SWAAG FEATURE RECORD SHEET
Greater Hagg and Sorrel Sykes Farms
SWAAG Site/Feature Reference: Site 107
EDAS Site/Feature Reference: Site 45
Site Name:
Parish
Co-ordinates
Brit. Nat. Grid:
Field Number
and Name:
Altitude m OD
Geology
Site Type
Site Term
Period
Site/feature description
including dimensions
:
West Hagg Field 6000 Settlement
Reeth (Fremington)
SE05613,99035
6000 (?Field name)
255m
Glacial drift over faulted Brigantian Series strata (Five Yard Limestone-Underset
Limestone).
Monument
House platform.
Romano-British
Hillside platform (107/01) roughly semi-circular and 15m in diameter fronted by a
substantial lynchet and backed by a drystone wall which revets higher ground
above. Leaving the platform apron to the SE and curving round to finish due S is a
substantial lynchet with visible stone facing. Site 107/01 appears disturbed and
may be infilled by stone waste from constructing the drystone wall above.
There is no visible trackway dedicated to the site, but immediately to the E and
running N/S is a substantial spring in a shallow valley flanked to the E by a
drystone wall which revets the hillside to the E and contains the remains of ancient
trees and a thorn hedge. In the valley is a substantial modern trackway leading to
the water-source.
In the same field and in adjacent fields are low field banks and two clearance
mounds. The field boundaries can be observed to extend downslope to the
pastures south of the modern road. It is possible that this single platform, 107/01,
provided the stance for an isolated round house situated within its own fields.
Text references:
Archaeological and
contextual notes:
Site 107 is one of nine small platform settlements located within the present
pastures of West Hagg and Sorrel Sykes Farms. These settlements are directly
associated with a coaxial field system (Site 200) defined by strongly lynchetted
and stone embanked boundaries. These settlements (Sites 100-108) together with
the field system (Site 200) together form an open ‘Township’ or ‘Village’ type
settlement east of High Fremington on the lower dale side with the settlements
situated on more steeply rising ground just above their contemporary fields
running down towards the flood plain.
The close similarity apparent between this dispersed ‘township’ landscape to that
to the east of Healaugh (Fleming and Laurie1983-1994, Fleming 1998) together
with the presence of upper and lower beehive quern stones found in stone walls
near the settlement sites supports the supposition that this settlement complex was
probably established during the Late Prehistoric Iron Age and during the period of
the Roman Occupation.
The platforms all seem to have supported circular structures and there is no direct
surface evidence in the form of rectangular stone founded buildings or finds of
medieval pottery sherds to indicate medieval reoccupation on these settlements.
Nevertheless, the West Hagg and Sorrrel Sikes Pastures are among the
best areas of cultivated land in Mid Swaledale and it would be wrong to conclude
anything other than that these pastures have been cultivated at intervals throughout
recorded history. The height of the lynchetted field boundaries supports the
conclusion that these fields represent a very lengthy period of occupation.
The presence of very slight lynchets close to the base of the earlier lynchets
together with scattered sherds of 19C transfer decorated pottery, points to short
periods of recent reoccupation.
Image schedule
Google Maps Images. Photo Reference Nos.