Roman BritainHuckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses
Roman Settlement · Civilian

Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: nhle-10008
Site type
Settlement
Category
Civilian
Latitude
55.1395
Longitude
-1.8872
Overview

History & context

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.

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.

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.

There was excavation from 1955 to 1957. Traces of a palisaded enclosure were uncovered, consisting of three concentric palisades of oak. A sample was radio-carbon dated to about 580 BC: the early Iron Age. 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.

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.

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.

Shaftoe Crags Settlement, a Romano-British defended settlement

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

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses?

Huckhoe Settlement is an archaeological site in Northumberland, England, near the village of Bolam and about 7 miles (11 km) west of Morpeth. 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 Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses?

Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses 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 Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Romano-British settlement and Iron Age defended settlement, 550m north east of Shaftoe Grange (1.9 km), Romano-British farmstead 470m north of Coldwell (8.5 km), Romano-British farmstead and associated annexe, 180m SSE of Herpath House (9.3 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 Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses?

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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses

This page covers the Roman site at Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this site alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses report
Or see a real report first
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 and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.

Research the area around Huckhoe palisaded enclosure, defended settlement and Romano-British settlement, 550m north east of Bolam West Houses