Reasons for Designation
Slight univallate hillforts are defined as enclosures of various shapes,
generally between 1ha and 10ha in size, situated on or close to hilltops and
defined by a single line of earthworks, the scale of which is relatively
small. They date to between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (eighth -
fifth centuries BC), the majority being used for 150 to 200 years prior to
their abandonment or reconstruction. Slight univallate hillforts have
generally been interpreted as stock enclosures, redistribution centres, places
of refuge and permanent settlements. The earthworks generally include a
rampart, narrow level berm, external ditch and counterscarp bank, while access
to the interior is usually provided by two entrances comprising either simple
gaps in the earthwork or an inturned rampart. Postholes revealed by excavation
indicate the occasional presence of portal gateways while more elaborate
features like overlapping ramparts and outworks are limited to only a few
examples. Internal features included timber or stone round houses; large
storage pits and hearths; scattered postholes, stakeholes and gullies; and
square or rectangular buildings supported by four to six posts, often
represented by postholes, and interpreted as raised granaries. Slight
univallate hillforts are rare with around 150 examples recorded nationally.
Although on a national scale the number is low, in Devon they comprise one of
the major classes of hillfort. In other areas where the distribution is
relatively dense, for example, Wessex, Sussex, the Cotswolds and the
Chilterns, hillforts belonging to a number of different classes occur within
the same region. Examples are also recorded in eastern England, the Welsh
Marches, central and southern England. In view of the rarity of slight
univallate hillforts and their importance in understanding the transition
between Bronze Age and Iron Age communities, all examples which survive
comparatively well and have potential for the recovery of further
archaeological remains are believed to be of national importance.
Details
The monument includes a slight univallate hillfort situated on a north west
facing spur above a shallow valley. The hillfort has a roughly `D' shaped
interior with dimensions of 250m north west-south east and 210m north east-
south west. Surrounding the enclosed area, on the south east and north east
sides, is a single rampart comprising a bank up to 8m wide and 1.3m high and a
ditch which, although no longer visible on the surface, will survive as a
buried feature 8m wide. On the north west and south west sides the ramparts
have been ploughed but are visible as a scarp, except in the south. The scarp
slope is most pronounced in the north west, where the level of the interior is
2m above the bottom of the scarp. The earthworks are said to have been much
reduced by cultivation by 1875 but are shown to be complete on the Ordnance
Survey map of 1830. A gap in the ramparts, in the north east, may represent
the original entrance.
Excluded from the scheduling are all modern field boundaries, although the
ground beneath them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
31184
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
