Defended settlement SW of Broomhouse

Defended settlements are a rare monument type. They were an important element of the later prehistoric settlement pattern of the northern uplands and are important for any study of the developing use of fortified settlements during this period. All well-preserved examples are believed to be of national importance. Despite cultivation, the defended settlement south west of Broomhouse retains significant archaeological deposits relating to its construction, use and abandonment, and environmental deposits relating to the nature and use of the surrounding landscape. The monument will contribute to our knowledge and understanding of settlement and subsistence during the Iron Age.

The monument includes the buried remains of an Iron Age defended settlement situated just off the top of a ridge on a gentle north east facing slope. The settlement, which is visible as a cropmark enclosure on aerial photographs, is sub-circular in shape with a diameter of approximately 60m and is surrounded by one, and in places two, ditches with an average width of 5m. The outer ditch does not make a complete circuit as it joins the inner ditch for a stretch of 40m on the north side of the enclosure. The enclosure has an entrance on the east side which is flanked by in-turned ditch terminals.