Summary

The buried remains of an Iron Age and Romano-British Settlement south of Hungerhills Plantation, Parlington. It is visible as a series of cropmarks on aerial photographs.

Source: Historic England

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the buried remains of an Iron Age and Romano-British settlement situated on gently-sloping ground near the summit of a ridge, south of Cock Beck and west of Aberford. The settlement survives as buried features below the present ground surface, and is clearly visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. Artefacts found on the site have included 16 Roman coins dating to the C3 and C4 AD.

DESCRIPTION: the Iron Age and Romano-British settlement is delimited by a large sub-triangular enclosure formed by a broad ditch. The enclosure is orientated north-west to south-east and is approximately 265m long and from c15m wide at the north-west to c220m wide at the south-east. It has a causewayed entrance at the south end of the east side. There are two curvilinear enclosures, up to c72m by 70m and c51m by 48m, within the northern half of the enclosure. A complex series of about 16 curvilinear and rectilinear enclosures occupy the southern half of the main enclosure. They vary in size from approximately c66m by 63m to c20m by 10m. Several are conjoined and appear to include internal subdivisions. At least two or three sets of ditches and enclosures overlap on the site, showing successive changes in the layout and organisation of the settlement over a period of time. There are several causewayed entrances facing east, broadly in-line with the entrance through the main enclosure. Within the settlement are the cropmarks of about 125 macula, which are considered to mark the position of grain storage pits, cess pits, refuse pits, burials, post holes and gullies. There are two large sunken features; a rectangular feature, c12m by 10m, (SE 42383 36860) and a T-shaped feature, c13m long and up to 8.5m wide, (SE 42470 36805). Partly abutting the main enclosure, are two sub-square enclosures, which are c24m by 24m and c32m by 32m.

EXCLUSIONS: The monument excludes all modern fences and fence posts, gates and gate posts. However the ground beneath these features is included.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The Iron Age and Romano-British settlement, south of Hungerhills Plantation, Parlington, is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Rarity: as a relatively rare example of a large nucleated Iron Age and Romano-British rural settlement in a lowland area; a survey covering 1,525 sq km identified only seven such examples and this is considered to be one of the most densely occupied;
* Potential: cropmarks visible on aerial photographs and artefactual finds indicate that the settlement will hold good archaeological potential; excavation of a comparable site under similar soil conditions in Parlington revealed well preserved buried remains;
* Period: as a complex type of rural settlement that is considered to have been long-lived, with evidence for several phases of development and highly representative of its period, forming part of the agricultural base in England for several hundred years;
* Diversity: cropmarks indicate a densely occupied settlement, which is likely to have a high diversity of components including the remains of roundhouses, rectangular houses, agricultural and industrial buildings, corn-dryers, hearths, ditches, stock pens, trackways, burials, grain storage pits, cess pits, refuse pits and drainage gullies;
* Documentation: our understanding of the site is enhanced by an archaeological survey published in 2010 that has contextualised the monument in relation to the surrounding landscape and other related archaeological features;
* Group value: with the surrounding contemporary field system, trackways, farmstead enclosures and settlements, and as part of a wider local cluster of sites near Aberford, including the scheduled Iron Age settlement and Roman villa at Dalton Parlours.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Roberts, I, Understanding the Cropmarks Landscapes of the Magnesian Limestone: The archaeology of the Magnesian Limestone and its margins in South and West Yorkshire and parts of North Yorkshire and north Nottinghamshire , (2010)
Websites
English Heritage, Lower Wharfedale National Mapping Programme Project: Summary Report., accessed 1 Feb 2016 from http://www.historicengland.org.uk/research/research-results/recent-research-results/yorkshire/lower-wharfedale-nmp/
Historic England, National Record of the Historic Environment: Monument No.54606 , accessed 1 Feb 2016 from http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=54606
Other
Historic England Archive, RCHME National Mapping Programme: Quartersheet AR98477 Parlington

Source: Historic England