Enclosed cremation cemetery and shieling 990m north of Gibbs Hill Farm

Summary

Enclosed cremation cemetery of later prehistoric date and a shieling of medieval date constructed within its interior. The remains survive as upstanding earthworks and buried deposits.

Reasons for Designation

The enclosed cremation cemetery of later prehistoric date (and a shieling of medieval date constructed within its interior) 990m north of Gibbs Hill Farm are scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Survival: a reasonably well-preserved example of an unusual form of prehistoric funerary monument that retains significant archaeological deposits;
* Potential: it will contribute to our knowledge and understanding of the construction, use and abandonment of later prehistoric funerary monuments in England;
* Rarity: a relatively rare example of an enclosed cremation cemetery nationally, and one of only a handful identified in Northumberland;
* Group value: taken together with several other contemporary monuments within the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, it will provide insight into the pre-Roman settlement and activity of the region.

History

The prehistoric funerary enclosure north of Gibbs Hill Farm was discovered in 1993 by the then landowner. The following year the earthwork enclosure was surveyed by Archaeological Services, University of Durham, when it was also subject to limited archaeological excavation. This revealed that it is a complex structure of several phases. The earth and stone interior also contained several flat slabs upon an ancient ground surface, and a single post-hole was excavated. A large pit placed near the centre of the enclosure was uncovered and, although it was unexcavated, it is considered to contain the remains of a burial. The monument was mapped from the air by Historic England’s National Mapping Programme as part of its wider work in the Hadrian’s Wall Corridor. This work suggested that, although the monument had been scheduled as a Bronze Age ring cairn, it might be more appropriately defined as an enclosed cremation cemetery, ring cairns being generally smaller and circular.

An enclosed cremation cemetery is a burial place comprising one or more deposits of burnt human remains interred within a roughly circular or oval enclosure bounded by a bank and outer ditch. Present evidence suggests that enclosed cremation cemeteries were essentially burial places and ceremonial foci of Late Neolithic date which may well represent the antecedents of the more widespread ring cairn tradition of the Early and Middle Bronze Age. Positively identified examples in England are rare. In northern England several prehistoric ritual monuments have been identified as enclosed cremation cemeteries.

A shieling is a hut, found singly or in small groups, usually in upland areas which today we would consider as agriculturally marginal land. They served as temporary, summer, accommodation for people involved in transhumance, that is the removal of stock (generally, but not exclusively, cattle) from permanent dwellings to exploit areas of summer pasture some distance away from the main settlement. In northern England they span a broad chronological range from the C12 to the C17 centuries.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: an enclosed cremation cemetery of later Prehistoric date and a shieling of medieval date, constructed within its interior. The remains survive as upstanding earthworks and buried deposits.

DESCRIPTION: the enclosed cremation cemetery is situated in a prominent position, on a long, gentle south-facing slope below Chatley Crags, a site that commands extensive views to the south east and south west. It is visible as a sub-circular enclosure measuring about 29m north to south by 26m east to west, and is defined by a bank of stone and earth about two metres wide, and spread in places to about 5m wide. There are a series of upright slabs within the bank facing inwards. Several of the latter in the eastern and south western parts of the monument have been removed in order to build a small rectangular structure, visible within the eastern half of the enclosure. This later structure, which measures about 8.5m by 5m is interpreted as a shieling of medieval date. A large pit placed near the centre of the cemetery uncovered during limited excavation, is thought to contain the remains of a burial.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: this includes the full extent of the enclosure, with an additional margin of two metres around the archaeological features on all sides, considered to be essential for the monument's support and protection.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

28590

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Websites
Introduction to Heritage Assets: Prrehistoric barrows and burial mounds; Historic England, 2018, accessed 31-12-2021 from https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/iha-prehistoric-barrows-burial-mounds/
Introduction to Heritage Assets: Shielings; Historic England, 2018, accessed 31-12-2021 from https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/iha-shielings/
Heritage Gateway entry: Monument Number 1238731, accessed 31-12-2021 from https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=1238731&sort=2&type=RING%20CAIRN&typeselect=c&rational=a&class1=None&period=None&county=1306807&district=None&parish=None&place=&recordsperpage=10&source=text&rtype=&rnumber=&resourceID=19191

Other
Survey and Excavation at a stone circle on Gibbs Hill Farm, Northumberland; Archaeological Services, University of Durham, February 1995

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