Scroll left/right to view further images.
HER:  Northumberland 5074 (None)
NMR:  NU 13 NW 7 (7562)
SM:  None
NGR:  NU 1050 3740
X:  410500  Y:  637400  (OSGB36)
Lying 1.04km to the NW of Elwick, the cropmarked remains of a possible multivallate hillfort (Gates 1979). It lies at 19m OD to the N of Elwick Burn on slightly higher ground with level ground in the E. It is sub-circular in plan and comprises four large ditches with the outer ditch measuring 194m in diameter giving a total area of 2.95ha. What is probably one side of an entrance through two of the ditches on the SE is revealed by satellite imagery from 2006. Traces of a further ditch have been identified within the enclosure which might represent an earlier palisaded phase. The cropmarks of a roundhouse 11m in diameter and pits have been recorded within the interior. The site is not recorded on any OS mapping and is undated. No further investigation is known.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -204248  Y:  7485128  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -1.8347880631191342  Latitude:  55.63009496819692  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  England
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Northumberland
Historic County:  Northumberland
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Belford with Middleton
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   | ✗ |
A low lying hillslope fort, shown on OS mapping as level ground. GE shows the ground slopes away gently in the N, S and W but remaining at 19m OD in the E.
| 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:  Situated on slightly higher ground
| North   | ✓ |
| Northeast   | ✗ |
| East   | ✗ |
| Southeast   | ✗ |
| South   | ✓ |
| Southwest   | ✗ |
| West   | ✓ |
| Northwest   | ✗ |
| Level   | ✗ |
Altitude:  19.0m
N/A
Undated
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 |
CBA news bulletin by T. Gates (1979)
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1979):   | None |
The cropmarks of a roundhouse 11m in diameter and pits have been recorded on APs
Elwick Burn to the S
| 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   | ✗ |
Gates, 1979
| APs Not Checked   | ✗ |
| None   | ✗ |
| Roundhouses   | ✓ |
| Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
| Pits   | ✓ |
| Postholes   | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
The location of entrances is not recorded
| 0:   | None |
| 2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South east):   | Probably one side of an entrance through two ditches on satellite imagery from 2006 |
Sub-circular in plan comprising four large ditches with the outer ditch measuring 194m in diameter giving a total area of almost 2.95ha. Traces of a further ditch have been identified within the enclosure which might represent an earlier palisaded phase.
| Area 1:   | Noneha. |
| Total:   | Noneha. |
Total Footprint Area:  2.95ha.
None
| ✓   | Possibly earlier palisade |
| ✓   | Ditches only |
| NE Quadrant:   | 4 |
| SE Quadrant:   | 4 |
| SW Quadrant:   | 4 |
| NW Quadrant:   | 4 |
| Total:   | 4 |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✓ |
| Unknown   | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
Possible palisade
| 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:  4
| ✗   | None |
Gates, T. CBA Grp 3 Bull Ser 2 No 7 Apr 1979, 22
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