Medieval dispersed settlement 210m WNW of Lukes Cottage

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 disturbance by modern land drainage, the medieval dispersed settlement 210m WNW of Lukes Cottage survives reasonably well and will retain significant archaeological deposits. It is a good example of one of the smaller types 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 a medieval dispersed settlement 210m WNW of Lukes Cottage. It is located on gently sloping land and includes two rectangular enclosures, one which would have contained a house, the other which would have functioned as a garden or stockpen. The smaller of the two enclosures is interpreted as being the site of the house. It measures approximately 10m by 5m externally with its long axis aligned downslope, and is bounded by an earth and stone bank up to 1m wide by 1m high. The larger enclosure is situated immediately to the east of the house. It measures approximately 15m by 13m and, like the house, is bounded by an earth and stone bank of similar dimensions. All modern field boundaries, field drains and gateposts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath 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:

27777

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
AP No. CCC2097m,11, Cumbria County Council, Askerton, Lukes Cottage,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.