Early post-medieval dispersed settlement on Mount Hulie

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.

The early post-medieval dispersed settlement on Mount Hulie survives well and will retain significant archaeological deposits. It is a good example of this class of monument in the Border Region and will add greatly to our understanding of the wider border settlement and economy during the early post-medieval period.

Details

The monument includes the earthworks and buried remains of an early post-medieval dispersed settlement on Mount Hulie. It is located in rough pasture on a west-facing slope and includes the turf-covered remains of a rectangular and a square enclosure, one of which contains a house platform, together with an oval-shaped stock enclosure. The rectangular enclosure measures approximately 37m by 30m with earth and rubble walls up to 2.5m wide and 1m high. There is a drainage ditch measuring 1m wide by 0.3m deep on its east and south sides and a small semi-circular annexe or extension on its western side. Overlapping the enclosure's north east corner is a low rectangular platform measuring 18m by 9m and up to 0.2m high upon which stood a timber-framed house. A second enclosure interpreted as a garden or stockpen lies immediately to the south east and measures c.20m square with earth and rubble walls up to 2.5m wide and 0.8m high. It is surrounded by a drainage ditch 1m wide and 0.3m deep. The oval stock enclosure is situated approximately 30m to the SSW of the larger enclosure; it measures c.40m by 32m and is of slighter construction than the other enclosures, having earth and rubble walls up to 2m wide by 0.4m high. It has an entrance on the south east side and internally there are traces of a drainage ditch 1m wide by 0.2m deep flanking the wall on the north and west sides. The date of this settlement is unclear. It is not on 17th century maps of the area and has, therefore, been identified as 18th century in origin. However, morphologically the settlement is similar to earlier medieval dispersed settlement in this area, and in the absence of documentary sources precise dating of such monuments is often difficult. The settlement was abandoned in the 19th century.

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:

27781

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Ramm, H G, Shielings and Bastles, (1970), 47, 49

End of official list entry

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