Monument record MDO2980 - Iron Age hillfort, Coneys Castle, Whitchurch Canonicorum

A hill fort on the southern end of a ridge, and consisting of a large and small enclosure with a ditch between. Both enclosures are encircled by a ditch with inner and outer ramparts, except on the west side where there is a steep natural slope. There would have been an entrance at the northern end and possibly also at the southern end, but these appear to have been destroyed by a modern road through the hill fort. The earthworks have also been disturbed in places by later hedgerow banks and quarrying. The site was digitally plotted during the Marshwood Vale NMP.

A hill fort on the southern end of a ridge, and consisting of a large and small enclosure with a ditch between. Both enclosures are encircled by a ditch with inner and outer ramparts, except on the west side where there is a steep natural slope. There would have been an entrance at the northern end and possibly also at the southern end, but these appear to have been destroyed by a modern road through the hill fort. The earthworks have also been disturbed in places by later hedgerow banks and quarrying. <1>

The hill fort was digitally plotted from aerial photographs during the Marshwood Vale NMP <2-4>. The larger enclosure to the north is considered to be the earliest phase of the site , the smaller enclosure to the south being a later edition. Faint traces of additional earthworks, possibly associated with the hillfort, were identified on the southeastern side and are described in record MDO38757.

Coney's Castle is a hill-fort, with earthworks probably of two periods, occupying the south end of a ridge. The earlier enclosure, with an internal area of around 5 acres is defended by two banks and a medial ditch, well preserved on the north and east. On the west the steep natural slope of the hill is topped only by a single bank. A modern road obliterates entrances which may have existed at the north and south. The smaller enclosure at the south end appears to be a later edition. Its defences are likewise double at the east and south and single on the west. Hedgerows have destroyed much of the inner bank in the large enclosure, and a slight bank in the south east corner is possibly an old hedge bank. A gravel-pit has destroyed part of the outer defences on the north, and a quarry is being worked inside the large enclosure. The outer bank on the east has been disturbed by a hedge bank along its top. <2-5>

The earthwork is as described above (see plan). Section A-B shows the average strength of the defences on all but the west side. There are no traces of original entrances, and no finds were made. A hedge-bank has destroyed the continuity of the banks in the north east corner of the small enclosure (at 'X' on plan). <6>

Stewart, D, 2014, Coney's Castle. A Geophysical Survey (Unpublished document). SDO21391.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 264 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(18) CONEY’S CASTLE, hill-fort 2 m. N.W. of the parish church, occupies the S. end of a ridge (702 ft. above O.D.). The work is of irregular plan and consists of a large and small enclosure divided from each other by a ditch with inner and outer ramparts. The whole site is protected by an encircling ditch with inner and outer ramparts, except along the west side where the precipitous natural slope and an inner rampart rendered the ditch and outer defence unnecessary. Actually very little of the inner scarp of the inner rampart remains in the larger enclosure. This is due to its partial destruction by later hedge-banks. A slight bank set back and leaving a wide berm between it and the top of the main scarp at the S.E. corner of this enclosure possibly represents a previous hedge-bank. A modern road has been constructed right though the camp and has destroyed the entrance which was apparently at the N. end, or possibly there were entrances at both ends. The smaller enclosure appears to have been an addition. A modern gravel-pit has destroyed part of the outer defences at the N. end and at the present time a quarry is still being worked in the N. half of the larger enclosure. The outer rampart on the E. has been disturbed by a hedge-bank along its top.’

<2> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 RS 4208-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO14814.

<3> Royal Air Force, 27-APR-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2621 RS 4087-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO14796.

<4> Dorset County Council, 2009, Digital vertical aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDO12079.

<5> Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography, CUCAP HW 36 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17334.

<6> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 02-MAR-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<7> Lock, G, and Ralston, I, 2017, Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland [ONLINE], EN3589 (Digital archive). SDO17130.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 882985 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Coney's Castle, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset. 4 profiles at different scales.

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F66/5 (Index). SDO14738.

EAST END OF NORTHERN DEFENCE OF CONEY'S CASTLE,IRON AGE HILL FORT AT WHITECHURCH CANONICORUM

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F66/6 (Index). SDO14738.

NORTHERN DEFENCE OF CONEY'S CASTLE AT WHITECHURCH CANONICORUM

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 449718 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 4 2025 11:29AM