Details

The monument includes the remains of a farmstead of Romano-British date
situated on a slight rise overlooking the River Wansbeck to the south. The
enclosure, sub-circular in shape, measures a maximum of 40m east-west by 25m
north-south within a well defined ditch 6m wide and 1.2m below the interior of
the enclosure. On the outer edge of the ditch there is a counterscarp bank
formed from the material dug from the ditch during its construction. There is
an entrance in the eastern side of the enclosure carried across the ditch on a
causeway. Within the enclosure, to the left of the entrance, there is a large
shallow depression interpreted as a sunken yard, and indications of a single
circular house site 8m in diameter.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

In Cumbria and Northumberland several distinctive types of native settlements
dating to the Roman period have been identified. The majority were small, non-
defensive, enclosed homesteads or farms. In many areas they were of stone
construction, although in the coastal lowlands timber-built variants were also
common. In much of Northumberland, especially in the Cheviots, the enclosures
were curvilinear in form. Further south a rectangular form was more common.
Elsewhere, especially near the Scottish border, another type occurs where the
settlement enclosure was `scooped' into the hillslope. Frequently the
enclosures reveal a regularity and similarity of internal layout. The standard
layout included one or more stone round-houses situated towards the rear of
the enclosure, facing the single entranceway. In front of the houses were
pathways and small enclosed yards. Homesteads normally had only one or two
houses, but larger enclosures could contain as many as six. At some sites the
settlement appears to have grown, often with houses spilling out of the main
enclosure and clustered around it. At these sites up to 30 houses may be
found. In the Cumbrian uplands the settlements were of less regimented form
and unenclosed clusters of houses of broadly contemporary date are also known.
These homesteads were being constructed and used by non-Roman natives
throughout the period of the Roman occupation. Their origins lie in settlement
forms developed before the arrival of the Romans. These homesteads are common
throughout the uplands where they frequently survive as well-preserved
earthworks. In lowland coastal areas they were also originally common,
although there they can frequently only be located through aerial photography.
All homestead sites which survive substantially intact will normally be
identified as nationally important.

The farmstead NNW of Sweethope Farm is very well preserved and retains
significant archaeological deposits. It is one of a group of similar
settlements in the area and will contribute to any study of the settlement
pattern at this time.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
1664,

Source: Historic England