Scheduled Monuments›England›Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill

Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill

England

List entry 1014914

Nation

England

The designation

Reference

List entry 1014914

Authority

Historic England (NHLE)

Status

Scheduled Monument

Scheduled area

1.13 hectares

Grid reference

NY 06920 40289

Boundary

Scheduled area

Overview

History & significance

Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill is a Iron Age defensive earthwork located in Cumberland, England. The site is characterised by multiple concentric ramparts and ditches that encircle the hilltop, a defensive arrangement typical of later prehistoric fortified settlements in northern Britain. The multivallate construction suggests a significant commitment to defensive architecture, likely dating to the Iron Age period when such hillforts served as territorial strongholds, communal refuges, or centres of local power. The earthwork remains a notable example of Iron Age settlement strategy in the upland regions of northwest England.

Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1014914. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill?

Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill is a Iron Age defensive earthwork located in Cumberland, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1014914.

Who is responsible for protecting Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill?

Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy 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 1014914.

What other scheduled monuments are near Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roman cremation cemetery, 380m south east of Maryport Roman fort (4.2 km), Netherhall (4.6 km), Medieval site in Netherhall Park, left bank of River Ellen (4.7 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy 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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Roman cremation cemetery, 380m south east of Maryport Roman fort

4.2 km

Netherhall

4.6 km

Medieval site in Netherhall Park, left bank of River Ellen

4.7 km

18th century bottle works on Irish Street, 200m north of Mote Hill

5.2 km

Coke ovens at the southern end of Furnace Road

5.2 km

Castle Hill motte and site of a World War II gun emplacement

5.4 km

Romano-British settlement and trackway at Ewanrigg

6.1 km

Rise How tower 25a, part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast including remains of prehistoric burial mound and early medieval kiln

6.8 km

The ground beneath

The bedrock under Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill

Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

The wider landscape

Around Small multivallate hillfort on Swarthy Hill

Battle of SarkBattle (1448) · ~22.2 miles

All Scheduled Monuments