Stephen Lonsdale

Name: Stephen Lonsdale

Institution: Department of Archaeology, University of York

Project details: Medieval moated sites in lowland east Yorkshire: landscape context, relationships and significance (2020-2023), for a PhD in Archaeology

Supervisor: Dr Aleks McClain (University of York)

Research overview:

My research focuses on the interpretation of the medieval moated sites of lowland east Yorkshire using a mix of synthetic secondary analysis and in-field geophysical survey and excavation. A large part of my research involves the characterisation of the relationship between fluvial and wetland landscapes and moated sites. Through further investigation, I also hope to garner some understanding of the origins of medieval moated sites in east Yorkshire, the diverse array of functions these sites performed, and their relationship with other substantial monuments such as churches, castles and mottes. The project is in its first year (start date October 2020) and will hopefully continue through to 2023.

As for me, I’m a local lad, born in Hull and brought up in the village of Eastrington at the centre of lowland east Yorkshire. I have a first-class degree in History from the University of Lincoln and a Distinction level MA from the University of York in Medieval Archaeology, and am also the Chair of a local archaeology group in East Yorkshire, the Howdenshire Archaeological Society. I have also worked in both commercial archaeology (LP Archaeology) and community archaeology (various groups, principally the University of Lincoln and freelance alongside Dr Jon Kenny). My specific research interests concern the development of the medieval landscape, church archaeology (with a special focus on pre-Conquest and Romanesque churches), and the relationship between faith, memory and monumentality in the medieval landscape. Feel free to contact me for any further details!