Gateshead Fell, earthwork

An earthwork was recorded on Gateshead Fell in the early 19th century. Joseph Henderson, the landowner, gave the Society of Antiquaries a quern from the site, together with an outline plan of the earthworks. A contemporary description of the site is as follows: "The west side of the entrenched ground measured 220 yards, the north end 66 yards, and the breadth of the area from east to west at the south end, and from the north-east to the south-east corner 33 yards. An oblong entrenched area, 30 yards long and 14 broad, was also formed on the east side of it; at the south end there was a circular enclosure, 14 feet in diameter, formed with stones, each 3 feet long, and set on edge; and at 21 yards from the west side an entrenched line led to a spring opposite the north-west corner". This description suggests a native settlement of the late Iron Age or Roman periods.