thesweetcheat

Canmore descriptions:

At NG 8363 4064 there is a cairn measuring 11.5m in diameter and 1.0m in maximum height with its NW perimeter crossed by a field dyke. In the centre there is a slight hollow with a large slab beside it to the W., probably the cap-stone of a cist of which one end-stone and a side stone are visible. Two or three stones of a retaining kerb can be seen on the E side.

Visited by OS (A C) 11 August 1965.

The slabs are the E and S slabs of the cist which is oriented NNE-SSW. The cairn is in a poor condition and has been partly robbed, probably to build the old dyke which crosses its N margin.

Visited by OS (A A) 22 May 1974.

Coflein description:

Superficially a 5m wide, 2m-3m deep rock shelter, the cave can in fact be traced back through a narrow opening as a passage 20m or so in length. It proved to contain a sequence of deposits, possibly several metres in thickness, filling the cave almost to its roof, though the sequence had been disturbed by an ancient badger set.

Partial examination produced evidence of early-mesolithic occupation from a scree deposit overlying the Pleistocene deposit. There is potential for recovery of undisturbed palaeolithic material at greater depth.

Coflein description:

Set in a small limestone crag, above the sea cliffs, excavation of this cave in 1861 and 1969 produced both Palaeolithic flint tools and pleistocene fauna (remains of).

Coflein description shows that the barrow yielded some great finds (wonder where they are now?):

Ploughed down round barrow survives as a low stony mound about 20m across and no more than 0.3m high in diameter and standing to no more than 0.75m high.

Upon excavation (1957?) a primary unaccompanied crouched burial was found, with a jet necklace and many other beads higher up in the body of the mound.

Coflein also lists a standing stone close by at Llong station, but indicates (1999) that it has been destroyed.

Two cairns south of the Garreg Las ridge. Coflein descriptions:

Carn Fadog (SN76861721)

Located on a high point overlooking the Afon Twrch, the damaged cairn now measures 11m in diameter and 1.5m high. The centre has been hollowed out to form a shooting hide or shelter.
visited DJP 15.1.87

Nant-y-Llyn (SN76701784)

A cairn is situated on a low col to the W of Nant y Llyn. It consists of a mound of unsorted rubble consolidated with turf and measures 6m in diameter and 0.3m high. The mound is badly spread to the E and encroached upon by the surrounding peat.

Lying on the mound is a large stone (NPRN 84984) which measures 2m long, 0.4m thick, 1.1m wide at its E end and 0.7m wide at its W end. This is perhaps the `menhir’ mentioned by Cantrill (auth 1) though there is no evidence that it was ever upright.

DJP 15.1.87

Coflein description:

Remains of three burial cairns on the summit of Trichrug hill. The cairns are circular on plan. The northeasternmost cairn (item A, SN69972299) which is the largest and best preserved, measures about 18m in diameter and up to 2m in height.

The central cairn (item B, SN69942295) measures about 12m in diameter and up to 0.3m in height.

The southwestermost cairn (item C, SN69902292) measures about 12m in diameter and up to 1m in height. Stone has been robbed from the cairns and used to construct the overlying drystone march wall.

Source: Cadw scheduling description. F.Foster/RCAHMW 16.08.2006

The OS 1/25000 shows four distinct cairns here. There are certainly more than that, but Coflein’s 37 includes plenty that aren’t obviously visible. However, at least two of the cairns are more interesting than Coflein’s descriptions would have you believe.

One appears to be a ring cairn (or at least denuded kerbed cairn), with a very clear arc of boulders on its eastern side. Another is built around a large slab (which looks like it has strong cist capstone potential).

Coflein description:

A cairnfield comprising at least 37 stony mounds is situated on a north-facing hillside between the Sawdde Fechan stream and the Afon Ceulan, at elevations of between 270m and 320m above O.D.
The cairns are roughly concentrated in two broad bands at the north and south ends of the site, separated by a narrow relatively cairn-free area. This area is a gently sloping terrace c.80m wide.
The cairns vary in shape and size, some being little more than stony scatters. Others are circular or oval mounds of unsorted stones and boulders, consolidated with light vegetation. They measure between 1.5m and 7m across, averaging 0.3m high (maximum 0.6m). Four typical examples, two from each part of the group, are located as follows: SN75642092 and SN75732087; SN75772101 and SN75722105. The site is flanked on the west by two short linear piles.
To the east, in the region of a track (and beyond), the ground becomes very stony as it falls steeply into the cutting of the Sawdde Fechan. A number of stone piles were identified amongst the clitter but it is not clear if these are naturally formed or artificial.

Surveyed at 1:1000 (drawing NAS 44)

David Leighton, RCAHMW, 11 January 2001

Pastscape description:

Pen-twyn Camp is a small work of no great strength and appears to have been roughly oval in plan. The defences on the W consist of a double rampart and ditches, the inner rampart being the weaker. On the S there are now no defences, but the line is preserved approximately by the present hedge. On the N and E there is a scarp of about 8ft in height to the inner enclosure, but no remains of ramparts or ditches.

Two round barrows on Milton Hill. Coflein descriptions:

Milton Hill I (SO24695007)

9.0m in diameter and 0.8m high, possibly ditched.

Milton Hill II (SO24715000)

mutilated, 8.5m by 7.0m and 0.9m high.

Coflein description:

A mutilated barrow, 11m in diameter and 0.75m high, opened, producing bones, burnt clay and possibly charcoal.

