Yorktown: the cultural landscape of the first European settlement in the North of Tasmania

Landscape archaeology is a useful tool for studying convict settlements, and is
applied here to the settlement established at Yorktown, Tasmania in 1804. The settlement was
intrinsically linked to the landscape and in such cases, this method often allows interesting
perspectives to be gained that excavation of individual features alone would not reveal. Yorktown
is representative of a number of early convict settlements inAustralia that represent a significant
period in Australia's history. It was abandoned in 1808 and therefore provides a unique
opportunity for archaeological study in that it had not been developed or disturbed to the same
extent as the more successful settlements. This paper uses a combination of historical and
archaeological evidence to establish the locations of the officers' barracks, soldiers' camp,
convicts' camp and two dwellings. The cultural landscape is analysed providing a deeper
understanding of social and cultural factors at the settlement. Status, social segregation and
maintenance of hierarchical distinctions emerge as significant factors that influenced the layout
of Yorktown and in turn structured interaction at the settlement.