More information : Previously recorded under NT 91 NE 1(g).
This settlement became known as the `Upper Fort' to the Berwickshire
Naturalists Club who carried out limited excavations at this site in
1861 (1a, 300-1). It is situated upon higher ground than the main
settlement, their so-called `Western Fort' [NT 9616/1], and roughly
170 m to its NE on the S-facing slopes of Grieve's Ash at 280 m OD.
A relatively steep ravine is found immediately to its E, across which
a modern forestry plantation has been placed destroying a small
amount of the E enclosure wall of this settlement. Overall the
ground falls away to the S towards the valley of Breamish.
The settlement has an amorphous ground plan suggesting periodic
organic growth over at least three phases and in form is typical of
the `scooped' settlements constructed widely throughout the Cheviot
Hills. The complex covers an area of roughly 60 m E-W by 62 m
transversely; it is composed of four enclosed courtyards [NT 9616/4
A-D], one of which [B] is sub-divided into two compartments, and each
courtyard has one or more hut-circles abutting it. Four entrances,
2.0-2.5m wide, allow access to this complex. The enclosure walls
achieve maximum dimensions of 4.5 m in width and 1.8 m in height on
the W side of the settlement enclosing courtyard [D], where an
entrance 2.5 m wide opens on to a courtyard 18 m E-W by 6 m
transversely. The size of the courtyards range from the largest [A]
covering an area of 14 m NE-SW by 14 m transversely, down to the
smallest [B] at only 5 m NE-SW by 11 m transversely.
The current survey recorded seven stone-built hut-circles and four
scooped stances, one stance outside the SE corner of the site. In
1861 the existence of fifteen hut-circles was claimed, seven of which
were `partially cleared' (1a, 301) and found to be constructed of
crude walling still standing to a height of 0.7 - 0.9 m above stone
flagged floors. One hut [NT 9616/4F] had a sandstone quern
incorporated into the paving, while a second [NT 9616/4E] had a
series of steps descending 1.5m from the platform it was built upon
down into its courtyard [D]. The hut-circles now have internal
diameters of 3-5m within walls ranging from 1-3 m wide, and 0.3-0.5m
high. The scooped stances are roughly 6-7m in diameter, and scooped
to a depth of 0.7m into the hill slope.
This settlement would seem to have formed part of the field system
[NT 9616/11-45] emanating from the main settlement at Greaves Ash [NT
9616/1], and may have been a contemporary of the adjacent settlements
within this intricate and extensive prehistoric landscape. (1) |