LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Cornwall and Scilly MCO40 (31934)
NMR: SW 53 NE 15 (424685)
SM: 1006720
NGR: SW55643713
X: 155640 Y: 37130 (OSGB36)
Formerly thought of as a promontory fort, but little now survives to define site and probably small hillslope fort located on slight W-facing lower spur slope near Hayle Estuary, with natural slopes to N and E sides, encloses 0.2ha. Seemingly constructed to overlook the Hayle estuary and prehistoric trackway S of it. Possibly two ramparts, outer surmounting a 16m high cliff. Main rampart only visible in places to N where substantial, with possible annexe. Farming and railway cutting removed nearly all traces of a W rampart, but this may be visible as a change of slope. No evidence for a ditch. Remaining ramparts were walled up and paths cut along them by Henry Harvey in the construction of a park in 1845. Entrance on NW with an enclosure to the E of it and a track leading from it to the shore, but this may possibly be modern. Granite grave slab of about 400 AD was found in 1843. Much mutilated. On 1st Ed OS map (1879). Undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -603843 Y: 6478134 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -5.424414163206788 Latitude: 50.18360355184236 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cornwall
Historic County: Cornwall
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Hayle
Much mutilated by farm, railway and park construction. All of W side gone. On Heritage at Risk Register (2015).
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Farm, railway and park construction.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✓ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Formerly thought of as a promontory fort (aka cliff castle), but little now survives to define site and probably small hillslope fort on slight W-facing lower spur slope, near Hayle Estuary with natural slopes defending the N and E sides.
| Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✓ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
Natural slopes defend the north and east side
| Hilltop | ✗ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✓ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✓ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: W-facing slope of spur
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✓ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 17.0m
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: | Farm, railway and park construction. |
On 1st Ed OS map (1879). Field investigation Ordnance Survey 1962.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1879): | OS map |
| Other (1962): | Field investigation OS. |
Granite grave slab of about 400 AD was found in 1843.
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 | ✗ |
Granite grave slab of about 400 AD was found in 1843.
| 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 | ✗ |
No entrance visible.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
Possible two ramparts, the outer surmounting a 16m high cliff. Main rampart only visible in places to N where substantial, with possible annexe. Farming and railway cutting removed nearly all traces of a W rampart, but this may be visible as a change of slope. Remaining ramparts were walled up and paths cut along them by Henry Harvey in the construction of the park in 1845. Entrance. No evidence for a ditch.
| Area 1: | 0.2ha. |
| Total: | 0.2ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | Site much mutilated. |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| 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 | ✗ |
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 |
| ✗ | None visible. |
Number of Ditches: 0
| ✓ | Possible annexe, but mutilations so severe to make definition difficult. |
Buck, C. and Smith, J. R. 1995. Hayle Town Survey, Unpublished report, Cornwall Archaeological Unit, Cornwall County Council.
Cahill, N. 2000. Hayle Historical Assessment, Cornwall, Unpublished report, Cornwall Archaeological Unit, Cornwall County Council.
Page, W. ed. 1906. The Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, 1, London: James Street, 468.
Thomas, JI. 1947. Studies in Cornish Archaeology, 62-4.
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