Groups of cairns on the highest, eastern part of the Cefn Bryn ridge, above the Nicholaston long barrow. Some appear to be small clearance cairns. Coflein descriptions (west to east):

Cairn above Penrice (SS50008972)

A cairn, 7.0m in diameter and 0.3m high.

Cefn Bryn, above Walterstone Farm Cairn I (SS50218954)

Irregular cairn, 12.5m by 10.7m and 0.4m, with prominent stones at E.

Cefn Bryn, above Walterstone Farm Cairn II (SS50328959)

Cairn 3.0m in diameter and 0.4m high.

Cefn Bryn, above Walterstone Farm Cairn III (SS50328960)

Cairn 5.2m in diameter and 0.3m high.

Cefn Bryn, above Walterstone Farm Cairn IV (SS50348965)

Cairn, 4.6m in diameter and 0.4m high.

Cefn Bryn, above Walterstone Farm Cairn V (SS50398962)

Ring cairn? 16.8m in diameter and 0.3m high.

Cefn Bryn, above Walterstone Farm Cairn VI (SS50418957)

Cairn, 3.7m in diameter and 0.3m high.

Cefn Bryn, above Walterstone Farm Cairn VII (SS50428955)

Cairn, 7.0m by 2.8m.

Cefn Bryn, above Walterstone Farm Cairn VIII (SS50438953)

Cairn 4.6m by 2.8m.

Talbot Road, Cairn I (SS50758920)

A ring cairn, or cairn rim, 13.4m in diameter and 0.3m high. A second, similar cairn lies immediately to the N (Nprn305592), and further cairns recorded c.90m to the W (Ggat Prn02237W) and c.75m to the E (Ggat Prn02234W), may be amongst the four additional cairns noted by Grimes in 1939.

Talbot Road, Cairn II (SS50758921)

A ring cairn, or cairn rim, 7.9-8.2m in diameter and 0.3m high.

Nicholaston Hall Cairn (SS50948894)

A cairn, 6.4m in diameter and 0.6m high, set on a shelf on a S facing hillslope.

Cefn Bryn East Ring Cairn (SS51918922)

A possible ring cairn defined by a stony penannular 0.6m high ring bank measuring 9m in overall diameter, 4.5m internally, apparently partly cut into rising ground on the SE. There are opposing gaps in the bank on the WNW and ESE. The site is rendered indistinct due to overgrowth of gorse and bracken. Entranced ring cairns are a feature of Cefn Bryn (some have been excavated by A.H.Ward). However, this one lies in close proximity to two burnt mounds (300047-8) which raises the possibility that the ring feature had a function connected with them; some kind of shelter or dwelling for example.

Cefn Bryn E cairn (SS52068889)

A kerbed cairn, 13.4m in diameter and 0.4m high, with recent modifications.

Cefn Bryn Beacon I (SS52198886)

One of two possible cairns set on the E spine of Cefn Bryn, c.15m W of Beacon II (Nprn400406), subcircular, 24-5m in diameter, set upon a natural outcrop, having a shelter constructed over its S side.

Cefn Bryn Beacon II (SS52238886)

One of two possible cairns set on the E spine of Cefn Bryn, c.15m E of Beacon I (Nprn400405), subcircular, 23-4m in diameter, set upon a natural outcrop, having a small recent cairn set upon it.

Extensive group of cairns on the western end of the Cefn Bryn ridge (centred on the 154m trig point). Coflein descriptions:

Little Hillend Barrow (SS47919058)

A cairn, 5.0m in diameter and 0.3-0.1m high, disturbed on the S. Thought to be sepulchral rather than a clearance feature.

Stonwold E Cairn (SS48089047)

A cairn, 7.0m in diameter and 0.2m high, set on a false crest facing N.

Stonwold E Ring Cairn (SS48169037)

A cairn-rim, or ring cairn, 14.3m in diameter, 1.5m wide and 0.2m high, mutilated to the ESE.

Cefn Bryn SW Cairn (SS48559039)

A fragmentary circular bank, 14m in diameter, 3.0m wide and 0.4m high, thought to be a cairn-rim, although possibly a ring cairn.

Cefn Bryn W Cairn (SS48589051)

A cairn, 10m in diameter and 0.7m high, having four earthfast stones, c.1.0m high, set about its perimeter.

Additional info from GGAT:

Oval mound, entirely grass-grown but set around with quartz conglomerate blocks at N (0.45x0.45m), NE (0.7x0.5m), W (0.7x0.4m) and S (0.9x0.9m); the southern block is 0.4m high, but the others are set well into the ground. N of the N stone, at a distance of 1.7m, is an orthostat 0.8x0.7m area and 0.9m high, with a scatter of small boulders in the ground around it to the N. Height difficult to gauge because of growth of gorse bushes on top. 10.6m (E-W) x 9.8m, c0.3m high.

Cefn Bryn Central Cairn II (SS48729081)

A round cairn, 6.0m in diameter and 0.7m high, along with Nprn305539, may be a sepulchral monument or a clearance element of field system Nprn305541.

Cefn Bryn Central Cairn I (SS48729067)

A round cairn, 6.5m in diameter and 0.4m high.

Cefn Bryn Field System (SS48759052)

Nine clearance heaps, 3.0-11m in diameter and 0.3-0.5m high, and a possible house site, possibly a further clearance feature, set on the summit and N facing slope of a rounded knoll. Two cairns, recorded as sepulchral, Nprns305539, 305540, may also be elements of this system.

