Palisaded settlement, NW of Northfieldhead

Excavation has demonstrated that at several sites the earthen defences were preceded by timber palisades. Palisaded enclosures are a rare monument type with fewer than 200 known examples. They are an important element of the later prehistoric settlement pattern and are important for any study of the developing use of defended settlements during the later prehistoric period. All identified surviving examples are believed to be nationally important.

The palisaded settlement 740m north west of Northfieldhead is well-preserved and retains significant archaeological deposits relating to the construction, use and abandonment of the site and environmental deposits relating to the use of the surrounding landscape. As a rare monument type nationally, and representing more than one phase of occupation, this example will provides insight into the character of settlement and subsistence during the Iron Age and the manner in which this developed over time.

The monument includes the remains of an Iron Age palisaded settlement situated on the north-eastern edge of Northfield Hill. The sub-circular enclosure measures 57m by 62m and is denoted by a single bank visible as a low earthwork, which is interrupted by a 2.5m wide entrance. Within the interior of the settlement, there are the remains of at least 15 timber built round houses with an average diameter of 8m. The majority of the round houses are visible as 'ring-grooves' with at least four of them being double ring-grooves. The internal remains represent more than one phase of occupation.