Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN2021 Nw of Elwick, Northumberland

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Northumberland 5074 (None)

NMR:  NU 13 NW 7 (7562)

SM:  None

NGR:  NU 1050 3740

X:  410500  Y:  637400  (OSGB36)

Summary

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.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

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

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

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.

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:  Situated on slightly higher ground

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

Altitude:  19.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Undated

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

CBA news bulletin by T. Gates (1979)

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1979):   None

Interior Features

The cropmarks of a roundhouse 11m in diameter and pits have been recorded on APs

Water Source

Elwick Burn to the S

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

Gates, 1979

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✗
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✓
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✓
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

The location of entrances is not recorded

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South east):   Probably one side of an entrance through two ditches on satellite imagery from 2006

Enclosing Works

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.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   Noneha.
Total:   Noneha.

Total Footprint Area:  2.95ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✓   Possibly earlier palisade

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Ditches only

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   4
SE Quadrant:   4
SW Quadrant:   4
NW Quadrant:   4
Total:   4

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

Possible palisade

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:  4

Annex:
✗   None

References

Gates, T. CBA Grp 3 Bull Ser 2 No 7 Apr 1979, 22



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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