Romano-British enclosed stone hut circle settlement and round cairn 350m south of Hartsop Hall

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 stone hut circle settlement with an attached enclosure. Its 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. The nearby round cairn, despite minor surface disturbance, will contain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath.

Details

The monument includes a Romano-British enclosed stone hut circle settlement located on a gentle slope at the foot of High Hartsop Dodd, south of the confluence of Dovedale and Kirkstone Becks, and a round cairn 30m east of the settlement. The enclosed stone hut circle settlement includes a roughly oval enclosure bank up to 5.5m wide and 1m high having two entrances; one on the west where the rampart is projected inwards on the northern side of the opening, and the other on the south-east where the rampart is projected outwards on both sides of the opening. Within the enclosure are five hut circles; two in the northern half measuring 11.5m and 6.5m in diameter, and one at the southern half, close to the enclosure bank, measuring 9m in diameter. Adjacent to this latter hut circle are two roughly circular depressions interpreted as the sites of two hut circles measuring 13.5m and 10m in diameter. Immediately to the south-south-east of the enclosure bank is a roughly rectangular enclosure measuring approximately 34m by 27m which contains short lengths of earthworks in its western half. To the north-east of this enclosure, and separated from it by a narrow passageway leading to the south-east entrance of the main enclosure, are faint traces of a roughly rectangular depression. On the site, and in several places incorporated in the rampart, are a number of boulders of considerable size. About 30m east of the main enclosure, and connected to the rampart by a slight scarp, is a low knoll on top of which is an slightly oval cairn of largely turf-covered stones up to 1m high with maximum dimensions of 14.6m by 13.7. All modern walls, gateposts and field boundaries are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath all these features is included.

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:

22562

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Darvill, T, MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Bowl Barrows (1988), (1988)
SMR No. 2983, Cumbria SMR, Settlement S of Hartsop Hall, Caudale Beck, (1985)
RCHME, Westmorland, (1936)

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