Roman BritainRomano-British settlement and regular aggregate field system north of Yanwath Wood
Roman Settlement · Civilian

Romano-British settlement and regular aggregate field system north of Yanwath Wood

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: nhle-6408
Site type
Settlement
Category
Civilian
Latitude
54.6268
Longitude
-2.7442
Overview

History & context

The settlement north of Yanwath Wood, in the Lowther valley south of Penrith, is a Romano-British rural settlement associated with a regular "cohesive" or "brickwork-style" aggregate field system characteristic of the Eden Valley. Sites of this type in the region were typically occupied from the later Iron Age through the Roman period, with peak activity likely in the 2nd–4th centuries AD, comprising small enclosed farmsteads engaged in mixed agriculture and stock-rearing.

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

Significance

Historical significance

It forms part of the dense pattern of native farmsteads in the hinterland of the Roman fort and vicus at Brougham (Brocavum), where indigenous communities continued traditional landholding while supplying agricultural produce to the military and roadside markets along the route to Carlisle. The associated coaxial field system is significant as evidence for organised, possibly coordinated, land division in the Roman-period uplands of Cumbria.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

The site is known principally from aerial photography and earthwork survey, which reveal enclosures, hut platforms and rectilinear fields; no substantive published excavation is recorded for this specific settlement. Interpretation therefore rests on analogy with excavated comparanda in the Eden Valley such as Crosby Garrett, Ewe Close and the Penrith-area enclosures.

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Romano-British settlement and regular aggregate field system north of Yanwath Wood?

The settlement north of Yanwath Wood, in the Lowther valley south of Penrith, is a Romano-British rural settlement associated with a regular "cohesive" or "brickwork-style" aggregate field system characteristic of the Eden Valley. 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 Romano-British settlement and regular aggregate field system north of Yanwath Wood?

Romano-British settlement and regular aggregate field system north of Yanwath Wood 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 Romano-British settlement and regular aggregate field system north of Yanwath Wood?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Brocavum (3.4 km), Skirsgill Romano-British enclosed stone hut circle settlement, Romano-British farmstead, and Romano-British regular aggregate field system (3.7 km), Roman road and enclosures SE of Frenchfield (3.7 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 Romano-British settlement and regular aggregate field system north of Yanwath Wood?

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