Monument record MDO1688 - Nettlecombe Tout, Melcombe Horsey

An Iron Age hill-fort on the flat top of a spur with steep slopes on all but the south-east side. The remains of the fort consist of a curving bank and ditch across the spur and facing south east, with an entrance near the southern end. It is now thought likely that the fort was not completed.

Nettlecombe Tout Iron Age fort, ST 737032, partly destroyed or unfinished. It consists of a curving line of bank and ditch facing southeast, with an entrance near the south end. The bank is 45 feet across, 9 1/2 feet high above the interior and 11 1/2 feet above the ditch which is 35 feet across. A short, detached length of bank and ditch, now almost destroyed by ploughing, shielded the entrance. A scarp, 5 feet high and more, partly ancient but added to by ploughing, bounds the hillslope on the south west and northwest. It probably joined or was intended to be incorporated in the hill-fort, thus enclosing about 15 acres. <2-3> ST 73600307 to ST 73720330 Nettlecombe Tout earthwork remains as described by RCHM (2). It comprises a massive earthen bank 15.0m wide and up to 2.8m high on the internal northwest side, falling 3.8m into the southeast ditch which is 8.0m wide and 0.5m deep. The whole of the bank is densely overgrown with trees and scrub (poorly defined on OS air photographs <4.1> but is otherwise in excellent condition. The regular scarp average 2.0m high and 5.0m wide extends around the west and northwest sides of the hill-top (now under plough); it continues southwards past the west end of the bank and ditch, to join with the north end of the cross-dyke (ST 70 SW 11) at ST 73520291. Earthwork surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD in conjunction with RCHM Plan. <4>

Record last edited

Jan 24 2022 10:54AM