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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)
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.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
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
None
| Extant   | ✓ |
| Cropmark   | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed   | ✓ |
None
| Woodland   | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
| Parkland   | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing)   | ✓ |
| Arable   | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
| Heath   | ✗ |
| Built-up   | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
On the top of a prominent hill, partial contour fort
| Contour Fort   | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort   | ✓ |
| Promontory Fort   | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort   | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort   | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort   | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort   | ✗ |
| 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
| North   | ✗ |
| Northeast   | ✗ |
| East   | ✗ |
| Southeast   | ✗ |
| South   | ✗ |
| Southwest   | ✗ |
| West   | ✗ |
| Northwest   | ✗ |
| Level   | ✓ |
Altitude:  244.0m
N/A
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
| Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC   | ✓ |
| 800BC - 400BC   | ✓ |
| 400BC - AD50   | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400   | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
| Post AD800   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort:   | None |
| Post Hillfort:   | None |
On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900). Geophysical survey in 1998, Roberts and Brooke.
| Geophysical Survey (1998):   | None |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   | None |
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.
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   | ✗ |
No evidence for entrances
| None:   | None |
| 2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
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.
| Area 1:   | 10.8ha. |
| Total:   | 10.8ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
| ✗   | None |
| ✗   | None |
| NE Quadrant:   | 1 |
| SE Quadrant:   | 1 |
| SW Quadrant:   | None |
| NW Quadrant:   | None |
| Total:   | 1 |
| Partial Univallate   | ✓ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
None
| 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 |
| ✓   | None |
Number of Ditches:  1
| ✗   | None |
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.
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