Monument record MDO666 - The Castle, Cattistock

An irregular oval enclosure interpreted as an Iron Age hillfort. The slight earthwork around the top of the hill appears to have been formed by enhancing the natural slope, though it has been suggested that this is an entirely natural formation. An area of around 4½ acres is enclosed and there are two entrances. The earthworks were digitally plotted from aerial photographs during the Upper Frome and Sydling Valleys AIM project.

An irregular oval enclosure which appears to have been formed by scarping the natural slope of the hill, although it has been suggested that this is entirely a natural formation. There are two ramped causewayed entrances, on the N.E. and N.W. About 50 yards N. of the enclosure is a steep lynchet. <4>

[No additional information]. [Poor description; and classified as Ro.] The top of CASTLE HILL is fairly flat, and has been cultivated in the past, giving rise to a series of Md. strip lynchets, which have however, not disturbed a barrow.

The hill top is encircled by a scarp which averages 7.0 m. wide and 3.5 m. high. A natural defence is given by a steep slope of the hill on the S.E. and S. sides, but this is lacking on the N. and W. Causeways lead from the earthwork on the N. part of E. and W. sides. The W. one leads to a gentle slope, but that on the E. leads to the edge of the steep hillside and appears to be comparatively useless. These breaks in the scarp are simply ramps, not inturned or out-turned entrances.

It is very unlikely that the earthwork is natural; any part of the scarp could be to some extent natural, but that the hilltop should be encircled by a completely natural scarp seems an untenable theory.

There are no comparable earthworks of Ro. or Md. date, and THE CASTLE may be an unfinished hillfort of early type. A lesser possibility is a Saxon burgh - a similar scarp exists around the hilltop at OLD WARREN (on 46 NE) 8 miles to the S., and which has been deemed a probable Saxon burgh. In any case as a defensive position it is not outstanding, and today the nearest source of water is 600 metres to the W. The plan depicted on the O.S. 1/2500 is correct as amended. See AP CPE/UK/1974/3383. <5>

A slight, but surveyable, rampart exists to be the south of the E. causeway, this has a max. height of 0.3 m. There are no visible surface indications of habitation, and no external signs of defence. <6>

No change. An enigmatic earthwork, clear on O.S. A.Ps. but not the internal and external strip cultivation. O.S. 1/2500 survey revised. <7>

An irregular oval enclosure interpreted as an Iron Age hillfort. The slight earthwork around the top of the hill appears to have been formed by enhancing the natural slope, though it has been suggested that this is an entirely natural formation. An area of around 4½ acres is enclosed and there are two entrances. The earthworks were digitally plotted from aerial photographs during the Upper Frome and Sydling Valleys AIM project <11>

<1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1870, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 4 (Monograph). SDO17392.

<2> Warne, C, 1872, Ancient Dorset (2nd Edition) (Monograph). SWX1971.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1903 (Map). SWX1540.

[Area centred ST 59420010] THE CASTLE (CAMP) [CE]

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 73 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(14) THE CASTLE, earthwork on Castle Hill 700 yards N.E. of the church, consists of an irregular oval enclosure of about 4½ acres, formed by steepening the natural slope of the hill-top and thus forming a berm; it has been suggested that this is an entirely natural formation. There are two ragged causeway-entrances towards the N.E. and N.W. respectively. The surface of the enclosure rises to a point on which is a much damaged mound, 50 ft. in diam. and 4 ft. high. About 50 yards to the N. of the enclosure is a steep lynchet.’

<5> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 14-MAY-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5.1> Ordnance Survey, OS 70267/400 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18812.

<6> Field Investigators Comments FC, F2 FC 25-MAY-55 (Unpublished document). SWX3544.

<7> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 16-NOV-71 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<8> Corney, M, 1987, Ordnance Survey Map Revision, West Dorset (Article in serial). SDO14053.

‘RCHME is responsible for supplying the Ordnance Survey with up to date surveys of antiquities for depiction on larger scale OS plans. The Melbury area of West Dorset is currently under revision at 1:2500 scale, and the following sites were recorded at a basic scale of 1:1000 with reductions of 1:2500 being supplied to the OS at Southampton. A selection of those sites recorded is noted below. … Castle Hill, Cattistock, hillfort, barrow and field system. ST 594003: The univallate hillfort with a round barrow inside it was re-surveyed. Previously unrecorded ‘Celtic’ fields on a steep slope south-east of the fort were also planned. North of the fort an extensive series of strip lynchets were noted.’

<9> Council for British Archaeology, 1987, Council for British Archaeology Group 12: Newsletter, October 1987, 9-10 (Serial). SDO15257.

<10> Lock, G, and Ralston, I, 2017, Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland [ONLINE], EN3586 (Digital archive). SDO17130.

<11> National Monuments Record, 10-JAN-2007, NMR 24507 (ST5900/10) (Aerial Photograph). SDO16582.

<12> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/088 RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision (Unpublished document). SDO17367.

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 881813 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Castle Hill, Cattistock

<14> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 888910 (Index). SDO14738.

Cattistock Castle Hill/ink survey

<15> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 888912 (Index). SDO14738.

Cattistock Castle Hill/pencil survey

<16> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF0888907 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Castle Hill, Cattistock, Dorset. Report with field survey teamContents : 2 plans, reportCondition : SATISFACTORY

<17> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F76/5 (Index). SDO14738.

ENCLOSURE PLAN OF CASTLE HILL AT CATTISTOCK

<18> National Record of the Historic Environment, 195860 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 16 2022 4:09PM