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HER:  Wiltshire and Swindon MWI4752 (None)
NMR:  ST 96 W 5 (212130)
SM:  None
NGR:  ST93356939
X:  393352  Y:  169393  (OSGB36)
Strategically sited inland promontory hillfort located on a W-facing downland spur directly above River Avon. Only discovered by A.C. Clarke in 1954 and visible on aerial photograph and LiDar survey 2005. Roughly rectangular, occupying edge of escarpment. Simple widely-spread bank and ditch across neck of promontory, best on SE where substantial defences and possible traces of second outer bank. N and W sides protected by natural scarp. To the S the natural slopes are such that it is possible that rampart extended along this side, but obliterated by hollow way. On E original causewayed entrance, although the inner scarp of the bank appears to cross it. Possibly incomplete. Probably Iron Age based on morphology, but Samian and Romano-British potsherds chance finds possibly associated with later occupation of fort. Damaged by Naish Farm, with Farm Lane on S and steep slopes of Tacklemore Wood to N. Lynchet on W. In interior later, probably post-medieval subdivision seen as low eroded bank cutting N-S across enclosure.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -233439  Y:  6696543  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -2.097020708022351  Latitude:  51.42345562475207  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  England
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Wiltshire
Historic County:  Wiltshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Lacock
Naish Farm located on part of W and road skirting fort cuts S rampart.
Extant   | ✓ |
Cropmark   | ✗ |
Likely Destroyed   | ✗ |
Farmed.
Woodland   | ✓ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
Parkland   | ✗ |
Pasture (Grazing)   | ✓ |
Arable   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
Heath   | ✗ |
Built-up   | ✓ |
Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
Other   | ✓ |
Strategically sited inland promontory hillfort located on a W-facing downland spur directly above River Avon.
Contour Fort   | ✗ |
Partial Contour Fort   | ✗ |
Promontory Fort   | ✓ |
Hillslope Fort   | ✗ |
Level Terrain Fort   | ✗ |
Marsh Fort   | ✗ |
Multiple Enclosure Fort   | ✗ |
Sited on a west facing downland spur above the River Avon
Hilltop   | ✗ |
Coastal Promontory   | ✗ |
Inland Promontory   | ✓ |
Valley Bottom   | ✗ |
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   | ✗ |
Ridge   | ✗ |
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   | ✗ |
Hillslope   | ✗ |
Lowland   | ✗ |
Spur   | ✓ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  W-facing downland spur.
North   | ✗ |
Northeast   | ✗ |
East   | ✗ |
Southeast   | ✗ |
South   | ✗ |
Southwest   | ✗ |
West   | ✓ |
Northwest   | ✗ |
Level   | ✗ |
Altitude:  130.0m
N/A
Probably Iron Age based on morphology, but Samian and Romano-British potsherds chance finds possibly associated with later occupation of fort.
Reliability:  C - Low
Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
400BC - AD50   | ✓ |
AD50 - AD400   | ✓ |
AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
Post AD800   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✗ |
Pre Hillfort:   | None |
Post Hillfort:   | None |
Artefactual:   | Samian and Romano-British potsherds. |
Morphology/Earthwork/Typology:   | Estimated. |
LiDar survey 2005. English Heritage Aerial Photograph Investigation National Archaeological Identification Survey. Lowland Pilot.
LiDAR Survey (2005):   | English Heritage |
Other (None):   | EH aerial photograph survey. |
Samian and Romano-British potsherds chance finds.
None
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   | ✗ |
Samian and Romano-British potsherds chance finds.
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   | ✗ |
On E original causewayed entrance c. 47m from S edge of Tacklemore Wood, although the inner scarp of the bank appears to cross it.
1:   | None |
2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
1. Simple Gap (East):   | Causewayed entrance. Inner scarp of the bank appears to cross it. |
Roughly rectangular occupying edge of escarpment. Simple widely-spread bank and ditch across neck of promontory, best on SE where substantial defences and possible traces of second outer bank. N and W sides protected by natural scarp. To the S the natural slopes are such that it is possible that rampart extended along this side, but obliterated by hollow way.
Area 1:   | Noneha. |
Total:   | Noneha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
✗   | None |
✗   | Rampart cuts across promontory. |
NE Quadrant:   | 1 |
SE Quadrant:   | 1 |
SW Quadrant:   | 0 |
NW Quadrant:   | 0 |
Total:   | 1 |
Partial Univallate   | ✓ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✗ |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
Possibly incomplete.
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 |
✓   | Ditch best on SE side. |
Number of Ditches:  1
✗   | None |
No related records
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