Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IOM3336 Maughold Head, Garff

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Isle of Man 1077 (None)

NMR:  None (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  SC496917

X:  249600  Y:  491700  (OSGB36)

Summary

Coastal promontory fort located on E-facing headland of Maughold Head, to SE of Maughold church. Little known about the site, with no excavation or survey, and substantial gorse cover renders interpretation very difficult and little can be seen. Very steep and precipitous sea cliffs to E. Curving bank from steep to very steep slope and then precipitous sea cliffs on E extends W, then curves S to possible gap entrance on W before curving SE to meet the cliffs once again. Cairn located in centre of site. No further information. To E of church site graveyard contains keeills and evidence of important early medieval ecclesiastical site. Collection of early medieval sculpture, both Celtc and Viking, some created at time of occupation of promontory forts of the area. On OS 1" series (1957). Undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -480088  Y:  7226934  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.312706766612405  Latitude:  54.2987179019607  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Isle of Man

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Garff

Historic County:  Garff

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Maughold

Monument Condition

Difficult to see and interpret.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Coastal grassland and gorse scrub.

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

Coastal promontory fort located on E-facing headland of Maughold Head, to SE of Maughold church. Little known about the site, with no excavation or survey, and substantial gorse cover renders interpretation very difficult and little can be seen. Very steep and precipitous sea cliffs to E.

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:  76.0m

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:   Possible. Cairn located in centre of site.
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Ordnance Survey investigation 1957, on 1" series map. Field survey J. Woodcock 1999. Field visit University of Liverpool 2010.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1957):   None
Other (1999):   Field survey J. Woodcock.
Other (2010):   Field visit University of Liverpool.
Other (2015):   Visited by Hillfort Study Group

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

Possible simple gap W entrance.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (West):   Possible

Enclosing Works

Curving bank from steep to very steep slope and then precipitous sea cliffs on E extends W, then curves S to possible gap entrance on W before curving SE to meet the cliffs once again.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   Noneha.
Total:   Noneha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area not defined.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

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

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:
✗   None recorded, but possible.

Number of Ditches:  0

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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