Scroll left/right to view further images.
HER:  Herefordshire MHE804 (1586)
NMR:  SO 32 NW 3 (105680)
SM:  1001755
NGR:  SO348250
X:  334889  Y:  225082  (OSGB36)
Prominent, roughly circular, triple-banked, contour hillfort located at confluence of the Rivers Honddu and Monnow and near the confluence of the River Dore and Monnow. Internal area c. 1.77ha. Possible external ditch in places. Outer and inner ramparts higher than middle. The inner rampart is strong and up to 3.2m above the ditch bottom, with a counterscarp to 2.6m above ground level. Part of outer bank removed in NE and outside the fort quarrying. There are two simple entrances to the SW and NE. Part of outer bank on NE destroyed by farmyard works. This area and N part of three ramparts in different ownership to rest where fencing affects site. Open woodland, garden and shrubs also on parts of fort. Access problems. Outside the fort quarrying. Undated. On 1st Ed OS map (1887).
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -328191  Y:  6785745  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -2.9481869820036057  Latitude:  51.92039800222291  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  England
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Herefordshire
Historic County:  Herefordshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Walterstone
Part of outer bank on NE destroyed by farmyard works. This area and N part of three ramparts in different ownership to rest where fencing affects site. Affected by open woodland, garden and shrubs also on parts of fort. Access problems. Outside the fort quarrying.
Extant   | ✓ |
Cropmark   | ✗ |
Likely Destroyed   | ✓ |
Woodland, rough grass, farmyard and developments on site.
Woodland   | ✓ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
Parkland   | ✗ |
Pasture (Grazing)   | ✓ |
Arable   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken   | ✓ |
Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
Heath   | ✗ |
Built-up   | ✓ |
Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
Other   | ✓ |
Site roughly follows the contours in a circle. Prominent site at the confluence of the Rivers Honddu and Monnow
Contour Fort   | ✓ |
Partial Contour Fort   | ✗ |
Promontory Fort   | ✗ |
Hillslope Fort   | ✗ |
Level Terrain Fort   | ✗ |
Marsh Fort   | ✗ |
Multiple Enclosure Fort   | ✗ |
.
Hilltop   | ✗ |
Coastal Promontory   | ✗ |
Inland Promontory   | ✗ |
Valley Bottom   | ✗ |
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   | ✗ |
Ridge   | ✗ |
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   | ✗ |
Hillslope   | ✗ |
Lowland   | ✗ |
Spur   | ✓ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  Prominent spur.
North   | ✗ |
Northeast   | ✗ |
East   | ✗ |
Southeast   | ✗ |
South   | ✗ |
Southwest   | ✗ |
West   | ✗ |
Northwest   | ✗ |
Level   | ✓ |
Altitude:  230.0m
N/A
None
Reliability:  D - None
Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
400BC - AD50   | ✗ |
AD50 - AD400   | ✗ |
AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
Post AD800   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✓ |
Pre Hillfort:   | None |
Post Hillfort:   | None |
On 1st Ed OS map (1887). Herefordshire Council survey 2012.
1st Identified Map Depiction (1887):   | OS map. |
Other (2012):   | Herefordshire Council survey |
None
Stream 0.3 km outside hillfort
None   | ✓ |
Spring   | ✗ |
Stream   | ✗ |
Pool   | ✗ |
Flush   | ✗ |
Well   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
No Known Features   | ✓ |
Round Stone Structures   | ✗ |
Rectangular Stone Structures   | ✗ |
Curvilinear Platforms   | ✗ |
Other Roundhouse Evidence   | ✗ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Postholes   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
No Known Geophysics   | ✓ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
No Known Finds   | ✓ |
Pottery   | ✗ |
Metal   | ✗ |
Metalworking   | ✗ |
Human Bones   | ✗ |
Animal Bones   | ✗ |
Lithics   | ✗ |
Environmental   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
APs Not Checked   | ✓ |
None   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Postholes   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Two simple entrances, SW and NE, the latter probably modern.
2:   | NE probably modern. |
2:   | Original SW entrance aligned to Pen Twyn, Brilley. |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
1. Simple Gap (South west):   | Original SW entrance aligned to Pen Twyn, Brilley. |
Triple ramparts, the outer and inner higher than middle. The inner rampart is strong and up to 3.2m above the ditch bottom, with a counterscarp to 2.6m above ground level.
Area 1:   | 1.77ha. |
Total:   | 1.77ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
✗   | Circular nature of the site is unusual. |
✗   | Good circuit of ramparts. |
NE Quadrant:   | 3 |
SE Quadrant:   | 3 |
SW Quadrant:   | 3 |
NW Quadrant:   | 3 |
Total:   | 3 |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✓ |
Unknown   | ✗ |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
Counterscarp to 2.6m above ground level.
None   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank   | ✓ |
Stone Wall   | ✗ |
Rubble   | ✗ |
Wall-walk   | ✗ |
Evidence of Timber   | ✗ |
Vitrification   | ✗ |
Other Burning   | ✗ |
Palisade   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank   | ✓ |
Berm   | ✗ |
Unfinished   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
None   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank   | ✗ |
Stone Wall   | ✗ |
Murus Duplex   | ✗ |
Timber-framed   | ✗ |
Timber-laced   | ✗ |
Vitrification   | ✗ |
Other Burning   | ✗ |
Palisade   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank   | ✗ |
Berm   | ✗ |
Unfinished   | ✗ |
No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
Other   | ✗ |
✗   | None |
✓   | External ditch visible in places. |
Number of Ditches:  3
✗   | None |
Dorling, P. and Wigley, A. 2012. Assessment of the archaeological and conservation status of major later prehistoric enclosures in Herefordshire and Shropshire, EH PNUM, Version 3.2, Hereford and Shrewsbury: Herefordshire Council/Shropshire Council.
RCHME 1931-34. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Herefordshire, 1, (SW), 248, 9, London: HMSO.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:
Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk
Document Version 1.1