Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0996 Beacon Hill, Leicestershire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Leicestershire and Rutland MLE1132 (None)

NMR:  SK 5 1 SW 1 (919965)

SM:  1008835

NGR:  SK 5112 1474

X:  451050  Y:  314790  (OSGB36)

Summary

Situated NW of Woodhouse Eaves on the top of a steep, prominent hill, under pasture with trees on some of the rampart. On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900). A single bank and ditch run around 75% of the hill top, traces of a counter scarp bank to the E. and SW, enclosure would be approximately 10.8ha.. The bank is best preserved at the S where it is 1.5m high, the ditch in places is 8m wide and 1.5m deep. No evidence for an entrance. A linear ditch runs off to the SE, a small enclosure lies to the SW of the rampart, possibly related. A series of 19th and early 20th century finds suggest this enclosure may have started in the late Bronze Age, including a hoard of an axe, gouge and two spearheads, pottery and bronze working debris. Geophysics in 1998 has shown an irregular triangular enclosure in the interior (no details). No excavation. No dating evidence other than the late Bronze Age stray finds.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -138648  Y:  6932903  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.245498483796308  Latitude:  52.728325628152156  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Leicestershire

Historic County:  Leicestershire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Woodhouse

Monument Condition

None

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

On the top of a prominent hill, partial contour fort

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:  On the top of a prominent hill

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

Altitude:  244.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Possibly late Bronze Age due to stray finds of artefacts including a hoard of an axe, gouge and two spearheads (19th century finds), also bronze working debris. A medieval beacon is on the hilltop.

Reliability:  C - Low

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 (1885-1900). Geophysical survey in 1998, Roberts and Brooke.

Investigations:
Geophysical Survey (1998):   None
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   None

Interior Features

Geophysics has shown an irregular triangular enclosure in the interior (no details). Stray finds of late Bronze Age artefacts including a hoard of an axe, gouge and two spearheads, also bronze working debris.

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

No evidence for entrances

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
None:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

A single bank and ditch around 75% of the hill top, traces of a counter scarp bank to the E. and SW. The bank is best preserved at the S where it is 1.5m high, the ditch in places is 8m wide and 1.5m deep.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   10.8ha.
Total:   10.8ha.

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:   None
NW Quadrant:   None
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

Liddle, P. 1983. A Guide to 20 Archaeological Sites in Leicestershire. Leicester: Leicester Museums Service, 42-3.

Page, W. (ed) 1907. The Victoria history of the county of Leicester, Volume 1, 170, 250.

Roberts P and Brooke C. 1998 BEACON HILL: A GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY. Leicestershire County Council, unpublished.



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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