Hunting for Kildale’s lost Chapel of St. Hilda
In 2020, members of the Hidden Valleys Community Project researching the history of Kildale found references to a chapel dedicated to St. Hilda.
Between about 1240 and 1290 this chapel, together with land and other facilities, was occupied by Augustinian Canons. Soon after 1290 it was take over by the Crutched Friars. Because of a hiatus in the occupancy of the parish church, it is possible that the villagers used this chapel as a place of worship.This contravened the Bishop of York’s instructions and in1315, he issued an interdiction to close the chapel and by about 1350 it was probably demolished.
Lidar and field names indicated that the location of the chapel was in a field about a mile west of the village of Kildale. A platform was found during a site visit in 2021 over which resistivity and topographical surveys were carried out by members of HVCP.
The former survey produced a distinct black line indicating buried stone walling. This was confirmed in four trenches excavated between May and September 2021. A fifth trench is being excavated this year (2022) with more planned.
Two buildings were found. The chapel, possibly in two phases, measured about 2.1m north-south by approximately 8m (internally) with walls750mm thick, a sacred fluids soakaway, a south-facing door and a possible arched western door. The walls were constructed using squared quarried stones, many with mason stooling on them.
About 750 mm west of the chapel was the domicile or cell measuring 3.5 m north-south by 5 .7 m (internally) later extended to 7.1 m with walls 900 mm thick and a south-facing door.
The original building had cobble foundations whereas the extension had slab foundations with re-used quarried stone waling above.
Over a thousand pottery fragments were found in 2021 dating to between about 1100, when the de Percys took over the manor, and 1350 which indicates that the chapel was in existence 140 years before the archive dates. There are some pieces of pottery that could be Romano-British and some may be Saxon.
Much of the pottery from the domicile is covered in soot from cooking.
Other items found include a glass bead, nails, roof tiles, and some calcium carbonate slag which may have been used to produce limewash.
For further information see here
Some drone footage of the site by Martin:
Latest News
- The 2024 Digging SeasonWe will be continuing our excavation of Kildale’s 13th Century Chapel of St Hilda on Wednesdays and Sundays, weather permitting, 10:30 am – 4 pm, starting on Wednesday 24th April and continuing until about the end of September. Anyone who wants to experience digging on an archaeological site can join us for a day free… Continue reading The 2024 Digging Season
- The excavations so farOur Chairman, Roger Inman will be giving a presentation of his thoughts on the excavations so far of the previously lost Chapel of St. Hilda at Kildale. He has some radical new ideas that will be of interest to members and friends. This event will be on Sunday April 7th, at Great Broughton Village Hall,… Continue reading The excavations so far
- January 2024 ReviewThis paper by our Chairman Roger Inman has been submitted for publication in the 2024 Bulletin (No. 28) of the Teesside Archaeological Society. It summarises what we have done so far and gives his theories on what we have found. MEDIEVAL CHAPEL IN KILDALE Over the past three years members of the Hidden Valleys Community… Continue reading January 2024 Review
- Synopsis 2023Our excavations at Park Farm have been much more productive than anticipated. Over the last two years we found substantial walling – very tactile and very obvious. However, this year it was suspected that we would find only ditches, gullies, and postholes. Instead we found three sides of a stone building with an attached stone… Continue reading Synopsis 2023
- September 2023 NewsOn Saturday September 2nd we will have a stall at Kildale Show. This will give visitors from the local community a chance to learn about our current excavation at the site of the Chapel of St. Hilda and other sites where we have worked in the “Hidden Valleys” of the Northern Moors in the National Park.… Continue reading September 2023 News