Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN3290 Forest Bank, Staffordshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Staffordshire 00727-MST727 (None)

NMR:  SK 12 NW 16 (921859)

SM:  None

NGR:  SK 12960 28940

X:  412960  Y:  328940  (OSGB36)

Summary

Approximately 270m to the SW of Marchington Cliff, a possible promontory fort lying within woodland at 157m OD. The site was recorded on aerial photographs taken in the 1940 and 50's and has been variously transcribed as either two shalllow ditches with a low rounded medial bank which run across the neck of a prominent spur. The bank does not run across the entire length but the ditches join at each end of the steep re-entrants to form one large ditch. An alternate transcription suggests two banks and two ditches, running for 200m giving an enclosed area of approximately 300m by 200m. An incomplete asymmetric polygonal enclosure, 72m by 44m, comprising a single bank and ditch, with four sides adjoins the inside of the earthwork but the relationship between the earthworks is uncertain. Enclosed area seems to be c.0.56ha. Forest tracks run across the earthworks and the location of an original entrance is uncertain. Recorded as an 'earthwork' on 1974-5 1:2,500 OS mapping. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -201374  Y:  6956733  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.8089714143048266  Latitude:  52.85777575501551  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Staffordshire

Historic County:  Staffordshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Marchington

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 possible promontory fort lying at 157m OD on a prominent spur

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:  Prominent spur

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

Altitude:  157.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

The site is 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

Field investigation in 1975, recorded as an 'earthwork' on 1974-5 1:2,500 OS mapping. General reference in Greenslade & Stuart (1984).

Investigations:
Other (1975):   Field investigation
1st Identified Written Reference (1984):   None
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   None

Interior Features

Incomplete asymmetric polygonal enclosure, 72m by 44m, comprising a single bank and ditch adjoins the inside of the earthwork

Water Source

Streams and springs to the NW

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

Enclosure

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

Wooded

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:  
None:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Descriptions vary. Either two shalllow ditches with a low rounded medial bank which run across the neck of a prominent spur. The bank does not run across the entire length but the ditches join at each end of the steep re-entrants to form one large ditch. An alternate transcription suggests two banks and two ditches, running for 200m giving an enclosed area of approximately 300m by 200m

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.56ha.
Total:   0.56ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Descriptions vary - up to two ramparts

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   None
NW Quadrant:   None
Total:   2

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:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

Greenslade, M.W and Stuart, D.G.1984. A History of Staffordshire. Chichester: Phillimore. 2nd ed.



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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