Details

The monument includes the remains of a small Romano-British farmstead located
on a narrow plateau on the hillside a short distance above Haweswater. It
includes two stone and rubble walled hut circles; the larger being slightly
oval and having external measurements of 17m by 15.3m with a wall up to 1m
high; the smaller being circular and having an external diameter of 10.2m with
a wall up to 0.3m high. On the upslope side of the hut circles is a stone and
rubble enclosure wall 29m long by 4m wide and 0.4m high.

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 monument is a typical example of a Romano-British farmstead. It survives
reasonably well and will retain significant information regarding its original
form and use. The site will also facilitate further study of Romano-British
settlement patterns in the area.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hay, T, 'Trans Cumb & West Antiq & Arch Soc. New Ser.' in Lynchets And A Settlement, , Vol. XL, (1940), 135

Source: Historic England