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Summary

Denbury Camp an Iron Age hillfort on Denbury Down with two prehistoric barrows inside visible as earthwork ditches and banks on digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017. The interior is tree-covered and much disturbed and it has been suggested that the site was ploughed during the medieval and post-medieval periods. It was first planted with trees in the early 19th century.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1003857: Denbury camp
• SHINE: Denbury Hillfort. Early Iron Age (possible evidence for medieval use) oval, double ramparted hillfort with outer western enclosure and two barrows within the interior south west of Denbury

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 446232
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX86NW/8
• Old SAM County Ref: 126
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX86NW2

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HILLFORT (Early Iron Age to VII - 700 BC to 700 AD (Between))

Full description

Ministry of Works, Denbury Camp, Torbryan (Schedule Document). SDV346724.

An elliptical camp with a court on the west side. Situated 5 kilometres from Newton Abbot and 6 kilometres from Ashburton. On the north where the escarpment is steepest there is only a rampart. This continues and forms the defence of the western attached court. On the south and east sides there is a double vallum and fosse, the latter extremely deep in places and forming a covered way into the western attached court. The main entrance is on the northeast and is protected by the extension at the outer vallum to form a platform and the incurving at the inner vallum. Within the main camp are two large tumuli. Other details: Monument 126.

Hutchinson, P. O., 1848-1894, Diaries (Un-published). SDV339321.

Plan of hillfort in diary.

Hutchinson, P. O., 1862, On the Hill Fortresses, Tumuli, and some other Antiquities of Eastern Devon, 65-6 (Article in Serial). SDV338169.

Oval-shaped camp encirling crown of steep rock. Approximately 215 metres long by 155 metres wide. Ramparts in best condition on south side where it is 14 metres high on the outer slope. Other details: Plan in diary.

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

'Denbury Camp (Remains of)' shown on 19th century map.

Wall, J. C., 1906, Ancient Earthworks, 589-90 (Article in Monograph). SDV341465.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 121 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Denbury hill-fort. Strong earthwork which crowns a lofty igneous rock to the southwest. 'Defna's burh - the fort of the men of Devon'. May well commemorate a stronghold where the Dunnonii held out for a time against the Saxons advancing from the Teign estuary. It is an elliptical double-ramparted hill-fort with an outer court on the west side and with two large mounds in the main camp. Possibly of two distinct periods. Never excavated.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1960 - 1980, SX86NW2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV338328.

1. Denbury Camp marked on 1906 6 inch Ordnance Survey map.
2. Site visit 04/04/1960. A double ramparted Early Iron Age hillfort with outer enclosure on west. Inturned entrance. Entrance to outer enclosure probably from south west, by the short transverse bank. Internal bank is slight (?palisaded).
3. Site visit 31/05/1960. 25 inch survey made. Other details: Plan and sections.

Grinsell, L. V., 1976, Folklore of Prehistoric Sites in Britain, 95 (Monograph). SDV304171.

There is a legend attached to Denbury: 'If Denbury Down was levelled fair / England could plough with a golden share'. / and. 'When Exeter was a furzey down, / Denbury was a borough town'. /.

Gray, V. K., 1979, Denbury Camp (Personal Comment). SDV338330.

Inner enclosure has inturned entrance on the east; the outer enclosure has a similar entrance. The top of the fort is tree-covered. The site is generally over-grown with brambles, burdock, etc. The triangulation point was not found, but a broken upright granite block standing firmly in a shallow pit was probably the remains of this. This was on the northern tumulus. Condition in general, good. Some tree-felling on a small scale has taken place probably for firewood. Cattle are occasionally allowed on the site. Other details: Monument 126.

Griffith, F. M., 1983, Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV338332.

The hillfort survives in good condition. Earthworks as shown on Ordnance Survey drawing of 1962. Interior and ramparts both bear mature and sapling trees. Much bramble cover.

Griffith, F. M., 1986, DAP/GV, 1-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV287919.

Snell, R., 1986, Green Lanes in Devon Project (Un-published). SDV8442.

Griffith, F. M., 1989, DAP/LP, 10-12 (Aerial Photograph). SDV338336.

Griffith, F. M., 1989, DAP/LQ, 4-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDV338337.

Griffith, F. M., 1989, DAP/OK, 13 (Aerial Photograph). SDV338338.

