Romano-British enclosed settlement and hut-circles on Beanley Moor, 650m south-east of Broomhouse

Reasons for Designation

In Cumbria and Northumberland several distinctive types of native settlements dating to the Roman period have been identified. The majority were small, non- defensive, enclosed homesteads or farms. In many areas they were of stone construction, although in the coastal lowlands timber-built variants were also common. In much of Northumberland, especially in the Cheviots, the enclosures were curvilinear in form. Further south a rectangular form was more common. Elsewhere, especially near the Scottish border, another type occurs where the settlement enclosure was `scooped' into the hillslope. Frequently the enclosures reveal a regularity and similarity of internal layout. The standard layout included one or more stone round-houses situated towards the rear of the enclosure, facing the single entranceway. In front of the houses were pathways and small enclosed yards. Homesteads normally had only one or two houses, but larger enclosures could contain as many as six. At some sites the settlement appears to have grown, often with houses spilling out of the main enclosure and clustered around it. At these sites up to 30 houses may be found. In the Cumbrian uplands the settlements were of less regimented form and unenclosed clusters of houses of broadly contemporary date are also known. These homesteads were being constructed and used by non-Roman natives throughout the period of the Roman occupation. Their origins lie in settlement forms developed before the arrival of the Romans. These homesteads are common throughout the uplands where they frequently survive as well-preserved earthworks. In lowland coastal areas they were also originally common, although there they can frequently only be located through aerial photography. All homestead sites which survive substantially intact will normally be identified as nationally important.

The Romano-British settlement south-east of Broomhouse is exceptionally well preserved; the remains are extensive and well defined and retain significant archaeological deposits. The importance of the monument is enhanced by the survival of similar and other forms of later prehistoric settlement in the vicinity; it will contribute to any study of the wider settlement pattern at this time.

Details

The monument includes the remains of an enclosed stone built settlement of Romano-British date, situated on a gradually sloping site on the north-east side of Beanley Moor. The settlement, situated immediately south of the parish boundary, is roughly rectangular in shape and measures 52m by 32m with walls of earth and stone 3m wide and standing to a height of over 1m. Internal stone walls divide the enclosure into three compartments and within the largest there are the circular foundations of two stone houses or hut-circles 7m in diameter. Immediately south-east of this enclosure there are the remains of a small, roughly pear shaped enclosure with a hut-circle, 7m in diameter, outside to the north-west. Immediately to the south, on the side of a small burn there are three hut-circles with an average diameter of 5m within walls 1.5m wide and 0.6m high. Two have an entrance on the east and one on the north-west.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

21022

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Jobey, G, Archaeologia Aeliana, 4 ser 42 in Enclosed Stone Built Settlements in Northumberland, (1964), 64

Other
57,

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