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MONUMENT NO. 192359

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An Iron Age hillfort and an associated Iron Age or Romano-British field system is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks. The site extends over an area which measures 257 metres north-south and 302 metres east-west. The site comprises a bivallate hillfort with an elaborate entranceway and seven lynchets or field boundaries. The hillfort extends over an area which measures 150 metres east-west and 85 metres north-south. The hillfort is oval in shape, with the longer axis oriented WNW-ESE. The entrance faces WNW, and is defined by a triple bank on the northern side and a double out-turned bank on the southern side. The northern and southern sides of the hillfort appear to be mostly defined by natural scarps, although a narrow ditch is visible extending along the northern side. A section of linear bank which measures 33 metres long and 3 metres wide extends along the southern side of the hillfort. The seven lynchets or field boundaries extend across the NE facing slope to the north and west of the hillfort. The field system is coaxial, with lynchets oriented NNW-SSE and WNW-ESE. At least five fields are defined which measure between 12 and 45 metres wide and up to 87 metres in length. 3rd to 4th century pottery had been found on the surface of one of these fields.

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[Area: ST 3700 5828] Banks, noted by Crawford, in 1929,
are described as entrenchments' by Dewar and as 'a fortress'
called Tinker's Batch by Hunt. The latter found 3/4th c. Roman
potsherds, animal bones, etc. (1-3)

The defence of the site depended on steep natural slopes on the
north and south. At the east is a flattened bank 25ft. wide at
the base and in places over 2ft high. There are traces of an
inner ditch.
To the west defences, straddle the natural ridge and consist of
an outer ditch 12ft wide and, in places, 3ft deep with a bank
20ft wide and 3ft high. [Prof Tratman illustrates a second
inner bank. See AO/65/44/1]. The other bank and ditch end short
of the southern slope possibly indicating the site of an
entrance. A wide gap in the defence at the crest of the hill may
be recent, but the squared ends of the ditch suggest that it
may be original. (4)

Since the earthwork centred at ST 36965826 was visited by Prof.
Tratman the farmer has almost obliterated the western defence.
The outer bank has been bulldozed and the material used to fill
the ditch.
Almost vertical rock faces and very steep natural slopes render
artificial defences unnecessary on the south.
The natural slope on the north is less steep and its top has
been scarped to link with the defences on the west.
There is no record of any finds from within the earthwork, but
its situation and appearance suggest an I.A./R.B. date.
Surveyed at 1:2500
The Roman pottery, found by Mr. S.W. Hunt at ST37175818 came
from the ploughed surface of a field. (5)

ST 36885837. There are lynchets of an ancient field- system on Elborough Hill to the west of and probably associated with the earthwork. (6)

ST 369583: Earthworks of this site are now very slight. On the N & S
sides of the ridge the domed interior is defended by steep rocky
slopes. On the E side the defences now comprise a slight scarp, which could be mistaken for an ancient field boundary. On the W side the
bivallate defences described by Tratman (source 4) can now only be
traced with difficulty. (7)

An Iron Age hillfort and an associated Iron Age or Romano-British field system is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks. The site is centred on ST 3686 5834 and extends over an area which measures 257 metres north-south and 302 metres east-west. The site comprises a bivallate hillfort with an elaborate entranceway and seven lynchets or field boundaries.

The hillfort is centred on ST 3696 5826 and extends over an area which measures 150 metres east-west and 85 metres north-south. The hillfort is oval in shape, with the longer axis oriented WNW-ESE. The entrance faces WNW, and is defined by a triple bank on the northern side and a double out-turned bank on the southern side. The northern and southern sides of the hillfort appear to be mostly defined by natural scarps, although a narrow ditch is visible extending along the northern side. A section of linear bank which measures 33 metres long and 3 metres wide extends along the southern side of the hillfort.

The seven lynchets or field boundaries extend across the NE facing slope to the north and west of the hillfort. The field system is coaxial, with lynchets oriented NNW-SSE and WNW-ESE. At least five fields are defined which measure between 12 and 45 metres wide and up to 87 metres in length (8-10).

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) General reference

Rec 6" (O.G.S. Crawford, 1929)

( 2) Annotated Record Map

Corr 6" (H.S.L. Dewar, 12.12.51)

( 3) Axbridge Archaeological and Local History Society journal

(J.W. Hunt) 3 (1) - 1956 Page(s)27

( 4) General reference

(E.K. Tratman) 4 (3) - 1935 Page(s)256-8

( 5a) General reference

APs (RAF 540/479, 22.4.41. 3050-1 541/527, 614.5.50, 3274-5)

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 GHP 05-FEB-65

( 6) Somerset archaeology and natural history : the proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society

(R Iles) 123 - 1979 Page(s)102

( 7) by Ian Burrow 1981 Hillfort and hill-top settlement in Somerset in the first to eighth centuries A.D.

BAR British series1 (1974) - 91 Page(s)248

(8) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR RAF/58/3905 0202-0203 02-NOV-1960

(9) Light detection and ranging (lidar) airborne survey

LIDAR ST3656 LAST RETURN 01-APR-2006

(10) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR RAF/541/41 3248-3249 22-MAY-1948

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