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Defended settlement, 450m NNW of Ferney Chesters

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1011835
Date first listed:: 08-Mar-1963

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1011835
Date first listed:: 08-Mar-1963
Date of most recent amendment:: 09-Mar-1995

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Capheaton
National Grid Reference:: NZ 05142 81696

Reasons for Designation

During the mid-prehistoric period (seventh to fifth centuries BC) a variety of different types of defensive settlements began to be constructed and occupied in the northern uplands of England. The most obvious sites were hillforts built in prominent locations. In addition to these a range of smaller sites, sometimes with an enclosed area of less than 1ha and defined as defended settlements, were also constructed. Some of these were located on hilltops, others are found in less prominent positions. The enclosing defences were of earthen construction, some sites having a single bank and ditch (univallate), others having more than one (multivallate). At some sites these earthen ramparts represent a second phase of defence, the first having been a timber fence or palisade. Within the enclosure a number of stone or timber-built round houses were occupied by the inhabitants. Stock may also have been kept in these houses, especially during the cold winter months, or in enclosed yards outside them. The communities occupying these sites were probably single family groups, the defended settlements being used as farmsteads. Construction and use of this type of site extended over several centuries, possibly through to the early Romano-British period (mid to late first century AD). Defended settlements are a rare monument type. They were an important element of the later prehistoric settlement pattern of the northern uplands and are important for any study of the developing use of fortified settlements during this period. All well-preserved examples are believed to be of national importance.

The defended settlement on Shaftoe Crags is well preserved and retains significant archaeological deposits. The importance of the monument is enhanced by the survival of a second defended settlement nearby. Taken together they will contribute to any study of the wider settlement pattern at this time.

Details

The monument includes a defended settlement of Iron Age date occupying a good defensive position on the southern edge of Shaftoe Crags. The roughly oval enclosure is 166m east to west by 70m north to south within three ramparts on the north and north east sides. The ramparts are thought to have originally continued around the eastern side. The south and western sides of the enclosure are defended naturally by precipitous cliffs. The ramparts, constructed of stone and earth, are between 7m and 8m wide and vary from 0.6m to 2.5m high. A break in the outer ramparts on the eastern side of the enclosure is thought to represent the site of an original entrance and a second entrance is visible through the north west end of the enclosure. Within the settlement a wall of large upright slabs divides the enclosure into a small west end and a larger eastern end.

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:: 25147
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Ball, T, 'Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 3 ser 10' in Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 3 ser 10, (1922), 242-244
Hogg, A H A, 'Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11' in Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11, (1947), 175
Jobey, G, 'Archaeologia Aeliana' in Hill Forts and Settlements in Northumberland, (1965), 61

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.