Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0036 Walterstone Camp, Herefordshire (Coed-y-Grafel)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Herefordshire MHE804 (1586)

NMR:  SO 32 NW 3 (105680)

SM:  1001755

NGR:  SO348250

X:  334889  Y:  225082  (OSGB36)

Summary

Prominent, roughly circular, triple-banked, contour hillfort located at confluence of the Rivers Honddu and Monnow and near the confluence of the River Dore and Monnow. Internal area c. 1.77ha. Possible external ditch in places. Outer and inner ramparts higher than middle. The inner rampart is strong and up to 3.2m above the ditch bottom, with a counterscarp to 2.6m above ground level. Part of outer bank removed in NE and outside the fort quarrying. There are two simple entrances to the SW and NE. Part of outer bank on NE destroyed by farmyard works. This area and N part of three ramparts in different ownership to rest where fencing affects site. Open woodland, garden and shrubs also on parts of fort. Access problems. Outside the fort quarrying. Undated. On 1st Ed OS map (1887).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -328191  Y:  6785745  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.9481869820036057  Latitude:  51.92039800222291  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Herefordshire

Historic County:  Herefordshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Walterstone

Monument Condition

Part of outer bank on NE destroyed by farmyard works. This area and N part of three ramparts in different ownership to rest where fencing affects site. Affected by open woodland, garden and shrubs also on parts of fort. Access problems. Outside the fort quarrying.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Woodland, rough grass, farmyard and developments on site.

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

Site roughly follows the contours in a circle. Prominent site at the confluence of the Rivers Honddu and Monnow

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:  Prominent spur.

Aspect:
North   ✗
Northeast   ✗
East   ✗
Southeast   ✗
South   ✗
Southwest   ✗
West   ✗
Northwest   ✗
Level   ✓

Altitude:  230.0m

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

On 1st Ed OS map (1887). Herefordshire Council survey 2012.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1887):   OS map.
Other (2012):   Herefordshire Council survey

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Stream 0.3 km outside hillfort

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

Two simple entrances, SW and NE, the latter probably modern.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   NE probably modern.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Original SW entrance aligned to Pen Twyn, Brilley.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South west):   Original SW entrance aligned to Pen Twyn, Brilley.

Enclosing Works

Triple ramparts, the outer and inner higher than middle. The inner rampart is strong and up to 3.2m above the ditch bottom, with a counterscarp to 2.6m above ground level.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.77ha.
Total:   1.77ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Circular nature of the site is unusual.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Good circuit of ramparts.

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

Counterscarp to 2.6m above ground level.

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:
✓   External ditch visible in places.

Number of Ditches:  3

Annex:
✗   None

References

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.

RCHME 1931-34. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Herefordshire, 1, (SW), 248, 9, London: HMSO.



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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