Nant Freedown Ring Cairn (SS48849070)

A ring cairn, or cairn rim, 12.2m in diameter, 1.2-1.8m wide and 0.2m high, apparently classified as a ring cairn with a filled-in interior.

Great Cairn Ring Cairn I (SS49069072)

A fully excavated subcircular enclosure, c.10m by 9.0m, defined by a kerbed stony bank, c.2.0m wide and 0.4m high, having original entrances to the N and S, the last blocked in antiquity. Placed centrally in the enclosure was a pit containing charcoal, bone and organic material, thought to represent a token redeposition; two fire sites were noted against the inside of the bank.

Great Cairn Ring Cairn II (SS49069069)

A fully excavated subcircular enclosure, 10.8m by 10.7m overall, defined by a stoney bank, kerbed internally, 1.2-3.0m wide and 0.4-0.6m high; a small pit immediately within the NE bank was sealed by a slab; the single S entrance had been deliberately blocked and an attempt made to continue the kerbing across its site, subsequent to this the interior of the enclosure had been filled with stones.

Coflein descriptions of the cairns on Rhossili Down, running south-north:

Cairn IV (SS42048877)

A large denuded cairn, 15.2m in diameter, defined by a stoney bank and having a central pile of stones 5.5m by 4.3m and 0.3m high, with a central robbed hollow.

The Beacon – Cairn VIII (SS41998886)

One of a group of barrows on Rhossili Down, this one lies on the summit below a concrete trig. pillar.

The cairn is a stony mound measuring 14m (NW-SE) by 12m and 0.5m high. It is composed mostly of quartz conglomerate stones and small boulders with some larger boulders on the north suggesting a perimeter kerb. The mound has been disturbed, probably through construction of the pillar.

Cairn VII (SS42268892)

Thought to be a denuded ring-cairn, 10.1m in diameter and 0.3m high, with indications of a raised rim.

Cairn III (SS42048894)

A mutilated cairn, 12.2m in diameter and 0.6m high. Kerbing survives on the N and there is a central robber crater.

Cairn II (SS42068903)

A heather-grown platform c.0.3m high, with a kerb of conglomerate orthostats 9.1m in diameter. It is suggested that the cairn may have had a raised rim and that a central hollow may represent a robbed cist.

Cairn I (SS42018918)

A mutilated cairn, 13.7m in diameter and 0.6m high, showing the remains of kerbing on the N.

Ring Cairn (SS42168927)

A possible ring cairn, 9.0m in diameter, having a bank 1.8m wide and under 0.2m high. An alternative interpretation would see this as the remains of a roundhouse.

Cairn V (SS42278938)

This one isn’t shown on the OS 1:25000 map.

A flat, stoney area, c.14m in diameter, with indications of a liminal bank.

Sweyne’s Howes Ring Cairn (SS42148977)

A denuded cairn, 9.0m in diameter and 0.4m high, presenting the aspect of a ring cairn, with possible upright slabs about its circuit.

May be the tumulus dug c.1870, producing charcoal, calcinated bones and a cinerary urn.

Bessie’s Meadow Cairn (SS41889008)

A robbed and mutilated cairn, 6.0m by 4.0m and 0.3m high, upon the N summit of Rhossili Down. Kerbing and a possible cist have been reported. The monument is overlain by the S wall of Bessie’s Meadow (SS49SW50).

Coflein description:

A mound of earth and stones, 6.1m in diameter and 0.6m high, a central depresion indicates robbing.

Coflein description of the “unfinished” fort:

Hardings Down East fort is an enclosure, c.134m by 92m, defined by an incomplete circuit of bank and ditch, occupies the summit of Hardings Down. There is a slighter, outer rampart down-slope to the E and the entrance appears to have been on this side – the entrances at the other two defended enclosures on the Down (Nprns301322, 301323) also face downslope.

Coflein description:

The north enclosure at Hardings Down is a subcircular defended enclosure, c.42m internal diameter, set on a N facing slope near the top of Hardings Down and defined by a bank and ditch. The entrance, to the NW, is approached from below by a trackway flanked by stony banks. There is a c.6.0m diameter house platform within.

Coflein description:

Hardings Down West Fort is a sub-oval enclosure, c. 110m by 75m, set on a spur at the W end of Hardings Down, enclosed by a bank and ditch, an excavation in 1962 indicated that the bank had been reveted. Two further banks and ditches cut across the spur, without forming coherent circuits. The line of the outer ditch is continued by a slighter, possibly later bank with an internal ditch, and this and other banks and ditches to the NW of the main enclosure are thought to have been agricultural enclosures, linking in with modern field boundaries.

Three circular features are apparent internally, two having been excavated in 1962, as was the entrance to the NE.

The entrance appears to have faced downhill, as does that at the N camp.

Coflein description:

A circular enclosure, with an internal diameter of 13m, a denuded wall, or bank, 2.5-3.5m wide and 0.6m high internally with interior facing slabs visible, and having a SES entrance, is interpreted as a roundhouse. Springing from the house’s circuit to the E and SW are ruined stone walls which curve awat tothe SE to define a sector of a putative enclosure c.100m in diameter.
A rectilinear building in this situation would be interpreted as a hafod or lluest.

