More information : (SX 73858900) Cranbrook Castle (NAT) Hill Fort (NR). (1) Cranbrook Castle, lies on a hill 1100 feet above sea level and overlooks the Teign Gorge, to the north. It can be interpreted as a two phase structure. 1. An outer univallate enclosure of 7.5 hectares, with slight defences, consisting of a bank still up to 1.0 metre high with an external ditch, and two, possibly three, weakly defended entrances. The deep hollow way leading to the south-eastern entrance implies that this phase was of long duration and presumably to be dated by the Bronze Age decorated 'Glastonbury' pottery found in 1900 in hut circle no 2(SX73948897). 2. A univallate hill fort, of Iron Age 'B' period, with massive ramparts, over 2.0 metres high in places, with external stone revetment, enclosing an area of 5.25 hectares. The new defences were so sited in relationship to the earlier phase that the gateways remained in use, and a partially bivallate rampart was formed, widely spaced on the eastern side and closely spaced on the west and south. Six possible cairns were located in the interior, but as the 1900 survey found, the interior of the fort is studded with these mounds which also extend over the north slope of the hill. All are about 2 to 3 metres in diameter and 1/2 metre high. In 1900 four hut circles were located by excavation within the inner rampart south of the east entrance, finds included pottery, charcoal and sling-stones. (2-5) R.J. Silvester has suggested that the fort is of one period only, bivallate and unfinished. The key problem is the outer bank on the northern side; it is of an earlier period or marking out bank ? On the east side Silvester sees it running to the base of the bank whereas Collis considers it cut by the unfinished ditch. The west side is less clear and it is impossible to say whether the end of the inner rampart is unfinished or robbed. Silvester also notes that on the south side the outer bank is substantial but Collis suggests it was rebuilt. (6) The construction phases of Cranbrook Castle are obscure and somewhat erratic. The northern side consists of a vestigial bank to which an external platform of gathered stones has been added; overall it averages 8m. wide and 0.3m high. This evidently represents the setting out line and base for the inner rampart which elsewhere has been augmented by material from a deep outer ditch, with an intermediate berm. Dump construction is clear and on the south some excavation of the spillage has exposed revetment walling in the outer face of the rampart. Beyond the ditch there is, for the most part, a further berm, from which rises a weak outer rampart accompanied by a shallow ditch. This defence fades at the south east angle, where there is a slight gap before a setting-out scarp indicates the projected alignment, ceasing when level with the eastern entrance. A similar but more pronounced scarp extends along the west side of the fort from the southwest angle, leaving a wide interspace. The air photograph of 1947 shows an over-lapping entrance gap, 50m. north of the inner west entrance but this cannot now be properly determined because of agricultural depredations. A final 50m.length of packed stones, paralleling a modern wall, terminates abruptly with the more complete inner rampart. There is distinct evidence that the west entrance was to be inturned; the same might have been intended for the east entrance but here there has been much excavation disturbance. No huts are visible within the hillfort and the dense growth of bracken and gorse precludes identification of most of the cairns, a score of which can be seen on the air photo. (a). The few found by chance average 3m. in diameter and 0.3m. high. They are almost certainly clearance heaps. What is not clear is whether they were to be used as constructional material for the defences or whether they are the result of later agricultural activity (see SX 78 NW 39). However, both the plan of Cranbrook Castle and ground observation indicate that it is an unfinished multivallate hillfort, and not a work of two phases in the sense of widely separated periods. Surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. See plan at 1:1250 for profiles and linear profile X-Y, and ground photographs. (7)
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