Castercliff

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Castercliff
Castercliff hillfort 01.jpg
Viewed from Back Lane
Location map United Kingdom Borough of Pendle.svg
Archaeological site icon (red).svg
Shown within the Borough of Pendle
Location Pendle, Lancashire, England
Coordinates Coordinates: 53°50′30″N2°10′56″W / 53.8417°N 2.1823°W / 53.8417; -2.1823
Type Hillfort
Length115 m (377 ft)
Width76 m (249 ft)
Area0.80 ha (2.0 acres)
Height1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
History
Founded510±70 BC
Site notes
Excavation dates1971
Official nameCastercliff Small Multivallate Hillfort
Reference no. 45247

Castercliff is an Iron Age multivallate hillfort situated close to the towns of Nelson and Colne in Lancashire, Northern England.

Contents

It is located on a hilltop overlooking the valley system of the River Calder and its tributaries, on the western edge of the South Pennines. On the upper part of the hill, triple rubble ramparts up to 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) high, separated by ditches of similar depth, surround the site on all sides except the north. On this side the defences consist mainly of a single rampart and ditch, but some short lengths of triple rampart and ditch are also found here. The inner rampart may have been timber-laced and revetted with stone and enclosed an oval area measuring approximately 115 by 76 metres (377 by 249 ft). [1]

The summit of the hill is 280 metres (920 ft) above sea level and the surrounding ground falls rapidly on all sides except the south east. Here a neck of land, dropping 18 metres (60 ft) from the summit, connects it to similarly high ground about 370 metres (1,200 ft) away. Streams spring from either side of the ridge and the deep valleys which they have cut, especially on the south, offer additional defence. [2]

Excavations during the 1970s appear to show that the site was not completed, and no evidence of occupation was unearthed. [3] The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. [4]

3D view of the digital terrain model Castercliff Digital Terrain Model.jpg
3D view of the digital terrain model

The hillfort has been damaged by coal mining with old bell pits evident both inside and around the site. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Castercliff small multivallate hillfort (1007404)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  2. Farrer, William; Brownbill, John, eds. (1906), The Victoria History of the County of Lancaster Vol 2, Victoria County History - Constable & Co, pp. 514–516, OCLC   59375181 , retrieved 1 January 2021
  3. Excavation of the hillfort of Castercliff, Nelson, Lancashire, 1970-71 Trans. Lancs. & Ches. Antiq. Soc. 81, 111-30
  4. Lancashire County Council Archived 2011-06-13 at the Wayback Machine