Huckhoe Settlement
  Shown within Northumberland | |
| Location | near Bolam |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°8′22″N 1°53′13″W / 55.13944°N 1.88694°W |
| OS grid reference | NZ 073 828 |
| Type | Defended settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | 6th century BC to 6th century AD |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1955–1957 |
| Designated | 17 March 1995 |
| Reference no. | 1011838 |
Huckhoe Settlement is an archaeological site in Northumberland, England, near the village of Bolam and about 7 miles (11 km) west of Morpeth. The site shows occupation, in at least four phases, dating from the early Iron Age (6th century BC) to the post-Roman period (6th century AD). It is a scheduled monument.[1]
Description
[edit]The site is on an oval promontory, steep on the north and west sides, above a tributary of the River Wansbeck. There is a low earth and stone bank forming an enclosure, 94 metres (308 ft) north-east to south-west by 72 metres (236 ft) north-west to south-east, with an entrance of width 5 metres (16 ft) on the east side, and slight traces inside of roundhouses and courtyard walls. This is thought to be a re-occupation in the Romano-British period, of an Iron Age defended settlement.[1][2]
The visible remains of the earlier settlement are two ramparts: the outer is 4 metres (13 ft) wide and 0.8 metres (2 ft 7 in) high on the south and east sides, with traces of an external ditch, about 10 metres (33 ft) outside the inner rampart.[1]
Excavation
[edit]There was excavation from 1955 to 1957. Traces of a palisaded enclosure were uncovered, consisting of three concentric palisades of oak.[1] A sample was radio-carbon dated to about 580 BC: the early Iron Age.[2] Similar palisaded hilltop enclosures have been found in north-east England and southern Scotland; they are the earliest type of defended settlement in the area. They indicate that there was much woodland here at that time.[1]
The excavation also found that it was probably an iron-working site during the Romano-British period, as iron slag and a probable iron-worker's hearth were found. There were also remains of rectangular buildings, interpreted as dating from the post-Roman period.[1]
Finds from the excavation included sherds of Romano-British pottery of the 2nd to 4th century, and sherds dating to the late 5th or early 6th century.[2]
Archaeological sites nearby
[edit]- The Poind and his Man, a Bronze Age burial mound
- Shaftoe Crags Settlement, a Romano-British defended settlement
- Slate Hill Settlement, an Iron Age defended settlement
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Historic England. "Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses (1011838)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Huckhoe (21056)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 21 January 2022.