| Summary : The earthwork remains of an Iron Age promontory fort or hillfort and annexe. The headland of Bolt Tail is occupied by an Iron Age promontory fort of about 4.9. hectares, defended by a rampart 274 metres long and up to 4.6 metres high, with indications of a stone facing wall up to 4 feet high on its outer eastern side. The well-marked inturned entrance is approached by a hollow-way and guarded on the north by an arc-like outwork of stone, with a mound some 13 feet high by 53 feet long.The hollow-way from the gate leads to a minor fortification on lower ground, where a small promontory facing north to Bigbury Bay is cut off by line of rampart running north-west to south-east, and about 2.7 metres high.There is an entrance near the cliff-edge on the north-west. This camp seems to have been an annexe for the larger fort, sited to guard a fresh-water supply and observe Hope Cove below.Scheduled. |
More information : (SX 669396) Promontory Fort (NR). (1)
The headland of Bolt Tail is occupied by an Iron Age promontory
fort of about 4.9. hectares, defended by a rampart 274 metres long
and up to 4.6 metres high, with indications of a stone facing
wall up to 4 feet high on its outer eastern side. The well-marked
inturned entrance is approached by a hollow-way and guarded on the
north by an arc-like outwork of stone, with a mound some 13 feet
high by 53 feet long.
The hollow-way from the gate leads to a minor fortification on lower
ground, where a small promontory facing north to Bigbury Bay is cut
off by line of rampart running north-west to south-east, and
about 2.7 metres high.
There is an entrance near the cliff-edge on the north-west. This
camp seems to have been an annexe for the larger fort, sited to
guard a fresh-water supply and observe Hope Cove below. (2-4)
Main rampart, incurved entrance and outwork to the north visible
on air photographs, as described above. (5)
SX 668397. IA Promontory Fort. As described above. (7.11.83). (6)
Centred at SX 66883965. This IA promontory fort is located
at the tip of Bolt Tail: a broad undulating promontory forming the
western side of a prominent coastal headland. Composed of bands of hornblendic - chloritic and mica-quartz schists the promontory rises from 23m to 82m above 0D whilst the maximum elevation of the earthwork is 62m above OD.
The fort is enclosed on three sides by steep sea cliffs whilst the fourth side is bounded by a broad sloping and fairly steep dry valley which was most probably caused by geological faulting. The promontory is longitudinally bisected by a spine of resistant rock and it is heavily faulted; the ground falls steeply away from S.W. to N.E. in a series of natural terraces and rocky slopes punctuated by large outcrops of schist. The vegetation on the promontory is gorse, bramble, bracken and rough pasture which is criss-crossed by paths; there are a number of disturbed areas including some ? World War II slit trenches. The 1840 Tithe Map depicts a patchwork of irregularly-shaped, apparently unenclosed, cultivation plots which occupy the broad natural terraces between the steep slopes and rocky outcrops.
The very impressive univallate defence isolates approximately 6
hectares of the rocky headland by linking the tall precipitous and
crumbling sea cliffs (c.61m high) on the south side with the ragged c.22m high sea cliffs on the north side. Following a slightly sinuous course it comprises a strong, predominately earthen rampart which is revetted in places; externally extra height has been gained by cutting into the natural slope. The earthwork has a broad outer ditch, traces of an inner quarry ditch and a well-defined inturned entrace. Parts of the rampart have been mutilated especially at the northern end where it has been cut away to facilitate the passage of a cliff-top footpath: a vertical face here reveals a predominently earthen fabric with some small stone.
The method of cutting away the natural slope to enhanced the height of the outer slope was used in other earthworks in the South Hams (c/f IA hillslope enclosures at SX 62455072; SX 66584946; SX 70794069). Apparently the slope was cut away to form a wide terrace at the foot of the rampart which was utilized by the ditch; the spoil from the terrace and the ditch was piled on the rampart and occasionally it was used to furnish an outer bank. This method of construction resulted in a quite dramatic height difference between the inner and outer scarps; in the case of the rampart the inner scarp is 0.7m high whilst the outer has a maximum height of 5.0m. Two 2.0m long and 0.4m high coursed walls can be identified on the rampart and at least half the length of the outer face is partially revetted to a maximum height of 1.8m. The origin of this outer walling is not clear but it may be a retaining wall associated with the c.19th century cultivation of the promontory (a ploughing headland lies adjacent ot the revetment). The heavily weathered schist and quartz stones used in the construction of the wall may be field clearance material however some stone may have come from the small linear quarry which lies behind the southern end of the rampart.
The outer ditch was formerly under plough and it is heavily silted, consequently although it is up to 5.0m wide its maximum depth is now only 0.4m. Midway along its length the ditch crosses a rounded outcrop of resistant rock; here the rock-cut ditch is 2.0m wide, 0.7m deep, the east side is revetted. Detail in this area is obscured by dense vegetation. Traces of a shallow quarry ditch are evident at the southern end of the linear.
The turf-covered rounded outcrop crossed by the ditch acts like a
minor salient on the rampart and it is probably the cause of the
pronounced dog-leg in the linear. It is this natural feature which
Wall describes as the "arc-like outerwork of stone". The inturned
entrance is located on its uphill side and the twin arms, composed of
a large percentage of smallish stones, open onto a natural level
terrace. The hollow-way noted by Wall has been ploughed down although a well-defined lynchet crosses the NW-facing slope which overlooks the promontory. The steep slopes beyond the earthwork, once intensively cultivated, are now under permanent pasture.
No evidence of habitation was identified on the level areas which lie amongst the rock outcrops in the interior. These area were also cultivated at he turn of the century but they are now shroudd in deep vegetation. A narrow contour-following terrace-way located across the upper part of the interior may mark the upper limit of the occupied area.
The natural slumping of the cliff at SX 67153968 is almost certainly
the "minor fortification on lower ground" mentioned by Wall. This
crescentic-shaped flat turf-covered area lies at the cliff edge some
0.8 to 2.0m below the surrounding ground level and it is delimited on
the landward side by near vertical slopes. An earthen bank c.1.8m
wide and 0.4m high skirts the eastern side of this area and continues
eastwards along the edge of the cliff top before it is effaced by
cliff erosion. This bank and the pronounced scarp which runs along
the cliff edge for 50.0m from the southern end of the linear may be
associated with the c19th century cultivation activity.
For details of four (not three) mounds recorded within the promontory fort see SX 62 NE 2.
There is no record of other promontory fort/cliff castles on the South Devon coastline, however a few of comparable size exist on the Cornish coast. The I.A. cliff castle at Lankidden (SW 755166) incorporating a broad headland, has a 4.0m high earthen rampart and its entrance comprises a simple gap. The complex, probably multiphased, Cliff Castle of Treryn Diras (SW 397222) has a 275m long outer rampart which is up to 6.5m high; the inner rampart has an inturned entrance. Trevelgue Head Cliff Castle (SW 825631) is a complex work with six defensive lines, one with a rampart up to 4.0m high; noteably there are two barrows on the enclosed promontory. The Dodman Cliff Castle (SX001399) has the closest parallels with Bolt Tail. A long linear earthwork with a pronounced dog-leg encloses an extensive rocky headland. The rampart, up to 6.5m in height, has an outer ditch with a 1.2m high counterscarp bank now revetted on its inner face. There are a number of breaches in this rampart however the position and entrance type cannot be deduced from ground inspection. Two barrows lie on the headland in the interior. (7)
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