Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN3532 Castle Park Camp, Milton Abbot, Devon

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Devon No record found (None)

NMR:  SX 47 NW 1 (437936)

SM:  1020274

NGR:  SX42367980

X:  242365  Y:  79809  (OSGB36)

Summary

Univallate partial contour hillfort located on SE tip of very prominent SE-facing spur of ridge forming watershed between tributaries to River Lyd and River Tamar. Steep surrounding slopes, less along spur to NW. Slight slope to S. Oval in shape measures c. 150m N-S by 85m, with internal area c. 0.9ha. Field bank now NE-SW boundary between former afforestation regime to N and cultivation to S. Defined on N, W and partially E by bank to 6m wide and 1.9m high externally with shallow outer ditch to 8m wide and 0.2m deep. On part E and S, where bank reduced through ploughing, now scarp c. 9.7m wide and 1m high. On SW slight bank to 8m wide and 0.2m high. Best to N and W. Four gaps with tracks through ramparts to 4m wide, one for timber haulage. Original entrance uncertain. Reasonably well-preserved despite ramparts reduced through cultivation on E and S, past afforestation and subsequent removal and old forest tracks in N part of site now cleared to rough pasture and scrub. Cultivation regime on E and S. On 1st Ed. OS map (1884). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -470737  Y:  6550245  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.228699963011715  Latitude:  50.59659922406614  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Devon

Historic County:  Devon

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Milton Abbot

Monument Condition

Reasonably well-preserved despite ramparts reduced through cultivation on E and S, past afforestation and subsequent removal and old forest tracks in N part of site.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Past afforestation on N, now cleared to rough pasture and scrub. Cultivation regime on E and S.

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

Univallate partial contour hillfort located on SE tip of very prominent SE-facing spur of ridge forming watershed between alleys of tributaries to River Lyd and River Tamar. Steep surrounding slopes, less along sour to NW.

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:  270.0m

Boundary

N/A


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:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

On 1st Ed. OS map (1884). Aerial photograph interpretation RCHME Primary Recording Project 1992-96.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1884):   OS map.
Other (None):   Aerial photograph interpretation RCHME Primary Recording Project.

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

Four gaps with tracks through ramparts to 4m wide, one for timber haulage. Original entrance uncertain.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
4:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Original entrance uncertain.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Defined on N, W and partially E by bank to 6m wide and 1.9m high externally with shallow outer ditch to 8m wide and 0.2m deep. On part E and S, where bank reduced through ploughing, now scarp c. 9.7m wide and 1m high. On SW slight bank to 8m wide and 0.2m high.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.9ha.
Total:   0.9ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

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

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

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, 608.



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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