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Eston Hills : In-depth Information By 1400BC farming had been taking place on and around the Eston Hills for at least a thousand years. Much of the woodland had been cleared to be replaced by grazing cattle and sheep, round barrows, fields and farmsteads. The people of this period saw the sacred in the landscape all around them and this was reflected in the number of religious monuments they built. The round barrows, mounds of earth some 12 metres across and up to 2 metres high, not only acted as monuments to their religion, but also as territorial markers, defining the tribal boundaries. The burials within the mounds were almost certainly of the highest status members of the society and these important few were usually cremated and placed in pots. In the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age, farming expanded all over the Eston Hills to cope with the increased population. The round barrows were ignored as more extensive field systems were developed and defended settlements were established. Eston Nab was one of these. In the mid 5th Century BC, the site was enlarged and the defences, which can still be seen today, were constructed. These consist of a stone wall that was later buried in soil to create a bank. The site does not appear to have been occupied at this time. This suggests that the cultivation of the Hills had led to erosion and that the farmers were forced to move their farmsteads onto the heavier clay soils of the Tees Lowlands. The Eston Hills had become an area of moorland by the end of the Iron Age and it was not until the 19th century that people were again attracted to the resources they offered. After war broke out with France in 1803, a system of temporary fires and beacons was established around the coast to warn of any invasion attempt. A sandstone beacon house was constructed in 1808 and after the war ended, the beacon house was used as a private dwelling. From 1850 the discovery of the Main Seam of ironstone at Eston appears to have ensured its survival, and a small cottage was built nearby. By the end of 1850, 187,950 tons of ore had been mined and both buildings were occupied by ironstone miners. The buildings were finally demolished in 1956 and a stone pillar now marks the site of the beacon. |
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