More information : In 1876, field walking in advance of a projected road improvement of
part of the A66 led to the re-discovery of a native settlement
immediately below the Roman fortlet of Maiden Castle (NY 81 SE 2).
The fortlet itself is long known, but the only published reference to
the settlement is in Bulmer (1a). Initially, five weeks of limited
rescue excavation and survey work were done in August and September
1976, and this was followed by 12 weeks between March and June 1977;
a final season of excavation was undertaken in June and August 1985.
This work was carried out by T Clare on behalf of the Cumbria County
Planning Department; the excavation report includes plans of the site
as a whole and the excavation trenches.
The settlement (measured from the excavator's site plan at about 135m
NW-SE by 95 m transversely) is enclosed by a non-defensive
curvilinear boundary, and though relatively large compared to other
upland settlements is best described as a farmstead rather than a
hamlet. Given the topographical constraints of the site, and that
those buildings recognised belong to more than one phase, it is
probable that no more than three or four huts were occupied at any
one time. Apart from two post Medieval shepherds' huts, only three
buildings were positively identified, of which the earliest was a
round house, c 10 m in diameter, dated to the 1st-2nd century AD; the
other two huts were rectilinear and apparently later.
It appears that the settlement, interpreted as a farmstead comprising
several huts and stock enclosures, occupied a broadly similar time-
span to the Roman fortlet (1st-2nd century AD at least until the late
4th century), and was probably dependant upon it. More recently the
site has been used as a shieling and has suffered extensive stone-
robbing. (1)
This native farmstead is sited from excavation site plan to NY 8715
1305. The new dual carriageway road is now built destroying much of
the remains, but no detailed examination was undertaken by RCHME
during fieldwork on Maiden Castle. (2)
This record was previously recorded under NY 81 SE 2.
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