Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0114 Castle Head, Westmorland (Atterpile Castle)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Cumbria No record found (None)

NMR:  SD 47 NW 1 (41514)

SM:  None

NGR:  SD 42120 79750

X:  342120  Y:  479750  (OSGB36)

Summary

Lying to the SE of Lindale village, an alleged hillfort on the summit of an isolated hill known as Castle Head. The interpretation of a hillfort or settlement was based on a large number of Iron Age, Roman and medieval finds recovered by the landowner in 1765. The site is naturally defended except in the N, and the summit of the hill is now surrounded by ornamental features including an enclosure with mock crenellations and raised paths and it is uncertain if earlier earthworks were destroyed during their construction.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -321599  Y:  7210069  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.8889763850719405  Latitude:  54.210211808849074  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cumbria

Historic County:  Westmorland

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Grange-over -Sands

Monument Condition

It is uncertain if the hill was ever enclosed or if the defences have been destroyed.

Condition:
Extant   ✗
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

The site is currently on land owned by a field study centre and used for recreational purposes

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 purported inland promontory fort on a natural rocky outcrop at 16m OD

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:  Natural rocky outcrop

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

Altitude:  16.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Iron Age (alleged) based on surface finds from 1765.

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:
Artefactual:   None

Investigation History

None

Investigations:No related records

Interior Features

No internal features are recorded other than a range of surface finds in 1765.

Water Source

To the W of the River Winster

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

An inventory of the finds was prepared in the 18th century which recorded Roman coins, rings of silver, "brass" (as recorded) and iron; beads of blue rag-stone, lead, clay and glass; a possible stone for mould casting rings; iron ore; human and animal remains; bone amulets; flints and pebbles; "brass" fibulae; possible slingstones; Northumbrian stycas

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 known

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

No evidence

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.9ha.
Total:   0.9ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   No known ramparts

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

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

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:
✗   None known

Number of Ditches:  0

Annex:
✗   None

References

Hogg, A.H.A., 1979, British Hill-Forts. An Index. British Archaeological Reports, British Series 62.



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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