LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
Scroll left/right to view further images.
HER: Herefordshire MHE213 (901)
NMR: SO 51 NW 6 (109665)
SM: 1001766
NGR: SO 539160
X: 353900 Y: 216000 (OSGB36)
Large, very prominent and now wooded, multivallate, inland promontory fort sited on the major bends of the River Wye at Symonds Yat. Precipitous and rocky terrain, the oval hillfort sited to dominate the Wye. Internal area 7.8ha. Possible two phases of construction. The possible rectangular 'annexe' to the SE, which contains 30 hut platforms, has now been proposed by Bowden (2009) as an earlier promontory fort with rampart and ditch, partly confirmed by excavation. Now double rampart and medial ditch, apart from the SW where there is a single bank to 1.5m high on steep slopes. To NW and NE inner bank strong and up to 12m-16m wide and 2.5m high. Counterscarp visible in places. There was a possible former enclosure on the NW side. To the SE there is a 1m high outward-facing slope, possibly a ploughed-down bank. Original NE entrance and another, rock-cut, to the SW, with a possibly original on the SE. Site ploughed during WWII. Excavations 2009 and 2011 (Dorling et al 2012), with C14 dating to early and middle Iron Age, and topographical survey by English Heritage Conifer plantation in interior now clear felled. Grazing by deer has improved the site. Now actively managed by owners. On 1st Ed OS map (1888).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -297285 Y: 6771364 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -2.670560994139597 Latitude: 51.8406488059884 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Herefordshire
Historic County: Herefordshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Ganarew
Conifer plantation in interior now clear felled. Grazing by deer has improved the site. Site ploughed during WWII.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Woodland is now actively managed by owners.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
The site generally follows the contours of the spur. Large, very prominent and now wooded multivallate hillfort located on a spur promontory on major bends of the River Wye at Symonds Yat.
| 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 above the River Wye
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 221.0m
N/A
C14 dates from bone and charcoal show early Iron Age to middle Iron Age dates (varying 760-170 cal BC). Early/middle Iron Age pottery, Cheshire and Droitwich VCP. Single sherd of possible late Bronze Age/early Iron Age pottery.
Reliability: B - Medium
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✓ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
| Artefactual: | Single sherd of possible late Bronze Age and early/middle Iron Age pottery. |
| C14: | Various dates determined. |
On 1st Ed OS map (1888). Excavation 2009 and 2011 with dating evidence and EH topographical survey. Herefordshire Council survey 2012.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1888): | OS map. |
| Earthwork Survey (2009): | EH topographical survey. |
| Other (2012): | Herefordshire Council survey. |
| Excavation (None): | Excavation in earlier enclosure (annexe). |
30 platforms in 'annexe' and possible hut platforms in main enclosure. Quarry scoops, later barrows and pillow mounds in latter. Several mineshafts in interior, one formally considered a well. The recent excavation details have to be confirmed. Middle Iron Age pottery, Cheshire and Droitwich VCP. Single sherd of possible late Bronze Age/early Iron Age pottery. Bone (incl. die and toggle) and antler objects, charcoal and iron roasting evidence.
River Wye located 0.3 km outside the fort.
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
30 hut platforms in 'annexe' and possible hut platforms in main enclosure. Quarry scoops, barrows and pillow mounds in latter. Several mineshafts in interior, one formally considered a well.
| No Known Features | ✗ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✓ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✓ |
| Other | ✓ |
Two building terraces excavated after middle Iron Age pottery found as a result of beech wind-throw.
| No Known Excavation | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
Geophysics unknown
| No Known Geophysics | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
Middle Iron Age pottery, Cheshire and Droitwich VCP. Single sherd of possible late Bronze Age/early Iron Age pottery. Sheep/goat, pig and cattle bone and bone (incl. die and toggle) and antler objects, charcoal and iron roasting evidence. Charred cereal grains. Molluscs. Good bone survival.
| 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 | ✗ |
Three possible entrances, one destroyed on SE. Entrance on NE access up a natural slope, and that on SW is narrow rock-cut gap.
| 3: | No modern gaps recorded. |
| 2: | Possible original SE entrance destroyed. |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North east): | Entrance with access up natural slope probably original. |
| 2. Simple Gap (South west): | Narrow rock-cut entrance probably original. |
| 3. Simple Gap (South east): | Destroyed. |
Double rampart and medial ditch, apart from the SW where there is a single bank to 1.5m high on steep slopes. To NW and NE inner bank strong and up to 2.5m high. There was a possible former enclosure on the NW side. To the SE there is a 1m high outward-facing slope, possibly a ploughed down bank. Counterscarp visible in places.
| Area 1: | 7.8ha. |
| Total: | 7.8ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✓ | Possible two phases of construction. Proposed by Bowden (2009) as an earlier promontory fort with rampart and ditch, partly confirmed by excavation |
| ✗ | Whilst the main enclosure is enclosed by banks, to the NE, SW and NW, the 'annexe' has steep rocky slopes for the most part over the entire three sides. |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Counterscarp bank visible in places.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✓ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Excavation across rampart and ditch of SE 'annexe' showed it to be early phase of total enclosure and defended by bank and ditch across the promontory neck. Possible palisade slot.
| 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 |
| ✓ | Medial ditch to 2m in depth. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✓ | Rectangular SE 'annexe', which may be an earlier enclosure, is enclosed on three sides by natural outcrops. Excavation (Dorling et. al. 2012) found a rampart and ditch across the neck of the promontory. |
Bowden, M. 2009. Little Doward, Ganarew, Herefordshire. Analytical Earthwork Survey of the Hillfort and Rapid Landscape Investigation. English Heritage Research Department Report Series. 72-2009.
Clarke, S. and Bray, J. 2009. Little Doward Camp, Ganarew. A Programme of Archaeological Work for the Woodland Trust, Unpublished report Monmouth Archaeolaeology, MA09.09.
Dorling, P. and Wigley, A. 2012: Assessment of the archaeological and conservation status of major later prehistoric enclosures in Herefordshire and Shropshire, EH PNUM, Version 3.2, Hereford and Shrewsbury: Herefordshire Council/Shropshire Council.
Dorling, P., Cotton, J. and Rimmington, N. 2012: Little Doward hillfort, Ganarew, Herefordshire. A report on excavations in 2009 and 2011, Hereford: Herefordshire Archaeology Report 295.
Page, W. ed.1908. The Victoria County History of the County of Herefordshire, 1, 210-11, London: St Catherine Press.
RCHME 1931-34. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Herefordshire, 1 (SW), 68-9, 2, London: HMSO.
Rimmington, N. 2008. Little Doward Camp, Ganarew Parish, Unpublished report Herefordshire Archaeology Report 229.
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