Probert, S. J. + Dunn, C. J., 1992, Denbury Camp, Torbryan Parish: A New Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 53-60 (Article in Serial). SDV338334.

Surveyed at 1:1000 in 1992. Work showed fort and cairns to be of relatively simple form and that apparent compelxities of the site are almost entirely the result of Medieval and later activity.

Department of National Heritage, 1994, Denbury Camp (Correspondence). SDV338333.

Scheduled Monument Consent granted for erection of two visitor information boards.

Grant, N., 1995, The Occupation of Hillforts in Devon during the Late Roman and Post Roman Periods, 105 (Article in Serial). SDV7954.

Read, B., 1995, Untitled Source, 48-9 (Monograph). SDV338339.

Fox, A., 1996, Prehistoric Hillforts in Devon, 31-2 (Monograph). SDV7958.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX8168 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

Earthwork banks and ditches are visible.

Knowles, A., 1999, Landscape Archaeology Questionnaire. Denbury (Un-published). SDV338335.

'Denbury' is corrupted from 'Deveneberie' from the Domesday Survey records and means 'The Fort of the Men of Devon'.

Hines, J., 2000, Welsh and English: Mutual Origins in Post-Roman Britain, 81-104 (Article in Serial). SDV147961.

Half an Anglo-Saxon wrist clasp was found at 'Denbury Hillfort' by metal detector.

Wessex Archaeology, 2007, Historic Environment Audit of Devon County Farms. Pilot Project. Results of Fairfield Farm, Denbury, Newton Abbot, 5-6 (Report - Assessment). SDV338222.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2008, Scheduled Monument Consent Letter (Correspondence). SDV341489.

Scheduled Monument Consent granted, subject to conditions, for proposed works concerning a public event due to be held on 21st December 2008.

National Monuments Record, 2011, 446232 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV346726.

Earthwork remains of a double ramparted hillfort, ascribed to the Early Iron Age.

Griffith, F. M. + Wilkes, E. M., 2011, In the Footsteps of Pioneering Women; Some Recent Work on Devon Hillforts (Article in Serial). SDV361500.

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

Earthworks at Denbury shown on modern mapping. Map object previously based on this Source.

Griffith, F.M. + Quinnell, H. + Wilkes, E, 2013, Hillforts of Devon, 6-7 (Monograph). SDV352457.

Denbury Hillfort sits on a isolated hill between the valleys of the Rivers Dart and Teign. The name Deveneberie, meaning the burh of the men of Devon, is recorded in Domesday Book and it is suggested that this Anglo Saxon name reflects British use of the site in the post-Roman period. The site was purchased for this reason by Devon County Council in 1989 as part of its centenary.
The main enclosure covers about 2 hectares of the summit and has a steeply sloping inturned entrance on its western side. The gap in the north-eastern corner is thought to be later. There is an additional outer bank on the south side. The interior is tree-covered and disturbed. The trees, according to P.O. Hutchinson, were originally planted in about 1810-15. The RCHME suggest that the interior was also formerly ploughed in the medieval and post-medieval periods..
Within the interiorare what appear to be two large round barrows. The remains of masonry on the western barrow may be the remains of the site of a beacon.
The site has never been excavated.
See guide booklet for further information.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2018-2019, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 1, Haldon Ridge to Dart Valley (AI&M) (Interpretation). SDV361305.

