Romano-British enclosed settlement on Holborn Hill

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 monument is a good example of a Romano-British enclosed settlement. Despite mutilation of parts of the enclosure wall the earthworks survive reasonably well, preserve considerable detail of the layout of the site and will facilitate further study of Romano-British settlement patterns in the area.

Details

The monument is a Romano-British enclosed settlement located on the summit of a low eminence known as Holborn Hill. It includes an irregular oval enclosure wall of turf-covered limestone rubble and earth up to 3.7m wide and 1m high that has been partly mutilated on its south side by quarrying. On the north side the enclosure wall has been reduced down to the present ground level in places but is still visible for much of its length on aerial photographs. Within the enclosure are numerous irregularly shaped stock pens including one at the centre which has a 2.3m wide entrance on its south side. A modern drystone wall running along the north side of the enclosure is excluded from the scheduling but ground beneath it is included.

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:

23633

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
AP , Manchester University,
SMR No. 1751, Cunbria SMR, Village Settlement at Holborn Hill, (1985)
RCHME, Westmorland, (1936)

End of official list entry

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