Shaftoe Crags Settlement is an archaeological site in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, England, about west of

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

. The site at Shaftoe Crags, with remains dating from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

and Romano-British periods, is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Background

In Cumbria and Northumberland, native settlements regarded as dating from the Roman period have been found: such a site typically has one or more stone roundhouses at the back of an enclosure, opposite a single entrance, with small enclosed yards within the enclosure. An earlier type of defended settlement began to be constructed during the 7th to 5th centuries BC, in the northern uplands of what is now England, sometimes located on hilltops. Within the enclosure there would be a number of stone or timber roundhouses for the inhabitants, probably a single family group, and perhaps space to keep livestock in winter.

Description

There is a curving rampart of stone and earth, about wide and up to high, running south-east from Salters Nick. It forms, with natural defences of crags to the south, west and north, an enclosure of irregular shape, about north-east to south-west and north-west to south-east. This is a native defended settlement of the Roman period. Inside the enclosure are the remains of three or more stone roundhouses, diameter about . There are indications of an enclosing rampart of an earlier Iron Age settlement, within which the Romano-British settlement was built. Any roundhouses from this period are obscured by the later buildings.

Archaeological sites nearby

Huckhoe Settlement Huckhoe Settlement is an archaeological site in Northumberland, England, near the village of Bolam and about 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 ...

, an Iron Age and Romano-British defended settlement *

The Poind and his Man The Poind and his Man is a prehistoric site in Northumberland, England, near the village of Bolam and about west of Morpeth. The site, consisting of a burial mound and a standing stone, is a scheduled monument. Description The burial mound, desc ...

, a Bronze Age burial mound *

Slate Hill Settlement Slate Hill Settlement is an archaeological site in Northumberland, England, near the village of Bolam and about west of Morpeth. The site, a defended settlement dating from the Iron Age, is a scheduled monument. Description The site is regarded ...

, an Iron Age defended settlement

References

{{reflist Scheduled monuments in Northumberland Archaeological sites in Northumberland