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HER:  Somerset 24775 (None)
NMR:  ST 64 SE 12 (200361)
SM:  1006150
NGR:  ST69564371
X:  369560  Y:  143710  (OSGB36)
Possible inland promontory fort located on WSW-facing promontory at SE end of Mendip Hills between Shepton Mallet and Frome. Steep surrounding slopes of Stubbs Wood from N round to W and S. Triangular shape, with internal area c. 2.4ha. Later use as industrial depot with associated car parking has virtually mutilated all of interior and any possible traces of bank and ditch cutting off the promontory on the NE not determined. The earthwork appears to have only cut off part of the promontory from the steep natural slopes on the N, with no bank to the S. As result doubt must remain as to the nature of the site. On 1st Ed OS map (1886). Minimal investigations, undated.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed
X:  -271286  Y:  6655281  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -2.437000695626541  Latitude:  51.191739589059495  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  England; None
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Somerset
Historic County:  Somerset
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Wanstrow; Cranmore
Later use as quarry maintenance depot. Present traces of bank and ditch not determined.
| Extant   | ✓ |
| Cropmark   | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed   | ✓ |
Industrial site. Wooded surrounds.
| Woodland   | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
| Parkland   | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing)   | ✗ |
| Arable   | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
| Heath   | ✗ |
| Built-up   | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
Possible inland promontory fort located on WSW-facing promontory at SE end of Mendip Hills between Shepton Mallet and Frome. Steep surrounding slopes of Stubbs Wood from N round to W and S.
| 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:  183.0m
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 |
Mention in W. Phelps History of Somersetshire 1839. On 1st Ed. OS map (1886).
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1839):   | Mention in W. Phelps History of Somersetshire. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1886):   | 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   | ✗ |
None visible.
| 0:   | None |
| 2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
Later use as industrial depot with associated car parking has virtually mutilated all of interior and any possible traces of bank and ditch cutting off the promontory on the NE not determined. The earthwork appears to have only cut off part of the promontory from the steep natural slopes on the N, with no bank to the S.
| Area 1:   | 2.4ha. |
| Total:   | 2.4ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
| ✗   | None |
| ✗   | Quadrants estimated. |
| NE Quadrant:   | 1 |
| SE Quadrant:   | 0 |
| SW Quadrant:   | 0 |
| NW Quadrant:   | 0 |
| Total:   | 1 |
| Partial Univallate   | ✓ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
Earth and stone 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. 1908. Earthwork of England, prehistoric, Roman, Saxon, Danish, Norman, mediaeval, London: Macmillan, 60-1, 70.
Burrow, E.J. 1924. Ancient earthworks and camps of Somerset, Cheltenham: E.J. Burrow, 54-5.
Page, W. (ed) 1911. The Victoria County History of the County of Somerset, 2, 475, London: St Catherine Press.
Phelphs, W. 1839. History and antiquities of Somersetshire, London: J.B. Nichols and Son.
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