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 farmstead of Romano-British date and part of an
associated field system situated on the lower slopes of the east side of
Humbleton Hill. Further remains of prehistoric settlements and cairns in the
vicinity are the subject of separate schedulings.
The farmstead comprises two conjoined enclosures. The southern enclosure,
sub-oval in shape, measures 26m north-south by 24m east-west and is enclosed
by an earth and stone bank up to 1.5m wide and 0.4m high. There is a simple
entrance in the eastern side. The interior of the enclosure is scooped into
the hillside to a depth of 1.7m. The remains of at least two level platforms,
upon which circular prehistoric houses were constructed, are situated on the
slightly higher ground at the western edge of the enclosure; the remains of an
internal bank is also visible at the north west corner. The northern enclosure
lies slightly to the west and is attached to the southern enclosure by an
earth bank up to 1m wide and 0.15m high. The northern enclosure is scooped
into the hillside to a depth of 1m. Within the scooped area there is a level
platform which provided a flatened area for building. The remains of a field
plot, 18m by 12m, lies immediately to the west of the southernmost enclosure.
The southern edge is scarped into the hillside and the remainder is visible as
a slight field bank, surviving up to 0.1m high, which abutts the northern
corner of the southern enclosure.
The drystone wall which runs adjacent to the south eastern part of the
monument is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath this
feature is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
31737
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
