NY 999678. Shrunken village of Halton. Two areas of earthworks survive, that to the north of the farm consisting of rectangular enclosures, possible house platforms at the west end and defined on the north by a linear bank, perhaps an early road alignment. South of the farm are a series of rectangular enclosures on the edge of the village platform. More enclosures, suggestive of crofts lie under rig and furrow to the south. Plan. (1)

NY 999678. NY 998676 shrunken village at Halton. Scheduled. (2)

In the 13th century the manor and lordship of Halton was held in thegnage tenure by the family of Halton. An IPM of 1287 recorded a capital messuage, ten and a half bondages each containing 30 acres of arable, and a cottage. In an inquisition taken 12 years later the number of bondage holdings had been doubled, and the land appertaining to each halved. The vill only had six taxpayers in 1296. In 1385 the lordship was wasted by the Scots.
There is no indication that Halton survived the Middle Ages as a large settlement. In the Hearth Tax of 1666 only four houses were recorded, including the castle. A plan of 1677 details the village site and township fields. At that time the lands of Halton comprised a group of closes around the settlement together with two large fields (the Downes and Pasture, and the South Field). The village was formed by a group of crofts and enclosures without clear order or alignment. In 1719 the settlement was still comprised in two main farms. Today the settlement contains the castle, chapel, a house and a cottage.
The disappearance of holdings noted in the 13th century may be associated with the emergence of the post-medieval vill at Halton Shields, which was created out of the north east third of Halton lands and described as a separate vill in 1524.
Croft and enclosure boundaries visible as earthworks in fields to the south of the tennis courts and east of the chapel. The southern perimeter of the village lies in the field on the south side of the house, with ridge and furrow to the south of it, and bumps to the north. Several of the earthworks are identifiable with those on the 1677 plan. (3)

House platforms, hollow ways and field system visible on thermal imagery. (4)

An evaluation trench excavated in 2016 at Shepherd's House revealed remains of floors, walls and a stone conduit, as well as stratified deposits over subsoil. They included: two lengths of unbonded sandstone wall (possibly part of the same feature) which survived as the lowest course of facing stones; and a stone-lined conduit which had lost most of its capstones (one example survived in the northern section). Although no artefacts were found, the remains may date to the period of the the late medieval settlement of Halton. (5)

Medieval boundary banks, enclosures, mounds and crofts are visible as earthworks on air photographs centred at NY 9986 6778. An extensive arrangement of broad boundary banks are visible, some defining the edge of medieval ridge and furrow. Immediately south of the present farm are the remains of at least two large enclosures, bounded on the south by a scarp. Further to the south are the remains of probable croft boundaries, some of which are visible as platforms. These are overlain by ridge and furrow of probable medieval date. At NY 9972 6769 are a series of mounds of uncertain date or function. (6a)

General association with HER 31157 (ridge and furrow). (6)