Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN4270 Prideaux Castle, Cornwall (The Warren; Prideaux Warren)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Cornwall and Scilly 5001 (None)

NMR:  SX 05 NE 3 (431133)

SM:  1006663

NGR:  SX 0590 5567

X:  205905  Y:  55681  (OSGB36)

Summary

Possible small contour hillfort or round located at end of prominent SE-facing spur above streams on E flowing into St Austell Bay on S. Steep slopes, moderate along ridge on NW. Roughly circular enclosing c. 0.81ha. Defined by three closely-spaced concentric ramparts and ditches, with incomplete fourth or more likely counterscarp on W. Ramparts range 1.3m to 2.7m, high inner best, outermost as partial scarp to 1.3m high. Possible staggered entrance on W, but no obvious break in third rampart, that on E possibly later. On N and E circuit overlain by field boundaries. Circular depression, 0.5m deep, outside fourth rampart on E side possible round house or small quarry. Chance finds of numerous flints, slingstones, stone axe and sherd of South-West Decorated pottery from interior. Pasture interior, wooded banks and Warren Wood to E and S. On 1st Ed. OS map (1882).

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -526627  Y:  6510404  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.730769510776646  Latitude:  50.36886973021853  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cornwall

Historic County:  Cornwall

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Luxulyan

Monument Condition

Fair condition.

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Pasture interior, wooded banks and Warren Wood to E and S.

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

Possible small contour hillfort or round located at end of prominent SE-facing spur above streams on E flowing into St Austell Bay on S. Steep slopes, moderate along ridge on NW.

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:  Spur

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  125.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Numerous chance finds of slingstones, stone axe and sherd of South-West Decorated pottery suggest Iron Age date.

Reliability:  C - Low

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:
Artefactual:   Chance finds.

Investigation History

Investigations Ordnance Survey 1813, 1969. Mention Lysons, D. and Lysons, S. Magna Britannia 1814. On 1st Ed. OS map (1882). Field investigation Ordnance Survey 1969. Aerial photograph interpretation Cornwall NMP. Survey Cornwall Archaeological Unit as part of the Luxulyan Valley Project 1988. Assessment Cornwall Archaeological Unit 1998.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1813):   Investigations OS.
1st Identified Written Reference (1814):   Mention Lysons, D. and Lysons, S. Magna Britannia.
Other (1882):   OS map.
Other (1969):   Field investigation OS.
Other (1988):   Survey Cornwall Archaeological Unit as part of the Luxulyan Valley Project.
Other (1998):   Assessment Cornwall Archaeological Unit.
Other (None):   Aerial photograph interpretation Cornwall NMP.

Interior Features

Hut circle. Chance finds of numerous flints, slingstones, stone axe and sherd of South-West Decorated pottery.

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

Possible hut circle (or quarry depression).

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

Chance finds of numerous flints, slingstones, stone axe and sherd of South-West Decorated pottery.

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

Possible staggered entrance on W, but no obvious break in third rampart, that on E possibly later.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   E possibly modern.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Over-lapping (West):   None

Enclosing Works

Defined by three closely-spaced concentric ramparts and ditches, with incomplete fourth or more likely counterscarp on W. Ramparts range 1.3m to 2.7m, high inner best, outermost as partial scarp to 1.3m high.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.81ha.
Total:   0.81ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Fourth bank on W may be countercarp, but uncertain.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   3
SE Quadrant:   3
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   3
Total:   3

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

Fourth bank more likely counterscarp, but uncertain.

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:
✓   Total number of ditches estimated depending on whether fourth bank is counterscarp or not.

Number of Ditches:  3

Annex:
✗   None

References

Henderson, C. 1914. Notebooks of Parochial Antiquities, MS At RIC. Vol 3, 320.

Lysons, D. and Lysons, S. 1814. Magna Britannia, Vol III, Cornwall, 247.

Page, W. ed. 1906. The Victoria history of the County of Cornwall, Vol I, 462, The Victoria History of the Counties of England.

Smith, J.R. 1998. Prideaux Wood, Luxulyan: an archaeological assessment, Unpublished monograph Cornwall County Council, Cornwall Archaeological Unit.



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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