Robin Hood's Butt (Askerton)
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-08-26. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2019-01-28.
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 which stood on the west side of the Maiden Way, a Roman Road from Birdoswald (by Hadrian's Wall) to Bewcastle. The foundations of a nearly square tower can be seen at 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. The stone for the tower was supplied by two small quarries only 50 m to the west.[1]
Robin Hood's Butt is first mentioned in 1598 (see Record below). The locality 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'. 'Robin Hood's Butt' seems to be the preferred name among archaeologists. It may still be in local use.
The English Place-Name Society lists the "Robin Hood buttes" figuring in the 1598 record cited below as belonging to the township of Farlam.[5] Dobson & Taylor repeat this localization,[6] However, as the record also lists several other localities in Askerton, it seems more likely that the reference concerns Robin Hood's Butt in Askerton. I have found no (other) evidence for a locality named 'Robin Hood's Butt' or 'Robin Hood Butts' in Farlam. Template:PnItemQry
Gazetteers
- Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), p. 295, s.n. Robin Hood Buttes.
Sources
- Armstrong, A. M.; Mawer, A.; Stenton, F. M.; Dickins, Bruce. The Place-Names of Cumberland (English Place-Name Society, vols. XX-XXII) (Cambridge, 1971), pt. I, p. 87
- 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. Not seen.[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))
Illustrations
- According to I.A. Richmond, "Bruce[, John Collingwood], The Roman Wall, 3, pp. 264-5" is a lithograph of the tower at Robin Hood's Butt. He finds the lithograph "dramatized" the monument. I have not been able to locate the illustration in any of the editions of the book that are available for download.[7] Two other of Richmond's source references are incorrect. This one is at least imprecise.
Brief mention
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. *
- Topping, P. 'A "New" Signal Station in Cumbria', Britannia, vol. 18 (1987), pp. 298-300
- Wikipedia: Askerton
- Wikipedia: George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle
- Wikipedia: RAF Spadeadam
- Woolliscroft, D. J. 'The Outpost System of Hadrian's Wall', Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, Series 2, vol. 88 (1988), pp. 23-28.
Brief mention
- Geograph: The Butt near Gillalees Beacon (by Andrew Curtis)
- Godwin, Jeremy. '"Robin Hood", near Langwathby', Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, Series 2, vol. 96 (1996), p. 236
- Haverfield, F. 'Report of the Cumberland Excavation Committee, 1896', Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian & Archæological Society, Part II, vol. XIV (1897), pp. 413-33, see p. 430.
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).
- ↑ Armstrong, A. M.; Mawer, A.; Stenton, F. M.; Dickins, Bruce. The Place-Names of Cumberland (English Place-Name Society, vols. XX-XXII) (Cambridge, 1950-52), pt. I, p. 87.
- ↑ Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), p. 295, s.n. Robin Hood Buttes.
- ↑ 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, see p. 241 & n. *.
Robin Hood's Butt / Oliver Dixon, 2007; Creative Commons via Geograph.
Robin Hood's Butt / Andrew Curtis, 2016; Creative Commons via Geograph.
