There are more than two hundred scheduled monuments in Cheshire, a county in North West England, which date from the Neolithic period to the middle of the 20th century. This list includes the scheduled monuments in Cheshire dating from before the year 1066, the year accepted by Revealing Cheshire's Past as the start of the Medieval period.
A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or monument which is given legal protection by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. The current legislation supporting this is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The term "monument" can apply to the whole range of archaeological sites, and they are not always visible above ground. Such sites have to have been deliberately constructed by human activity. They range from prehistoric standing stones and burial sites, through Roman remains and medieval structures such as castles and monasteries, to later structures such as industrial sites and buildings constructed for the World Wars.
At least 84 monuments dating from before 1066 have been scheduled in Cheshire, the oldest probably being The Bridestones, a Neolithic long cairn. The monument at Somerford is also thought to have been a long cairn and there is evidence of a Neolithic settlement at Tatton. The Bronze Age is the period most strongly represented before 1066 with 44 monuments, almost all of which are round barrows. Eleven Iron Age hillforts or promontory forts are scheduled. The period of Roman rule left a variety of scheduled monuments, including the remains of settlements at Heronbridge and Wilderspool, and parts of Chester city walls. Definite or possible Roman military camps have been revealed by aerial photography showing cropmarks and parchmarks. The monuments remaining from the Dark Age and the Saxon period consist mainly of portions of crosses, and there is evidence of Saxon occupation of villages, now deserted, at Tatton and Baddiley.
| Name | Remains | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey Green cultivation marks | Excavation | Chester 53.1933°N -2.891°W | Iron Age | Excavations in 1975–77 revealed striations in the sandstone bedrock indicating pre-Roman cultivation of the area. |
| Baddiley village | Foundations | Baddiley 53.0497°N -2.5863°W | Late Saxon and Medieval | There is evidence of house platforms and enclosures which indicate a deserted village.[1] |
| Bartomley mound | Cairn | Wincle 53.1882°N -2.0546°W | Late Bronze Age | A round barrow which consists of a mound which is partly bedrock. The edges of it have been ploughed and two pits dug into it. |
| Bearhurst barrow | Earthworks | Henbury 53.2455°N -2.1912°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow 50feet across and 6feet high. An excavation in 1965–66 revealed flints, pottery sherds and two urns, one of which contained a cremation.[2] |
| Beeston Castle hillfort | Earthworks | Beeston 53.128°N -2.6919°W | Late Bronze Age to late Iron Age | A hillfort on a prominent rocky outcrop. The site is now occupied by a ruined medieval castle which has obliterated the signs of earlier occupation.[3] |
| Bent Farm Roman Camp | Earthworks | Newbold Astbury 53.1549°N -2.2442°W | Roman | Earthworks were identified in 1725 as a Roman temporary camp but largely destroyed in 1744. Further investigations carried out in 1967.[4] |
| Birch Hill | Cropmarks | Manley 53.26°N -2.7129°W | Roman | A temporary Roman camp which was identified from cropmarks in 1994 by aerial reconnaissance; no upstanding remains.[5] |
| Birtles Hall barrow | Earthworks | Over Alderley 53.268°N -2.219°W | Bronze Age | A slightly oval (20m x 19m) round barrow consisting of a mound on top of a natural rise.[6] |
| Blackrock Farm barrow | Earthwork | Ginclough, Rainow 53.2865°N -2.0635°W | Bronze Age | A turf-covered round barrow 22.5m in diameter and 1.6m high.[7] |
| Blue Boar Farm barrow | Earthworks | Rainow 53.2844°N -2.0453°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow, described in 1878 as a conical tumulus. It is now an oval (31.5m x 29m) mound of earth and stones up to 2m high.[8] |
| Bowstones | Standing stones | Lyme Handley 53.3287°N -2.0406°W | Late Saxon | Two cross staffs set in a massive stone base. Each has traces of carved interlaced ornament. Carved initials have been added, probably in the Medieval period.[9] |
| Bradley Hillfort | Earthworks | Kingsley 53.2861°N -2.6926°W | Iron Age | The smallest promontory hillfort in the county. It has natural defences only to the north; the other defences have been damaged by ploughing.[10] |
