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*****SWAAG_ID*****
529
Date Entered
20/05/2012
Updated on
20/05/2012
Recorded by
Tim Laurie
Category
Settlement
Record Type
Archaeology
Site Access
Public Access Land
Record Date
19/05/2012
Location
Little Rowleth Pasture. Lodge Green.
Civil Parish
Melbecks
Brit. National Grid
SD 95871 98380
Altitude
365m
Geology
Sandstone outcrop and talus slope below the Middle Limestone.
Record Name
Little Rowleth Pasture. Rectangular Structure No 5
Record Description
Rectangular house platform with the slight remains of the stone walled foundations of a rectangular building measuring 16m*6m overall.
This is the fifth of the total of five similar rectangular foundations which together represent an open settlement of possible pre-conquest, norse origine.
Dimensions
16m*5m
Additional Notes
Site photograph not yet available, to follow.
This Record is preliminary to a detailed survey of the whole of Little Rowleth Pasture by SWAAG Members as soon as can be arranged, in the coming months. The siting of these structures is of great interest. The shielings or houses, if this is what they are, are located on a steep high slope (at around the 370m contour) in what was recently woodland and which is, today, very poor rough rock strewn pasture. Immigrant norse farmers looking to settle at the head of Swaledale in a landscape where all the better land was already occupied may have needed to settle at first and until assimilated within the local population on the only land available, ie high, poor, marginal land which was then almost certainly woodland as the presence on this hillside of ancient relict thorn coppice, elder, bluebell, arum, primrose and dogs mercury all indicate. This open settlement is well situated to afford access to the good grazing available higher upslope on the on the Middle Limestone which outcrops above the sandstone. The presence of well defined trackways leading to the higher pastures reinforces a pastoral occupation here.
