Hilltop enclosure known as Castle Park Camp, 720m north west of Pomphlett

Reasons for Designation

Hilltop enclosures are defined as sub-rectangular or elongated areas of ground, usually between 10ha and 40ha in size, situated on hilltops or plateaux and surrounded by slight univallate earthworks. They date to between the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (eighth-fifth centuries BC) and are usually interpreted as stock enclosures or sites where agricultural produce was stored. Many examples of hilltop enclosures may have developed into more strongly defended sites later in the Iron Age period and are therefore often difficult to recognise in their original form. The earthworks generally consist of a bank separated from an external ditch by a level berm. Access to the interior was generally provided by two or three entrances which consisted of simple gaps in the rampart. Evidence for internal features is largely dependent on excavation, and to date this has included large areas of sparsely scattered features including post and stakeholes, hearths and pits. Rectangular or square buildings are also evident; these are generally defined by between four and six postholes and are thought to have supported raised granaries. Hilltop enclosures are rare, with between 25 and 30 examples recorded nationally. A greater number may exist but these could have been developed into hillforts later in the Iron Age and could only be confirmed by detailed survey or excavation. The majority of known examples are located in two regions, on the chalk downland of Wessex and Sussex and in the Cotswolds. More scattered examples are found in north-east Oxfordshire and north Northamptonshire. This class of monument has not been recorded outside England. In view of the rarity of hilltop enclosures and their importance in understanding the transition between Bronze Age and Iron Age communities, all examples with surviving archaeological remains are believed to be of national importance.

Despite reduction in the height of the rampart to the south and east through cultivation and the presence of old forest tracks in the northern part of the enclosure, the hilltop enclosure known as Castle Park Camp 700m north west of Pomphlett survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the monument's construction, use and landscape context.

Details

This monument includes a hilltop enclosure situated on a very prominent hill forming the watershed between the valleys of tributaries to the River Lyd and River Tamar. The monument survives as an oval enclosure defined to the north, west and partially to the east by a ditch and bank and to the south and partly to the east by a distinct lynchet. The enclosed area measures up to 130m from north to south by up to 70m east to west. To the south and east the ramparts are defined by a lynchet up to 9.7m wide and 1m high. On the south western side there is also a slight bank up to 8m wide and 0.2m high. The earthworks are best preserved to the north and west. The rampart is up to 1.9m high externally and 6m wide. An outer ditch is also visible and this survives up to 8m wide and 0.2m deep. The ramparts have been cut in three places by tracks up to 4m wide. The stock proof fences which cross the earthworks are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 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:

35252

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX47NW7, (1988)

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