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THE CASTLES

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DESCRIPTION

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A univallate Iron Age hillfort known as The Castles which occupies the rounded summit of a red sandstone hill on the eastern edge of Exmoor. The hillfort is oval in plan and aligned from east to west. An area of 1.6 hectares is enclosed by a bank with an external ditch and an additional, scarped bank outside the ditch on the north side. The hillfort is fortified on the eastern side with a steep bank 3 metres high and up to 9 metres wide. Less steep banks on the south and west sides, where the contours of the hill provide a natural defence, have an average width of 8 metres. A ditch, flanking the eastern side of the hillfortm survives as a shallow depression 5 metres wide. The bank on the north side of the hillfort is 7.5 metres wide. It is fronted by ditch 0.4 metres deep and 8 metres wide with a counterscarp bank 6 metres wide. An entrance, 10 metres wide, formed a slight inturning of the banks located on the eastern side is probably original. A second entrance located to the north of this, formed by a simple break in the banks, is considered to be more recent. The original profile of the banks on the east, south and west side has been blurred by the addition of ancient hedge banks. Several prehistoric finds from within the hillfort have been recorded and these include a Neolithic arrowhead and a polished axe fragment. Roman coins have also been found. Scheduled.

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[ST 0573 2448] CAMP [O.E.] Roman Coins found [T.I.] (1)

"The Castles" 1 mile W. of Bathealton, a Class B hillfort, is
elliptical in shape, about 230 x 140 yds. The ground falls
steeply to the N., less so to the W. and S. and is level on the
E.

The eastern end is strongly fortified by a bank in the middle
of which is the entrance, but there is no indication of an
outer ditch. (2).

Roman coins have been found within the camp (3) [- possibly
those described - see ST 02 NE 5] Castles Camp Bathealton -
Univallate hillfort (4). (2-5)

This is a univallate hillfort with a slightly inturned
entrance. Except for the strong rampart at the east end the
defences consist of a scarp with traces of an outer ditch and
counter scarp bank.

Re-surveyed at 1:2500

A Neolithic arrowhead and part of a polished stone axe, found
on the surface of the hillfort by M.J. Way, are in Taunton
Museum. (6)

ST 097 282. Castles, Bathealton. Listed in gazetteer as a univallate hillfort covering 1.6ha. (7)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1905

( 2) edited by William Page 1911 The Victoria history Somerset, volume two

The Victoria history of the counties of England CH Bothamley 2, 1911 Page(s)481

( 3) General reference

Collinson J. 1791. History of the County of Somerset, 3, 23

( 4) Ordnance Survey 1962 Ordnance Survey map of southern Britain in the Iron Age

( 5) edited by William Page 1906 The Victoria history of the county of Somerset: volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England 1, 1906 Page(s)357

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F1 GHP 26-FEB-66

(7) by A H A Hogg 1979 British hillforts : an index

BAR British series1 (1974) - 62 Page(s)198

(8) Scheduled Monument Notification

16-APR-1999

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