A 5,000-year-old flint arrowhead and an almost complete Roman-era pot, were among the 12,000 ‘finds’ uncovered in Bainbridge during the We Dig Community archaeology project.

The project saw schoolchildren, residents and visitors explore a total of 30 test pits that were dug by hand in and around the village between April and October 2017.

Pits were dug on the village green, in private gardens, the Quaker Field and the cemetery near to the site of the Roman fort of Virosidium.

A 16-page booklet, ‘Test Pitting in Bainbridge – from Arrows to Bullets’, has now been produced to highlight the project findings.

It has been delivered to Bainbridge residents, members of the Young Archaeologists’ Club and the local schools which took part in the project.

A separate detailed archaeological report has been archived in the Historic Environment Record.

The finds – which also included an iron sickle and a 200-year-old bone domino – will be either archived in the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, or returned to the landowner.

Senior historic environment officer at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Miles Johnson, said: “The project has given us tantalising glimpses into the origins and development of Bainbridge.”