Romano-British farmstead, 550m north-west of Barrasford Park

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.

This settlement survives reasonably well and, despite some damage to its surrounding banks and ditches, it retains significant archaeological remains. It is one of a group of similar settlements in this area and will contribute to study of the wider settlement pattern of this period.

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.

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:

20927

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
No. 5423,

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