LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Shropshire 1357 (None)
NMR: SJ 30 SE 6 (66379)
SM: 1012869
NGR: SJ371010
X: 337196 Y: 301092 (OSGB36)
High and steep, contour hillfort located at N end of Stiperstones on Oak Hill and looking across the valley of the Rea Brook towards the Severn valley. Roughly triangular with internal area c. 3.8ha. The defences enhance the superb defensive topography of the hill. There is a single bank on across the ridge the S side, the natural approach along the ridge, 8m wide and up to 3.5m above an outer ditch 5m wide and 1.2m deep. On the W and N the natural defences of precipitous slopes are strengthened by an artificial steep scarp slope 3m high and outer berm 3m wide, which enhances the monumentality of the site. The slightly inturned off-set entrance is midway along the S rampart. Management has been good on the site for decades and it is in good order. Heather moor and heath with bracken. Undated. On 1st Ed. OS map (1885-1900).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -326034 Y: 6910071 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -2.9288143844051864 Latitude: 52.60394111390188 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Shropshire
Historic County: Shropshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Worthen with Shelve
In good management and preservation.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Heather moor and heath with bracken.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✓ |
| Heath | ✓ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Although the S side has the promontory cut off by a rampart, steep natural defences on W and N have artificial strengthening, therefore site classified as contour hillfort. Located on high steep site spur at N end of Stiperstones looking across the valley of Rea Brook towards Severn valley.
| 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 top.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 396.0m
N/A
None
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1885-1900). Field observation Ordnance Survey 1971. Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP 1993-2000. Shropshire CC Stiperstones survey 2003-04. Shropshire Council survey 2012.
| Other (1971): | Field observation OS. |
| Other (2012): | Shropshire Council survey. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | 1st Ed OS |
| Other (None): | Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP. |
| Other (None): | Shropshire CC Stiperstones survey. |
None
Stream located 0.65 km outside the fort.
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Building platforms.
| No Known Features | ✗ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✓ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| 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 | ✗ |
Slightly inturned and off-set entrance 6m wide located midway along the S rampart.
| 1: | No modern gaps visible. |
| 2: | Original entrance midway along the S rampart. |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. In-turned (South): | Original entrance midway along the S rampart. |
| 1. Oblique (South): | Off-set. |
Single bank on across the ridge the S side, the natural approach along the ridge, 8m wide and up to 3.5m above an outer ditch 5m wide and 1.2m deep. On the W and N the natural defences of very steep slopes are strengthened by an artificial steep scarp slope 3m high and outer berm 3m wide.
| Area 1: | 3.8ha. |
| Total: | 3.8ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
Although the S side has the promontory cut off by a rampart, the steep natural defences on the W and N have artificial strengthening and therefore are included as above.
| ✗ | The precipitous slopes on the W and N make assessment of area difficult. |
| ✗ | Although the S side has the promontory cut off by a rampart, the steep natural defences on the W and N have artificial strengthening. |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Outer berm 3m wide.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✓ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| 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 |
| ✓ | The outer ditch is 5m wide and 1.2 m deep. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None |
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.
Page, W. ed. Salop 1908. Victoria County History of Shropshire, 1, 358, Institute of Historical Research.
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