| The Bridestones | Stone structure | Congleton 53.1565°N -2.1398°W | Neolithic | The only known Neolithic tomb in the county, formerly a chambered long cairn. Much of its fabric was removed in the mid-18th century to build a road. It now consists of a chamber enclosed by large stone slabs.[11] |
| Brink Farm barrow | Earthworks | Rainow 53.3089°N -2.0445°W | Bronze Age | A bowl-shaped round barrow consisting of a mound near the top of a knoll. |
| Bullstones | Earthwork with upright stone | Wincle 53.2052°N -2.0732°W | Bronze Age | A cremation burial site in which the bones of a child or young person were found 3feet below the surface surrounded by a stone circle 20feet in diameter. Inside the circle was an upright stone slab, which is still present.[12] |
| Burton Point | Earthworks | Neston 53.2548°N -3.046°W | Iron Age | A promontory fort consisting of earthworks in an arc protecting a former headland overlooking the River Dee.[13] |
| Capesthorne Hall barrow (south) | Earthworks | Siddington 53.2495°N -2.2336°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow on a high point in woodland.[14] |
| Capesthorne Hall barrow (north) | Earthworks | Siddington 53.2529°N -2.2365°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow on the summit of a knoll. (The ornamental stone pedestal on its top is not part of the schedule.)[15] |
| Carden Park barrow | Earthworks | Carden 53.0753°N -2.8007°W | Bronze Age | An oval (32m x 25m) bowl barrow of sand and earth on a saddle of higher ground (now in a golf course).[16] |
| Charles Head barrow | Earthworks | Rainow 53.3051°N -2.0367°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow on the crest of a ridge, now crossed by a drystone wall.[17] |
| Chester Roman Amphitheatre | Earthworks | Chester 53.1893°N -2.8871°W | Roman | Originally in wood, later in stone. The northern half has been excavated.[18] |
| Chester city walls | City walls | Chester 53.1923°N -2.8891°W | Roman and medieval | An almost complete circuit of red sandstone walls round the city. The north and east walls follow Roman foundations and contain fabric from that era.[19] |
| Cleulow cross | Standing stone | Wincle 53.2038°N -2.0735°W | Early Medieval/ Dark Age | A gritstone pillar in a socket stone on a mound. The shaft is round and has the remains of a small wheelhead cross on the top.[20] In The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, a work for children by Alan Garner, Cleulow Cross is the location of the finale of the story. |
| Coddington barrow | Earthworks | Coddington 53.0919°N -2.8187°W | Bronze Age | A tree-covered mound of red sand with a surrounding ditch, scheduled as a bowl barrow. |
| Disley churchyard cross | Stone | Disley 53.3575°N -2.0398°W | Early Medieval/ Dark Age | A socket stone for two crosses in St Mary's churchyard. It was discovered in 1958 and thought to be the setting for two Saxon crosses.[21] |
| Eddisbury hillfort | Earthworks | Delamere 53.2192°N -2.6705°W | Iron Age | A former hillfort on a steep-sided sandstone projection on the east side of the mid-Cheshire ridge. The defences consist of two earth ramparts with a single ditch between them.[22] |
| Edgar's Cave | Former quarry | Handbridge 53.1844°N -2.8887°W | Roman | A quarry which included a shrine to Minerva whose image is still visible. The shrine is a Grade I listed building.[23] |
| Elm Bank Roman Camp | Cropmark | Waverton 53.1701°N -2.8222°W | Roman | Cropmarks show a rectangular enclosure which housed a Roman practice camp.[24] |
| Engine Vein copper mine | Trench and pits | Nether Alderley 53.2941°N -2.2104°W | Bronze Age and later | An opencast mine for copper and other minerals in use from the early Bronze Age, in Roman and medieval times, through to the Victorian era.[25] |
| Gallowsclough Cob barrow | Earthworks | Oakmere 53.2373°N -2.6455°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow excavated in 1960 which was found to contain a primary cremation burial as well as fragments of a secondary burial, time frame unknown.[26] |
| Ginclough standing stone | Standing stone | Ginclough 53.2842°N -2.0683°W | Late prehistoric | A large stone 1m high cut away on two sides.[27] |
| Harbutt's Field Roman fort | Plan of Roman fort | Middlewich53.1985°N -2.4472°W | Roman | The complete plan of a Roman fort has been revealed by a geophysical survey.[28] |
| Helsby hill fort | Earthworks | Helsby Hill 53.2732°N -2.763°W | Iron Age | A promontory fort with naturally steep slopes to the west and north and an earth and stone rampart to the south.[29] |
| Heronbridge Roman Site | Earthworks | Claverton 53.1709°N -2.8839°W | Roman | A Roman settlement on each side of Watling Street with evidence of industrial activity in the late 1st and the 2nd century.[30] |
