Reasons for Designation
In Cumbria and Northumberland several distinctive types of native settlements
dating to the Roman period have been identified. The majority were small, non-
defensive, enclosed homesteads or farms. In many areas they were of stone
construction, although in the coastal lowlands timber-built variants were also
common. In much of Northumberland, especially in the Cheviots, the enclosures
were curvilinear in form. Further south a rectangular form was more common.
Elsewhere, especially near the Scottish border, another type occurs where the
settlement enclosure was `scooped' into the hillslope. Frequently the
enclosures reveal a regularity and similarity of internal layout. The standard
layout included one or more stone round-houses situated towards the rear of
the enclosure, facing the single entranceway. In front of the houses were
pathways and small enclosed yards. Homesteads normally had only one or two
houses, but larger enclosures could contain as many as six. At some sites the
settlement appears to have grown, often with houses spilling out of the main
enclosure and clustered around it. At these sites up to 30 houses may be
found. In the Cumbrian uplands the settlements were of less regimented form
and unenclosed clusters of houses of broadly contemporary date are also known.
These homesteads were being constructed and used by non-Roman natives
throughout the period of the Roman occupation. Their origins lie in settlement
forms developed before the arrival of the Romans. These homesteads are common
throughout the uplands where they frequently survive as well-preserved
earthworks. In lowland coastal areas they were also originally common,
although there they can frequently only be located through aerial photography.
All homestead sites which survive substantially intact will normally be
identified as nationally important.
Details
The monument includes a Romano-British farmstead located on a gently sloping
south facing hillside 650m south east of Whingill. It includes a cluster of
three attached enclosures, one of which contains the earthwork remains of a
hut circle while the other two enclosures would have functioned as stock pens.
A boundary wall of earth and rubble up to 4m wide and 1m high forms the west,
south and much of the eastern sides of the farmstead whilst the northern side
is terraced into the hillside. The southern enclosure is sub-rectangular in
plan and measures approximately 70m by 20m internally with an entrance in the
mid-point of its southern side. An irregularly-shaped enclosure with maximum
dimensions of 60m by 40m lies immediately to the north east; there is an
entrance on its western side and a second entrance leading from the attached
enclosure to the south west. The hut circle lies in a small sub-oval enclosure
attached to the north west side of the irregularly-shaped enclosure. This
enclosure has been terraced into the hillside and has maximum dimensions of
approximately 38m by 16m. The hut circle is centrally placed within the
enclosure and measures about 12m in diameter with a turf-covered stone wall up
to 0.3m high.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
27803
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
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.
End of official list entry
