LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Exmoor National Park MS09082 (None)
NMR: SS 94 SE 17 (36896)
SM: 1007667
NGR: SS98814213
X: 298810 Y: 142130 (OSGB36)
Univallate, commanding, partial contour hillfort located at NW end of SE-NW aligned short ridge in Dunster Forest, Exmoor National Park, between Gallox Hill and Withycombe Hill, on first line of hills above coastal plain, overlooking Bristol Channel, with views inland to Dunkery Hill. Steep surrounding slopes, very steep to SW. Sub-rectangular shape, measuring 140m by 100m and enclosing c. 1.2ha. Defined by stony/rubble rampart and ditch with strong damaged counterscarp bank, overall 20m-25m wide. Cross-ridge outwork 200m to SE at other end of ridge. Good inturned E and W entrances, former also with flanking outer banks and ditches, both probably contemporary. Modern breach with path on SE. Rough pasture interior, scrub on banks. Substantial hillfort in generally good condition. Black Ball Camp (Atlas No 4110), small hillslope fort, lies on Gallox Hill 600m to NW. Possibly late Iron Age - chance find in 1983 of hoard of eight silver plated coins of dates 102 BC to AD 350. Within Dunster Estate and next to the Deer Park Circuit, one of several waymarked trails set up by the Crown Estate. On 1st Ed. OS map (1888-9). .
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -383916 Y: 6651309 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.4487728102615183 Latitude: 51.16937693209547 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Somerset
Historic County: Somerset
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Carhampton
Substantial hillfort in generally good condition. Within Dunster Estate and next to the Deer Park Circuit, one of several waymarked trails set up by the Crown Estate
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Rough pasture interior, scrub on banks.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Univallate, commanding, partial contour hillfort located at NW end of SE-NW aligned short ridge in Dunster Forest, between Gallox Hill and Withycombe Hill, on first line of hills above coastal plain, overlooking Bristol Channel, with views inland to Dunkery Hill. Steep surrounding slopes, very steep to 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: Hill top
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✓ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 213.0m
N/A
Possibly late Iron Age - chance find in 1983 of hoard of eight silver plated coins of dates 102 BC to AD 350.
Reliability: C - Low
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
| Artefactual: | Coin hoard. |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1888-9). Field investigation Ordnance Survey 1965. Field investigation H. Riley RCHME 1998. Measured survey: East Exmoor Project RCHME 1999-2000. Aerial photograph interpretation English Heritage Exmoor National Park NMP 2007-2009.
| Other (1965): | Field investigation Ordnance Survey. |
| Other (1989): | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| Other (1998): | Field investigation H. Riley RCHME. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | OS map. |
| Earthwork Survey (None): | Measured survey: East Exmoor Project. RCHME. |
| Other (None): | Aerial photograph interpretation English Heritage Exmoor National Park NMP. |
Chance find of hoard of eight silver plated coins 1983 of dates 102 BC to AD 350.
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 | ✗ |
Chance find of hoard of eight silver plated coins 1983 of dates 102 BC to AD 350.
| 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 | ✗ |
Good inturned E and W entrances, former also with flanking outer banks and ditches for c. 45m, both probably contemporary. Modern breach by path on SE to Withycombe Hill Gate.
| 3: | Modern breach by path to Withycombe Hill Gate. |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. In-turned (East): | Flanking outer banks and ditches, both probably contemporary. |
| 1. Outworks (East): | Flanking outer banks and ditches for c. 45m. |
| 2. In-turned (West): | Slight inturn. |
Defined by stony/rubble rampart and ditch with strong damaged counterscarp bank, overall 20m-25m wide. Cross-ridge outwork 200m to SE at other end of ridge.
| Area 1: | 1.2ha. |
| Total: | 1.2ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Stony/rubble construction. Strong damaged counterscarp bank.
| 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 |
| ✓ | None |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None |
Allcroft, A.H. 1908. Earthwork of England : prehistoric, Roman, Saxon, Danish, Norman, and mediaeval, London: Macmillan, 197-8.
Burrow, E.J. 1924. The ancient earthworks and camps of Somerset, Cheltenham: E.J. Burrow, 84-5.
Burrow, I. 1981. Hillfort and hill-top settlement in Somerset in the first to eighth centuries AD, British Archaeological Report (BAR) British Series 1, 91, 243-4.
Grinsell, L.V. 1970. The archaeology of Exmoor : Bideford Bay to Bridgwater, Newton Abbot: David and Charles, 72, 77, 80, 87,155, 201.
Page, J.L.W. 1890. An Exploration of Exmoor and the Hill Country of West Somerset: With Notes on Its Archaeology, 200-1.
Page, W. ed. 1911. Ancient earthworks, The Victoria History of Somerset, Volume Two, The Victoria History of the Counties of England, London: Constable and Co, 484-6.
Savage, J. 1830. History of the Hundred of Carhampton, 289.
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