Scheduled MonumentsEnglandDowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow

Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow

England
List entry 1010494
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1010494
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
5.34 hectares
Grid reference
ST 16017 39113
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Dowsborough is a univallate hillfort situated in Somerset, England, dating to the Iron Age. The fort occupies a prominent hilltop position and is defined by a single defensive rampart with an external ditch, a characteristic feature of smaller fortified settlements of this period. Associated with the hillfort is a round barrow, indicating that the site held significance across multiple prehistoric periods and saw use or reverence from Bronze Age times onwards. The combination of Iron Age fortification with Bronze Age burial monument reflects the extended chronology of hilltop occupation in the Somerset landscape.

Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1010494. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow?

Dowsborough is a univallate hillfort situated in Somerset, England, dating to the Iron Age. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1010494.

Who is responsible for protecting Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow?

Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow 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 1010494.

What other scheduled monuments are near Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn 280m south of Triscombe Stone (3.5 km), Plainsfield Camp slight univallate hillfort (3.8 km), Two cairns, 780m ESE of Triscombe Farm (3.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow

Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow stands on Middle Devonian (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.