Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0631 Resugga Castle, Cornwall

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Cornwall and Scilly MCO76 (20898)

NMR:  SW 95 SW 6 (430166)

SM:  1017685

NGR:  SW94005104

X:  194000  Y:  51040  (OSGB36)

Summary

Oval, complex, multiple enclosure hillfort straddling summit of Crow Hill, main enclosure lying on gentle SE-facing slope bordering very steep slope down to St Stephens River valley and close to its confluence with River Fal. On Devonian slates SW of Hensbarrow Downs granite mass, in hilly terrain deeply dissected by small rivers. Commanding views, especially to W. Outerwork of bank and ditch along top edge of slope to N. Surrounding slopes to SW and SE wooded. Sub-circular area 70m by 60m encloses c. 0.3ha, flattened along SE where follows crest of steep scarp to St Stephens River. Earth and rubble rampart, c. 2m high and 10m wide along NW, with terminals bordering entrance gap, and reduced to 0.5m high along to SE. Outer ditch c. 1m-1.5m deep, with rock-cut outer face. Recent dry-stone supporting wall also in parts of ditch outer face, notably S and W sectors. To NW outer enclosure has two sections of rampart c. 45m long, each parallel with, and 35m-40m from, main enclosure, and separated by entrance gap in line with that of main enclosure. Each to c. 2m high and 10m wide with outer ditch 1m-1.5m deep. Beyond these ditches, hollowed route-way formed by double bank and central ditch extends in straight line NW from enclosure entrance for c. 55m, continued beyond by single recent hedge bank extending line of N bank. Main enclosure entrance on NW opposing central entrance of outwork from which hollow-way runs NW. Outerwork never connected to main enclosure, the feature connecting on W is field bank. Interior formerly ploughed, now pasture. Ramparts tree covered. Well-preserved. On 1st Ed. OS map (1881). Undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -544956  Y:  6502427  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.895420864006776  Latitude:  50.32313594680605  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England; None

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cornwall

Historic County:  Cornwall

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  St Stephen-in-Brannel; Probus

Monument Condition

Ploughed/pasture interior, else good condition. Management agreement, with visitor car park and information board,

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Interior formerly ploughed, now pasture. Ramparts tree covered.

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

Oval multiple enclosure hillfort straddling summit of Crow Hill, main enclosure lying on gentle SE-facing slope bordering very steep slope down to St Stephens River valley and close to its confluence with River Fal.

Type:
Contour Fort   ✗
Partial Contour Fort   ✗
Promontory Fort   ✗
Hillslope Fort   ✗
Level Terrain Fort   ✗
Marsh Fort   ✗
Multiple Enclosure Fort   ✓

Topographic Position

Located on Crown Hill overlooking the confluence of the River Fal and a tributary

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:  95.0m

Boundary

Close to parish boundary

Boundary Type:  Parish/Townland


Dating Evidence

None.

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

On 1st Ed. OS map (1881). DOE investigations 1958, 1980.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1881):   OS map.
Other (None):   DOE investigations.

Interior Features

Interior featureless.

Water Source

None

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

Surface

Interior featureless.

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

Main enclosure has entrance on NW opposing the central entrance of the outwork from which the hollow-way runs NW.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   Main enclosure.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Hollow Way (North west):   None
1. Outworks (North west):   None

Enclosing Works

Earth and rubble rampart, c. 2m high and 10m wide along NW side of enclosure, with slightly expanded terminals bordering an entrance gap, and reduced to 0.5m high along to SE. An outer ditch c. 1m-1.5m deep, with a rock- cut outer face visible. Recent dry-stone supporting wall also in parts of ditch outer face, notably S and W sectors. To NW outer enclosure has two sections of rampart c. 45m long, each parallel with, and 35m-40m from, main enclosure, and separated by entrance gap in line with that of the main enclosure. Each to c. 2m high and 10m wide with outer ditch 1m-1.5m deep. Beyond these ditches, hollowed route-way formed by double bank and central ditch extends in straight line NW from the enclosure entrance for c. 55m, continued beyond by single recent hedge bank extending line of N bank.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.3ha.
Total:   0.3ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area of outer enclosure not determined

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Complex. Main enclosure quadrants only determined.

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

Earth and rubble rampart.

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

Dowson, E., Sheppard, P. and Thomas, C. 1970, Parochal check-lists of antiquities, Cornish Archaeol, 9, 145.

Page, W. ed. 1906. The Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, 1, London: James Street, 464.

Polsue, J. ed. 1867-72. Lake's Parochial History of Cornwall, Vol 1, 162.



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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