| High Billinge barrow | Earthworks | Utkinton 53.1911°N -2.6679°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow 30m across and 1.8m high in woodland on a hill-top. Unexcavated.[31] |
| Hoole Roman Camp | Parchmark | Hoole 53.2044°N -2.8551°W | Roman | Aerial photography in August 1995 showed a rectangular enclosure, part of which lies under the A41 road.[32] |
| Ince Roman Fortlet | Cropmarks | Ince 53.287°N -2.8303°W | Roman | Aerial photography showed a double-ditched rectangular enclosure. Excavation revealed a piece of samian pottery and postholes.[33] |
| Jodrell Bank barrow cemetery | Earthworks | Swettenham 53.2243°N -2.3036°W | Bronze Age | Four remaining round barrows from an original group of six.[34] |
| Kelsborrow promontory fort | Earthworks | Delamere 53.2027°N -2.7026°W | Iron Age | A promontory fort with steep sides to the south and a curving bank and ditch to the north. In the 19th century a palstave and a fragment of a sword were found.[35] |
| Knightslow barrows | Earthworks | Lyme Handley 53.3319°N -2.0547°W | Bronze Age | A group of four round barrows in woodland on a hill.[36] |
| London Road barrow | Earthworks | Prestbury 53.3017°N -2.1398°W | Bronze Age | A slightly oval (26m x 25m) barrow up to 1.3m in height. In 1808 a number of cairns were found, one of which contained cremations.[37] |
| Long Lane barrow | Earthworks | Bickerton 53.0691°N -2.732°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow consisting of a low mound 24m in diameter and 0.5m high on a knoll to the east of Bickerton Hill.[38] |
| Longley Farm field system | Earthworks | Kelsall 53.2247°N -2.7056°W | Iron Age (or medieval/post-medieval) | A system of terraces, lynchets and enclosures.[39] |
| Maiden Castle | Earthworks | Bickerton Hill 53.0708°N -2.7511°W | Iron Age | A promontory hill fort on a spur with an earthwork defending its neck and two lines of ramparts on the south and east.[40] |
| Meadows Farm barrow | Earthworks | Horton-cum-Malpas 53.0296°N -2.8146°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow which contained an oak plank, possibly part of a coffin.[41] |
| Moultonbank barrow | Earthworks | Moulton 53.2203°N -2.5211°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow on the top of a glacial mound 35m in diameter and 1.5m high.[42] |
| The Murder Stone | Standing stone | Lyme Handley 53.3261°N -2.0248°W | Bronze Age | A standing stone consisting of a triangular slab of gritstone.[43] |
| Nab Head barrow | Earthworks | Bollington 53.3058°N -2.0912°W | Bronze Age | An oval (19m x 17m) barrow up to 1.8m high with a central depression, surrounded by a ditch.[44] |
| Two sections of the North Cheshire Ridge Roman Road | Earthworks | Appleton Thorn 53.3497°N -2.5461°W Stretton 53.3436°N -2.56°W | Roman | Much of The Appleton Thorn portion of the road is now covered by the village hall car park; the scheduled portion of the road in Stretton is near to Mosswood Hall |
| Oakmere hill fort | Earthworks | Oakmere 53.206°N -2.6312°W | Iron Age | A promontory fort on a spur protruding into the mere with a rampart across the east side.[45] |
| Peckforton Mere promontory fort | Earthworks and cropmarks | Peckforton 53.1144°N -2.6803°W | Iron Age | A defensive settlement on a ridge with the mere to the southwest and marsh to the northwest and southeast. The northeast was defended by a ditch.[46] |
| Picton Roman camp | Cropmarks | Picton 53.2243°N -2.8677°W | Roman | Aerial photography in July 1995 showed a rectangular enclosure which was probably a Roman practice camp.[47] |
| Prestbury churchyard cross shaft | Stone fragments | Prestbury 53.2892°N -2.1508°W | Early Medieval/ Dark Age | Three Saxon stone fragments cemented together in the churchyard of St Peter's; the lower two fragments come from one cross while the top one is from a different cross. |
| Reed Hill cairn | Earthworks | Lyme Handley 53.3155°N -2.0342°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow on the apex of a natural mound. Excavation in 1911 revealed a gritstone burial chamber containing cremated human bones.[48] |
| Robin Hood's Tump | Earthworks | Alpraham 53.1346°N -2.6371°W | Bronze Age | A sand and turf round barrow 17m in diameter and 1.5m high. Excavation revealed worked flints but no evidence of a burial.[49] |
| Sandbach Crosses | Standing stones | Sandbach 53.144°N -2.3621°W | Early Medieval/ Dark Age | A pair of Saxon crosses decorated with carvings on all faces. They have been moved on several occasions and were erected in their present position in 1816. They are listed at Grade I.[50] |
| Sandbach cross fragments | Stones | Sandbach 53.1435°N -2.3611°W | Early Medieval/ Dark Age | Three fragments from the shaft of one or more Saxon crosses in S Mary's churchyard. |
