Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0531 Shipley Camp, Northumberland (Shipley Moor)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Northumberland 4370 (None)

NMR:  NU 11 NW 11 (6983)

SM:  1014075

NGR:  NU 13965 17694

X:  413940  Y:  617690  (OSGB36)

Summary

On Shipley Moor NE of Eglingham Burn, a bivallate promontory fort occupying a small spur at 61m OD. The fort is bivallate and irregular in form measuring 58m N-S by 50m E-W, enclosing an area of 0.2ha. Protected on three sides by steep gullies, the main earthworks lie in the NE and comprise two earthen banks and two ditches running across level ground giving a combined width of 28m. The inner bank is 1.2m high and 6-7m wide and continues along the edge of the spur in the NW. The outer bank is 1.2m in the SW and 2m high in the NE. A single entrance lies in the E formed from a simple gap with a possible slight bank 8m long and 0.4m high on the southern side. The earthworks survive in good condition except in the E. There is no evidence for occupation. The site is unexcavated and undated. Recorded on 1856-65 OS mapping.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -198275  Y:  7450267  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.7811389100603172  Latitude:  55.45290556684879  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Northumberland

Historic County:  Northumberland

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Eglingham

Monument Condition

Survives in fair condition but some damage has occurred in the E

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

None

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

An inland promontory fort lying at 61m OD on a small spur and commanding the valley of the Eglingham Burn to the S. The fort is situated on relatively level ground but drops away steeply on all sides except in the NE

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:  Spur

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

Altitude:  61.0m

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

General reference in Hogg (1951). Recorded on 1856-65 OS mapping. Field investigations in 1955 and 1970. Scheduled

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1951):   None
Other (1966):   Scheduled
Other (1970):   Field investigation
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   None
Other (None):   Field investigation

Interior Features

No internal features are known.

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

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 simple gap entrances lies in the E, with a possible outwork comprising a length of bank 8m long and 0.4m high on the southern side

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Outworks (East):   Southern side
1. Simple Gap (East):   None

Enclosing Works

Bivallate and irregular in form measuring 58m N-S by 50m E-W, enclosing an area of 0.2ha. Protected on three sides by steep gullies, the main earthworks lie in the NE and comprise two earthen banks and two ditches running across level ground giving a combined width of 28m. The inner bank is 1.2m high and 6-7m wide and continues along the edge of the spur in the NW. The outer bank is 1.2m in the SW and 2m high in the NE.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.2ha.
Total:   0.2ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   None
SW Quadrant:   None
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   2

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

Number of Ditches:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

Hogg, A.H.A., 1951. Proc Soc Antiq Newcastle (4th Series) 11, 163

Jobey, G.1965. Hillforts and Settlements in Northumberland. Archaeol Aeliana 4th Series 43, 62, No 54



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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