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Summary

Prehistoric univallate oval enclosure with rampart surviving on north and west sides.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020274: Hilltop enclosure known as Castle Park Camp, 720m north west of Pomphlett
• SHINE: Ramsdown or Castle Park Camp. Prehistoric oval enclosure west of Willesley
• Scheduled Monument 1020274: Hilltop enclosure known as Castle Park Camp, 720m north west of Pomphlett

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 437936
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX47NW/7
• Old SAM County Ref: 590
• Old SAM Ref: 35252
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX47NW1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSURE (Late Bronze Age to Middle Iron Age - 900 BC to 300 BC (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

The enclosure is not depicted. It is situated across two plots, the north-east plot is recorded as ‘Plantation’, the south-east plot is recorded as ‘Castle Park’.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

The banks and ditches correspond approximately to the earthworks depicted, labelled as ‘Camp’. The ditches visible within the enclosure correspond to depicted paths.

Wall, J. C., 1906, Ancient Earthworks, 607,609 (Article in Monograph). SDV341465.

Elliptical camp 'of pastoral people' on Ram Down. The modest vallum is partly destroyed but through it are three openings, all of which appear to be ancient. No running water is immediately at hand but a depression in the ground was possibly a rainpond.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950 - 1983, SX47NW1 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV341145.

Elliptical camp on Ram Down. The eastern part of the earthwork has been ploughed down but is still recognisable as an artifical feature. The remainder of the earthwork is in Ramsdown Plantation which has been mostly cut down in recent years. This has allowed much of the area to become covered with brambles making close inspection difficult. The bank appears to be in fairly good condition for the greater part of its circuit. There are openings in the bank, as shown on the Ordnance Survey map, but it is not possible to say if these are contemporary with the earthwork. A fourth gap has been made by woodmen felling the timber. No evidence of the depression noted in the Victoria County History. Evidence for what appears to be a small, long-disused quarry. Slight traces of outer ditch.
A univallate earthwork of somewhat oval plan, 150 metres by 85 metres. It has been bisected by a fieldbank, now retained only across the earthwork where it forms the boundary between the northwest, scheduled portion, and the southeastern half. In the northern part the rampart averages 6.0 metres wide and is 1.0 metres to 1.7 metres high externally and 0.6 metres to 1.3 metres high internally. The interior is generally 0.4 metres higher than the ground outside. Traces of a ditch exist along the western side of the earthwork. In the southern half, the outer face of the former rampart is represented by a scarp, 5 metres long and 0.4 metres high. The outer ditch can be traced around the south west corner. The position of the original entrance(s) is uncertain, the gaps in the scheduled area were used, until recently, by modern tracks. That in the north may be the timber haulage gap noted in 1950. There is, however, a distinct inturning at both the north weast and south west ends of the bisecting hedgebank, although this could have been caused by ploughing. The plan, size and situation of the earthwork suggest that is is an Iron Age enclosure of the defended settlement type. In fair condition. Other details: Plan.

Ministry of Public Building and Works, 1965, Castle Park Camp (Schedule Document). SDV341148.

Univallate oval camp set on the south easet tip of a gentle flat topped spur. The south eastern part (not included in the scheduled area) has been under the plough for many years and the defences are completely levelled. The north western part is under scrub and small trees and retains a bank, 20-27 feet wide, 3-5 feet high. Two stone spindlewhorls and a worked flint flake have been found on the site. Other details: Monument 590.

National Monuments Record, 1979, SX4279, 1510/146 (Aerial Photograph). SDV341149.

National Monuments Record aerial photograph shows that the bank in the south east can still be faintly discerned as an earthwork. The rest is under scrub although the field surrounding it has been 'improved'.

Earwood, C., 1984 - 2002, Ramsdon Camp (Worksheet). SDV341144.

Site visit by Woollcombe on 5th November 1839. Oval earthwork circa 410 feet by 234 feet, single bank. Enclosed and planted in 1824. Damaged to south, entrances east, west and north. Woollcombe manuscript includes a plan.

Griffith, F. M., 1986, DAP/HN, 2,3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV339693.

Aerial photograph shows the southern, destroyed, half still faintly visible as an earthwork.

