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.
Details
The monument includes an Iron Age defended settlement and a medieval cross
situated in an elevated position on the eastern end of a ridge. The
settlement, rectangular in shape, is 55m east-west by 58m north-south, within
three ramparts of earth and stone separated by two ditches. All three ramparts
are very well preserved and are on average 1m high and 6m wide. The ditches
are between 6m to 9m wide and are on average 1m deep. The settlement was
partially excavated in 1959 and 1960; it was shown that all three of the
ramparts were faced with a stone revetment on the sides facing the ditches and
that the innermost ditch was the earliest of the two. A wooden fence or
palisade had been constructed upon the outermost rampart. Excavation also
uncovered the foundations of two stone round houses within the interior and
two pieces of Roman pottery dated to the second century AD. The settlement was
clearly occupied in the Roman period but the existence of a palisade and
multiple ramparts suggests that the monument may be of more than one phase and
it is thought to have its origins in the prehistoric period immediately
preceding the Roman invasion of Britain.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
21035
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
