Roman BritainDefended settlement, Romano-British settlement and field system 100m south and east of Jenny's Lantern
Roman Settlement · Civilian

Defended settlement, Romano-British settlement and field system 100m south and east of Jenny's Lantern

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: nhle-7009
Site type
Settlement
Category
Civilian
Latitude
55.4310
Longitude
-1.8072
Overview

History & context

This is a multi-phase settlement complex on the Whittingham Moor ridge in north Northumberland, beneath and around the prominent folly known as Jenny's Lantern. It comprises a small Iron Age defended enclosure (likely later 1st millennium BC) and an adjacent unenclosed Romano-British settlement with associated field system, the latter probably occupied through the 2nd–4th centuries AD. The Romano-British phase consists of stone-founded round houses set within a rectilinear yard or enclosure, with cord-rig cultivation traces and lynchets surviving on the surrounding slopes.

Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →

Significance

Historical significance

It is a typical example of the dispersed native farming settlements that persisted in the Northumbrian uplands well behind Hadrian's Wall, where indigenous communities continued an Iron Age agricultural tradition with only modest Roman material influence. The site is notable for the unusually good earthwork preservation of both settlement and contemporary field system in close association, allowing the agricultural landscape to be read alongside the dwellings.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

The site is known principally from earthwork survey rather than excavation, including work recorded by RCHME/Historic England and the Northumberland HER, which has mapped hut circles, enclosure banks, cord rig, and clearance cairns. No significant excavation assemblage is published for this specific site, so dating relies on morphological comparison with excavated parallels such as those at Brough Law, Greaves

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Defended settlement, Romano-British settlement and field system 100m south and east of Jenny's Lantern?

This is a multi-phase settlement complex on the Whittingham Moor ridge in north Northumberland, beneath and around the prominent folly known as Jenny's Lantern. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a settlement site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Defended settlement, Romano-British settlement and field system 100m south and east of Jenny's Lantern?

Defended settlement, Romano-British settlement and field system 100m south and east of Jenny's Lantern is classified as a Roman settlement — a civilian site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.

What other Roman sites are near Defended settlement, Romano-British settlement and field system 100m south and east of Jenny's Lantern?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Romano-British farmstead 1km south-west of East Bolton (0.2 km), Romano-British enclosed settlement, 800m NW of East Bolton (1.4 km), Romano-British enclosed settlement on Beanley Moor, 800m south-east of Broomhouse (3.5 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.

How can I research the history of the area around Defended settlement, Romano-British settlement and field system 100m south and east of Jenny's Lantern?

Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.

Aubrey Research

Generate a full report for this location

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.

Research the area around Defended settlement, Romano-British settlement and field system 100m south and east of Jenny's Lantern