Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0103 Allen Knott, Westmorland

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Lake District National Park 1094 (20443)

NMR:  NY 40 SW 5 (10944)

SM:  1008262

NGR:  NY 41445 01054

X:  341445  Y:  501054  (OSGB36)

Summary

In a strong defensive position on the summit of Allen Knott. A slight univallate hillfort estimated to once cover an area of between 0.8-1.6ha but now destroyed through quarrying in the E and agriculture in the S. It retains a well-defined ditchless earth and stone rampart with stone-revetted bank in the N and W which excavation showed to be 2.4m wide and up to four courses high (Lowndes 1964). No evidence for an entrance or visible surface features have been recorded and the site is undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -323217  Y:  7246580  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.9035079660958054  Latitude:  54.401578393798694  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cumbria

Historic County:  Westmorland

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Windermere

Monument Condition

Modern quarrying and agriculture have destroyed the southern and eastern extents of the site.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Appears from satellite imagery to be unimproved grazing. Land owned by the National Trust, No. 20443

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

A contour fort situated in a strong defensive position at 220m OD on the summit of Allen Knott. From the summit, Lake Windermere, the peaks of Gummers How and Orrest Head, the Langdale Pikes, Crinkle Crags, the Old Man of Coniston and the hills surrounding the Kirkstone Pass are visible.

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:  On the summit of Allen Knott

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

Altitude:  220.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Undated, presumed Iron Age

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:   Quarrying

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

General reference in Collingwood (1913). Limited excavation across the ramparts (Lowndes 1964). Field investigation in 1966 and 1975. Scheduled

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1913):   None
Excavation (1963):   Lowndes (1964)
Other (1966):   Field investigation
Other (1975):   Scheduled
Other (1975):   Field investigation

Interior Features

No known features

Water Source

None

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

Ramparts only

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

None

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
None:   None within surviving ramparts

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Comprises a ditchless, stone revetted bank with rounded corners. Once covering an area of between 0.8-1.6ha it is now destroyed through quarrying in the E and agriculture in the S. Excavation found the bank to be constructed with an earth and rubble core retained on one side by a drystone wall which survived up to four courses high and 2.4m wide.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.8ha.
Total:   0.8ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

Comprises a ditchless, stone revetted bank. Excavation found the bank to be constructed with an earth and rubble core retained on one side by a drystone wall which survived up to four courses high and 2.4m wide.

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area estimated

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Now destroyed in east and south

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   None
SW Quadrant:   None
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

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

None

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

Earth and rubble core with dry stone revetted box rampart on one side up Now partially destroyed

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:
✗   None

Number of Ditches:  None

Annex:
✗   None

References

Collingwood, R.G.C. 1913. The Earthworks on Allan Knott. Trans Cumberland Westmorland Antiq Archaeol Soc, 143-6

Lowndes,R.A.C. 1964. Allen Knott Earthwork Trans Cumberland Westmorland Antiq Archaeol Soc New Ser. - Volume: LVIV - 94-7



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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