EN3739: Torberry |
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HER: West Sussex MWS6482
NMR: SU 72 SE 3 (243008)
SM: 1015966
NGR: SU779202
X: 477871 Y: 120308 (EPSG:27700)
Boundary: ✗
Slight, univallate, contour hillfort located on chalk spur projecting to N from a ridge of Sussex Downs. Pear-shaped aligned E-W enclosing c. 2.8ha. Defined by low bank or scarp surrounded by a mainly infilled ditch. Part excavation 1948 and 1956-58 (unpublished) indicated phased reconstruction and modification from the early Iron Age with use to 100 BC. 5th-3rd centuries BC defined as promontory fort, with N-S ditch and timber-reinforced bank across centre protecting W end of the steeply-sided spur. During 3rd century BC, ramparts enclosed whole spur-top, and new entrance on E. This gate modified during 2nd century BC with inturned stone-walled passage leading to timber gate, destroyed c. 100 BC. Now infilled pits in interior with Iron Age pottery. Medieval flour-milling post-mill foundation mound, the 'Fairy Bed' in W sector of earlier enclosure. Pasture interior with scattered trees, wooded surrounds. Plough damage but survives fairly well. On OS 1:25,000 map (1958).
| Citizen Science: | ✗ |
| Reliability of Data: | Confirmed |
| Reliability of Interpretation: | Confirmed |
X: -99318 Y: 6617202 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -0.892186 Latitude: 50.976865 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: West Sussex
Historic County: Sussex
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Harting
Plough damage, but survives fairly well.
| Extant: | ✓ |
| Cropmark: | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed: | ✗ |
Pasture interior with scattered trees, wooded surrounds. Medieval foundations.
| Woodland: | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation: | ✗ |
| Parkland: | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing): | ✓ |
| Arable: | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken: | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop: | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland: | ✗ |
| Heath: | ✗ |
| Built-up: | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✓ |
Slight univallate hillfort located chalk spur projecting to N from a ridge of Sussex Downs.
| 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: Spur
| North: | ✗ |
| Northeast: | ✗ |
| East: | ✗ |
| Southeast: | ✗ |
| South: | ✗ |
| Southwest: | ✗ |
| West: | ✗ |
| Northwest: | ✗ |
| Level: | ✓ |
Altitude: 156.0m
| Boundary Type: | ✗ |
Second HER: ✗
Second Current County or Unitary Authority: ✗
Second Historic County: ✗
Second Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: ✗
Part excavation 1948 and 1956-58 indicated phased reconstruction and modification from the early Iron Age with use to 100 BC. Iron Age pottery.
Reliability: B - Medium
| Pre 1200BC: | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC: | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC: | ✓ |
| 400BC - AD50: | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400: | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800: | ✗ |
| Post AD800: | ✗ |
| Unknown: | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort Activity: | ✗ |
| Post Hillfort Activity: | ✓ | Medieval flour-milling post-mill foundation mound, the 'Fairy Bed' in W sector of earlier enclosure. |
| Artefactual: | Iron Age pottery. |
| Morphology/Earthwork/Typology: | Excavation evidence. |
On OS 1:25,000 map (1958). Excavation A.R. Taylor, H. Brightwell 1947-49. Excavation E. Bawtry, J.R. Boyden, G.C. Duncan 1956-58.
| Excavation (1947-1949): | A.R. Taylor, H. Brightwell |
| Excavation (1956-1958): | E. Bawtry, J.R. Boyden, G.C. Duncan |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1958): |
Now infilled pits with Iron Age pottery.
| None: | ✓ |
| Spring: | ✗ |
| Stream: | ✗ |
| Pool: | ✗ |
| Flush: | ✗ |
| Well: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| No Known Features: | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures: | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures: | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms: | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence: | ✗ |
| Pits: | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
Now infilled pits.
| No Known Excavation: | ✗ |
| Pits: | ✓ |
| Postholes: | ✗ |
| Roundhouses: | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures: | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks: | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| Nothing Found: | ✗ |
| No Known Geophysics: | ✓ |
| Pits: | ✗ |
| Roundhouses: | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures: | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks: | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| Nothing Found: | ✗ |
Iron Age pottery.
| No Known Finds: | ✗ |
| Pottery: | ✓ |
| Metal: | ✗ |
| Metalworking: | ✗ |
| Human Bones: | ✗ |
| Animal Bones: | ✗ |
| Lithics: | ✗ |
| Environmental: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| APs Not Checked: | ✓ |
| None: | ✗ |
| Roundhouses: | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures: | ✗ |
| Pits: | ✗ |
| Postholes: | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
During third century BC, ramparts enclosed whole spur-top, and new entrance on E. This gate modified during 2nd century BC with inturned stone-walled passage leading to timber gate, destroyed c. 100 BC.
| Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts: | 1 |
| Number of Possible Original Entrances: |
Guard Chambers: ✗
| Chevaux de Frise: | ✗ |
| Entrance 1 (East): | Passage-way/Corridor | |
| Entrance 1 (East): | In-turned: | Gate modified during snd century BC with inturned stone-walled passage leading to timber gate, destroyed c. 100 BC. |
Defined by low bank or scarp surrounded by a mainly infilled ditch.
| Enclosed Area 1: | 2.8ha. |
| Enclosed Area 2: | ✗ |
| Enclosed Area 3: | ✗ |
| Enclosed Area 4: | ✗ |
| Total Enclosed Area: | 2.8ha. |
Total Footprint Area: ✗
| Multi-period Enclosure System: | ✓ | Phased construction. |
| Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit: | ✓ |
| Number of Ramparts: | 1 |
| Number of Ramparts NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| Number of Ramparts SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| Number of Ramparts SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Number of Ramparts NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate: | ✗ |
| Univallate: | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate: | ✗ |
| Bivallate: | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate: | ✗ |
| Multivallate: | ✗ |
| Unknown: | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate: | ✗ |
| Univallate: | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate: | ✗ |
| Bivallate: | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate: | ✗ |
| Multivallate: | ✗ |
| None: | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank: | ✓ |
| Stone Wall: | ✗ |
| Rubble: | ✗ |
| Wall-walk: | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber: | ✗ |
| Vitrification: | ✗ |
| Other Burning: | ✗ |
| Palisade: | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank: | ✗ |
| Berm: | ✗ |
| Unfinished: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| None: | ✓ |
| Earthen Bank: | ✗ |
| Stone Wall: | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex: | ✗ |
| Timber-framed: | ✗ |
| Timber-laced: | ✗ |
| Vitrification: | ✗ |
| Other Burning: | ✗ |
| Palisade: | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank: | ✗ |
| Berm: | ✗ |
| Unfinished: | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| Gang Working: | ✗ |
Ditches: ✓
| Number of Ditches: | 1: | Mainly infilled. |
| Annex: | ✗ |
Cunliffe, B, 1976. Iron Age Sites in Central Southern England, Council For British Archaeology Research Report, Vol. 16, 1-29.
Atlas of Hillforts: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/?query=Atlas_of_Hillforts_4166_0%2CMain_Atlas_Number%2C3739
Wikidata: http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q31117640
The online version of the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland should be cited as:
Lock, G. and Ralston, I. 2017. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. [ONLINE] Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.