Coflein description:

A bank and ditch, about 100m in length with a simple causewayed entrance, cuts off the higher, western part of Burry Holmes island, effecting an enclosure, about 112m east-west by 60-100m. Romano-British pottery was found in excavating the ditch in 1965 and a roundhouse, 5.6m in diameter, dated by a sherd of 2nd century Samian was excavated at the western of the island, 2000-2001: the defended enclosure can be linked with underlying traces of occupation found when excavating the monastic site in the east of the island.

Coflein description:

An apparently undisturbed barrow (1974), 27m in diameter and 1.8m high.

Coflein description:

Castle Ring, Pen Offa, is an oval enclosure, 136m by 106m, defined by banks, ditches and a counterscarp, with simple entrances to the north-west and south-east.

As of March 2012, there is permissive access to the fort (which isn’t on any right of way). A signboard next to the road to the north states:

“These woods are available for quiet recreation on foot.

Please follow any directions in relation to woodland work.

Respect the owner’s privacy and property.

Please keep dogs under control and clean up any mess.”

A forestry track leads to the fort, which can then be accessed by a stile.

Coflein description:

A plough-damaged barrow, 8.2-10.7m in diameter and 0.9m high.

Coflein description:

A ploughed-down barrow, 25m in diameter and 0.75m high, destroyed to the NNE by road building.

Ditch clearly defined as cropmark.

Frances Lynch (“A Guide To Ancient and Historic Wales – Gwynedd” 1995 HMSO) has this to say about this fabulously enigmatic monument:

The circle is probably the remains of a Bronze Age burial monument rather than a ceremonial circle, but so little remains that certainty is impossible. Four stones less than 1m high still stand on the arc of a circle 4m in diameter, and the two stones outside the arc may have been moved when the monument was incorporated into a field-wall (now largely removed). The large block of quartz on the north-east is of uncertain date.

Pastscape description:

The earthwork in Hailes Wood is on a spur of the Cotswold escarpment with steep natural slopes to the west, and more gentle slopes to N and S. The ground rises steadily to the east, and on this side the defence is strongest with a bank up to 2.3m in height above a ditch which is 1.5m deep. On the south side a ditch and slight outer bank is in use as a path, except where it turns at the SW corner to end on the natural slope. The SW approach is also defended by two additional banks between the outer ditch and the level area above it, which has been cut off from the rest of the interior by a ditch up to 1.8m deep. The total area enclosed is 1 1/2-2 acres. Modern paths run through the earthwork, but the entrance near the SE corner may be original.

Pastscape description:

Remains of a probable IA fort situated upon the flat summit of the northern end of the ridge called The Warren, and centred at SP02403180. The work is roughly oval in shape, measures about 230.0 m, NW-SE, by 170.0 m transversely, and is contour-following all the way.

Where the defences crossed the ridge at the northern and southern ends, no traces remain, probably due to ploughing.

Along the W side, the upper slopes of the ridge have been steepened by scarping, and are 5.0 m in height, 10.0 m in length. A probably original entrance cuts very obliquely up through the scarped slopes near to the NW corner of the work.

The E side has been reduced by ploughing to a lynchet-like slope, 5.0 m in length, 1.5 m in height.

English Heritage description:

Despite some disturbance in the past, the two bowl barrows known as Stumps Cross round barrows survive well.

The monument includes two bowl barrows, aligned north west-south east, set just below the crest of a hill in the Cotswolds and within two separate areas of protection. The northern barrow mound measures 20m in diameter and is 0.6m high while the barrow mound to the south measures 18m in diameter and is 0.5m high. Surrounding each mound is a ditch from which material was excavated during the construction of the barrows. These ditches are no longer visible at ground level, having become infilled over the years, but survive as buried features about 2m wide.

Coflein has the following description:

A sub-oval hilltop enclosure, 120m by 90m, defined by a bank, ditch and counterscarp, with entrances to the SW and NE.

English Heritage description:

The monument includes four contiguous bowl barrows aligned east-west and situated along the crest of a hill in the Lower Greensand. The western barrow has a mound 30m north-south, 23m east-west and 2.2m high. To the east the second and third barrows form a double mound 32m east-west and 20m north-south with each mound standing to a height of 2m. The most easterly barrow has a mound 30m north-south, 28m east-west and 2.2m high. All of the mounds have a slight hollow in the centre suggesting that they were all once partially excavated. Surrounding the mounds is a single ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This has become partially infilled over the years but is still visible to the south of the mounds as a slight earthwork 4m wide and 0.3m deep, the rest surviving as a buried feature.

Two bowl barrows in the grounds of Capesthorne Hall. EH descriptions:

NW barrow (SJ 84297 72889)

The monument includes a bowl barrow located on the summit of a rounded knoll 200m north-east of Capesthorne Hall. It includes a slightly oval turf-covered earthen mound up to 1m high with maximum dimensions of 27m by 25.5m. A broken ornamental stone pedestal on the barrow’s summit is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath the pedestal is included.

SE barrow (SJ 84512 72570)

Despite some minor disturbance to the monument by a combination of rabbit holes and tree roots, the bowl barrow 450m south-east of Capesthorne Hall survives well. It is a rare survival in Cheshire of an unexcavated example of this class of monument and will retain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath.

The monument is a bowl barrow located on a local high point in woodland 450m south-east of Capesthorne Hall. It includes an earthen mound measuring 20m in diameter and up to 2m high.

