Medieval dispersed settlement at Askerton Park 170m WSW of Parkgate Bridge

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 limited excavation, the medieval dispersed settlement at Askerton Park 170m WSW of Parkgate Bridge survives in fair condition, and further evidence of the medieval occupation of the monument will survive. 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 a medieval dispersed settlement at Askerton Park, located on level ground 170m WSW of Parkgate Bridge immediately above the steep declevity to Cam Beck. It includes the turf-covered remains of a cluster of four sub-rectangular enclosures, one of which has been interpreted as a dwelling, together with the remains of two stock enclosures. The cluster of four enclosures has its long axis aligned north east-south west and has overall measurements of approximately 42m by 30m with clay and rubble walls up to 2.5m wide and 1m high. Limited excavation by Hodgson in 1938 found that the north eastern enclosure contained remains of a building interpreted as the main dwelling of the settlement; medieval pottery dated from the late 12th to the early 15th century was found on the cobbled floor of the building together with burnt and unburnt bones, an iron knife and an oven or hearth. The wall of an outbuilding was found in an adjacent enclosure and the flagged floor of another outbuilding was found in the westernmost enclosure. Immediately to the north east of these buildings is a rectangular stock enclosure measuring c.25m by 17m with walls 2m wide and up to 0.4m high. The enclosure has entrances on the north and south sides and internal subdivisions. A second stock enclosure is situated approximately 50m WSW of the buildings; it is half-moon shaped in plan and has maximum measurements of c.32m by 24m with earth and rubble walls 2.5m wide and up to 0.5m high. There are entrances at the north east and south west sides, and adjacent to the latter there is a circular mound c.9m in diameter by 0.8m high. Limited excavation of this mound found a patch of flagstones and two channels cut into the subsoil which were filled with ash and charcoal. An iron object resembling a large blunt pin was found, leading the excavator to interpret the mound as the site of a crude forge. A later field dyke running between the remains of the buildings and the stock enclosure to the WSW is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it 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:

27780

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Hodgson, K, Trans Cumb and West Antiq and Arch Soc. New Ser. in Excavations at Askerton Park, 1938, Vol. XXXIX, (1939), 65-70

End of official list entry

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