Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0506 Tinkler's Dene, Northumberland (Tinker's Dene; Rabbit Hall Or Rabbit Hill)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Northumberland 2734 (None)

NMR:  NU 00 NW 3 (4383)

SM:  1011095

NGR:  NU 0493 0879

X:  404930  Y:  608790  (OSGB36)

Summary

A univallate hillfort lying to the E of Dancing Hill Farm at 157m OD, above a steep gully from which it takes its name. The hillfort, which lies on a natural terrace is oval, measuring 70m NE-SW by 50m transversely with an enclosed area of 0.24ha. It is enclosed by a single rampart measuring 8m wide and 1.5m high but takes advantage of the naturally steep drop to the W, which has been further cut back, and the gully of Tinkler's Dene to the N. It is overlooked in the E. Evidence for a ditch, 4m wide survives on the northern side, although it is presumed to be filled in elsewhere. An entrance recorded in the NE in the 1970's can no longer been seen and is unverified. Two shallow scoops in the N of the enclosure have been interpreted as the remains of huts. The site is shown on 1856-65 OS mapping and was scheduled in 1963, but is unexcavated and undated. It now survives in a poor condition.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -214151  Y:  7434617  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.9237513248932436  Latitude:  55.373104478926315  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Northumberland

Historic County:  Northumberland

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Callaly

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Rough grassland

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

Univallate hillfort lying on sloping ground at approximately 157m OD on a NW- facing ridge.

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 terrace on a NW-facing ridge

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

Altitude:  157.0m

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:   None

Evidence:
Morphology/Earthwork/Typology:   None

Investigation History

Recorded on 1856-65 OS mapping, general reference in MacLauchlan (1864). Field investigation in 1976. Scheduled

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1864):   None
Other (1976):   Field investigation
Other (1976):   Scheduled
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   None

Interior Features

Two shallow scoops lie in the N of the enclosure

Water Source

None

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

Shallow scoops

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

A purported entrance recorded in the NE in the 1970's is unverified

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   unverified

Enclosing Works

Enclosed by a single rampart measuring 8m wide and 1.5m high. Evidence for a ditch, 4m wide survives on the northern side, although it is presumed to be filled in elsewhere. It takes advantage of the natural slopes and Tinker's Dene Gully in the W and N respectively

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.24ha.
Total:   0.24ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
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

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:
✓   In the N but probably in-filled elsewhere

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Hogg, A.H.A.1979. British Hill-Forts. An Index. British Archaeological Reports, British Series 62. 123.

MacLauchlan, H. 1864. Memoir written during a survey of the eastern branch of the Watling Street. (London), 53.



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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