LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Cornwall and Scilly MCO62 (10191)
NMR: SX 25 NW 1 (434808)
SM: 1006682
NGR: SX 2143 5552
X: 221436 Y: 55526 (OSGB36)
Unusual partial contour hillfort with outworks sited at end of sloping NW-facing spur overlooking valley of tributary of West Looe River. Very steep surrounding slopes to N, W and E, moderate to steep to S, with two very steep, mostly wooded, stream valleys to E and W. Internal area c. 10ha. Possibly two-phased construction with three enclosures, two dependent and an outer cross bank. Firstly, near-circular enclosure c. 120m long by 100m wide internally, with rampart and largely buried outer ditch and simple entrance on SE. Later addition of double bank and ditch on W and S sides, which continues to SE as part of an outer enclosure. Entrance here possibly on NW. A c. 400m crossbank and part-buried outer ditch to S cuts the spur at crest forming outer defence of site. Rampart average c. 2.8 metres high and ditch to S to 1.8 metres deep. N-S scarp and berm to W possibly a sub-division. Largely destroyed by ploughing during WWII. Only S and W parts remain intact and clearly visible on aerial photographs; elsewhere buried features. Improved pasture interior with trees on S banks. First recorded on OS map of 1813, and described by T. Bond in 1823. Undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -502332 Y: 6511020 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.512529444038312 Latitude: 50.37239780519166 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cornwall
Historic County: Cornwall
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Pelynt
Largely destroyed by ploughing during WWII. Only S and W parts remain intact; elsewhere buried features. SW part of site still visible on aerial photographs. On Heritage at Risk Register (2015).
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Pasture interior. Wooded S banks.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Unusual partial contour hillfort with outworks sited at end of sloping NW-facing spur overlooking valley of tributary of West Looe River. Very steep surrounding slopes to N, W and E, moderate to steep to S, with two very steep, mostly wooded, stream valleys to E and W.
| Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✓ |
| Promontory Fort | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
Sited at the end of a north facing spur
| Hilltop | ✗ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✗ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✓ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: Spur
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✓ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 105.0m
N/A
None.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
On 1" OS map 1813. On 1st Ed. OS map (1882). Described by T. Bond in 1823. Field investigation Ordnance Survey 1971.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1813): | OS map. |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1823): | Described by T. Bond. |
| Other (1882): | OS map. |
| Other (1971): | Field investigation OS. |
None.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Features | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Finds | ✓ |
| Pottery | ✗ |
| Metal | ✗ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✗ |
| Lithics | ✗ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| APs Not Checked | ✓ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Simple entrance on SE to inner enclosure. Entrance to outer enclosure possibly on NW.
| 2: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South east): | Simple entrance on SE to inner enclosure |
| 2. Simple Gap (North west): | Entrance to outer enclosure possibly on NW. |
Possibly two-phased construction with three enclosures, two dependent and an outer cross bank. Firstly, near-circular enclosure c. 120m long by 100m wide internally, with rampart and largely buried outer ditch and simple entrance on SE. Later addition of double bank and ditch on W and S sides, which continues to SE as part of an outer enclosure. Entrance here possibly on N side. A c. 400m crossbank and part-buried outer ditch to S cuts the spur at crest forming outer defence of site. Rampart average c. 2.8 metres high and ditch to S to 1.8 metres deep. N-S scarp and berm to W possibly a sub-division.
| Area 1: | 10.0ha. |
| Total: | 10.0ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✓ | Possibly two-phased construction with three enclosures, two dependent and an outer cross bank. |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 3 |
| NW Quadrant: | 3 |
| Total: | 3 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✓ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Berm to W.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✓ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex | ✗ |
| Timber-framed | ✗ |
| Timber-laced | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | Buried features. |
Number of Ditches: 3
| ✗ | None |
Bond, T. 1823. Topographical and Historical Sketches of East and West Looe, 67-68.
Page, W. ed. 1906. The Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, 1, London: James Street, 463.
Polsue, J. ed. 1867-72. Lake's Parochial History of Cornwall, Vol 4, 40.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
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
Document Version 1.1