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 the earthworks and buried remains of a Romano-British
farmstead located on a gently-sloping south west-facing hillside 700m east of
Whingill. It includes a cluster of at least six small sub-rectangular
enclosures, some of which would have functioned as stock pens while at least
one would have contained a hut or huts where the occupants dwelt. Traces of a
low earth and rubble boundary wall survive on the monument's west side. An
enclosure at the north west side is the best surviving one of the group; it
measures approximately 12m square internally with a surrounding wall up to 3m
wide and 1m high. To its south east there is a sub-rectangular enclosure with
an internal subdivision and an entrance at the south side of its eastern
partition. To the south west of this are three attached enclosures; the
northern one has an entrance on its north side, the central one appears
subdivided with entrances on its south side, and the southern enclosure has an
entrance on its north side. The eastern side of the farmstead is defined by a
low earth and rubble bank with traces of a small square enclosure at its
northern end. A cross wall or bank runs westwards for a short distance from
this eastern bank forming another subdivision within the farmstead.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
27808
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals 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
