Romano-British farmstead 1.4km north-west of Ferneyrigg

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 farmstead at Ferneyrigg is very well preserved. It is one of a group of similar settlements in the area and will contribute to any study of the settlement pattern at this time.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a farmstead of Romano-British date situated on a slight rise immediately adjacent to a road. The farmstead is sub-rectangular in shape with rounded corners and measures a maximum of 25m east-west by 32m north-south within a well preserved ditch 6m wide. Within the ditch there is a bank 2m wide which rises 0.5m above the interior and 1m above the bottom of the ditch. Outside the ditch there is a counter-scarp bank 0.5m high. An entrance 3m wide in the centre of the eastern side is carried across the ditch on a causeway. Within the enclosure there are the foundations of two circular houses located against the western wall; they have respective diameters of 7m and 6m.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

21007

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Hogg, A H A, Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11 in Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11, (1947), 171
Jobey, G, Archaeologia Aeliana 4 ser 38 in Rectlinear Settlements of the Roman Period in Northumberland, (1960)

Other
NY 98 SW 07,

End of official list entry

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