Robin Hood's Butt (Askerton)
| Locality | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55.0388, -2.6594 |
| Adm. div. | Cumberland |
| Vicinity | c. 3.9 km NE of Askerton and c. 1.4 km NNW of Spadeadam |
| Type | Prehistoric site |
| Interest | Robin Hood name |
| Status | Extant |
| First Record | 1830 |
| A.k.a. | The Butt |
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-08-26. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-08-26.
Robin Hood's Butt in Askerton parish, Cumberland, is a turf-covered mound, c. 13 m in diameter and up to 1.9 m in height. The mound, with some stone debris, is what remains of a Roman signal station. The foundations of a nearly square tower can be seen on the top. Based on the amount of debris it has been suggested that it was about 6 m high. Its walls of regularly coursed c. 85 cm thick stones were 3.5 to 6 m. wide externally. When the station was active, there was a ditch or drainage channel round the building, with a little causeway over or through it on the east side by. The stone for the tower was supplied by two small quarries only 50 m to the west.[1]
Robin Hood's Well is indicated as 'The Butt' tout court on a 6" O.S. map published in 1868 (based on surveying done in 1863) and on subsequent revisions at least until 1952 (see Maps section below). However, F. Haverfield, who excavated the site in 1900, noted in a report printed the subsequent year that "an estate map of 1830, belonging to Lord Carlisle [i.e. George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle (1843-1911)[2]], calls it Robin Hood's Butt, and the appellation seems to be still known in the neighbourhood".[3] I.A. Richmond in his 1933 paper on the site also knew it by that name. Recently, Andrew Curtis, who took one of the photos shown below, noted that the Butt is "[a]lso known as 'Robin Hood's Butt' (a possible reference to Robin Hood's Well nearby)"[4] He refers to the official archaeological website Pastscape – the source of the archaeological detail given above – which also uses the name 'Robin Hood's Well'. The latter is clearly the preferred name among archaeologists. I do not know whether it is also still in use locally.
Gazetteers
- Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-311.
Sources
- Haverfield, F. 'Report of the Cumberland Excavation Committee for 1900', Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, Series 2, vol. 1 (1901), pp. 75-92, see pp. 82-83
- Pastscape: Robin Hood's Butt
- Richmond, I. A. 'The Tower of Gillalees Beacon, called Robin Hood's Butt', Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, Series 2, vol. 33 (1933), pp. 241-245.
Maps
- MS map in the possession (in 1900) of George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle.[3]
- 6" O.S. map Cumberland VIII (1868; surveyed 1863))
- 6" O.S. map Cumberland VIII.SE (1901; rev. 1899))
- 6" O.S. map Cumberland VIII.SE (1901; rev. 1899)) (georeferenced)
- 6" O.S. map Cumberland VIII.SE (1952; rev. 1946))
Background
- Haverfield, Professor. 'Roman Notes', Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, Series 2, vol. 16 (1916), pp. 282-86, see p. 282 n. *.
- Wikipedia: Askerton
- Wikipedia: George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle
- Wikipedia: RAF Spadeadam.
Brief mention
- Geograph: The Butt near Gillalees Beacon (by Andrew Curtis).
Also see
Notes
- ↑ Pastscape: Robin Hood's Butt.
- ↑ Wikipedia: George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Haverfield, F. 'Report of the Cumberland Excavation Committee for 1900', Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, Series 2, vol. 1 (1901), pp. 75-92, see p. 82.
- ↑ Geograph: The Butt near Gillalees Beacon (by Andrew Curtis).
"th" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 19.