Scheduled Monuments›England›Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)

Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)

England
List entry 1003861
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003861
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
9.27 hectares
Grid reference
SX 74774 90045
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Prestonbury Castle is a hillfort situated in Devon, England, dating to the Iron Age. The site is defined by its defensive earthworks, comprising banks and ditches that enclose the hilltop, characteristic of the fortified settlements constructed across southwest England during the pre-Roman Iron Age period. The earthworks remain substantially visible in the present landscape, providing evidence of the strategic importance of elevated positions in the region during antiquity. As a scheduled monument, Prestonbury Castle represents a significant archaeological resource for understanding the settlement patterns and defensive strategies of Iron Age communities in Devon.

Prestonbury Castle (hillfort) is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003861. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)?

Prestonbury Castle is a hillfort situated in Devon, England, dating to the Iron Age. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003861.

Who is responsible for protecting Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)?

Prestonbury Castle (hillfort) 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 1003861.

What other scheduled monuments are near Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Three hut circles at north end of Vogwell Down (9 km), King's Barrow on King Tor, Hookney Down (9.4 km), Hut circles on Heatree Down (9.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)'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

Three hut circles at north end of Vogwell Down
9 km
King's Barrow on King Tor, Hookney Down
9.4 km
Hut circles on Heatree Down
9.6 km
Earthwork in Houndtor Wood
9.7 km
Cairn and cist 430m north east of Grimspound
9.9 km
Tor cairn 50m north east of Hookney Tor
10 km
Enclosed prehistoric settlement 150m south east of Hookney Tor
10.1 km
Grimspound, a partially enclosed prehistoric settlement with field system and two post-medieval caches between Hookney Tor and Hameldown Tor
10.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)

Prestonbury Castle (hillfort) stands on Holsworthy Group, bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Prestonbury Castle (hillfort)

ExeterRoman town · ~10.7 miles
Domesday entry for Drewsteignton, Devon →
All Scheduled Monuments