LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Lake District National Park 886 (None)
NMR: NY 23 SW 2 (9936)
SM: 1013384
NGR: NY 20173 30827
X: 320173 Y: 530827 (OSGB36)
Overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake on the summit of Castle How, a small Iron Age or post-Roman multivallate hillfort occupying an artificially levelled plateau on a rocky knoll at 90m OD. The ground falls away steeply in the N and S, with defences only to the E and W where the line of approach is easiest. These now survive as a series of four rock-cut crescent-shaped ditches with banks and counterscarps on the western side. On the eastern side, which is slightly steeper, there are two rock cut ditches with banks and counterscarps. Internally there is a large artificially levelled area. A simple gap entrance lies on the eastern side. A small ledge, approximately 6.5m by 2.7m, possibly a hut platform, lies on the SE side of the summit overlooking the inner ditch. Finds of a Roman date were recovered from this area during a survey in the 1920's. The site is unexcavated and there is some uncertainty as to its date of construction. Recorded on OS 6-inch 1888-1913 OS mapping
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Unconfirmed
X: -360585 Y: 7297348 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.239193916810361 Latitude: 54.666191760905775 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cumbria
Historic County: Cumberland
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Wythop
None
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Earthworks survive well in woodland but are cut into by an old quarry on its NE side.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
A multivallate contour fort lying at 90m OD on the summit of Castle How
| 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: Summit of a rocky knoll with steep sides in the N and S
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 90.0m
N/A
Amongst the stones used for the revetment, Collingwood (1924) found pot boilers and pieces of red sandstone, one of which had parallel chisel tooling which he interpreted as being of Roman origin and another which he considered to be part of a Roman roofing tile.
Reliability: C - Low
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | Possibly Roman or later |
| Artefactual: | Roman roofing tile |
Plan and description produced by Curwen (1911) and Collingwood (1924). Recorded on OS 6-inch 1888-1913 OS mapping. Field investigation in 1966 and 1970. Scheduled
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1911): | description and plan |
| Other (1924): | Description and plan |
| Other (1924): | Scheduled |
| Other (1966): | Field investigation |
| Other (1970): | Field invesitigation |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | None |
Artificially levelled plateau measuring approximately 38.5m EW by 20m NS, raised up to 0.7m high in the N. Collingwood (1924) suggested this formed the footings of an earth or stone rampart although no other trace now exists.
No water source inside but overlooks Bassenthwaite Lake in the N.
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Small ledge
| 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 | ✗ |
Pot boilers and tile recovered
| 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 | ✗ |
A single entrance on the eastern side which passes through a gap in the outer bank and across a causeway over the inner ditch. A rocky hummock approximately 2m high which is artificially dished out provides a rock breastwork between the inner and outer ditches
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (East): | None |
The enclosing works survive as a series of four rock-cut crescent-shaped ditches with banks and counterscarps on the western side. On the eastern side which is slightly more steep, two rock cut ditches with banks and counterscarps. Collingwood (1924) noted a cobblestone revetment in the innermost western and outermost eastern ditches and along the northern edge of the hillfort just below the summit. The naturally steep ground in the N and S precludes the need for defences.
| Area 1: | Noneha. |
| Total: | Noneha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
Four in the west, two in the east
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | The number of banks is assumed from the number of ditches |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 4 |
| NW Quadrant: | 4 |
| Total: | 4 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✓ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
None
| 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 |
| ✓ | Four ditches in the W and two in the E. |
Number of Ditches: 4
| ✗ | None |
Collingwood, R.G. 1924: Castle How, Peel Wyke.-Trans Cumberland and Westmorland Antiq Archaeol Soc New Series, Volume:-24:-78-87 (includes plan)
Curwen, J.F. 1911. Castle How, Peel Wyke. Trans Cumberland and Westmorland Antiq and Archaeol Soc. 11; 118-121 (includes plan)
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