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Cadbury Castle, South Cadbury

Somerset, England · Atlas EN3948

Cadbury Castle, South Cadbury is a contour fort in South Cadbury, Somerset, England.

Other names on the record: South Cadbury and South Cadbury Castle.

It is recorded as extant, with a partial bivallate and partial multivallate rampart form, surface evidence of earthen bank, and an enclosed area of 7.5 hectares.

Banks or ramparts are the remains most likely to be visible.

The topographic record places it on a hilltop and at 153 m.

The aspect is recorded as level.

Recorded land use includes pasture.

Dating evidence is recorded for 800–400 BC, 400 BC–AD 50, and AD 50–400 (Artefactual and C14). Reliability is recorded as A - High.

A scheduled monument number is recorded (1011980).

Location

Atlas number
EN3948 (3948)
Country
England
Current county or unitary authority
Somerset
Historic county
Somerset
Parish, community, or townland
South Cadbury
National Grid reference
ST628251
Latitude
51.02400
Longitude
-2.53181
Altitude
153 m

Form and condition

Type
contour fort
Condition
Extant
Morphology
partial bivallate and partial multivallate
Complete rampart circuit
Yes
Number of ramparts
4
Ramparts by quadrant
NE 2, SE 4, SW 4, NW 4
Number of ditches
3
Possible original entrances
3
Breaks through the ramparts
3
Enclosed area
7.5 ha
Enclosing works, as visible
earthen bank
Enclosing works, excavated
earthen bank, stone wall, and timber-framed wall
Also recorded
guard chambers and ditches
Entrance forms
Passage-way/Corridor (North east); Hollow Way (North east); Passage-way/Corridor (South west); Recesses/Guard Chambers (South west); Blocked (East); Passage-way/Corridor (East)

Landscape

Topographic position
hilltop
Aspect
level
Land use
pasture
Water source
spring and well or cistern

Dating

Dating
800–400 BC, 400 BC–AD 50, and AD 50–400
Dating evidence
Artefactual and C14
Dating reliability
A - High

Interior and investigation

Interior surface
quarry hollows
Interior excavation
pits, postholes, roundhouses, and rectangular structures
Finds
pottery, metal, metalworking, human bones, animal bones, lithics, and environmental material
Investigations
1st Identified Written Reference (1542); Other (1723); 1st Identified Map Depiction (1887); Excavation (1913); Other (1980); Earthwork Survey (1993); Other (2016); Geophysical Survey (1966-1973); Excavation (1966-1973); Other (1992-10); Geophysical Survey

Identifiers

Scheduled monument number
1011980
HER
Somerset 54552
National record
record ST 62 NW 1; monument 199646
Wikidata
Q31115734

Sources

References

  1. Alcock, L, 1972. By South Cadbury Is That Camelot. London: Thames & Hudson.
  2. Brown, I. 2009. Beacons in the landscape. The hillforts of England and Wales, Oxford: Windgather Press/Oxbow Books.
  3. Barrett, J.C., Freeman, P.W.M. and Woodward, A. 2000. Cadbury Castle Somerset. The later prehistoric and early historic archaeology, London: English Heritage.
  4. Johnson, P.G. 1993. CADBURY CASTLE, SOMERSET. GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS 1992-1993. AML Report, unpublished.
  5. Tabor, R. 2008. Cadbury Castle. The hillfort and landscapes, Stroud: The History Press.