LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Exmoor National Park MSO8663 (None)
NMR: SS 82 NE 1 (35635)
SM: 1021358
NGR: SS88322977
X: 288320 Y: 129770 (OSGB36)
Small, univallate, partial contour hillfort located on steep, flat-topped, pear-shaped, knoll at E end of narrow NE-facing promontory in Hawkridge Ridge Wood above prominent meander of River Barle on N, E and SE and above its confluence with Dane Brook to S. Steep slopes to river, less along ridge to W. Mounsey Castle (Atlas No 4119) across river to SE. Site measures c. 72m E-W by 62m internally, with area c. 0.36ha. Edge of natural knoll artificially strengthened to form steep scarp, or rampart, c. 2m high, best from N, E and around to S. Probably also on NW, but seems gone on the steeper slopes. Loose stone on E and S slopes, combined with an clear inner berm, could suggest stone-wall. Gap, 4m wide, on steeper slopes on NE may be natural feature or modern gap for quarry, and original entrance possibly on W across narrowest point of ridge, where 2m break flanked by two inturned ends of rampart. No trace of fronting ditch. Internally linear ridge of outcropping rock running E-W from near entrance across most of interior and quarried for stone from S side. To S of this ridge terraces which are probably natural features. Small level areas, possible building platforms, but no direct evidence for this. Wooded site. On 1st Ed. OS map (1890).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -400185 Y: 6631262 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.59492728675132 Latitude: 51.05632198107419 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England; None
Current County or Unitary Authority: Somerset
Historic County: Somerset
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Withypool; Dulverton
Denuded.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Within deciduous Hawkridge Ridge Wood.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Small, univallate, partial contour hillfort located on steep, flat-topped, pear-shaped, knoll at E end of narrow NE-facing promontory in Hawkridge Ridge Wood above prominent meander of River Barle on N, E and SE and above its confluence with Dane Brook to S. Steep slopes to river, less along 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: None
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✓ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 205.0m
Boundary Type: Parish/Townland
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 (1890). Field investigation Ordnance Survey 1965. Field investigation RCHME 1998. Measured survey RCHME West Exmoor Project 1998.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1890): | OS map. |
| Other (1965): | Field survey OS. |
| Other (1998): | Field investigation RCHME. |
| Earthwork Survey (None): | Measured survey RCHME West Exmoor Project. |
Internally linear ridge of outcropping rock running E-W from near entrance across most of interior and quarried for stone from S side. To S of this ridge terraces which probably natural features. Small level areas, possible building platforms, but no direct evidence for this.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Internally linear ridge of outcropping rock running E-W from near entrance across most of interior and quarried for stone from S side. To S of this ridge terraces which probably natural features. Small level areas, possible building platforms, but no direct evidence for this.
| 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 | ✗ |
Gap, 4m wide, on steeper slopes on NE may be natural feature or modern gap for quarry, and original entrance possibly on W across narrowest point of ridge, where 2m break flanked by two inturned ends of rampart. No trace of fronting ditch.
| 2: | Gap on NE may be modern or natural feature. |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. In-turned (West): | None |
Edge of natural knoll artificially strengthened to form steep scarp, or rampart, c. 2m high, best from N, E and around to S. Probably also on NW, but seems gone on the steeper slopes. Loose stone on E and S slopes, combined with an inner berm, could suggest stone-walled site.
| Area 1: | 0.36ha. |
| Total: | 0.36ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Possible stone-walled site.
| 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: 0
| ✗ | None |
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, 255-6.
Dobson, D.P. 1931, The Archaeology of Somerset, 231.
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, 477.
Riley, H. 1999. Mounsey Castle and Brewer's Castle : two Iron Age enclosures in the Barle Valley, Somerset : an archaeological survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, Unpublished report RCHME.
RCHME Archaeological Field Survey reports1991 - Riley H 1999 Mounsey Castle and Brewer's Castle: two Iron Age enclosures in the Barle Valley, Somerset. RCHME Survey report
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