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Summary

Brightley Barton camp an Iron Age hill fort thought at one time to be a Medieval enclosure. The earthworks have been transcribed as part of the Winkleigh National Mapping Programme.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1016205: Brightley Barton camp
• SHINE: Brightly Barton Camp. Iron Age hillfort north of Brightly Barton

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 34457
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS62SW/6
• Old SAM County Ref: 293
• Old SAM Ref: 30308
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SS62SW3

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HILLFORT (Iron Age - 700 BC to 42 AD (Between))

Full description

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

'Camp (Remains of)' shown on 19th century map as a squarish enclosure with a field boundary dissecting it from north to south and a semi-circular field boundary on the western side.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Camp' shown on early 20th century map.

Wall, J. C., 1906, Ancient Earthworks, 603 (Article in Monograph). SDV341465.

Camp: simple defensive enclosure class "C". Situated on summit of gentle slope, a small rectangular camp with surrounding vallum. Two entrances on the east. Appears to have been a shelter for pastoral people. Other details: Plan.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1951 - 1970, SS62SW3 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV345219.

The earthwork is almost certainly Medieval and intended to enclose a building of which there are now no surface remains
On the west end of a promontory with land falling away on all but the east sides. Camp is bisected by modern stone and earth field bank running north to south. The earthwork to west of field bank is turf covered and planted with firs, and consists of a ditch with an outer bank of stone and earth content. To the east of the field bank in land recently ploughed, the ditch only is visible. Sherds of probably Medieval pottery were found. No traces of the two entrances. Other details: Photograph, Plan and Section.

Ministry of Works, 1953, Brightly Barton Camp (Schedule Document). SDV345222.

Brightly Barton Camp is a small earthwork resembling a Cornish 'round' with a dry stone bank and slight ditch outside. The eastern two thirds are almost ploughed out but the remainder is fairly well preserved and planted with pine trees.

Andrews, J. H. B., 1962, Chittlehampton, 241-2 (Article in Serial). SDV82648.

Silvester, R. J. + Higham, R. A., 1980, Domestic Enclosures of Probable Medieval Date, 63-5 (Article in Serial). SDV55518.

Other details: Map.

Weston, S., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1982 (Un-published). SDV342456.

Griffith, F. M., 1988, DAP/JK, 11 (Aerial Photograph). SDV345221.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1997, Brightley Barton Camp (Schedule Document). SDV345223.

Brightley Barton camp includes a sub-circular Iron Age hillfort situated on the hilltop of a narrow ridge between two valleys of tributaries to the River Taw and which itself overlooks the main valley of the river. The monument survives as a sub-circular bank and outer ditch surrounding a 34 metre diameter internal area. The ditch measures 5.3 metres wide and 0.6 metres deep to the west, and 4.2 metres wide and 0.4 metres deep on the eastern side. The bank measures 2.3 metres wide and up to 1.4 metres high externally and 2.3 metres high internally on its western side. There is also a length of walling which acts as a revetment. To the east the bank is a very low, spread feature with a maximum height of 0.1 metres.
A section of field boundary crossing the monument from north to south, and a later post and wire fence surrounding the western section are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features is included.

Young, A., 2005, Transcriptions from Winkleigh Biomass Plant National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Cartographic). SDV321540.

Transcriptions of a bank and ditch correspond to the grid reference for PRN167738.

Young, A. & Turner, S., 2005-2006, North Devon/Winkleigh Biomass Plant National Mapping Programme (NMP) project database records, PRN167738 (Interpretation). SDV358473.

A small rectangular Iron Age enclosure is situated on the summit of a small hill. The western half the site is not visible on aerial photographs as it lies under trees, the eastern half is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs (p1) and was digitally plotted during the National Mapping Programme. The enclosure lies wiithin an area described as medieval enclosures in the Historic Landscape Characterisation for Devon.
Photograph reference:
1. OSP OS/70260 001-2 07-JUL-1970

National Monuments Record, 2010, 34457 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV345220.

A sub-circular Iron Age hillfort situated on the hilltop of a narrow ridge between two valleys of tributaries to the River Taw.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

The western side of the enclosure is shown as 'Ancient Earthwork' on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7455 - Winkleigh Biomass Plant National Mapping Programme

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