LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Exmoor National Park MSO9326 (None)
NMR: ST 92 NW 4 (36531)
SM: 1006168
NGR: SS90932820
X: 290930 Y: 128200 (OSGB36)
Univallate, partial contour hillfort located high on summit of NE-facing promontory overlooking marked meander of River Barle to NE, on SW edge of Burridge Wood, c. 1.5km to NE of Dulverton in Exmoor National Park. Steep to precipitous wooded surrounding slopes around site from NW to SE, less up ridge to SW. Overlooking river, similar to Cow Castle (Atlas No 4112 ) upriver and Mounsey Castle at Dulverton (Atlas No 4119). Very badly damaged by ploughing and now survives differentially as an elongated oval originally c. 219m long and 91m at broadest part, with internal area c. 1.3ha. Formerly defined by a single rampart and ditch, former now best on NE into woodland and above precipitous slopes, standing c. 2m high above a largely buried ditch, elsewhere little visible and now scarp above similar ditch (just visible at W corner) within massive hedgebanks and outside field wall on circuit, with cultivated interior. Possible simple entrance to NE giving access to spine of ridge running down to the NE, but unclear. Interior under continuous cultivation. Wooded surrounds from NW to SE. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889-90). Few investigations. Undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -395989 Y: 6628852 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.5572273802022143 Latitude: 51.04271135989583 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Somerset
Historic County: Somerset
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Dulverton
Much badly damaged apart from at NE end of site.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Interior under continuous cultivation. Wooded surrounds from NW to SE.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✓ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Univallate, partial contour hillfort located high on summit of NE-facing promontory overlooking marked bend of River Barle to NE, on SW edge of Burridge Wood, c. 1.5km to NE of Dulverton in Exmoor National Park. Very steep to precipitous wooded surrounding slopes around site from NW to SE, less up ridge 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: Promontory
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✓ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 244.0m
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 |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1889-90). Field investigation G.H. Pitcher Ordnance Survey 1965. Aerial photograph interpretation English Heritage Brendon Hill NMP 1998.
| Other (1965): | Field investigation G.H. Pitcher OS. |
| Other (1997): | Field investigation R. Wilson-North and H .Riley RCHME. |
| Other (1998): | Aerial photograph interpretation English Heritage Brendon Hill NMP. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | OS map. |
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 simple entrance to NE giving access to spine of ridge running down to the NE, but unclear. Much destroyed, but conjecture that there was once a SW entrance.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North east): | Conjecture. |
Formerly defined by a single rampart and ditch, former now best on NE into woodland and above precipitous slopes, standing c. 2m high above a largely buried ditch, elsewhere little visible and now scarp above similar ditch (just visible at W corner) within massive hedgebanks and outside field wall on circuit.
| Area 1: | 1.3ha. |
| Total: | 1.3ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | Much gone. |
| 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 | ✗ |
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 |
| ✓ | Buried feature. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None |
Burrow, E.J. 1924. The ancient earthworks and camps of Somerset, Cheltenham: E.J. Burrow, 90.
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, 269-70.
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, 493-4.
Wilson-North, R. 1997. Oldberry Castle, Dulverton, Somerset, Unpublished report RCHME.
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