| Summary : The remains of two deserted medieval hamlets and part of an associated field system, situated on the south and east facing slopes of high moorland. The first hamlet, at the south east corner of the monument, is situated immediately below the highest part of the hill; it contains the rectangular foundations of up to five houses. They are defined by low stony walls averaging 0.5 metres high. The houses are associated with several smaller enclosures interpreted as yards or paddocks. Some 250 metres to the north there is a second hamlet, comprising a compact group of four rectangular houses with a single outlying house some 70 metres to the east. The walls of the houses are of stone and earth up to 3 metres wide, standing to a maximum height of 1 metre. The two hamlets lie adjacent to, and are bounded by, a series of linear earthen banks ranging between 0.4 metres to 1 metre high and averaging 3 metres wide. These banks are interpreted as boundaries which divide the area of the settlement into several parts. One of the banks bounds an area of rig and furrow cultivation. It is thought that these hamlets formed part of the medieval settlement of Whiteside which was recorded on a 16th century map of the area by Christopher Saxton. |