More information : [SJ 4925 7540] Helsby Hill (T.I.] CAMP [O.E.] (1)
The hill-fort at HELSBY (N.G. 492 755) is bivallate with a
special type of inturned entrance. "It is also more extensive
than hitherto supposed. The main enclosure, of some 20,000
sq. yds., is bounded on the west and north by a subsidiary
cliff of the rock-face... On the south and east the main
enclosure is bounded by two parallel ramparts. Of these, only
about one-half the length of the inner rampart is at all
well-preserved, the rest having been ploughed out. The remainder
of the inner rampart is fairly clear on the ground and before
the war was the best-preserved part, whilst the site of the
outer rampart is barely distinguishable but shows clearly as a
band of sand and rubble when the land is under plough and on
certain air photographs ...
The ancient entrance to the camp (a modern field-track follows
a clearly recent break in the inner rampart) was at the western
end of the inner rampart, which is there heightened, widened, and
turned inwards.
Traces of rubble on its western side suggest that the natural
rock wall may have been supplemented by a stone construction at
this point ...
The area below the subsidiary rock cliff, between it and the
main rock face, forms part of the enclosed area and is marked
off by banks at the southern and eastern ends...
No finds of prehistoric material have ever been reported from
this site, and there are no visible traces of early occupation
within the camp. A preliminary excavation was carried out by
the author in 1955 ....The rampart was found to be of the "box"
variety with a central core of rocks, rubble and sand, faced at
front and back with dry-stone walling made of sandstone blocks
up to three feet wide. At its base the rampart was twelve
feet thick and must have stood at least eight feet high at the
front ... In the three-foot section excavated there was no trace
of any timber-work in the rampart or of more than one building
phase".
"... Although no artefacts were recovered the excavation tends to
support a date ... at some time in the Early Iron Age.
Moreover, the 'box' type of rampart occurs ... at several of the
excavated hill-forts in the area... Following conversations
with Mrs. M. A. Cotton, I am of the opinion that the inner and
extension ramparts represent a rebuilding phase ..." (2)
Further reference. (3)
Helsby Hill Camp. Scheduled as an Ancient Monument. (4)
Dr. J. D. Bu'Lock's description of the hillfort is correct except
that the ramparts are more prominent than he describes and the
boundary of the inner enclosure in the North consists of a steep
natural slope rather than a rock-face.
The inner rampart is clearly traceable throughout though its
inner slope, which averages 0.7 m . high, is too vague to be
portrayed for a short portion in the East. The outer rampart
is surveyable except for a short break before its logical
termination at natural slopes in the North East.
A NNW-SSE field bank cuts through the middle of the hillfort
and the ramparts to the East of it have been severely ploughed in
the past while, to the west, only the outer rampart has thus
been affected. East of the field bank the outer rampart averages
1.4m . and the inner 1.8m . in height and to the west they
average 2.3 m . and 2.6m high respectively.
The entrance was originally an area scooped out to give a low
gradient between two natural closely set rock faces at the point
of entry. This led to a wide shelf extending southward down the
hillside and bounded on the East and West sides by rock faces
and steep natural slopes. The construction of the inner rampart
would have strengthened an already naturally strong entrance -
see large scale plan.
A 25" survey has been made. (5)
The site was revisited after a period of several weeks
exceptionally dry weather - and traces of an outer ditch to the
outer rampart were observed and surveyed.
The course of the ditch is visible as a well defined band of
grass, taller and much greener than the surrounding vegetation.
Averaging 4.5 m . in width it extends along the foot of the
rampart - its depth having been reduced to a mere trace by
soil-creep from the rampart. On the east side (at SJ 4936
7537) there is a distinct gap in the green band which may
indicate the site of a former entrance. The exterior rampart is
too poorly defined to confirm or deny this possibility. (6)
Published 25" (1962) revised. (7)
Further reference and plan. (8)
No change to previous field reports of 30.7.59; 7.9.59; and 19.6.64,
except that ploughing has further reduced the work on the E and a
stretch of the outer rampart can no longer be traced.
1:2500 revision of 19.6.64 further revised: MSD revised. (9)
Listed by Challis and Harding as a small bivallate hillfort
(Iron Age) with stone revetted box rampart 12ft wide. (10)
SJ 492 754. Helsby Hill. Listed in gazetteer as a univallate [sic] hillfort covering 2.0ha. (11)
SJ 4927 7539. Promontory fort on Helsby Hill 250m NW of Harmers
Lake Farm. Scheduled RSM No 25689. (12)
The site was the subject of archaeological investigation between 2009 and 2012, the results of which are presented in 'Hillforts of the Cheshire Ridge' Garner et al. (2016). (13)
The site was mapped from lidar imagery as part of the 'Cheshire Aerial Investigation and Mapping Project: the Chester environs' in 2019. The Iron Age ramparts are visible as earthworks on lidar imagery in the east of the parish of Helsby. These are extant on the latest 2016 vertical photography. (14-15) |