Hall Hills medieval dispersed settlement 370m WNW of St Cuthbert's Church

Reasons for Designation

Medieval rural settlements in England were marked by great regional diversity in form, size and type, and the protection of their archaeological remains needs to take these differences into account. To do this, England has been divided into three broad Provinces on the basis of each area's distinctive mixture of nucleated and dispersed settlements. These can be further divided into sub-Provinces and local regions, possessing characteristics which have gradually evolved during the past 1500 years or more. The Borders local region comprises the great slope of land between the high Cheviots and the Solway, where hamlets and scattered farmsteads predominate, and where bastles and tower houses recall the social conditions of the Anglo- Scottish borders before the mid-7th century. The eastern part of the region, containing the wastes of the Bewcastle Fells and Spadeadam, can be seen as a separate subdivision; it was occupied by shieling grounds during the Middle Ages and the Tudor period, and preserves the remains of associated settlement sites.

Despite some slight damage by later ploughing and quarrying to the platform on which the monuments is located, Hall Hills medieval dispersed settlement survives reasonably well and will retain significant archaeological deposits. It is a good example of this class of monument located in the Border Region and will add to our understanding of the wider border settlement and economy during the medieval period.

Details

The monument includes the earthworks and buried remains of Hall Hills medieval dispersed settlement. It is located on a local high point overlooking the confluence of Hall Sike and Kirk Beck, 370m WNW of St Cuthbert's Church, and includes a partly mutilated platform upon which lie the turf-covered remains of a stone-built house, an enclosure and a small building platform. The house measures approximately 12m square externally with walls c.2m wide and up to 0.3m high, and is flanked by a shallow ditch on its south and west sides. Immediately to the east of the house there is a rectangular enclosure interpreted as a stock enclosure measuring 17.5m by 15m which has been subdivided into two by a low wall or bank. On the enclosure's southern side there are faint traces of a low platform measuring 9m by 4m and up to 0.1m high which is interpreted as the site of a timber outbuilding. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them 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:

27776

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry