Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN2655 Bole Hill, Yorkshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

Scroll left/right to view further images.

HER:  South Yorkshire 02707/01 (None)

NMR:  SK 27 NE 56 (311788)

SM:  1009711

NGR:  SK 2913 8006

X:  429139  Y:  380060  (OSGB36)

Summary

An alleged multivallate hillfort to the W of Totley on the summit of Bole Hill. It is described as the remains of stony banks and ditches enclosing an area 450m by 150m. A short length of ditch 2m deep is visible across the southern approach, and in the E the defences are followed by a track. The site was identified as complete on an aerial photograph taken in 1966 but was damaged in 1967 on the W side by a gas pipeline. Further damage occurred in 1976 when firebreaks were cut to control heather fires. Internally a number of what has been interpreted as contiguous hut platforms and hut circles 6-10m in diameter lie on the highest point contained within a bank, with further platforms scattered across the enclosure. There are considerable problems with the interpretation of this site and although considered to be a hillfort by Sheffield City Museum, the ramparts were considered too slight to be defensive during a desktop survey (Dennison 2001). Scheduling number refers to the medieval lead smelting site. The site is not recorded on Ordnance Survey mapping and other than the medieval activity it is undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -174111  Y:  7041788  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.5640686744007413  Latitude:  53.31666179678626  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  South Yorkshire

Historic County:  Yorkshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Sheffield

Monument Condition

Damaged

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Lies within the Peak District National Park

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

An alleged multivallate contour fort lying at 296m OD on the NW slopes of Bole Hill

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:  NW slopes of Bole Hill

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

Altitude:  296.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Unknown

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:   Medieval lead smelting site

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Identified by T.C. Welsh 1971. Desk top assessment Dennison (2001)

Investigations:
Other (1971):   None
Other (2001):   Desk based assessment

Interior Features

Contiguous hut platforms and hut circles 6-10m in diameter

Water Source

A stream lies to the W

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

The location of entrances is unknown

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

The remains of stony banks and a ditche enclosing an area 450m by 150m. A short length of ditch 2m deep is visible across the southern approach

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

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Unknown

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   None
SE Quadrant:   None
SW Quadrant:   None
NW Quadrant:   None
Total:   None

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

Dennison, E. Grey Literature Report: EDAS. 2001. Blacka Moor Nature Reserve, Sheffield, South Yorkshire: Archaeological Desk-Top Survey.



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


Document Version 1.1