Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN3006 Briel Nook Promontory Fort, Yorkshire (Breil Newk)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Humber Archaeology Partnership No record found (None)

NMR:  TA 27 SW 55 (1525373)

SM:  None

NGR:  TA 24606 71840

X:  524606  Y:  471840  (OSGB36)

Summary

A coastal promontory fort 2km to the NW of Flamborough Head on the N side of the headland. It lies at between 24-5m OD on ground trending to the NE. Google Earth satellite imagery from 2002 and 2005 shows what appears to be an outer ditch and inner bank cutting off the neck of the promontory, enclosing approximately 0.37ha. A path cuts centrally through the earthworks. The site is referred to by Brigham et. al. (2008) as possibly late Iron Age, small scale excavation by J. Dent in 1980 revealed medieval pottery beneath the bank (unpublished but information from HER pers. comm.). The site is not recorded on OS mapping.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -10535  Y:  7194306  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -0.09463694295514045  Latitude:  54.12731961506398  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  East Riding of Yorkshire

Historic County:  Yorkshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Flamborough

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 coastal promontory fort lying at between 26-5m OD on ground trending to the NE.

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:  Coastal promontory

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

Altitude:  46.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

The site is described as later Iron Age, but medieval pottery was found beneath the bank

Reliability:  B - Medium

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:
Artefactual:   Unknown

Investigation History

Excavated by J Dent in 1980, unpublished. C. 2008 Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment, Gazetteer Reference FL21

Investigations:
Excavation (1980):   John DENT
Other (None):   None

Interior Features

No internal features are known. Excavation unpublished.

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

A simple gap centrally through the bank.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   A single break can be seen on satellite imagery

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South west):   None

Enclosing Works

Satellite imagery shows what appears to be an outer ditch and inner bank cutting off the neck of the promontory, enclosing approximately 0.37ha. Excavation through the bank but unpublished.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.37ha.
Total:   0.37ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   None
SE Quadrant:   None
SW Quadrant:   1
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

Unpublished

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

Brigham, T., Buglass, J. and George, R. 2008. Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Bempton to Donna Nook. English Heritage Project 3729. Humber Field Archaeology and English Heritage, Humber Archaeology Report No. 235



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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