Round barrow in the grounds of Birtles Hall. A BA urn was found in the Hall’s grounds. EH description:

The monument is a bowl barrow located on the summit of a natural rise 230m west-south-west of Birtles Hall. It includes a slightly oval earthen mound up to 1m high with maximum dimensions of 20m by 19m.

Large but damaged bowl barrow. EH description:

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on heathland at the highest part of the Ashdown Forest, towards its eastern edge. The barrow has a roughly circular mound approximately 26m in diameter and up to 0.5m high. The uneven surface of the mound suggests that it has been partly disturbed by World War II army training activity. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. This has become infilled over the years, but is likely to survive as a below ground feature up to 2m wide.

EH description of univallate fort:

The monument is situated in an isolated context, approximately 110m NW of Cherry Pool Farm in the parish of Claverdon, and includes a slight univallate hillfort of Iron Age date. Barnmoor Wood camp is located on the southern edge of a slight plateau. The defensive earthworks of the site enclose a raised central area of approximately 1ha. The defences include a ditch, an internal bank and traces of a counterscarp bank along the southern edge of the site. It is thought that the slope of the hillside made a counterscarp on the northern and eastern sides of the hillfort unnecessary. The 8m wide ditch is approximately 3m deep and the internal bank is up to 12m wide at its base and 1m high. The outer edge of the ditch has been partly damaged at the south-eastern corner of the site, probably by quarrying. Access into the interior of the hillfort is currently by means of causeways across the central part of the western defences and at the north-eastern corner of the site. The latter is a 5m wide inturned, or funnel, entrance and may represent the original entrance to the site. The interior is almost oval in plan and measures approximately 125m west-east and 100m north-south. No internal earthworks are visible, although the remains of internal structures will survive beneath the ground surface. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, but the ground beneath these features is included.

Small Late Iron Age settlement enclosure, destroyed in the 1940s during construction of an airfield runway. Still shown on the 1949 “Provisional” edition of the OS 1:25000 map.

From Pastscape:

An irregular, almost D-shaped enclosure, defined by a single bank and ditch was excavated by W F Grimes in 1942-3. (Sited at SK 9443 2295). The area enclosed was about 240 feet by 210 feet and had a simple entrance in the middle of the straight, western side.

Round huts, defined by drip-water gullies, some of which intersected indicating successive occupations, were found. There were also other gullies, pits and walls representing storage arrangements and a smelting site. The pottery was predominantly Belgic in type with a little Roman material including fragments of a glass bottle and a bronze brooch. The whole suggests an occupation of mid-lst century AD. Finds to be placed in Grantham Museum.

Site obliterated by construction of airfield runways.

English Heritage description of large bowl barrow:

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a bowl barrow located 80m above sea level on the western slope of the valley of the River Witham. It is prominently situated on the crest of the slope, immediately to the south of the northern field boundary hedge, some 150m east of the Great North Road. The grassy mound has a rounded summit and gently sloping sides, and shows no sign of any disturbance. It is c.50m in diameter and stands to a height of approximately 2m above the surrounding pasture. Material for the construction of the mound would have been quarried from an encircling ditch. This ditch is no longer visible but is thought to survive buried beneath the present ground surface.

From Pastscape, referencing “Long Barrows of The Cotswolds” (1925) by OGS Crawford:

Two upright stones known as “Odo and Dodo”, now in the grounds of Prescott House, were reported by Mr Passmore to have been removed from Nottingham Hill Camp about1860. One is 7ft high, the other 6ft, and both taper to a rough point.

English Heritage description:

The monument includes the known surviving extent of the Iron Age fortified settlement which lies in an open valley immediately to the east of the town of Bourton-on-the-Water. The fortified site covers an area of approximately 23ha and lies on a gravel terrace between the Rivers Dikler and Windrush. The camp is rectilinear in form and defended by a double rampart, each bank having an external ditch. These defences are visible as earthworks on the north, east and south sides of the enclosure where they survive to a height of up to 2m. On the western side the line of the defences has been obscured, and probably destroyed by building works. Two original entrances into the camp have been identified, one in the centre of the northern side, which is still visible, and the other in the centre of the west side of the defences, which has been built over. On the eastern side of the enclosure, extensions in the form of banks with external ditches project for about 150m eastwards from the north east and south east corners of the enclosure. These extensions define an annexe of about 6ha, flanking a naturally marshy area near the River Dikler. The first plan of Salmonsbury Camp was produced in 1840 by Sir Henry Dryden and W Lukis. In 1881 the entire circuit of the defences could still be traced and masonry was noted in the main rampart, which stood to a height of 2m at that time. A series of excavations was undertaken by Dunning between 1931 and 1934, and revealed evidence for pre-Iron Age, Iron Age and Roman occupation of the camp, as well as Anglo-Saxon activity within the general vicinity. Pre-Iron Age activity was represented by the presence of a Palaeolithic tranchet axe, numerous flint flakes, several arrowheads and sporadic finds of Peterborough ware pottery of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date. Dunning believed that his excavations of 1931 revealed two phases of Iron Age occupation, the first of which preceded the construction of the defences, and which he dated to the later first century BC. The second phase of occupation corresponded with the construction of the defensive enclosure and was dated to the first half of the first century AD. Both phases revealed evidence for occupation in the form of round houses, rubbish pits, pottery and metalwork, including a hoard of 147 currency bars found in 1860. Roman occupation within the defended enclosure at Salmonsbury dates from the later 1st century to the early 4th century AD, during which time the defences to the east appear to have been reduced, possibly to aid the cultivation which was taking place within the area. Although there is no evidence for Anglo- Saxon occupation within the area of the camp, several burials have been found dug into the ramparts and two small cemeteries have also been discovered, one close to the northern rampart and the second close to the south east corner of the enclosure. It is also clear that the camp retained considerable significance for the local community, as it is recorded as `Sulmonnes Burg’ in a charter of Offa of Mercia dated AD 779, and the courts of the Liberty or Hundred of Salmonsbury traditionally assembled at the northern entrance to the enclosure throughout the medieval period.

