Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IOM4224 Niarbyl, Glenfaba

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Isle of Man 1000 (None)

NMR:  None (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  SC 21237752

X:  221230  Y:  477524  (OSGB36)

Summary

Small coastal promontory fort located on SW-facing promontory above Traie Vrish and c. 200m S of Niarbyl at N end of Niarbyl Bay, and just to S of Elby Point on W coast of island. Buggane Creglea (Atlas No 4201) short distance along coast to N. Exact location unclear and estimated. Precipitous sea cliffs on S, SW, W and NW, with bank and strong outer ditch cutting across promontory on E. Running from SE-NW modern boundary wall, and from where crosses bank all features E of this ploughed-out. Unlike small coastal promontory forts on island, interior not raised as much from surrounding land. No entrance visible nor interior features. Interior overgrown with gorse on bank. Coastal path crosses site on E. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -527622  Y:  7200957  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.7397134144264585  Latitude:  54.16231630993825  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Isle of Man

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Glenfaba

Historic County:  Glenfaba

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Patrick

Monument Condition

Damaged on E by boundary wall and ploughed-out in part.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Interior overgrown with gorse on bank.

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 SW-facing promontory above Traie Vrish and c. 200m S of Niarbyl at N end of Niarbyl Bay, and just to S of Elby Point on W coast of island. Precipitous sea cliffs on S, SW, W and NW. Exact location unclear and estimated.

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

Ordnance Survey investigation 1955. Field survey J. Woodcock 1999. Field visit University of Liverpool 2011.

Investigations:
Other (1955):   OS investigation.
Other (1999):   Field survey J. Woodcock.
Other (2011):   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

None visible.

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

Bank and strong outer ditch cutting across promontory on E. Running from SE-NW modern boundary wall, and from where crosses bank all features E of this ploughed-out. Unlike

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:   1
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:
✓   Strong outer ditch where not ploughed-out.

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.



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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