Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0527 Farhill Crags, Northumberland

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Northumberland 5119 (None)

NMR:  NU 13 SW 9 (7711)

SM:  None

NGR:  NU 1290 3419

X:  412900  Y:  634190  (OSGB36)

Summary

Located at Easington Quarry and listed in Hogg (1979) as a univallate hillfort covering less than 0.40ha but destroyed in the 19th century and later by quarrying. The site would have lain at approximately 61m OD on a rocky outcrop known as Farhill Crags. It is described as irregular and formed almost entirely by natural precipices. An entrance lay in the NE flanked by a smaller circular enclosure, described by MacLauchlan (1864) as possibly a guardhouse. Food vessels, beehive rotary querns and stone mortars were discovered during quarrying. The finds have since been lost. It is recorded on 1856-65 mapping and a plan was made by MacLauchlan (1846).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Irreconciled issues

Location

X:  -200021  Y:  7479431  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.7968197184035795  Latitude:  55.60119467514105  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Northumberland

Historic County:  Northumberland

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Easington

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant   ✗
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Quarry

Current Use:
Woodland   ✗
Commercial Forestry Plantation   ✗
Parkland   ✗
Pasture (Grazing)   ✗
Arable   ✗
Scrub/Bracken   ✗
Bare Outcrop   ✗
Heather/Moorland   ✗
Heath   ✗
Built-up   ✗
Coastal Grassland   ✗
Other   ✓

Landscape

Hillfort Type

Mid 20th century mapping shows a short length of rampart following the contours along the scarp edge of a spur

Type:
Contour Fort   ✗
Partial Contour Fort   ✗
Promontory Fort   ✗
Hillslope Fort   ✓
Level Terrain Fort   ✗
Marsh Fort   ✗
Multiple Enclosure Fort   ✗

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop   ✗
Coastal Promontory   ✗
Inland Promontory   ✗
Valley Bottom   ✗
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   ✗
Ridge   ✗
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   ✓
Hillslope   ✓
Lowland   ✗
Spur   ✓

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Farhill Crags

Aspect:
North   ✗
Northeast   ✗
East   ✗
Southeast   ✗
South   ✗
Southwest   ✗
West   ✗
Northwest   ✗
Level   ✓

Altitude:  61.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

No dating evidence for the hillfort except possibly the beehive rotary querns and stone mortars found in 1925 during quarrying. A food vessel resembling Abercomby's Type 1 was also discovered.

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC   ✗
1200BC - 800BC   ✗
800BC - 400BC   ✗
400BC - AD50   ✗
AD50 - AD400   ✗
AD400 - AD 800   ✗
Post AD800   ✗
Unknown   ✓

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:
Artefactual:   None

Investigation History

Shown on 1856-65 mapping. A plan was made by MacLauchlan (1846). Field investigations in 1964 and 1968

Investigations:
Earthwork Survey (1846):   None
Other (1964):   Field investigation
Other (1968):   Field investigation
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   None

Interior Features

No evidence for activity within the interior although beehive rotary querns and stone mortars found in 1925 during quarrying. A food vessel resembling Abercomby's Type 1 was also discovered.

Water Source

None

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

None

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features   ✓
Round Stone Structures   ✗
Rectangular Stone Structures   ✗
Curvilinear Platforms   ✗
Other Roundhouse Evidence   ✗
Pits   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation   ✓
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics   ✓
Pits   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Finds

Stone querns and mortars

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds   ✗
Pottery   ✗
Metal   ✗
Metalworking   ✗
Human Bones   ✗
Animal Bones   ✗
Lithics   ✗
Environmental   ✗
Other   ✓

Aerial

Destroyed

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✓
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

Now destroyed, but documented as being in the NE flanked by a smaller circular enclosure, possibly a guardhouse.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✓

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   None

Enclosing Works

Irregular and formed almost entirely by natural precipices.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.4ha.
Total:   0.4ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Destroyed

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   None
SE Quadrant:   None
SW Quadrant:   None
NW Quadrant:   None
Total:   None

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✗
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗
Unknown   ✓

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✗
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None   ✓
Earthen Bank   ✗
Stone Wall   ✗
Rubble   ✗
Wall-walk   ✗
Evidence of Timber   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✗
Stone Wall   ✗
Murus Duplex   ✗
Timber-framed   ✗
Timber-laced   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
No Known Excavation   ✓
Other   ✗

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✗   None

Number of Ditches:  None

Annex:
✓   None

References

Hogg, A.H.A. 1979. British Hill-Forts. An Index. British Archaeological Reports, British Series 62. 126

Jobey, G. 1965. Hillforts and Settlements in Northumberland. Archaeol Aeliana (4th Series) 43

Jobey, G 1955. A note on Farhill Crags. Proc Soc Antiq Newcastle. 5 ser 1(9) 350-1

MacLauchlan, H. 1864. Memoir written during a survey of the eastern branch of the Watling Street. London.



Terms of Use

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:

Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk


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