each about an inch square, placed in a beautiful Order; And soon after coming to a Field, next but one of this, he perceived another Spot, under which was the like curious pavement, as before mentioned" (b) Drake (c) also mentions a tessellated pavement near Beverley, but this field and the sites cannot now be traced & there is no local tradition of the pavement.
[Village name Bishop Burton centred at SE 99353990: obs., for what it is worth, Cold Harbour, farm at SE 97553865 on Yorks 210 SW]. (1)
HU 1 Listed as a possible villa site. The two tessellated pavements found in 1722 may have come from one of the cropmark sites to the south of Bishop Burton (Humberside SMR Nos 6221-3). A fourth century AD coin was found in the same area. (2) |