Scheduled Monuments›England›Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere

Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere

England
List entry 1012942
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1012942
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1.23 hectares
Grid reference
NY 29989 18844
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort is a prehistoric defensive enclosure located near Thirlmere in Cumberland, occupying a commanding position on elevated terrain. The site comprises an oval or sub-rectangular enclosure defined by a substantial bank and ditch, characteristic of Iron Age hillfort construction, though its precise dating within the prehistoric period requires further archaeological investigation. Its strategic location in the Lake District landscape suggests a function related to territorial control and settlement during the later prehistoric period. The monument remains a significant example of Iron Age defensive architecture in the north-western English uplands.

Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1012942. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere?

Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort is a prehistoric defensive enclosure located near Thirlmere in Cumberland, occupying a commanding position on elevated terrain. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1012942.

Who is responsible for protecting Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere?

Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere 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 1012942.

What other scheduled monuments are near Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Reecastle Crag hillfort (2.8 km), Bowl barrow on Brund Fell (4.7 km), Castlerigg stone circle and two bowl barrows (4.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere'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

Reecastle Crag hillfort
2.8 km
Bowl barrow on Brund Fell
4.7 km
Castlerigg stone circle and two bowl barrows
4.8 km
Two medieval shielings 25m north of Clough Fold
5.7 km
Two medieval shielings 60m north of Clough Fold
5.7 km
Medieval shieling 160m north west of Clough Fold
5.7 km
Two medieval shielings 240m north west of Clough Fold
5.7 km
Two medieval shielings 210m north west of Clough Fold
5.7 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere

Shoulthwaite Gill hillfort, Thirlmere stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic lava.

All Scheduled Monuments