More information : (SD 88483839) Castercliff (NR). (1)
(SD 88483839) Castercliff (NAT) Hill Fort (NR). (2)
Castercliff Hillfort is a small oval Iron Age multivallate 'vitrified' hillfort (enclosing circa two acres). Forde-Johnson suggests that the hillfort was built in two phases, the second phase not having been completed. He states "the original defences appear to have consistedof a single bank without a ditch, with a bank and ditch between, and in places, a counter scarp bank added later. On the northern side of the site, however these additional defences appear to have been unfinished. Instead of a continuous bank and ditch there is a series of short lengths with level ground between, that shows no evidence of having been disturbed. "This is corroborated by Coombs(a) who excavated the central rampart in 1971 and found in between two of the rampart sections an area of undisturbed ground. The excavation
also revealed continuous bedding trenches front and rear, 6 ft
apart, in which were set chocked post holes up to 3 ft deep and
about 6 ft apart. The rubble core 5 ft in height survives and the
bowed outline of revetting was visible in the excavated sections.
Beyond the rampart was a rock cut ditch 5 ft deep and 6 ft wide
at the mouth, with a probable counter scarp bank. The inner rampart
was much denuded, due to the removal of large quantities of stones
in the 19th century; it consisted of a "low rubble and timber deposit
very heavily vitrified", which probably constituted a stone revetted
timber laced rampart. Plan. (3)(4)
Excavation report. C14 dates of 510+/-70bc and 510+/-60bc were obtained from the 2 (outer and inner) ramparts and there was evidence
for a free standing palisade (or perhaps a cheveaux de frise) outside
the ditch. (5)
SD 884 383. Castercliff. Listed in gazetteer as a multivallate hillfort covering 0.80ha. (6)
SD 8849 3838. Castercliff small multivallate hillfort. Scheduled
RSM No 22507. An oval internal plateau approx 115m x 76m enclosed
on all sides except the N by 3 rubble ramparts up to 1.5m high with
an external ditch up to 1.5m deep in front of each. The overall
width is c.46m. The defences are incomplete on the N side and consist
in the main of a single rampart and ditch, although some short
lengths of triple rampart and ditch are also visible here, separated
by areas of undisturbed ground. (7)
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