Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN3597 Lewesdon, Dorset

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Dorset MDO532 (None)

NMR:  ST 40 SW 12 (193092)

SM:  1017034

NGR:  ST437012

X:  343711  Y:  101237  (OSGB36)

Summary

Traces of univallate contour hillfort located in commanding position on the top of a narrow Lewesdon Hill curving NW-SE. Very steep to precipitous on SE and SW, steep elsewhere. On S quadrants precipitous scarp provides definition. Interior c. 1.2ha. On N side where less steep traces of infilled ditch about 7m below level of interior. At S and W narrow ridges provide natural causewayed approach to hillfort. At W end slight ditch, 2.5m wide and c. 0.5m deep, crosses the ridge, with traces of outer bank, 4m wide and to 0.5m high. Possible remains of inner rampart in interior c. 0.5m high. At S end possible in-filled ditch with counterscarp which crosses ridge and continues as a ledge along SW scarp for c. 80m and here possible internal rampart to 0.8m high. No entrance visible. Densely wooded site. Interior much disturbed by gravel digging and timber removal. National Trust site. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -311725  Y:  6587379  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.800276748291033  Latitude:  50.8078759090874  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England; None

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Dorset

Historic County:  Dorset

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Broadwindsor; Burstock; Stoke Abbott

Monument Condition

Interior much disturbed by gravel digging and timber removal. National Trust site.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Densely wooded site and surrounds.

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

Traces of univallate contour hillfort located in commanding position on the top of a narrow Lewesdon Hill curving NW-SE. Very steep to precipitous on SE and SW, steep elsewhere.

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:  Hilltop

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

Altitude:  259.0m

Boundary

Boundary Type:  Parish/Townland


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 (1889).

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1889):   OS map.

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

None 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

On N side where less steep traces of infilled ditch about 7m below level of interior. At S and W narrow ridges provide natural causeways approach to hillfort. At W end slight ditch, 2.5m wide and c. 0.5m deep, crosses the ridge, with traces of outer bank, 4m wide and to 0.5m high. Possible remains of inner rampart in interior c. 0.5m high. At S end possible infilled ditch with counterscarp which crosses ridge and continues as a ledge along SW scarp for c. 80m and here possible internal rampart to 0.8m high.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.2ha.
Total:   1.2ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Traces only - quadrants not defined.

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

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

At S end possible in-filled ditch with counterscarp.

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:
✓   Traces only.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Gale, J. 2003. Prehistoric Dorset, Stroud: Tempus Publishing.

RCHME 1952. An inventory of the historical monuments in Dorset, Vol 1, West Dorset, 56, London: RCHM.



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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