Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0566 Castle Hill Camp, Northumberland (Howtel Castle Hill)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Northumberland 871 (None)

NMR:  NT 83 SE 26 (1249)

SM:  1006470

NGR:  NT 8989 3315

X:  389892  Y:  633154  (OSGB36)

Summary

Lying 800m to the S of Howtel, the remains of a large, univallate enclosure, probably a hillfort. The site is now destroyed in the E but is shown on historic OS mapping as circular. It was estimated by Hogg (1979) as enclosing 0.6ha. It lies at 190m OD on a N-facing slope with ground dropping away steeply in the W and N, relatively level in the E, but rising in the SE towards Housedon Hill. It survives in the N as a bank approximately 1.6m high and a shallow ditch and is still traceable in the S and W but greatly reduced. A slight causeway midway across the arc in the N might be the location of the entrance. There is no surface evidence for internal occupation. The site is shown as partially destroyed on 1856-65 OS mapping. A field wall running NE to SW cuts through the centre of the enclosure. It has not been investigated and is undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -240666  Y:  7477609  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.161935553109283  Latitude:  55.59194711905261  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Northumberland

Historic County:  Northumberland

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Kilham

Monument Condition

Damaged and reduced by ploughing, destroyed in the E. Heritage at Risk register - moderate animal burrowing.

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Lies within two fields, pasture in N, arable in S

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 hillslope fort lying at 190m OD on a north-westerly-facing slope

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:  N-facing slope

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  190.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Undated

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:No related records

Investigation History

Shown on 1856-65 OS mapping and recorded in Berwickshire Naturalists Club in 1919-22. Field investigations in 1966. Scheduled

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

Interior Features

No internal features are known. It has been cultivated

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 slight causeway midway across the arc in the N might be the location of the entrance.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   Possible break

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Other Forms (North):   Causeway across ditch

Enclosing Works

Now destroyed in the E but shown on historic OS mapping as circular, estimated by Hogg (1979) as 0.6ha. It survives in the N as a bank approximately 1.6m high and a shallow ditch and is still traceable in the S and W but greatly reduced.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.6ha.
Total:   0.6ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Rampart in the S can be seen as a slight vegetation mark on satellite imagery

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Documented but now destroyed in the E

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:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

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

Jobey, G.1965. Hillforts and Settlements in Northumberland. Archaeol Aeliana (4th Series) 43

MacLauchlan, H. 1919-22. Notes on camps in the parishes of Branxton, Carham, Ford, Kirknewton and Wooler in Northumberland. Hist Berwickshire Natur Club, 463



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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