Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0628 Padderbury Top, Cornwall

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

Scroll left/right to view further images.

HER:  Cornwall and Scilly MCO71 (10236)

NMR:  SX 36 SW 5 (436736)

SM:  1007297

NGR:  SX3139561040

X:  231395  Y:  61040  (OSGB36)

Summary

Small, bivallate, contour hillfort sited on summit of prominent Padderbury Top hill. Complex defences in impressive position.Steep surrounding slopes, less so on SW. Roughly circular central enclosure has inner rampart bank to 9m wide and 3m high, enclosing 0.6ha. Concentrically surrounded by close-set second rampart now scarp to 1m high. Aerial photographs show originally up to four ramparts, one between the two visible ramparts and an outer bank with ditch. These, together with ditches associated with visible ramparts, buried features. E and W possible original entrances. Pasture interior, some scrub on banks.Plough damage. On 1st Ed. OS map (1882). Undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -487032  Y:  6520186  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.37508297629969  Latitude:  50.424884542139964  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cornwall

Historic County:  Cornwall

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  St Gerrans

Monument Condition

Plough damage, but two of possibly four ramparts survive.

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Pasture interior, some scrub on banks.

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

Small, bivallate, contour hillfort sited on summit of prominent Padderbury Top hill. Complex defences in impressive position.Steep surrounding slopes, less so on SW.

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:  Hill top

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  132.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None.

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:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Mention by antiquaries D. Lysons and Rev S. Lysons, 1814. On 1st Ed. OS map (1882). DOE investigations 1976, 1978, 1981, 1983.

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1814):   Reference by D. Lysons and Rev S. Lysons.
1st Identified Map Depiction (1882):   OS map.
Other (None):   DOE investigations.

Interior Features

None.

Water Source

None

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

E and W possible original entrances.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   None
2. Simple Gap (West):   None

Enclosing Works

Roughly circular central enclosure has inner rampart bank to 9m wide and 3m high. Concentrically surrounded by close-set second rampart now scarp to 1m high. Aerial photographs show possibly up to four ramparts originally, one between the two visible ramparts and an outer bank with ditch. These, together with ditches associated with visible ramparts, buried features.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.6ha.
Total:   0.6ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Aerial photographs show possibly up to four ramparts originally.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   2
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   2

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

None

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:
✓   Ditches now buried features.

Number of Ditches:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

Lysons, D. and Lysons, S. 1814. Magna Britannia. Vol 3, Cornwall, 248.



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


Document Version 1.1