Crookhill Farm, Hope Woodlands, Derbyshire Archaeological Survey 1994 john Barnott: Survey Archaeologist g~A~I~~~ Coring (or a living landscape PHOTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE IN SEPARATE BOX CROOKHILL FARM, HOPE WOODLANDS, DERBYSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1994 John Barnatt CONTENTS Page Illustrations ii How to Use this Report iii Introduction 1 Part 1 Crookhill Farm: Archaeological Sites 2 Part 2 Crookhill Farm: Field Boundaries 3 Part 3 Crookhill Farm: Changes in Land Use Through Time 4 Part 4 Crookhill Farm: Location of Archaeological Features 7 Part 5 Crookhill Farm: Catalogue of Archaeological Features 8 Part 6 Crookhill Farm: Assessment of Relative Site Importance 13 Part 7 Managing the Archaeological Heritage 14 Part 8 Glossary of Archaeological Terms Used 16 Part 9 Bibliography 19 Appendices A Crookhill Farm: Description of Survey Archive 20 B Specifications of Feature Recording 21 Acknowledgements 22 ILLUSTRATIONS After Page Fig. 1 Location of Crookhill Farm 1 Fig. 2 Boundary changes 1627 to 1808 5 Fig. 3 Boundary changes 1808 to 1850 5 Fig. 4 Boundary changes 1850 to 1880 · 5 Fig. 5 Woodland 1627-1808 5 Fig. 6 Archaeological characterisation of the farmland 6 Fig. 7 Location of Figures 8 and 9 7 Fig. 8 Archaeological features on Crookhill Farm - south 7 Fig. 9 Archaeological features on Crookhill Farm - north 7 Fig. 10 The stone circle or kerb cairn at Crookhill (feature 6) 9 Fig. 11 The barrow at Crookhill (feature 11) 10 Fig. 12 The probable barrow at Crookhill west (feature 12) 10 Fig. 13 The barrow at Crookhill north-west (feature 16) 10 ii HOW TO USE THIS REPORT The following archaeological report is a result of a field survey of the farm or land undertaken by a Peak National Park survey archaeologist. It is divided into nine major parts to allow easy access to different aspects of the information. Part 1 is a summary of the types and the date of archaeological features identified. Use this section for an overview of the archaeological features within the survey area. Part 2 is a description of the farm field boundaries. Use this section for an overview of the existing field system. Part 3 discusses changes in land use over time, based on the sites identified on the ground and from basic documentary work. Use this section for an outline of the development through time of the survey area as an archaeological landscape and tor assessing the archaeological character of different parts of the area surveyed. Part 4 is the maps showing all the archaeological features recognised by the survey. Use this section to find out the locations of sites within the survey area. Part 5 is the catalogue, listing all the archaeological features discovered by the survey. Use this section for detailed description and an interpretation of each site. Part 6 is an assessment of relative importance. Use this section as a guide to the importance of individual archaeological features in the survey area. Part 7 is an outline guide to managing archaeological features. Use this section for general suggestions on how archaeology can be managed in the landscape without undue interference with usual land management practice. Part 8 is a glossary. Use this section for definitions of archaeological terms used in the report. Part 9 is a bibliography of published and archive documents consulted in the writing of this report. Use this section if more background or detailed information on the types of site found within the survey area is required. In addition, in the Appendices there is a description of all the archive material produced in conjunction with the survey and where it is kept, and a note of how the survey information was recorded. iii CROOKHILL FARM, HOPE WOODLANDS, DERBYSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1994 John Barnatt The archaeological survey of this area was carried out in September 1994, for the Upper Derwent Officer Working Group as part of the Upper Derwent Survey Project. Survey comprised systematic search of the farm (fig. 1), and discoveries were sketch-plotted on an OS 1:2500 base (the Board's Phase 1 survey standard). Time did not allow extensive archive research to be undertaken, thus this report should not be taken as a history of the farm, but one that largely concentrates on the extant archaeology. Maps showing the extent of the survey area covered by this report are given in Part 4. The interpretations of the archaeology given in this report are provisional. They are based on the knowledge available at the time of writing. Additions and some alterations may be made to these interpretations when survey work for the whole of the Upper Derwent Survey Project area and more in-depth documentary research is completed. Any such changes will be provided after completion of the whole project. 1 PROJECT KEY C({oov<HILL FRRm' koPf UX<lblft•DS Loca.'