LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Exmoor National Park MDE1236 (MDV684)
NMR: SS 74 NW 3 (35152)
SM: 1020807
NGR: SS740493
X: 274024 Y: 149399 (OSGB36)
Unusual, very large, coastal promontory fort located above Lynmouth Bay to NW and East Lyn River to SE and S. Precipitous cliffs above sea and deep valleys to river, with steep and moderate slopes along ridge to NE and SW. Irregular shaped, enclosing c. 35ha. High rampart, to 13m high from ditch bottom in places in S, but at least 2.3m elsewhere, and to 17m wide, with outer ditch, cuts off gentler approach to fort from E and running for c. 400m from the coastal cliffs and slopes on NW to very steep cliffs on SE overlooking East Lyn River. Ditch flat-bottomed c. 5m wide and 1.5m deep despite natural infilling. Substantial counterscarp bank to 1.7m high and 4.5m wide. Vertical rear face of dry-stone walling, possibly medieval. Rampart cut through by A39 coastal road, with possible original entrance just S of centre of bank to give access to Wind Hill, the highest part of the fort interior. Outwork, now much reduced but still to 2m high and 9m wide, fronting entrance in a curve c. 30m away and running for c. 95m from against counterscarp bank 30m N of entrance to possibly joining counterscarp again c. 70m S of entrance, but this point has been ploughed out. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -423647 Y: 6662041 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.8056831142601513 Latitude: 51.22978189484568 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Devon
Historic County: Devon
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Lynton and Lynmouth
Main rampart well-preserved despite being cut through by A39. Substantial outwork, now reduced by ploughing.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Rough grassland.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Unusual, large, coastal promontory fort located above Lynmouth Bay to NW and East Lyn River to SE and S. Precipitous cliffs above sea and deep valleys to river, with steep and moderate slopes along ridge to NE and SW.
| 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: Coastal ridge promontory.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✓ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 236.0m
N/A
None
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 |
Woollcombe Mss 1839. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Measured survey RCHME West Exmoor Project 1993-96. Archaeological and historic landscape survey of Kipscombe Farm, Countisbury N. Berry 2004. API English Heritage Exmoor National Park National Mapping Programme 2007-2009.
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1839): | Woolcombe manuscript. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1889): | OS map. |
| Other (1989): | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| Other (2004): | Archaeological and historic landscape survey of Kipscombe Farm, Countisbury. |
| Earthwork Survey (None): | Measured survey RCHME West Exmoor Project. |
| Other (None): | API English Heritage Exmoor National Park National Mapping Programme. |
None.
None
| 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 | ✗ |
None
| APs Not Checked | ✓ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Possible original entrance just S of centre of bank to give access to Winh Hill, the highest part of the fort interior. Outwork, now much reduced, but still to 2m high and 9m wide, fronting entrance in a curve c. 30m away and running for c. 95m from against counterscarp bank 30m N of entrance to possibly joining counterscarp again c. 70m S of entrance, but this point has been ploughed out.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Outworks (East): | Substantial outwork, now reduced by ploughing. |
High rampart, to 13m high from ditch bottom in places in S, but at least 2.3m elsewhere, and to 17m wide, with outer ditch, cuts off gentler approach to fort from E and running for c. 400m from the coastal cliffs and slopes on NW to very steep cliffs on SE overlooking East Lyn River. Ditch flat-bottomed c. 5m wide and 1.5m deep despite natural infilling. Substantial counterscarp bank to 1.7m high and 4.5m wide. Vertical rear face of dry-stone walling, possibly medieval.
| Area 1: | 35.0ha. |
| Total: | 35.0ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
None
| 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 |
| ✓ | Flat-bottomed ditch. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None |
Allcroft, A.H. 1908. Earthworks of England, London: Macmillan.
Grant, N. 1995. The Occupation of Hillforts in Devon during The Post-Roman, 106.
Riley, H. and Wilson-North, R. 2001. The Field Archaeology of Exmoor, 58-59.
Wall, J.C. 1906. Ancient Earthworks, In W. Page (ed), The Victoria County History of the County of Devon, Vol I, London: James Street, Haymarket.
Woollcombe Mss Devon and Exeter Inst Library 1839.
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