Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA2775 The Whimble, Radnorshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 26297 (None)

NMR:  SO 26 SW (401557)

SM:  None

NGR:  SO 2053 6266

X:  320509  Y:  262643  (OSGB36)

Summary

Very high (590m O.D.) contour hillfort located on summit of the Whimble, an isolated hill NW of the Walton Basin, N of New Radnor. Very steep surrounding slopes, less on E where more accessible. Measures c. 180m ENE-WSW by 100m, with internal area c. 1.8ha. On E, below summit, low curving bank c. 36m long with outer ditch to c. 0.9m high. About 20m from N end hollowing of the bank is possible entrance, or just a track leading into summit enclosure and its barrow or cairn. Eventually bank disappears amid tracks running up the hill. Then starts again and overlain by earthworks of the Whimble enclosure re-emerging as gentle bank and curving for short distance to SW. Rough upland grazing. Confusing site as much is lost. No evidence for internal features. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -352439  Y:  6846576  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.1660094363393876  Latitude:  52.25616018685208  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Radnorshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  New Radnor

Monument Condition

Confusing site as much lost.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Rough upland grazing and bare rock.

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

Very high contour hillfort klocated on summit of the Whimble, an isolated hill NW of the Walton Basin, N of New Radnor. Very steep surrounding slopes, less on E where more accessible.

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:  Hill top

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

Altitude:  590.0m

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:   Probable summit barrow (cairn).
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

CPAT defended enclosures survey 2006.

Investigations:
Other (2006):   CPAT defended enclosures survey.

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

About 20m from N end hollowing of the bank is possible entrance, or just a track leading into summit enclosure and its barrow or cairn.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Possible entrance only.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. In-turned (East):   Possible entrance only.

Enclosing Works

On E, below summit, low curving bank c. 36m long with outer ditch to c. 0.9m high. About 20m from N end hollowing of the bank is possible entrance, or just a track leading into summit enclosure and its barrow or cairn. Eventually bank disappears amid tracks running up the hill. Then starts again and overlain by earthworks of the Whimble enclosure re-emerging as gentle bank and curving for short distance to SW.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.8ha.
Total:   1.8ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Quadrants estimated.

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

Probably stone-walled site, but only conjecture.

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

Silvester, R.J. and Hankinson, R. 2006. Defended enclosures in Radnorshire. Project report, CPAT Report 781, Welshpool: CPAT.



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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