More information : (SS 49502228) Berry Castle (NAT) Camp (NR) (1)
Berry Castle Camp is situated on a promontory between two streams. It
has a single bank up to 6 feet in height and ditch 3 feet deep at
most. The defences are very strongly made on the north side but weak
on the south, where the ditch is very shallow. Of the two entrances,
that on the east is a simple opening. At the western the butt of the
north bank rises to over 8 feet and north of this turns into the
interior of the enclosure, in a curious loop, for about 60 feet. (2)
This earthwork straddles an east to west ridge sloping to the west.
The south side is protected by a glacis-type bank 1.0m high, without
a ditch. Elsewhere the defences consist of a bank containing many
stones and an outer ditch, except at the north-west corner, where the
bank is particularly strong, there is a counter-scarp bank outside
the ditch. The single entrance was at the north-west corner and,
immediately inside (at E) is an oval depression 1.0m deep enclosed by
a bank 0.4m high on the outside and 0.9m wide. No indication of
habitation could be seen within the earthwork, which is covered by
trees. The entrances indicated by T C Wall are no more than breaks in
the bank made for the rides through the wood. (3)
Berry Castle is an IA defended settlement similar in size and
situation to Buckland Brewer. It measures about 118m. by 58m.
(6.8 ha.) internally but only the eastern and western sides are now
relatively complete.
A modern track has cut through the east and west sides, clear of the
original inturned entrance. This, has a hollow through the entrance
way, possibly dug to create the inturning banks but detailed
examination is difficult because of the dumping of tree stumps etc.
OS. 1:2500 Survey, 1954, revised and amended on MSD. (4)
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