Curvilinear and linear earthwork banks and ditches of Denbury hillfort are visible on digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017, occupying an area of approximately 6.4 hectares on Denbury Down. The earthworks form an oval shaped enclosure which is defined by a substantial earthwork ditch, between 10-14m wide, with narrow inner bank, circa 5m wide, which enclose an internal area of circa 1.8 hectares. An entranceway 5m wide along the western ramparts is defined by two interned banks. An additional ditch and double-banked rampart extends from the eastern side of this enclosure, westwards to form an outer enclosure, with secondary entrance to the south. The continuation of this outer rampart to the north and northeast of the main enclosure is not, however, clear. Two additional earthwork ditches recorded in this location and which do not correspond with any linear features on the available historic maps are tentatively interpreted as being associated with the ramparts of this outer enclosure, although are equally likely to be the result of medieval or post-medieval land division, or else possible trackways. The earthworks are not visible on other available aerial imagery owing to dense tree cover of Denbury Down. Geophysical survey is recommended in this area to help establish more fully the northern extent of the hillfort.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV147961	Article in Serial: Hines, J.. 2000. Welsh and English: Mutual Origins in Post-Roman Britain. Studia Celtica. 34. Photocopy. 81-104.
SDV17562	Monograph: Hoskins, W. G.. 1954. A New Survey of England: Devon. A New Survey of England: Devon. A5 Hardback. 121.
SDV287919	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1986. DAP/GV. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 1-2.
SDV304171	Monograph: Grinsell, L. V.. 1976. Folklore of Prehistoric Sites in Britain. Folklore of Prehistoric Sites in Britain. Unknown. 95.
SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV338169	Article in Serial: Hutchinson, P. O.. 1862. On the Hill Fortresses, Tumuli, and some other Antiquities of Eastern Devon. Journal of the British Archaeological Association. 18. Unknown. 65-6.
SDV338222	Report - Assessment: Wessex Archaeology. 2007. Historic Environment Audit of Devon County Farms. Pilot Project. Results of Fairfield Farm, Denbury, Newton Abbot. Wessex Archaeology Report. 64350.04. A4 Stapled + Digital. 5-6.
SDV338328	Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division. 1960 - 1980. SX86NW2. Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card. Card Index.
SDV338330	Personal Comment: Gray, V. K.. 1979. Denbury Camp. Ancient Monuments Wardens Report Form. A4 Single Sheet.
SDV338332	Personal Comment: Griffith, F. M.. 1983.
SDV338333	Correspondence: Department of National Heritage. 1994. Denbury Camp. Scheduled Monument Consent Letter. Letter.
SDV338334	Article in Serial: Probert, S. J. + Dunn, C. J.. 1992. Denbury Camp, Torbryan Parish: A New Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 50. Paperback Volume. 53-60.
SDV338335	Un-published: Knowles, A.. 1999. Landscape Archaeology Questionnaire. Denbury. Devon Archaeological Society Questionnaire. A4 Stapled.
SDV338336	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1989. DAP/LP. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 10-12.
SDV338337	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1989. DAP/LQ. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 4-7.
SDV338338	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1989. DAP/OK. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 13.
SDV338339	Monograph: Read, B.. 1995. History Beneath our Feet. Unknown. 48-9.
SDV339321	Un-published: Hutchinson, P. O.. 1848-1894. Diaries. Devon Record Office Collection. Manuscript.
SDV341465	Article in Monograph: Wall, J. C.. 1906. Ancient Earthworks. Victoria History of the County of Devon. Hardback Volume. 589-90.
SDV341489	Correspondence: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 2008. Scheduled Monument Consent Letter. Proposed Works at Denbury Camp. Letter.
SDV346129	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2011. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey. Map (Digital).
SDV346724	Schedule Document: Ministry of Works. Denbury Camp, Torbryan. The Schedule of Monuments. Foolscap.
SDV346726	National Monuments Record Database: National Monuments Record. 2011. 446232. National Monuments Record Database. Website.
SDV352457	Monograph: Griffith, F.M. + Quinnell, H. + Wilkes, E. 2013. Hillforts of Devon. Hillforts of Devon. A4 Stapled + Digital. 6-7.
SDV361305	Interpretation: Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R.. 2018-2019. The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 1, Haldon Ridge to Dart Valley (AI&M). Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV361470	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2017. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor. Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX8168 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017. [Mapped feature: #113298 ]
SDV361500	Article in Serial: Griffith, F. M. + Wilkes, E. M.. 2011. In the Footsteps of Pioneering Women; Some Recent Work on Devon Hillforts. British Archaeological Reports. 548. Paperback Volume.
SDV7954	Article in Serial: Grant, N.. 1995. The Occupation of Hillforts in Devon during the Late Roman and Post Roman Periods. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 53. Paperback Volume. 105.
SDV7958	Monograph: Fox, A.. 1996. Prehistoric Hillforts in Devon. Prehistoric Hillforts in Devon. Paperback Volume. 31-2.
SDV8442	Un-published: Snell, R.. 1986. Green Lanes in Devon Project. Green Lanes in Devon Project. Not applicable. Unknown.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV1771 - ORNAMENT (IV to Saxon - 400 AD to 1065 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV7515 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey (Ref: ACD1748)

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