Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IOM4215 Meary Veg, Middle

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Isle of Man 766 (None)

NMR:  None (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  SC33647050

X:  233640  Y:  470500  (OSGB36)

Summary

Small coastal promontory fort located on rocky, SE-facing headland, just NNE of Santon Head on SE coast of island. To seaward on SE, rocky sea cliffs, and to N and S precipitous sea-cliff re-entrants protect site, with low bank and ditch crossing landward neck on NW and continuing, and then fading, to SW. Bank c. 0.5m wide at top and 0.9m inner height. Area not determined due to coastal erosion. Possible causewayed entrance, c. 1.5m-2.5m wide, marked by slab of rock. No visible structures in interior. Coastal grass, heather and bracken scrub, overgrown in part. On 1st Ed. OS map (1868). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -506055  Y:  7189768  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.545972660257412  Latitude:  54.1034220468001  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Isle of Man

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Middle

Historic County:  Middle

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Santon

Monument Condition

Site visible.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Coastal grass, heather and bracken scrub, overgrown in part.

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

Small coastal promontory fort located on rocky, SE-facing headland, just NNE of Santon Head on SE coast of island. To seaward on SE, rocky sea cliffs, and to N and S precipitous sea-cliff re-entrants protect site, with low bank and ditch crossing landward neck on NW and continuing, and then fading, to SW.

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 promontory

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

Altitude:  15.0m

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 (1868). Ordnance Survey investigation 1955. Field survey J. Woodcock 1999. Field visit University of Liverpool 2010.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1868):   OS map.
Other (1955):   OS investigation.
Other (1999):   Field survey J. Woodcock.
Other (2010):   Field visit University of Liverpool.

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 causewayed entrance to NW, c. 1.5m-2.5m wide, marked by slab of rock.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North west):   Causewayed.

Enclosing Works

To seaward cliffs and to N and S steep-sided re-entrants protect site, with low bank and ditch crossing neck on NW and continuing and then fading to SW.

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

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area not determined.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

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

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Bersu, G. 1949. A promontory fort on the shore of Ramsey Bay, Isle of Man, Antiq J, XXIX, 77-8.



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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