Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN4304 Willapark Head, Cornwall

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Cornwall and Scilly 23117 (None)

NMR:  SX 08 NE 10 (431889)

SM:  None

NGR:  SX 0632 8962

X:  206249  Y:  89701  (OSGB36)

Summary

Possible promontory fort sited on the rugged headland of Willapark Head. Sea cliffs on N, E, and W, landward narrow neck to SE. Encloses c. 2.5ha of the sloping promontory. Defined by possible trace of bank and ditch up to 48m long, but mutilated by surface stone quarrying and ditch to W becomes a terrace as the coastal slope steepens on the E side. No recognisable entrance, although possibly taken by cliff erosion. Later dry-stone wall 1.7m high built along top of bank. Possible traces of hut circles, but uncertain. Coastal grassland, gorse scrub and bare rock. On 1st Ed. OS map (1884).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -528056  Y:  6563932  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.743611740738474  Latitude:  50.6745817859065  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cornwall

Historic County:  Cornwall

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Tintagel

Monument Condition

Mutilated by surface stone quarrying. Coastal erosion may have taken entrance.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Coastal grassland, gorse scrub and bare rock. Quarrying.

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

Promontory fort (aka cliff castle) sited on the rugged headland of Willapark Head. Sea cliffs on N, E, and W, landward narrow neck to SE.

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:  Coastal headland.

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

Altitude:  30.0m

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

On 1st Ed. OS map (1884). Field investigation Ordnance Survey 1976. Mapped during Cornwall NMP - no date.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1884):   OS map.
Other (1976):   Field investigation OS.
Other (None):   Cornwall NMP.

Interior Features

Possible hut sites, but uncertain.

Water Source

None

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

Surface

Possible hut sites, but uncertain.

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

Possibly taken by coastal erosion.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Defined by possible trace of bank and ditch up to 48m long, but mutilated by surface stone quarrying and ditch to W becomes a terrace as the coastal slope steepens on the E side.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   2.5ha.
Total:   2.5ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

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

None

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:
✓   Possible ditch only.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Cotton, M.A. 1958. Cornish Cliff Castles, Proc West Cornwall Fld Club, 2, 3, 119.

Fox, A. 1962. Southern Britain in the Iron Age, 38.

Page, W. ed. 1906. The Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, 1, London: James Street, 460.



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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