LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Devon MDV284 (None)
NMR: SS 51 NW 8 (33586)
SM: 1021417
NGR: SS523168
X: 252300 Y: 116800 (OSGB36)
Contour hillfort located on summit of small hill at NE end of prominent SW-facing promontory above marked bend of River Torridge to SW and its confluence with stream on W. Steep surrounding slopes, but approached from NE by narrow ridge. Most of site circuit modern field boundary. Ovoid shape enclosure with internal area c. 1.6ha. On SE side univallate with bank to 1.5m high and ditch filled and terraced to form a now disused trackway above steep-sided river valley. At SW end of promontory, bank and ditch ploughing to faint scarp to 0.8m high. To N slope less and here multivallate for 200m, with inner bank to 1.6m high and outer bank 2.6m high, inner ditch now overgrown hollow farm track. NE end mutilated, but possible offset inturned entrance here flanked by out-turned outer banks. Possible early medieval site of battle of Cynuit, but uncertain. Pasture interior. On 1st Ed. OS map (1887).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -456775 Y: 6609209 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.103283128093504 Latitude: 50.93162894599052 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England; None
Current County or Unitary Authority: Devon
Historic County: Devon
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Beaford; Little Torrington
Most of site circuit modern field boundary and site much mutilated and ploughed down in part. On Heritage at Risk Register (2011).
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Pasture interior with wooded surrounding slopes.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Contour hillfort or defended enclosure located on summit of small hill at NE end of prominent SW-facing promontory above marked bend of River Torridge to SW and its confluence with stream on W. Steep surrounding slopes, but approached from NE by narrow ridge.
| 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: 106.0m
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: | Possible early medieval site of battle of Cynuit, but uncertain. |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1887). Field investigation Ordnance Survey 1973.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1887): | OS map. |
| Other (1973): | Field investigation OS. |
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 | ✗ |
NE end mutilated, but possible offset inturned entrance here flanked by out-turned, outer banks.
| 1: | Total breaks not defined. |
| 2: | Mutilated. |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Out-turned (North east): | Out-turned outer banks. |
| 1. In-turned (North east): | Possible offset inturned entrance. |
| 1. Oblique (North east): | Possible offset inturned entrance. |
On SE side univallate with bank to 1.5m high and ditch filled and terraced to form a now disused trackway above steep-sided river valley. At SW end of promontory, bank and ditch ploughing to faint scarp to 0.8m high. To N slope less and here the multivallate for 200m, with inner bank to 1.6m high and outer bank 2.6m high, inner ditch now overgrown hollow farm track.
| Area 1: | 1.6ha. |
| Total: | 1.6ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| 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 |
| ✓ | Possibly two. |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Wall, J.C. 1906. Ancient Earthworks, In ed W. Page, The Victoria County History of the County of Devon, Vol I, 602, London: James Street, Haymarket.
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