Perry's Dam

England
List entry 1015859
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1015859
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.97 hectares
Grid reference
NY 78544 41610
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Perry's Dam is a medieval water management structure located in Cumberland, England. The dam represents medieval engineering practice related to mill operations or water control, typical of structures constructed to harness water power or regulate water flow for agricultural and industrial purposes during the medieval period. Its physical remains demonstrate the construction techniques employed in medieval hydraulic engineering, utilizing stone or earthwork construction methods appropriate to its function. The site's survival provides archaeological evidence of the importance of water management infrastructure to medieval rural economy and settlement patterns in the Cumberland region.

Perry's Dam is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1015859. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Perry's Dam?

Perry's Dam is a medieval water management structure located in Cumberland, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1015859.

Who is responsible for protecting Perry's Dam?

Perry's Dam 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 1015859.

What other scheduled monuments are near Perry's Dam?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Lead rake workings on Flinty Fell, 800m north west of Flinty Quarry (1.6 km), Lead mines, ore works and smeltmill at Nenthead (2 km), Whitesike and Bentyfield lead mines and ore works (3.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Perry's Dam

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Perry's Dam'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Perry's Dam

Perry's Dam stands on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

The wider landscape

Around Perry's Dam

Hadrian's WallArchaeological site · ~15.6 miles