Monument record MDO2980 - Iron Age hillfort, Coneys Castle, Whitchurch Canonicorum

A hill fort on the southern end of a ridge, and consisting of a large and small enclosure with a ditch between. Both enclosures are encircled by a ditch with inner and outer ramparts, except on the west side where there is a steep natural slope. There would have been an entrance at the northern end and possibly also at the southern end, but these appear to have been destroyed by a modern road through the hill fort. The earthworks have also been disturbed in places by later hedgerow banks and quarrying. The site was digitally plotted during the Marshwood Vale NMP.

A hill fort on the southern end of a ridge, and consisting of a large and small enclosure with a ditch between. Both enclosures are encircled by a ditch with inner and outer ramparts, except on the west side where there is a steep natural slope. There would have been an entrance at the northern end and possibly also at the southern end, but these appear to have been destroyed by a modern road through the hill fort. The earthworks have also been disturbed in places by later hedgerow banks and quarrying. <1> The hill fort was digitally plotted from aerial photographs during the Marshwood Vale NMP <2-4>. The larger enclosure to the north is considered to be the earliest phase of the site , the smaller enclosure to the south being a later edition. Faint traces of additional earthworks, possibly associated with the hillfort, were identified on the southeastern side and are described in record MDO38757. Coney's Castle is a hill-fort, with earthworks probably of two periods, occupying the south end of a ridge. The earlier enclosure, with an internal area of around 5 acres is defended by two banks and a medial ditch, well preserved on the north and east. On the west the steep natural slope of the hill is topped only by a single bank. A modern road obliterates entrances which may have existed at the north and south. The smaller enclosure at the south end appears to be a later edition. Its defences are likewise double at the east and south and single on the west. Hedgerows have destroyed much of the inner bank in the large enclosure, and a slight bank in the south east corner is possibly an old hedge bank. A gravel-pit has destroyed part of the outer defences on the north, and a quarry is being worked inside the large enclosure. The outer bank on the east has been disturbed by a hedge bank along its top. <2-5> The earthwork is as described above (see plan). Section A-B shows the average strength of the defences on all but the west side. There are no traces of original entrances, and no finds were made. A hedge-bank has destroyed the continuity of the banks in the north east corner of the small enclosure (at 'X' on plan). <6>

Record last edited

Dec 23 2021 12:27PM