Details

The monument includes a farmstead of Romano-British date situated on gently
sloping ground near the edge of a spur. The farmstead, oval in shape, measures
80m north-south by 50m east-west within an earthen rampart, 4m wide and
standing to a maximum height of 1.2m above the bottom of a broad surrounding
ditch 6m wide. The earthwork defences are well defined on the northern and
eastern sides of the enclosure; the western side is slightly scooped into the
hill slope and the remains of at least two circular houses 12m and 7.5m in
diameter are built into the rampart facing onto a scooped yard in the
interior. Further, less well defined, structural remains are visible along
the inside of the northern rampart. There is an original entrance, 5m-6m
wide, through the rampart and ditch in the eastern wall of the enclosure.

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 east of Trows is well preserved and retains significant
archaeological deposits. It is one of a group of later prehistoric and
Romano-British settlements in the area and will contribute to any study of the
settlement pattern at this time.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Charlton, D B, Day, J C, An Archaeological Survey of the MOD Training Area, Otterburn, (1977), 6 No 3

Source: Historic England