Scheduled MonumentsEnglandCaer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill

Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill

England
List entry 1010723
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1010723
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
6.87 hectares
Grid reference
SO 47753 95155
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Caer Caradoc is a multivallate hillfort situated on Caer Caradoc Hill in Shropshire, commanding views across the surrounding landscape. The monument comprises concentric defensive earthworks enclosing the hilltop, with an associated causeway providing access to the summit. The fort dates to the Iron Age and represents a significant defensive settlement from this period. Local tradition links the site to Caractacus, the Catuvellauni tribal leader who resisted Roman invasion in the first century AD, though archaeological evidence does not definitively confirm this association; a cave on the summit, known as Caractacus' Cave, perpetuates this legendary connection but its historical authenticity remains unverified.

Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1010723. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill?

Caer Caradoc is a multivallate hillfort situated on Caer Caradoc Hill in Shropshire, commanding views across the surrounding landscape. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1010723.

Who is responsible for protecting Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill?

Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill 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 1010723.

What other scheduled monuments are near Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brockhurst Castle: a tower keep castle and causeway, 200m south of Brockhurst (4.1 km), Motte castle immediately north east of Church Farm (5 km), Packhorse bridge S of St Peter's Church (5.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill

Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Neoproterozoic, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is lava and tuff.

The wider landscape

Around Caer Caradoc large multivallate hillfort, associated causeway and Caractacus' Cave on the summit of Caer Caradoc Hill

WroxeterRoman town · ~10 milesOffa's DykeArchaeological site · ~12.2 milesBattle of Shrewsbury 1403Battle (1403) · ~13.7 miles