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Romano-British farmstead, 330m south of Woodhill

A Scheduled Monument in Otterburn, Northumberland

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.2229 / 55°13'22"N

Longitude: -2.189 / 2°11'20"W

OS Eastings: 388075.875047

OS Northings: 592096.012719

OS Grid: NY880920

Mapcode National: GBR F841.WJ

Mapcode Global: WHB0Z.BZWD

Entry Name: Romano-British farmstead, 330m south of Woodhill

Scheduled Date: 28 November 1994

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1009673

English Heritage Legacy ID: 25113

County: Northumberland

Civil Parish: Otterburn

Traditional County: Northumberland

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Northumberland

Church of England Parish: Otterburn St John the Evangelist

Church of England Diocese: Newcastle

Details

The monument includes the remains of a farmstead of Romano-British date,
situated on a north east facing slope on the eastern side of Wood Hill
overlooking the valley of the River Rede to the north and east. The farmstead,
irregular in shape, measures a maximum of 32m north to south by 30m east to
west, within a broad ditch up to 6m wide and 1m deep below an inner bank of
earth 0.6m high and on average 3m broad. There is an entrance through the east
wall of the enclosure carried across the ditch on a causeway. Within the
farmstead there is a scooped yard visible as a large depression immediately to
the east of the entrance. There are also the remains of a single circular
stone-founded house 7m in diameter.

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.

Despite having suffered some ploughing over its south easten part, the
farmstead 330m south Woodhill is reasonably well preserved and retains
significant archaeological deposits. It is one of a group of similar 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
Jobey, G, 'Archaeologia Aeliana 4 ser 38' in Rectlinear Settlements of the Roman Period in Northumberland, (1960), 36,67
Other
NY 89 SE 30,

Source: Historic England

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