+ 0 bn Croof;.h.:t\ f'cJ'TY1' AR.cJ4AEowG;1C.AL SJ~VD< 144!;- 3 ILLUSTRATION NO. I • / N ~ci-,"" .Q p,_,i,_ b oVVl J "":! . g~A~l~~i TITLE Lo<:~T1ot-J Of QRoOV::Hll..L PARffl / IYl "-'-n f"oo...ds . Caring for a Living Landscape Peak Park Joint Planning Board, FIELDWORK DATE AV0 4'T Aldern House, Baslow Road. Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1AE DRAWING DATE J}\.S 4~ Tel. 01629 816200 DRAFTSPERSON awe Fax.01629 816310 REF. - Holme Stockport • Sheffield • Macclesfield• Matlock• Wars!ow Leek • Ashbourne• PART1 CROOKHILL FARM: ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES None of the main archaeological features inspected in 1994 had been recorded previously in the Derbyshire Sites and Monuments Record (SMR). None of the buildings are Listed. The 1994 survey recorded 6 newly-identified nationally or regionally important features, comprising a stone circle or kerb cairn (feature 6), 2-3 barrows (features 11, 12, 16), a medieval or early post-medieval building site (feature 27), and the present farm building complex (feature 1). A further 21 locally important archaeological features and 4 groups of buildings were recorded, none of which had been previously entered in the SMR. The farm has been acquired by the National Trust relatively recently so was not covered by the in­ house archaeological survey carried out in 1987. Features of National and Regional Importance A number of important archaeological features exist on the farm that are of a variety of dates. All the pre-medieval sites occur on the higher ground flanking Crook Hill where there has been less later agricultural activity than on lower ground to the east. Early features that do survive are isolated from each other and comprise an unusual small stone circle (feature 6) and 2-3 barrows (features 11, 12, 16), one of which may alternatively be interpreted as a clearance cairn (feature 12). Generally medieval and post-medieval agricultural activity may well have destroyed surface evidence for earlier agricultural structures such as house platforms, clearance cairns and field boundary banks and lynchets which were probably associated with the Bronze Age ritual monuments. Important medieval and post-medieval remains include the farm buildings themselves (feature 1). The present buildings date mostly from the 19th century, but there has been a farm here since at least the 12th century. This was part of a monastic holding from the late 12th century and there may have been administrative grange buildings here. Above Hursthead Cote there is a platform for a medieval or early post-medieval timber building (feature 27) associated with the intake here. The buildings are complemented by the field layout defined by boundaries dating from the medieval period onwards (see below). Features of Local Importance The majority of archaeological features of local importance within the surveyed area are of post-medieval date. The only exceptions are the possible medieval platform in the farmyard (feature 2) and two clearance cairns which may be as early as the Bronze Age, although one of these is more likely to be relatively modern (features 13, 18). Of the post-medieval features, many are redundant structures related to past farming, including old boundaries (features 5, 8, 17, 19, 23, 26, 29, 30), fieldbarns (features 14, 24, 25), stone troughs (features 2, 25), a wall opening (feature 7), a wall builders quarry (feature 15) and cairn (feature 10) and access tracks (features 20, 22, 28). There are a large number of small wall builders quarries which are not individually catalogued in Part 5, but which are shown on the survey area maps. There are also hollow ways which link farms (features 3, 4, 21), and a possible charcoal burners platform (feature 9). 2 PART2 CROOKHILL FARM: FIELD BOUNDARIES While field boundaries are very much part of the archaeology of an area, they are not easily listed in a catalogue because of their number and nature. Individually they may superficially seem of limited archaeological value, but put together they are of crucial importance in defining the character of the archaeological landscape. Those field boundaries comprising the currently used field system, even when ruined but shown on the 1880 Ordnance Survey map, are not included in the catalogue of sites given below (Part 5). Due to this, and the archaeological importance of field boundaries in the landscape, the field system is described here. The currently used boundaries on the farm are all dry-stone walls, and these are mostly of similar construction and use the local Millstone Grit. There is some wall furniture built into the boundaries. Most common are stone gate posts and sheep throughs. A small wall opening of unknown function has been found near to the farmhouse (feature 7). Boundaries of other types also once existed as illustrated by the redundant banks and ditches found at features 5 and 19.