English Heritage description:

The monument includes a univallate cross-dyke situated on Barrister’s Plain, a narrow saddle between Round Hill to the north-west and Grindle Hill to the south-east. The dyke is visible as a well defined linear bank of earth and stone construction 170m long, averaging 5.5m wide and 0.6m high, with a flanking ditch on its north-west side 3m wide and 0.4m deep. The earthworks are orientated north-east to south-west, cutting across the line of the ridge top at its narrowest point. The bank tails off down the sides of the hill at either end to link the precipitous north and south scarps of the spur; the ditch fades out as the bank ends. The bank is lowered between 19m and 28m from the southern end, possibly the result of slighting at some time in the past. A trackway 4m wide crosses the ditch and cuts through the bank some 66m from the southern end of the dyke. Although this appears modern, it could represent the original position of a passage through the dyke. The structure is clearly not of a defensive nature, being too slight and overlooked from both sides. However, it effectively isolates the eastern tip of the spur, `Grindle Hill’, from the main body of the hill to the west and would have functioned as part of a system of land management during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.

English Heritage description:

The monument includes a substantial cross-dyke, a linear bank, a sample of ridge and furrow and two sub-circular features. The cross-dyke lies orientated NNW to SSE crossing a broad roughly east to west ridge, ending on the edge of a steep sided gully in the south and a somewhat more shallow gully in the north. The earthwork is cut by a modern field boundary 130m from its north end, the portion to the north being within enclosed sheep pasture, that to the south in open moorland. As a result the survival characteristics of the two sections of earthwork differ. The northern portion is visible as a substantial earth and stone bank 142m long averaging 6m wide and 0.8m high, surmounted by a modern hedge bank and hedge. This is cut at its southern end, immediately north of the fence line, by a modern break 3m wide. Though there are no surviving physical traces of a ditch alongside the bank, differential growth in the grass cover on the west side suggests that a ditch does survive here as a buried feature. The larger portion of the dyke lies to the south of the enclosed land in open moorland; here it includes a linear bank some 240m long, averaging 8m wide and varying between 0.2m and 0.8m high on its east, downslope, side, 0.8m to 1.2m high on its west, upslope, side. The bank is flanked along its west side by a clearly visible ditch which averages 5m wide and 0.6m deep. This appears to be a continuation of the buried ditch noted as a crop-mark in the northern section of the earthwork. A second bank, 1.5m wide and 0.2m high, lies parallel to the main embankment on the west side. It commences 4m south of the modern field boundary and runs for some 68m south before fading out. From this point a section of the ditch running roughly between 69m and 91m south of the hedgeline appears to have been re-cut into the base of the main ditch, giving an incised ditch 1m wide and 0.2m deep at the base of the embankment. The southern portion of the cross-dyke is cut in three places: immediately south of the field boundary a trackway 4m wide runs parallel to the edge of the enclosed land, the track cutting through the bank and lying on a level roughly at the bottom of the ditch. The double bank, strengthening the cross-dyke defences at this point, suggests that this is the position of an original entrance gap. A hill drain 2m wide cuts through the earthworks 51m south of the field boundary and a second trackway cuts through both the bank and ditch some 130m south of the hedgeline. The second trackway cutting is 2m wide and incised 0.6m into the old land surface, below the base level of the ditch. Though it appears modern, its position may also represent the original location of an entrance gap through the earthworks. The cross-dyke would have functioned as a boundary structure associated with a system of land management during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. To the east of the cross-dyke some 93m south from the hedgeline and running roughly at right angles to the main dyke, a medieval field bank abuts onto the earthwork. It runs east for some considerable distance averaging 2m wide, 0.2m high on its north side and 0.4m on its south side, where it is flanked by a ditch 1m wide and 0.1m deep. The area to the north of this bank, between it and the enclosed land, shows evidence of vestigial ridge and furrow; it lies orientated east to west and averages 4m wide. At the northern end of the section of earthwork, in open moorland, are two sub-circular rubble walled features, the remains of small huts or animal shelters. One is located on the alignment of the main ditch and overlies the western bank; its south and west sides survive as a low rubble wall averaging 0.5m wide and 0.1m high abutted onto the main bank. The second lies 18m east and 10m south of the hedgeline. It comprises a low rubble wall of similar construction forming a small oval structure 7.4m east to west by 6m north to south with walls 0.2m high on their external face, 0.1m high on their internal face and is open on the south side. All modern boundary features overlying the monument, and the water tank building at SO44329694 are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.

