Scheduled Monuments›England›Cratcliff Rocks hermitage

Cratcliff Rocks hermitage

England
List entry 1008008
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1008008
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.03 hectares
Grid reference
SK 22747 62343
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Cratcliff Rocks hermitage is a rock-cut anchoritic cell located near Matlock in Derbyshire, England. The hermitage consists of a chamber carved into the natural sandstone outcrop, traditionally associated with medieval religious retreat and ascetic practice, though the exact date of its creation remains uncertain within the medieval period. The site includes a cross carved into the rock surface, which may indicate its function as a place of Christian devotion. The hermitage represents a distinctive form of monastic settlement characteristic of certain regions of medieval England, where natural rock formations were adapted to provide shelter for hermits or anchorites seeking spiritual isolation.

Cratcliff Rocks hermitage is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1008008. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cratcliff Rocks hermitage?

Cratcliff Rocks hermitage is a rock-cut anchoritic cell located near Matlock in Derbyshire, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1008008.

Who is responsible for protecting Cratcliff Rocks hermitage?

Cratcliff Rocks hermitage is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1008008.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cratcliff Rocks hermitage?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round Low bowl barrow (7.5 km), Romano-British settlement and field system at Rainster Rocks (7.6 km), Medieval settlement and associated field system immediately south of Ballidon village (8.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Cratcliff Rocks hermitage

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cratcliff Rocks hermitage's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Round Low bowl barrow
7.5 km
Romano-British settlement and field system at Rainster Rocks
7.6 km
Medieval settlement and associated field system immediately south of Ballidon village
8.2 km
Bowl barrow on Carsington Pasture, 800m south east of Brassington Brickworks
8.3 km
Ivet Low bowl barrow
8.6 km
Carsington Pasture, Nickalum, Perserverance, West Head, Break Hollow and other small mines and medieval field boundaries
8.7 km
Remains of Nether Ratchwood and Rantor lead mines, 200m west of Old Lane
9.3 km
Standing cross in the churchyard of All Saints' Church
9.8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cratcliff Rocks hermitage

Cratcliff Rocks hermitage stands on Millstone Grit Group [See Also Migr], bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Domesday entry for Birchover, Derbyshire →
All Scheduled Monuments