Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0498 Randy Burn Camp, Northumberland (Percy's Cross)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Northumberland 3168 (None)

NMR:  NU 01 NE 36 (1378735)

SM:  None

NGR:  NU 0572 1954

X:  405722  Y:  619540  (OSGB36)

Summary

Lying on a low knoll at 81m OD to the N of Percy's Cross Fox Covert, the cropmarks of an almost circular ditch enclosing 0.68ha, probably a former univallate hillfort. The feature comprises an outer ditch 2.5m wide which encircles the base of a low knoll. Internally two 0.5m wide palisades trenches lying 8m apart and measuring 44m and 68m in diameter run concentrically to the main enclosure ditch (Deegan, 2003; Gates and Deegan 2009, 144) which are probably earlier. Both have possible entrances in the W and E. The rounded terminal on the E side of the main enclosure possibly forms one side of an entrance. The opposing terminal ditch is obscured by different land use not conducive to cropmark formation. The enclosure is not recorded on historic OS mapping and its origins are uncertain. The site was mapped as part of the Till-Tweed ALSF/NMP Project.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -212736  Y:  7453563  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.9110372764376145  Latitude:  55.46969237812988  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England; None

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Northumberland

Historic County:  Northumberland

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Bewick; Hedgeley

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

None

Current Use:
Woodland  
Commercial Forestry Plantation  
Parkland  
Pasture (Grazing)  
Arable  
Scrub/Bracken  
Bare Outcrop  
Heather/Moorland  
Heath  
Built-up  
Coastal Grassland  
Other  

Landscape

Hillfort Type

A possible contour fort encircling a low knoll a few metres above the Beamish floodplain at 81m OD

Type:
Contour Fort  
Partial Contour Fort  
Promontory Fort  
Hillslope Fort  
Level Terrain Fort  
Marsh Fort  
Multiple Enclosure Fort  

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop  
Coastal Promontory  
Inland Promontory  
Valley Bottom  
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop  
Ridge  
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp  
Hillslope  
Lowland  
Spur  

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Low knoll

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  81.0m

Boundary

Parish boundary between Bewick and Hedgeley runs through or to the N of the enclosure

Boundary Type:  Parish/Townland


Dating Evidence

The site is undated but it is presumed the ditched enclosure evolved from the earlier palisaded enclosure

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC  
1200BC - 800BC  
800BC - 400BC  
400BC - AD50  
AD50 - AD400  
AD400 - AD 800  
Post AD800  
Unknown  

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   Palisade
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Mapped in 2003 from aerial photographs as part of the Till-Tweed ALSF/NMP Project

Investigations:
Other (2003):   None

Interior Features

No internal features are recorded

Water Source

Bordered by the Randy Burn in the N and E

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

None

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features  
Round Stone Structures  
Rectangular Stone Structures  
Curvilinear Platforms  
Other Roundhouse Evidence  
Pits  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics  
Pits  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds  
Pottery  
Metal  
Metalworking  
Human Bones  
Animal Bones  
Lithics  
Environmental  
Other  

Aerial

None

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked  
None  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roads/Tracks  
Other  

Entrances

The pallisades have possible entrances in the W and E. The rounded terminal on the E side of the main enclosure possibly forms one side of an entrance. The opposing terminal ditch is obscured by different landuse not conducive to cropmark formation

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
5:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   Inner palisade
2. Simple Gap (East):   Outer palisade
3. Simple Gap (West):   Inner palisade
4. Simple Gap (West):   Outer palisade
5. Simple Gap (East):   Rounded terminal on E side of main enclosure ditch

Enclosing Works

Almost circular ditch enclosing 0.68ha Comprises an outer ditch 2.5m wide which circles around the base of the hill. Internally two 0.5m wide palisade trenches lying 8m apart and measuring 44m and 68m in diameter run concentrically to the ditch.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.68ha.
Total:   0.68ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✓   Earlier palisaded enclosure

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  
Unknown  

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  

Surface Evidence

Two palisades

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Rubble  
Wall-walk  
Evidence of Timber  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
Other  

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Murus Duplex  
Timber-framed  
Timber-laced  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
No Known Excavation  
Other  

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Deegan, A. 2003. Till-Tweed ALSF/NMP Project Northumberland Summary Report. Aerial Survey Report Series AER/6/2003. English Heritage

Gates, T and Deegan, A. 2009. Monuments in the Landscape in Passmore, D.G. and Waddington, C. (eds). Managing Archaeological Landscapes in Northumberland. Till-Tweed Studies, Vol 1. Oxbow, 125-171



Terms of Use

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


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