Canmore description:

Dun Ban occupies the sloping simmit of a conspicuous rock rising some 50ft from the sea-shore connected with the land on the NW by a narrow rocky ridge, above which it rises some 25ft in a steep, grass-covered slope, broken up by several lines of rocky outcrops, two of which seem to have been utilized as defensive lines as there are indications of building in the gaps between the rocks. At the lowest part of the ridge an outcrop has been strengthened at the NE by building so as to form an outer barrier. The summit of the rock, which measures some 80ft E-W and 44ft N-S, shows a sharp slope towards the sea and has been surrounded by a stone wall the greater part of which has disappeared. On the NW, the landward side, at the highest point of the rock, it shows a width of 6ft and a height of 1ft 6ins, and the entrance seems to have been at the NE end of this wall. On the steep E slope, 2ft of the outer face of a well-built wall remains in position over a length of some 21ft.

Canmore description of this ruinous dun:

The remains of Dun a Chleirich occupy the summit of a small rocky peninsular on the sea-shore. It is reached by a narrow neck on the NW or landward side, which stands about level with the fort. Towards the sea, where it is rocky but not precipitous, it reaches a height of 50ft above the beach. It is defended by a stone wall, now very dilapidated, built round the edge of the summit and following the sinuosities of the rock. Internally the dun measures some 52ft NW-SE, and 51ft NE-SW. In some places the outer face of the wall shows 3ft in height, but generally it is very dilapidated. On the NW towards the land, the wall has been of considerable strength, as it now shows a rough mound of stones, 20ft in breadth and 3ft in height at other parts the wall varies from 4ft 3ins – 6ft in thickness.
In the S corner of the enclosure are the stone foundations of a roughly circular structure, about 12ft in diameter internally, the remains of the wall being spread over a width of about 5ft.
The entrance was probably at the E end of the NW wall oppisite the approach ridge.

Canmore description:

On the S side of the small bay lying immediately to the S of Rudha Dubh, is a rocky plateau standing some 25-35ft above the sea, and connected with the land on the W side by a narrow neck. It is of very irregular outline, being almost split in two by a deep gully running in from the seaward side. Known usually as Carn Breac, but sometimes as Dun Acardinon, its defensive character is clearly indicated by a stone wall, whose grass-covered mound, some 12ft in width and 3ft high, can be traced on the W side standing on top of the scarp of the hollow outside measuring some 12ft deep. A portion of the ground occupied by this wall has been levelled to form a potato garden, and a section of the wall is exposed. The remains of a wall, now 6ft wide and 2ft high, are seen on the edge of the cliff on the SW, and there are traces of a similar construction to the NE. At this place there is a small terrace lying outside and about 10ft lower than the wall, which has also been defended by a breastwork built on the edge of the rock. The dun measures about 136ft E-W and 87 ft N-S.
RCAHMS 1928.

Dun Acardinon, the remains of a dun, as described by RCAHMS, except that the ‘section of wall exposed’ is a modern revetment on the edge of the potato patch.

Canmore description:

On the shore about 400 yards SSW of Ostaig House is a flat-topped rock tapering away towards the land in a gradually narrowing ridge and rising abruptly some 25ft above the strand. The summit it occupied by the remains of a Dun Ila, a small fort of quadrilateral shape, measuring internally some 46ft NW-SE and 31ft across the widest part, which is next the sea. The remains of its wall, built on the edge of the rock, are traceable all around except on the NE flank. The best preserved parts are towards the land to the NW, where it shows a breadth of 9ft and a height of 4ft 6ins above the interior, and at the W corner, where it is 3ft 6ins high.

Cairns, with well-preserved cists, either side of Allt an Leth-bheinn outlet. Canmore descriptions:

Western site

On the oppisite side of the stream from NG61SW 3 on the summit of a knoll rising abruptly behind a cottar house some 40 yards distant from and 40ft above high-water mark, are the remains of a much dilapidated cairn of stones. A fine cist lies uncovered, formed of four slabs of red grit, and measures 2ft 9ins in length, 2ft in breadth and 2ft 6ins in depth, the longer axis running ENE by WSW. The covering slab lies beside the grave. About 1ft to the E. is the side slab of a second cist still in position, which had been built parallel to the first cist, but the other slabs of this grave have been removed. There are indications of two other burial chambers which have been destroyed.
RCAHMS 1928.

The remains of a cairn with cist; as described by RCAHMS. It is so mutilated and robbed that its size cannot now be determined.
Visited by OS (A S P) 15 June 1961.

Eastern site

Near the shore at Inver Aulavaig, on the E side of the mouth of a small stream, Allt an Leth-bheinn, some 40 yards distant from and 22ft above high water mark, are the remains of two circular cairns of stone occupying a rough heathery ridge.

The first cairn measures 18ft in diameter and barely 2ft in height. It was opened many years ago when the greater portion of the northern half was removed, and a short cist containing a skeleton in a contracted position was discovered in the centre of the mound. The side slabs and one end are still in position and the covering stone lies beside the grave. The cist lies nearly NNE – SSW and measures 3ft 4ins in length, 2ft 2ins in depth, while the cover which is almost square in shape, measures 3ft 9ins long, 3ft 7ins in breadth and 6 ins thick.
The second cairn lies some 15ft (10.0m) SE of the first and is of the same dimensions but better preserved. It contains a central short cist, of which the sides and ends are still in situ. It lies almost due NE-SW and measures 3ft 4ins by 1ft 8ins by 1ft 10ins the cover-stone, which lies quite near, is of irregular shape and measures 3ft 4ins by 2ft 6ins and is 6ins thick.
The W slope of the ridge between the cairns and the estuary shows numerous small heaos of stone said to be the remains of other cairns. Some 27 yards SSW of the second cairn is a small cottar house, immediately to the N of which are the foundations of a former schoolhouse. When the material was being removed, a cist is reported to have been discovered under the floor which is no more than 12ft above high water mark.
RCAHMS 1928.

