Monument record MDR3770 - Cratcliff Rocks Defended Settlement, west of Cratcliff Rocks, Harthill
Type and Period (2)
- CIRCULAR ENCLOSURE (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
- HILLFORT ? (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
SK 22576238. Circular bank and ditch approximately 80 metres in diameter. (2).
An enclosure is centred at SK 22586238. The topographical situation would suggest that this is probably a refuge. There is no evidence of a rampart, entrance, or internal occupation, and the natural rock outcrop is partly incorporated in its construction. (3). Listed by Challis and Harding as a circular earthwork 240 feet across and visible on air photographs (Iron Age). (4).
In the enclosed area are massive gritstone outcrops with small areas of level shelter in between. (6).
Cratcliff Rocks became a scheduled monument on the 17th July 1985. It is an extensive outcrop on the edge of Harthill Moor in the eastern gritstone moors of Derbyshire. The monument lies within the rocks on the western edge of the outcrop and is a roughly circular enclosure comprising a five metre wide rock-cut ditch surrounding an area of c.0.25 hectares. Boulders enclosed by the ditch form an additional natural boundary and a number of building platforms have been identified within the enclosure. No excavation of the site has been carried out but it forms part of a rich prehistoric landscape on Harthill Moor which includes burial mounds, a second enclosure and Nine Stones Close stone circle. (7).
A sub-circular earthwork enclosure comprising a ditch and intermittent sections of inner and outer banks. The enclosure is built on ground which gently slopes down to the north and the southern part is cut into a hillock which rises to the south. The ditch and banks are very shallow, presumably ploughed over at least once after enclosure and improvement of Harthill Moor. To the west and south, the ditch bottom rises into two wide 'causeways'. The 'causeway' to the west only reaches halfway to the top of the ditch. There is a suggestion of slight hollowing immediately outside the enclosure opposite the southern 'causeway'. These 'causeways' may be entrances or areas where the ditch has been deliberately left higher. Central to the enclosure is a shallow, circular scoop approximately 12 metres in diameter. This may be a contemporary round building, or a post-medieval stone-getting quarry. The enclosure is undated, but has been recorded as possibly late Bronze Age to early Iron Age by Hart. The enclosure is probably the site of a settlement comprising one or a number of round houses within the earthwork. (8).
Sources/Archives (8)
- <1> SDR11686 Article in serial: Ward, J. 1897. Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Notes and Queries, Derbyshire Advertiser. Volume 5. p172.
- <2> SDR821 Aerial Photograph: 1957. A.P.s F.22.58/2315 - 0314-5.
- <3> SDR6392 Personal Observation: F1 JB 25-MAY-66.
- <4> SDR2441 Monograph: Challis, A & Harding, W. 1975. 'Later Prehistory from the Trent to the Tyne', British Archaeological Report 20. Part 2. p53.
- <5> SDR10000 Index: North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust (NDAT). North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust Index. 1045.
- <6> SDR10777 Bibliographic reference: Hart, C (NDAT). 1981. The North Derbyshire Archaeological Survey to AD 1500. pp 77-79.
- <7> SDR18387 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1994. Scheduling Notification. 23243.
- <8> SDR20222 Unpublished document: Bevan, B (PDNPA). 1995. Robin Hood's Stride, Harthill and Elton, Derbyshire, archaeological survey, 1995. No.3, pp 10-11, illus.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2258 6238 (82m by 89m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | HARTHILL, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR3920
- EDR1387
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Aug 12 2015 10:55AM