Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN3465 Castle Head, Dunterton, Devon

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Devon MDV2690 (None)

NMR:  SX 37 NE 10 (436767)

SM:  1020272

NGR:  SX38097859

X:  238073  Y:  78557  (OSGB36)

Summary

Inland promontory fort located on SSE-facing spur above marked meander of River Tamar. Very steep to precipitous slopes to river on NE and W and NW, moderate to strong to S. Internal area measures c. 100m NE-SW by 80m. Defined by semi-circular rampart and ditch on N cutting off narrow strip of land on summit of ridge, and as ditch on W and S tapering to E where slope very steep to precipitous. Part of ditch disturbed by c. 4m wide carriage drives on W and in interior. Best on N where rampart 3m high externally and 10m wide, ditch 5m wide and to 1m deep. No entrance defined. Remains of small summer house on W terraced into hillside. At SW corner of outer ditch to N stone and rubble bank leads E downhill. Two nearby enclosures to S and SW in Dunterton Wood and plantation on spur, with wooded surrounds. Bank well-preserved. Later carriage drives from nearby Endsleigh House. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -477421  Y:  6548066  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.28874748705595  Latitude:  50.58417333600519  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England; None

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Devon; Cornwall

Historic County:  Devon

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Dunterton

Monument Condition

Bank well-preserved. Later carriage drives from nearby Endsleigh House.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

In Dunterton Wood and plantation on spur, with wooded surrounds. Remains of summer house. Later carriage drives from nearby Endsleigh House.

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

Inland promontory fort located on SSE-facing spur above marked meander of River Tamar. Very steep to precipitous slopes to river on NE and W and NW, moderate to strong to S.

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:  Spur

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

Altitude:  120.0m

Boundary

Boundary Type:  County


Dating Evidence

None.

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:   Remains of summer house on W terraced into hillside.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

None.

Investigations:No related records

Interior Features

None.

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

No entrance defined.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Defined by semi-circular rampart and ditch on N defending narrow strip of land on summit of ridge, and ditch on W and S tapering to E where slope very steep to precipitous. Part of ditch disturbed by c. 4m wide carriage drives on W and in interior. Best on N where rampart 3m high externally and 10m wide, ditch 5m wide and to 1m deep. Possible earth and stone bank.

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

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   No area defined.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   0
NW Quadrant:   1
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

Possible earth and stone bank.

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:
✓   Defined by semi-circular rampart and ditch on N defending narrow strip of land on summit of ridge, and ditch on W and S tapering to E where slope very steep to precipitous.

Number of Ditches:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

No related records



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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