Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR0964 Brewel West, Kildare (Brewel Hill)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database KD032-026001 (None)

NMR:  KD 032 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  683212  Y:  701300  (IRENET95)

Summary

Near the modern village of Dunlarvin, a circular contour fort with a total site footprint of approximately 0.5ha in commanding position on an isolated hilltop overlooking level terrain in all directions. Univallate for the entire circuit with two simple entrance gaps in the N and SE. Circular earthwork enclosing a possible stone circle at S of fort interior. Enclosing elements survive well throughout. Interior under partial tree cover, the remainder of the monument is in pasture. First map depiction in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. The fort is protected under the Preservation Order No. 32/1976 and forms part of a protected archaeological landscape comprising four ring barrows, a possible cursus and a large figure-of-eight enclosure. These monument lie with 600m of the contour fort.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -752377  Y:  6993337  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -6.75871587121437  Latitude:  53.05585695476313  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Kildare

Historic County:  Kildare

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Brewel West

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

The centre of the fort is under partial tree cover.

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 contour fort in commanding position on domed summit of Brewel Hill, an isolated hilltop overlooking flat terrain in all directions.

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:  Isolated hilltop.

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

Altitude:  222.0m

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 stone circle 'The Piper's Stones' at the centre of the fort.
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

First map depiction in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1906):   Second edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey mapping.

Interior Features

Possible stone circle known as 'The Piper's Stones' at centre of the fort. Smaller enclosure approximately 25m in diameter abuts the S face of the hillfort rampart. This comprises a low bank approximately 6m wide and 0.4m in maximum height. The possible stone circle is positioned within this smaller enclosure and these may have formed a composite ritual monument centred on the hilltop.

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

NO APPARENT FEATURES

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

Entrances

The second edition Ordnance Survey maps depict two small breaks in the enclosing elements at the N and SE. These comprise simple gaps approximately 4m wide and may be original.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North):   None
2. Simple Gap (South east):   None

Enclosing Works

Circular area defined by an earthen bank approximately 0.4m high and 7m wide with a shallow outer ditch approximately 6m wide.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.32ha.
Total:   0.32ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.49ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
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:
✓   External.

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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