| Seven Lows barrows | Earthworks | Delamere 53.1987°N -2.655°W | Bronze Age | Five barrows remaining out of an original total of seven.[51] |
| Somerford Bridge barrow | Earthwork | Somerford 53.1677°N -2.2553°W | Neolithic | A suspected long barrow, now a mound covered in oak trees.[52] |
| Sponds Hill barrows | Earthworks | Lyme Handley 53.3194°N -2.0471°W | Bronze Age | Two round barrows, one on the summit of the hill, the other to the south.[53] |
| St. Plegmund's well | Holy well | Mickle Trafford 53.2253°N -2.8175°W | Early Medieval/ Dark Age | A well, now dry, surrounded by stone slabs.[54] |
| Stamford Heath enclosure | Shown on aerial photographs | Christleton 53.1972°N -2.8087°W | Roman | Photography in 1947 revealed a rectangular earthwork enclosure which may be a Roman camp.[55] |
| Stamford Lodge Roman Camp | Cropmarks | Christleton 53.1964°N -2.8179°W | Roman | Photography in 1947 revealed a rectangular earthwork enclosure which may be a Roman camp.[56] |
| Sutton Hall cairn | Earthworks | Sutton, Macclesfield 53.2388°N -2.114°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow 24m in diameter and up to 1.4m in height. When excavated in 1962 secondary cremations were found but no primary cremation.[57] |
| Swettenham Hall barrow | Earthworks | Swettenham 53.1971°N -2.2801°W | Bronze Age | A probable round barrow which has been spread by ploughing.[58] |
| Tatton settlement, old hall and mill dam | Earthworks | Tatton Park 53.3286°N -2.3671°W | Late Neolithic, Saxon, and Medieval | A former village occupied in the late Neolithic, Saxon and Medieval periods. Now deserted and only earthworks remain. The site includes the ground beneath Tatton Old Hall.[59] |
| Thieves Moss Roman road | Site of road | Delamere Forest 53.2182°N -2.6563°W | Roman | The possible site of section of the Chester-Manchester Roman road. |
| Toot Hill barrow | Mound | Macclesfield Forest 53.2454°N -2.044°W | Bronze Age | An oval barrow of earth and stones at the centre of which is a gritstone slab.[60] |
| Tytherington barrow | Earthworks | Tytherington 53.2712°N -2.1308°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow, now in a housing development, which was found to contain a cremation and part of an urn.[61] |
| Upton Heath Roman Camp | Cropmark | Upton Heath 53.2201°N -2.8744°W | Roman | A rectangular round-cornered enclosure, possibly a Roman practice camp.[62] |
| Upton Roman Camp | Parchmarks | Upton-by-Chester 53.2196°N -2.8703°W | Roman | Aerial photography in August 1989 showed a rectangular enclosure; no signs of it can be seen on the ground.[63] |
| Upton Roman camp (1) | Parchmarks | Upton-by-Chester 53.2233°N -2.8721°W | Roman | Aerial photography in August 1990 showed a rectangular enclosure with a rounded entrance. |
| Upton Roman camp (2) | Cropmarks | Upton-by-Chester 53.2168°N -2.8695°W | Roman | Aerial photography has shown a rectangular enclosure. Further investigations have revealed evidence of a ditch and sherds of Roman pottery. |
| West Park cross shafts | Three standing stones | West Park, Macclesfield 53.2634°N -2.1365°W | Early Medieval/ Dark Age | Three Saxon circular crosses with traces of ornamental sculpting, now mounted in a public park. |
| Whitley barrow | Earthworks | Lower Whitley 53.3099°N -2.5747°W | Bronze Age | A slightly oval round barrow.[64] |
| Wilderspool Roman site | Excavation | Wilderspool 53.375°N -2.5871°W | Roman | Excavations have shown parts of a walled town with evidence of industrial activity.[65] |
| Winwick barrow | Earthworks | Highfield Lane, Winwick 53.4342°N -2.5827°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow, formerly part of a cemetery. Excavation in 1860 revealed a large urn containing human bones, a stone axe hammer and a bronze spear head.[66] |
| Withington Hall barrow cemetery | Earthworks | Withington, Macclesfield 53.2482°N -2.2911°W | Bronze Age | Three round barrows, two of which have been excavated revealing evidence of cremations.[67] |
| Woodhouse hillfort | Stone and earth bank | Frodsham 53.2763°N -2.735°W | Iron Age | A promontory hillfort with steep slopes on the south and west sides and a stone and earth bank on the other sides.[68] |
| Wybunbury church site | Foundations | Wybunbury 53.0452°N -2.4486°W | Late Saxon | A church was present in the Domesday survey. The subsequent medieval Church of St Chad (other than the tower) has been demolished and the site is scheduled.[69] |
| Yearn's Low barrow | Earthworks | Rainow 53.2806°N -2.0548°W | Bronze Age | A round barrow 19m in diameter in which Roman coins and other objects have been found.[70] |