Archaeologists find 'elite site' on land once owned by legendary king slain at famous battle

Pictures show excavators carefully working around the ruins of a malthouse, a timber tower and a large hall. 

They also uncovered a sunken structure that could have been used as "a watchtower, bell tower or even a tower-nave church," according to a press release from the university.

The structures date between 750 and 850 A.D. and were found less than 1,000 feet from Skipsea Castle, a Norman motte-and-bailey castle.

Years after the structures were built, the land belonged to Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. 

The malthouse and great hall are signs the site was once considered elite, excavation co-leader Jim Leary told Fox News Digital.

"There was also evidence of significant craft activities, including metalworking [and] hornworking," he added.

"All of these suggest that the site was not a typical settlement but something much more high-status."

The team also found proof it was enclosed with a ditch and bank - which Leary said indicated it was a "lordly center."

Archaeologists found a wattle-and-daub building, a structure made of woven wooden sticks coated with mud.

"This was used to dry the cereal after it had been 'steeped' and the malting process begun - a vital step in brewing," he said.

"The timber hall is very large for this type of building - five meters (about 16 feet) wide and 16 meters (about 52 feet) long, marked out by post holes."

Radiocarbon dating shows that the malthouse predates Godwinson, Leary said, but the tower and hall may have been present during his lifetime.

"There are no documentary references to him ever visiting Skipsea."

Leary added that, excitingly, archaeologists are uncovering even earlier evidence of activity at the site - veering into prehistoric territory. 

"The site would have been beside a lake that no longer exists, and we are finding evidence of prehistoric activity, including feasting and the crafting and use of flint tools," he said.

Excavations are planned at the site each May for the next three years, giving undergraduate students the chance to participate in fieldwork.

The discovery comes a year after researchers made another Harold Godwinson-related find in England.