Dyer, M. J. + Manning, P. T., 1998, Objective 5B: Lower Tamar Valley Recreation and Land Management Iinitiative: Cultural Heritage Appraisal, 21 (Report - non-specific). SDV319814.

Mentioned in Dean Milles' Questionnaire in 18th century as 'a round Saxon or Danish Camp or entrenchment at the east end of Rams Down'. Earthworks have recently been conserved with the support of Devon County Council and English Heritage.

Environment Agency, 2000-2019, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 19-DEC-2004 (Cartographic). SDV363954.

The enclosure is visible as curvilinear bank and ditch earthworks.

Cornwall Archaeological Unit, 2001-2002, Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Transcriptions and Database Records, DAP13291/02-3, SX4279/4-5; MAL 127/71/074-5 (Interpretation). SDV346287.

A prehistoric enclosure is visible on aerial photographs as cropmark and earthwork ditch and banked features. Map object partly based on this source.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2002, Hilltop Enclosure Known as Castle Park Camp (Schedule Document). SDV341150.

Hilltop enclosure known as Castle Park Camp, 720 metres north-west of Pomphlett. The monument survives as an oval enclosure defined to the north, west and partially to the east by a ditch and bank and to the south and partly to the east by a distinct lynchet. The enclosed area measures up to 130 metres from north to south by up to 70 metres east to west. To the south and east the ramparts are defined by a lynchet up to 9.7 metres wide and 1 metre high. On the south western side there is also a slight bank up to 8 metres wide and 0.2 metres high. The earthworks are best preserved to the north and west. The rampart is up to 1.9 metres high externally and 6.0 metres wide. An outer ditch is also visible and this survives up to 8 metres wide and 0.2 metres deep. The ramparts have been cut in three places by tracks up to 4 metres wide. The stock proof fences which cross the earthworks are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included. Hilltop enclosures are defined as sub-rectangular or elongated areas of ground, usually between 10 hectares and 40 hectares in size, situated on hilltops or plateaux and surrounded by slight univallate earthworks. They date to between the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age and are usually interpreted as stock enclosures or sites where agricultural produce was stored.Despite reduction in the height of the rampart to the south and east through cultivation and the presence of old forest tracks in the northern part of the enclousre, Castle Park Camp survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the monument's construction, use and landscape context. Other details: Monument 35252.

National Monuments Record, 2011, 437936 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV346420.

The earthwork remains of an Iron Age univallate enclosure situated 720 metres north-west of Pomphlett. The monument survives as an oval enclosure defined to the north, west and partially to the east by a ditch and bank and to the south and partly to the east by a distinct lynchet. The enclosed area measures up to 130 metres from north to south and by up to 70 metres east to west. The earthwork survives comparatively well despite reduction in the height of the rampart to the south and east through cultivation and the presence of old forest tracks in the northern part of the enclosure.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

'Enclosure' shown on modern mapping as an oval earthwork with internal division.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV363955.

The enclosure is visible as curvilinear bank and ditch earthworks.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2016, Backlog Recording of the Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Survey (Personal Comment). SDV359374.

Only part of the photo reference is given in the transcription attributes, so the date of the photograph is not known.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2020-2021, Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M project) (Interpretation). SDV363945.

The earthworks of Castle Park Camp are visible in two distinct parts on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2004 and 2013.
The north-west part of the camp is most clearly visible, comprising a prominent curvilinear bank circa 7 metres in width and broken in several places, with flanking ditch between circa 3 and 8 metres in width around the outside. A subtle north-west to south-east orientated bank is visible in the centre of this part of the camp. Narrow curvilinear ditches are also visible in the centre, leading to three breaks in the outer bank. These ditches correspond approximately with pathways depicted on the Ordnance Survey 25 inch First Edition map.
A narrow bank circa 3 metres in width with ditch circa 5 metres in width corresponds to a field boundary depicted on historic maps and cuts the camp into two. The south-east part of the camp comprises a wide and less prominent curvilinear bank, appearing to have been spread by agricultural activity. A subtle bank is visible following the path of the field boundary and may have been created during its construction.
The earthworks together enclose an approximately oval shaped area of 70 metre by 130 metres.
The earthworks had previously been transcribed by the Tamar Valley NMP project and have been re-transcribed based upon the recent lidar data.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6911 - Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme
• EDV8345 - Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M) (Ref: ACD2380)

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