Prehistoric unenclosed hut circle settlement west of Monday Cleugh, 520m SSE of Gleadscleugh

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1018025
Date first listed:: 27-Apr-1998

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1018025
Date first listed:: 27-Apr-1998

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Akeld
National Park:: NORTHUMBERLAND
National Grid Reference:: NT 95341 28524

Reasons for Designation

Unenclosed hut circle settlements were the dwelling places of prehistoric farmers. The hut circles take a variety of forms. Some are stone based and are visible as low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area. Others were timber constructions and only the shallow groove in which the timber uprights used in the wall construction stood can now be identified; this may survive as a slight earthwork feature or may be visible on aerial photographs. Some can only be identified by the artificial earthwork platforms created as level stances for the houses. The number of houses in a settlement varies between one and twelve. In areas where they were constructed on hillslopes the platforms on which the houses stood are commonly arrayed in tiers along the contour of the slope. Several settlements have been shown to be associated with organised field plots, the fields being defined by low stony banks or indicated by groups of clearance cairns. Many unenclosed settlements have been shown to date to the Bronze Age but it is also clear that they were still being constructed and used in the Early Iron Age. They provide an important contrast to the various types of enclosed and defended settlements which were also being constructed and used around the same time. Their longevity of use and their relationship with other monument types provides important information on the diversity of social organisation and farming practices amongst prehistoric communities.

The prehistoric unenclosed hut circle settlement west of Monday Cleugh is reasonably well preserved and retains significant archaeological deposits. It is one of a group of archaeological sites on Harehope Hill whose remains are well preserved and forms part of a wider archaeological landscape in the northern Cheviots.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a prehistoric unenclosed hut circle settlement situated on the crest and level top of broad ridge above the valley of the Akeld Burn. It comprises six hut circles and two enclosures surviving as upstanding features in heather moorland. The hut circles lie between 20m and 50m apart and measure between 6m and 10m in diameter; they are defined by walls on average 0.3m high and some have east facing entrance gaps. The enclosures are centrally located within the settlement. The first is circular and measures 4m in diameter with a possible subsidiary enclosure defined by a bank. The second enclosure is sub-oval and measures 17m by 13m; it comprises an earth and stone bank 0.4m high with an internal face of large stones visible through the vegetation and an entrance on the east side marked by an orthostat. The post and wire fence which crosses the monument is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath this feature 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:: 29347
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
NT 92 NE 34,

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.