Multivallate hillfort, 420m SSW of Catcherside

Reasons for Designation

Small multivallate hillforts are defined as fortified enclosures of varying shape, generally between 1 and 5ha in size and located on hilltops. They are defined by boundaries consisting of two or more lines of closely set earthworks spaced at intervals of up to 15m. These entirely surround the interior except on sites located on promontories, where cliffs may form one or more sides of the monument. They date to the Iron Age period, most having been constructed and occupied between the sixth century BC and the mid-first century AD. Small multivallate hillforts are generally regarded as settlements of high status, occupied on a permanent basis. Recent interpretations suggest that the construction of multiple earthworks may have had as much to do with display as with defence. Earthworks may consist of a rampart alone or of a rampart and ditch which, on many sites, are associated with counterscarp banks and internal quarry scoops. Access to the interior is generally provided by one or two entrances, which either appear as simple gaps in the earthwork or inturned passages, sometimes with guardrooms. The interior generally consists of settlement evidence including round houses, four and six post structures interpreted as raised granaries, roads, pits, gullies, hearths and a variety of scattered post and stake holes. Evidence from outside numerous examples of small multivallate hillforts suggests that extra-mural settlement was of a similar nature. Small multivallate hillforts are rare with around 100 examples recorded nationally. Most are located in the Welsh Marches and the south-west with a concentration of small monuments in the north-east. In view of the rarity of small multivallate hillforts and their importance in understanding the nature of settlement and social organisation within the Iron Age period, all examples with surviving archaeological potential are believed to be of national importance.

Despite the fact that much of the hillfort SSW of Catcherside has been levelled by ploughing, it retains significant archaeological deposits, particularly in the infilled ditches and beneath the overlying riggs. It is one of a group of settlements of broadly the same period and will contribute to our knowledge and understanding of the range and nature of later prehistoric settlement in the area.

Details

The monument includes a hillfort of Iron Age date situated on the top of a small hillock, with a steep drop to the north. The hillfort has a central oval platform measuring 48m by 35m with artificial scarps on all sides. The surrounding ditch has been much infilled but is visible as a shallow depression, except on the north-west side where it is a pronounced feature 12.5m wide and 1.2m in depth below the interior ground level. Outside the ditch, on the north-west side, there is a well preserved rampart 9m wide and 2m high above the bottom of the ditch. On all other sides the rampart has been reduced to a slight scarp. The levelling and infilling of the earthworks at this site is partly the result of ridge and furrow ploughing which surrounds and overlies the monument.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 5 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

21011

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Hogg, A H A, Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11 in Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11, (1947), 171
Jobey, G, Archaeologia Aeliana in Hill Forts and Settlements in Northumberland, (1965), 63

Other
NY 98 NE 16,

End of official list entry

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