Dog walker helps archaeologists discover ancient fishing bait tanks on UK beach
A man walking his dog in the United Kingdom inadvertently helped archaeologists and geologists make surprising discoveries at a local beach, officials say.
Northumberland Coast National Landscape officials published a blog post about the recent discoveries last week. The dog walker was on a stroll at Foxton Bay in Northumberland, located in North East England, when he spotted unusual pits near the shore.
Officials initially thought that the pits could possibly be graves dating back to the Bronze Age or the medieval era. However, experts changed their minds after an excavation revealed that the pits were actually bait or fish tanks from the post-medieval or modern periods.
“These pits are thought to be bait or fish tanks from the post-medieval or modern periods rather than burial costs,” the blog post explained. “Key features of the tanks are side and base slabs made of shale and a thick clay lining. They are around 1m x 0.5m and an almost oval shape and have no top slabs.”
Helen Wilson-Beevers, a communicators officer for Northumberland Coast National Landscape, told Fox News Digital that one of the pits was noticed back in 2013, but the rest of the structures were unknown to officials.
“Our current hypothesis is that they date back to somewhere between the 17th and 20th centuries,” Wilson-Beevers explained.
Local historian Adrian Osler was able to gather information about historical fishing activity in the area, finding proof of a local fishery in the 19th century – lending credibility to the bait tank hypothesis.
“In the absence of direct evidence as to the purpose and date of these structures, they are best considered reductively in respect of known historic shoreside activities, which could include bait storage, live catch storage or preserving lines and nets,” Osler said.
The tanks had been cut into “beachrock,” a formation of seashells and laminated shells that is rare to find. Geologist Ian Kille noted that beachrock is more likely to naturally occur in tropical and sub-tropical environments, making its discovery in the UK surprising.
Officials are unsure if the beachrock is natural or artificial, but the discovery has provided insight into how coastal erosion has progressed over the years.
The unexpected find has shed light on the historical fishing practices in the area and has sparked further interest in uncovering more about the region’s past.
