Ring Chesters, Northumberland: an Iron Age Hillfort and its Environs. Survey Report
Author(s): A Oswald, T Pearson, Stewart Ainsworth
In October and November 2001, English Heritage carried out an archaeological survey and investigation of the Iron Age hill fort of Ring Chesters and its environs situated in the Northumberland National Park. The Iron Age hillfort is remarkably well preserved and comprises two concentric earthen ramparts and, within these, a smaller stone-built circuit. There is evidence that short stretches of all the circuits were rebuilt in the Romano-British period and all but three of the ten possible circular buildings recorded in the interior of the hillfort are probably of this date. Three ‘scooped enclosures’ on the slope to the north-west of the hillfort are also probably of Romano-British, or perhaps late Iron Age origin. In the environs of these major monuments, the survey recorded agricultural remains ranging from prehistoric cultivation terraces to 19th-century ‘improvement’ ploughing, but dominated by so-called ‘low rig’ thought to be of 17th-century date. (This was report number 3/2002 in a previous series).
- Report Number:
- 125/2002
- Series:
- Other
- Pages:
- 52
