With the coming of the Ice Ages a massive glacier swept down from Stainmore down the valley between the North York Moors and the Pennines as far as Escrick. At Escrick a large mound of glacial debris was formed, called a moraine, on which the City of York now stands. At the entrance to the Gilling Gap the ice penetrated as far as Gilling certainly and filled the valley, forming a massive dam, the ice probably being about 1000ft thick. At the same time another glacier swept down the Yorkshire coast, blocking up the gap between the Yorkshire Wolds and the Cleveland Hills near Scalby.
When warmer weather came (about 12,000 years ago) the ice melted and two things happened. Firstly moraines were formed as the ice left its debris, and secondly a massive lake was created from melt-water coming down Newtondale. This lake eventually reached our present 250ft contour. The moraines can be seen to this day. The hill on which Lodgefield Farm stands is a moraine consisting of Kimmeridge and boulder clays. The orientation of these mounds is very reminiscent of those at present being formed in the Alps, even to the angle at which they lie across the valley. Of course they have been considerably modified by the elements since they were laid down, and the Holbeck has cut through them.
The Lake extended from Ampleforth to Brompton by Sawdon and Sherburn. The formation of the lake was a complex event. The ice as we have seen was about 1000ft thick and thus never topped the higher points of the Cleveland Hills north escarpment. As it melted it filled up Eskdale which became Lake Eskdale. This overflowed and ran along the edge of the glacier to form Lake Wheeldale. These two lakes then found an exit into what became Newtondale, and so into Lake Pickering. Eventually Lake Pickering overflowed and formed the Kirkham Abbey Gorge and finally the River Derwent. At its maximum depth Gilling Heights was probably an island, and Lodgefield House Hill a clay peninsula. Reference to Fig.1 [not yet done] shows the extent of the lake in our area. The result of this flooding was a rich deposit of alluvium which is the foundation of the rich agricultural land in the flat plain.
The final result, when the ice had gone, was a site which included wooded slopes, ample water supply, good building stone, good soil for pasture and the growing of crops, and easily capable of being defended. It is not surprising therefore that the site was occupied by man at a very early period.