Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN4265 Halsdon, Devon

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Devon MDV11975 (None)

NMR:  SS 51 SE 28 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  SS558124

X:  255834  Y:  112432  (OSGB36)

Summary

Contour hillfort located on hill top above marked bend of Rover Torridge on W. Roughly oval in shape with maximum dimensions of c. 180m N-S and 125m E-W, with internal area estimated 2.2ha. Rampart and ditch well-preserved in woodland to S and W, less well in pasture To N and W. Inner bank to c. 1m high and ditch c. 3m-4.5m deep in places and substantial counterscarp bank, has not been traced on E side where possibly affected by road skirting hilltop. Ditch and counterscarp fade out or end on W side towards the wood as slope steepens. Trackways on SE and NW possibly not original. Ditch and banks well-preserved in the wood, now owned by the Devon Trust. Elsewhere site under ornamental parkland (created mid 19th century), ploughed in WWII. Not on OS mapping, Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -450989  Y:  6602436  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.051299426418613  Latitude:  50.893269401152466  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Devon

Historic County:  Devon

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Dolton

Monument Condition

Ditch and banks well-preserved in the wood, now owned by the Devon Trust. Elsewhere site under ornamental parkland (created mid 19th century), ploughed in WWII.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Ditch and banks well-preserved in the wood, now owned by the Devon Trust. Elsewhere site under ornamental parkland (created mid 19th century), ploughed in WWII.

Current Use:
Woodland   ✓
Commercial Forestry Plantation   ✗
Parkland   ✓
Pasture (Grazing)   ✗
Arable   ✗
Scrub/Bracken   ✗
Bare Outcrop   ✗
Heather/Moorland   ✗
Heath   ✗
Built-up   ✗
Coastal Grassland   ✗
Other   ✗

Landscape

Hillfort Type

Contour hillfort located on hill top above marked bend of Rover Torridge on W.

Type:
Contour Fort   ✓
Partial Contour Fort   ✗
Promontory Fort   ✗
Hillslope Fort   ✗
Level Terrain Fort   ✗
Marsh Fort   ✗
Multiple Enclosure Fort   ✗

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop   ✓
Coastal Promontory   ✗
Inland Promontory   ✗
Valley Bottom   ✗
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   ✗
Ridge   ✗
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   ✗
Hillslope   ✗
Lowland   ✗
Spur   ✗

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Hill top

Aspect:
North   ✗
Northeast   ✗
East   ✗
Southeast   ✗
South   ✗
Southwest   ✗
West   ✗
Northwest   ✗
Level   ✓

Altitude:  107.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None.

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC   ✗
1200BC - 800BC   ✗
800BC - 400BC   ✗
400BC - AD50   ✗
AD50 - AD400   ✗
AD400 - AD 800   ✗
Post AD800   ✗
Unknown   ✓

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

'Berry' fieldname on Dolton tithe map. Field investigation S.C. Timms 1980.

Investigations:
Other (1980):   Field investigation S.C. Timms.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   'Berry' fieldname on Dolton tithe map.

Interior Features

None.

Water Source

None

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

None

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features   ✓
Round Stone Structures   ✗
Rectangular Stone Structures   ✗
Curvilinear Platforms   ✗
Other Roundhouse Evidence   ✗
Pits   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation   ✓
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics   ✓
Pits   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds   ✓
Pottery   ✗
Metal   ✗
Metalworking   ✗
Human Bones   ✗
Animal Bones   ✗
Lithics   ✗
Environmental   ✗
Other   ✗

Aerial

None

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✓
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

Trackways on SE and NW possibly not original and original entrance not defined. Possible entrance in wood - not defined.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   Trackways on SE and NW possibly not original.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Possible entrance in wood - not defined.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Rampart and ditch well-preserved in woodland to S and W, less well in pasture To N and W. Defences consist of inner bank to c. 1m high and ditch c. 3m-4.5m deep in places and substantial counterscarp bank. Defences not been traced on E side where possibly affected by road skirting hilltop. Ditch annd counterscarp fade out or end on W side towards the wood as slope steepens.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   2.2ha.
Total:   2.2ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   E side possibly lost to road skirting hilltop.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✓
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗
Unknown   ✗

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✗
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗

Surface Evidence

Substantial counterscarp.

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✓
Stone Wall   ✗
Rubble   ✗
Wall-walk   ✗
Evidence of Timber   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✓
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✗
Stone Wall   ✗
Murus Duplex   ✗
Timber-framed   ✗
Timber-laced   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
No Known Excavation   ✓
Other   ✗

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

No related records



Terms of Use

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


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