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 a farmstead of Romano-British date situated on the top
of a slight rise in an area of rough grassland. The settlement is
sub-rectangular in shape and measures 52m north-west to south-east by 50m
north-east to south-west within two banks and a ditch. The outer bank is
intermittent but is best preserved on the north side where it is 1.5m wide.
Within this bank there is a slight ditch up to 5m wide. The outer bank and
ditch cannot be traced on the south side of the enclosure. An internal bank
is visible on all sides except the west and survives best on the east. The
main entrance on the east side is 5m wide and a raised causeway leads from it
into the enclosure across the sunken remains of two yards either side of
the entrance way. There are clear traces of internal occupation in the form of
the circular depressions left by three houses. The largest of these, at the
end of the raised causeway, measures 10m across while two smaller circular
depressions lie immediately to its south-east.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
20927
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
