SWAAG FEATURE RECORD SHEET
Greater Hagg and Sorrel Sykes Farms
SWAAG Site/Feature Reference: Site 105
Site Name:
Parish
Co-ordinates
Brit. Nat. Grid:
Field Number
and Name:
Altitude m OD
Geology
Scooped Settlement north of Ewelop Hill.
Reeth, (Fremington)
SE0516, 9883
Sorrel Sykes Farm Pastures
210m
Glacial drift with sand and gravel lake terrace deposits.
Site Type
Site Term
Period
Site/feature description
including dimensions
Monument
Scooped settlement
Undated but of Late Iron Age/Romano British character.
See Figure 1: Greater Hagg Farm Survey together with Figures 105/1 Greater
Ewelop Sites 104 and 105 and 105/2: Settlement 105, 1:500 Scale Site Plan.
Hillslope platform settlement deeply scooped into the upper slope of the south
facing hillside some 80m north of the road from Fremington to Marske. This
farmstead settlement consists of two large circular house platforms (105/1 and
105/2) fronting a sunken yard (105/3). The two house platforms measure
approximately 12 m across. These are set within a sub-rectangular enclosure with
rounded corners measuring some 35m*35m overall.The settlement is recessed into
the hillside for an average depth of around 2m. The interior perimeter slopes
would almost certainly originally have been revetted and are now defined by steep
banks however this site is in cleared pasture and no stone facings are now visible.
It is likely that the basal course of the perimeter retaining walls together with the
walls and floors of the round house structures will have survived beneath hillwash
deposits. Unusually for these sites, the front of the scoop is also recessed and
there is no front apron to the enclosure (check) formed by dumping material
arising from excavation into the hillslope.
The Greater Ewelop Survey Plan (Figure 104, 105/1) shows the location of two
scooped settlements within a contemporary field system. Field banks run up to and
abut Settlement 104 whereas Settlement 105 is centrally located within a field
defined by strong lynchets and stone banks 200/20 and 200/13. Field bank 200/14
respects the settlement and does not extend to cross it. This field bank is likely
therefore to be contemporary with the settlement.
All field boundaries have been erased from the ploughed meadow to the north of
Site 105, however it is probable that the field system extended to abut Lynchet
200 which runs immediately above the north wall of this meadow.
The small dewpond (310) may be ancient and could relate to the early field
system.
Archaeological and
contextual notes:
Deeply scooped homestead settlements similar in form to Sites 104 and 105 are of
a form which is very widespread throughout the uplands of Northern Britain. The
scooped settlements of Northumberland which date to the period of Roman
Occupation were first recognised and described in an extensive literature arising
from fieldwork throughout Northumberland over a period of at least 30 years by
the Late Professor George Jobey working with Colin Burgess,Tim Gates, Peter
Topping and others (Jobey 1960-1983. Burgess 1970, 1985. Gates 1983, 2000,
2009. Topping 1981, 1989, 1990,1993,1998.). During this period, the
development of upland farmstead settlement was defined commencing with
pioneering unenclosed settlements of large round houses first established during
the middle bronze age which gave way to palisaded settlements and hill forts
during the later bronze age and prehistoric iron age culminating in open
settlements of small scooped homesteads, larger enclosed stone walled farmsteads
and villages of curvilinear and rectilinear form all within extensive field systems
occupied through the period of Roman Occupation. This development has been
comprehensively detailed together with an extensive biliography in the recent
compendium of ‘Archaeology in the Northumberland National Park’ (Frodsham et
al. 2004).
In Swaledale, a not dissimilar development of settlement from unenclosed Bronze
Age settlements and wide ranging field systems mainly, but not exclusively
located on open moorland at high elevation through to an extensive horizon of
Iron Age and Romano-British settlement on the lower dale sides, has been
recognised during fieldwork extending from the 1970’s to the present day. (Laurie
1985 and 2010 forthcoming, Fleming and Laurie 1984-1993, Fleming 1994).
Site 105 is one of nine 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
See Figure X: Greater Hagg Farm Survey together with Figures 104/5/1 Greater
ewelop Sites 104 and /1 Y: 1: 500 Scale Site Plan.
See TCL (and any other?) Photos attached. 105 and 105