Scheduled Monuments›England›Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle

Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle

England
List entry 1016258
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1016258
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
3.61 hectares
Grid reference
SX 72039 52040
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Blackdown Rings is a prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle located in Devon, England. The site comprises an Iron Age hillfort characterised by concentric earthwork defences, which was subsequently reoccupied and fortified during the medieval period. The monument represents a significant example of multiphase occupation at a strategically important elevated location. The physical remains visible today reflect both the prehistoric defensive works and medieval modifications to the site, making it an important archaeological record of long-term human settlement and fortification practices in the region.

Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1016258. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle?

Blackdown Rings is a prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle located in Devon, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1016258.

Who is responsible for protecting Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle?

Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1016258.

What other scheduled monuments are near Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stanborough Camp Iron Age hillfort and bowl barrow (5.3 km), Site of a medieval fortified house at Leigh Barton, including the south and west ranges, a gatehouse, section of curtain wall and fishpond (5.4 km), Ringwork and motte, 230m north east of Stanborough Camp (5.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Stanborough Camp Iron Age hillfort and bowl barrow
5.3 km
Site of a medieval fortified house at Leigh Barton, including the south and west ranges, a gatehouse, section of curtain wall and fishpond
5.4 km
Ringwork and motte, 230m north east of Stanborough Camp
5.5 km
Medieval holy well known as St Ann's Well, 120m south of Holwell Farm
7.2 km
Long barrow and two bowl barrows, 200m south east of Chapelcombe
7.3 km
Medieval dovecote at Bigbury Court
7.6 km
Bowl barrow 530m south east of Duncombe Court, forming an outlying part of a barrow cemetery.
9.5 km
Two bowl barrows 440m south east of Duncombe Court, forming part of a round barrow cemetery
9.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle

Blackdown Rings prehistoric hillfort and medieval castle stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

Domesday entry for Lupridge, Devon →
All Scheduled Monuments