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Romano-British farmstead, 540m north of Reaver Crag Farm

A Scheduled Monument in Chollerton, Northumberland

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.0799 / 55°4'47"N

Longitude: -2.1108 / 2°6'39"W

OS Eastings: 393020.240523

OS Northings: 576171.457186

OS Grid: NY930761

Mapcode National: GBR F9PP.TS

Mapcode Global: WHB1S.KL10

Entry Name: Romano-British farmstead, 540m north of Reaver Crag Farm

Scheduled Date: 25 May 1994

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1008431

English Heritage Legacy ID: 25049

County: Northumberland

Civil Parish: Chollerton

Traditional County: Northumberland

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Northumberland

Church of England Parish: Chollerton St Giles

Church of England Diocese: Newcastle

Details

The monument includes a farmstead of Romano-British date situated on the flat
summit of a local hill. The farmstead is sub-rectangular in shape and measures
58m east-west by 45m north-south within a broad ditch on average 8m wide and
0.5m deep below the interior surface. On the north and west sides of the
enclosure there are traces of a low counter-scarp bank 4m wide. Two opposing
entrances in the east and west sides of the enclosure are carried across the
ditch on causeways 5m-6m wide. The foundations of the circular houses which
are contained within the enclosure are not visible above ground level but they
survive below the surface.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

The farmstead north of Reaver Crag is well preserved and retains significant
archaeological deposits. It is one of a group of similar settlements in the
area and will contribute to any study of the settlement pattern at this time.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
NY 97 NW 25,

Source: Historic England

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