DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) Jumping on the bandwagon here! In a diagonal line NE to SE between West Tanfield and Thornborough lie the three Thornborough Henges. Now part of the English Heritage register as of a few days ago. It looks as though the construction firm, Tarmac didn't want to be associated with the likes of Rio Tinto mining in Australia who purposefully destroyed ancient Aboriginal sites, so they gifted the site to Historic England. Nice one Tarmac! As you can see the best preserved henge is the most NW one which is hidden in woods. Neolith ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) The River Tamar cuts between these four sites just to the east of Rezare in Cornwall and below Dunterton on Devon. At Castle Head are the remains of a promontory fort indicated on the LiDAR. The polygons are artefacts of the foliage removal algorithm. The embankment is the semi-circular shape, but the site has been heavily degraded by erosion & possible quarrying. Remains of a summer house on west side. Below this is an Iron Age ‘defended settlement’/enclosure. To the west is another enclo ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) Overlooking Chudleigh to the southeast and ringed by trees lies the univallate contour hillfort, Castle Dyke. Huge rampart & ditch to the SW enclosing 5.7ha. Possible embanked entrance. First recorded in 1889. Scheduled since 1933. First excavated in the 1960’s but details lost. Ariel survey indicates enclosures between hillfort & outer embankment via cropmarks. Iron Age tribal association (conjecture based on location): Dumnonii (Scheduled Monument) [Any descriptive text is attribute ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) Two km to the southeast of Stoodleigh & overlooking the rivers Parkhouse Water and the River Exe & now bordered in hedges lies the univallate contour hillfort, Castle Close. Heavily degraded by ploughing in the past. First recorded in 1880. Scheduled since 1964. Minimal investigations. Unexcavated, hence undated. Iron Age tribal association (conjecture based on location): Dumnonii (Scheduled Monument) [Any descriptive text is attributed to the Atlas of Hillforts & Wikipedia websit ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) Commanding the hilltop at Cadbury, Devon & just south of the A3072 lies the contour hillfort, Cadbury Castle. (Not related to ‘Cadbury Castle hillfort’ in Yeovil, Somerset) Outer ramparts over 3m high. Two phase construction determined by Lady Fox in 1996. No excavations but when the landowner emptied a shaft/well in the interior down to circa 17m in 1848 he discovered twenty-four copper bracelets, shale bracelet fragments, beads, finger rings, 4th century AD pottery, and a 3rd century AD co ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) Just over a km southeast of Butterleigh on land belonging to Shevishaies Farm lies the ‘recently’ discovered (1960) contour hillfort, Bury Castle. Entrance to the north with causeway across ditch. Heavily degraded by ploughing over the centuries. No recorded finds or investigations, hence undated. Deffo worth a field walk if you can get permission… Iron Age tribal association (conjecture based on location): Dumnonii (Non-Scheduled Monument) [Any descriptive text is attributed to the Atlas o ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) A couple of km south of the A30 & SW of Bridestowe not only lies the complex multiple enclosure hillfort, Burley Wood but a motte & two baileys on the same summit. And that is pretty much all the information about this site I can find apart from loads of measurements that you don’t need to know. Considering how much there is going on in this site I can’t believe there haven’t been any investigations. Guess what? You can BUY the site for £125,000!!!!! (uklandandfarms.co.uk) which includ ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) In between Broadhembury and Godford Cross with commanding views over both villages lies the large complex multivallate contour hillfort, Hembury Fort. One of the few hillforts to be built over a neolithic causewayed enclosure. First excavated in 1930. Next excavation in 1983. Both found neolithic features & finds including partial greenstone axes, leaf arrowheads and pottery. C14 Dates for neolithic material, circa 3690BC. Additional C14 dates from a hearth yield 800BC. Glastonbury Ware iron ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) 5km to the northwest of Honiton & west of the A30 lies the impressive bivallate contour hillfort, Dumpdon Camp. Minor excavation in 1990. No recorded finds. No evidence of occupation. Possible barrow (circular feature). Rampart constructed with 2.1m x 0.4m chert blocks. Inturned entrance on the NE side. NW cut through rampart is modern. Possibly an unfinished site. Iron Age tribal association (conjecture based on location): Dumnonii (Scheduled Monument) [Any descriptive text is attributed ..read more

Link to LiDAR Animation on Instagram DTM- (Digital Terrain Model, i.e. No buildings or foliage) To the east of Newton Abbot and bisected by St Marychurch Road at Milber lies the complex multiple enclosure fort, Milber Down. Possibly paired with Denbury hillfort to the west. Partially degraded by ploughing. First excavation in 1937. Single phase construction. Finds include Middle Iron Age South Western decorated ware, important group of bronze figurines of a bird, stag and duck. Iron dagger hilt. I’ve indicated Milber Down Small Camp, a possible Roman site due to the Roman military pottery ..read more