Two cairns with short cists as described by RCAHMS.
‘A’ NG 605 127 Cist (Site of).
There is now no trace of the cist in the schoolhouse.
Visited by OS (A S P) 15 June 1961.

Canmore suggests this may have been a vitrified fort, but evidence is not conclusive:

This islet is one of a small group about 300 yards NW of Dun Scaich (NG51SE 1) and about 200 yards from the shore. Its triangular crest is surrounded by the tumbled remains of a stone wall, the debris averaging from 6 to 10ft in width. As there is an unusually large proportion of small stones, the wall could not have stood very high. Here and there a foundation course of larger stones can be traced, indicating the general outline. There are indications of internal shelters against the E side. As some small lumps of stone show distinct traces of fusion by fire, it has been assumed that this has been a vitrified fort. But such pieces are loose and sporadic in occurrence and have probably been brought to the spot. The local belief is that there was once a smithy on the island.

No certain evidence of vitrifaction was seen. Visited by OS (A C) 26 June 1961

The Canmore record suggests standing stones, rather than a circle:

On a gently rising grass-covered slope about 100 yds from the N shore of Loch Eishart and near to Dun Boreraig are two standing stones in juxtaposition, one, 4ft 1in in height, 1ft 9ins in breadth, and 6ins in thickness, which stands erect facing the loch to the S, and another, which is recumbent, 3ft 8ins long, 2ft 6ins broad, and 5ins thick. The stones occuoy the summit of a slight mound.

The slight mound is composed of boulders placed around the base of the slabs. According to local tradition the stones mark the burial of a body or bodies washed ashore, a custom common on Skye.

Canmore description:

On an elevated rocky promontory jutting into Loch Slapin.

The plateau on the summit of the rock is roughly oval on plan and measures 36ft N-S and 28ft E-W: it stands about 30ft above HWM and 20ft above the rock to the landward side to the N. The slight remains of a stone wall are traceable along the whole circumference of the defence, being rather higher towards the land.

Canmore description:

To the S of the township of Torran, on the summit of a long, elevated, rocky ridge rising from the E side of Loch Slappin, is Dun Mor. It stands about 100ft higher than the loch to the W, and about the same height above a hollow on the E, which cuts it off from the hills behind. The ridge is difficult of access except from the N, at which end is the entrance to the dun. The main axis of the fort runs N and S, along which it measures some 330ft internally, while it is some 120ft in breadth.

It has been defended by a massive stone wall, which far the greater part has been demolished to provide building material for a very large cattle-fold erected within its boundaries. So complete has been the destruction of this wall, that while it can be traced for nearly its entire length, only at the S end, on the SE arc and at the N end is any of the original building in position. A few of the larger foundation stones on the outer face of the wall remain undisturbed at the S end, and a short section of building to the SE has been preserved by being utilized as the foundation of the modern wall at this part. At the N end is a mass of tumbled stones 10ft in breadth and 3ft in height. The entrance is quite obliterated.

Pastscape description of Iron Age settlement:

wo occupation sites, classified by Hawkes as Iron Age SW 3rd B, near the village of Meare. They were first noticed by a farmer, Mr S Laver, in 1895 when pottery etc was found in digging post-holes and were followed up by Bulleid in 1896. The western site was excavated sporadically from 1910 to 1933, and the eastern site from 1933 onward.

There were some 50 to 60 hut sites in each of the villages, represented by mounds some 4 ft high, having successive floors of clay above a foundation of timber and brushwood, with central hearths. These huts were circular, but there was evidence of earlier rectangular huts.
The finds, mostly in Taunton Museum, include decorated and coarse pottery, vessels of wood, evidence of spinning and weaving, agriculture and metallurgy, and fibulae (La Tene 1 – 3) and other personal ornaments.

Roman coins from Constantius II to Valens and pottery including Samian were found at both sites.

Both sites are marked by low, irregular contiguous mounds and are under permanent pasture. Outline of the sites surveyed at 1:2500.

Excavation of a limited area of the eastern village in 1966 suggests a new scheme for the sites history. This envisages 4 Iron Age phases, from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD, and 2 Roman phases, the first sterile and flooded (the reason for IA abandonment?) and the second 4th century. After this the site suffered from repeated floodings.

Pastscape description of principally Mesolithic site:

A cave containing evidence of human use from the Mesolithic onwards. It was first excavated in 1960 by the Wessex Caving Club, who started digging in the cave entrance in a swallet hole. Human bones were recovered, but because they were believed to be relatively modern they were handed over to the police who subsequently had them cremated. By 1963 it was recognised that archaeological deposits were being disturbed. Subsequently, the excavation was conducted as a joint caving and archaeological project, with archaeological supervision and advice from EK Tratman and PA Rahtz. Finds appear to be predominantly Mesolithic with some late Neolithic and Bronze Age evidence. Early suggestions that there was some evidence for Romano-British use of the cave have not been confirmed. Some surface excavation was undertaken at the site in April 1998 by a Bristol University PhD student. Flints ranging from the late Mesolithic oto the Bronze Age have been interpreted as representing hunting activity rather than occupation or shelter. Several sherds of Roman pottery were also found.