More information : NZ 12242487 A large rectangular site, barely visible
at ground level, with rounded corners, a single entrance on the
east side and traces of what seems to be a later building
superimposed on the south west corner. (See site A5 on plan).
Probing suggests the former presence of a substantial stone-built
rampart and while the Royal Commission suspects a Romano British
farmstead, Roberts thinks it could possibly be of 5th century
construction. A linear ditch and slight traces of a field system may
relate to this structure. Portions of other banks and enclosures can
be seen and a low bank runs in a straight line across the fell. (1)
The enclosure at NZ 1225 2487 was surveyed at 1:500 and 1:1000 in
1984 by RCHME (marked 7 on the RCHME 1:1000 plan). The enclosure was
overgrown with turf and bracken when surveyed and detail was not
recoverable from ground inspection.
Lying on a gentle south-facing hill-slope, the enclosure is almost
perfectly square with sharp corners, within a barely visible
collapsed wall or bank of rubble, surviving as a spread of stones,
5.0m average width, with a maximum internal height of 0.5m.
Exposed in the west side are two well-bedded stones, somewhat larger
than the content of the wall or bank, possibly the remains of an
inner wall face. There are gaps in the south side towards the south
west corner, and central to the east side; the latter is more
likely to be an original entrance.
Against the outside of the enclosure in the extreme SW corner is a
rectangular structure, possibly sub-divided, which may be the
footings of a building, but as withe the enclosure it is much
overgrown and only a low bank of rubble remains with no facing
stones in evidence. It measures 12.5m E-W by 5.0m transversely
within banks spread to 1.5m - 2.0m, and up to 0.4m high. Rubble
also occurs within the structure. No entrance can be traced.
The date of the enclosure cannot be determined, neither can its
relationship with the adjoining rectangular structure nor with
the nearby industrial complexes and cultivation. The form is not
indicative of a Romano-British farmstead; it is more likely to
be of a much later date, possibly an enclosed garth and adjoining
house. (2)
NZ 120 250. Enclosures and industrial workings on Cockfield Fell.
Scheduled No DU/103. (3)
The large rectangular enclosure of possible medieval and/or post medieval date is visible as very shallow earthworks on air photographs and lidar, centred at NZ 1225 2487. The enclosure is defined by a large platform measuring 85m by 90m. The perimeter was possibly originally embanked, but has since been largely levelled to show a shallow escarpment on three sides, with the bank remaining on the south side. There are two shallow rectangular hollows within the enclosure, both located up against the outer rampart. A probable building is located on the south-east corner of the rampart, but this does appear to be later. The date is conjectural, but this study agrees with the above author in that the enclosure is less likely to be Roman or prehistoric. The earthworks remain extant on the latest 2015 vertical photography. The enclosure was mapped and recorded as part of the Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone Aerial Investigation and Mapping project.
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