Scheduled MonumentsEnglandWilliam's Hill

William's Hill

England
List entry 1004907
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1004907
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1.24 hectares
Grid reference
SE 12529 87255
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

William's Hill is a Neolithic earthwork situated in Yorkshire. The monument consists of a roughly circular or oval enclosure formed by a bank and ditch, characteristic of causewayed enclosures of the early Neolithic period, dating to approximately 3500 BCE or later. Such enclosures served multiple functions within early farming communities, including ceremonial, defensive, and gathering purposes. The site represents an important example of early monumental architecture in northern England and contributes to understanding the adoption of farming practices and settlement patterns during the transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies in the Neolithic period.

William's Hill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1004907. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is William's Hill?

William's Hill is a Neolithic earthwork situated in Yorkshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1004907.

Who is responsible for protecting William's Hill?

William's 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 1004907.

What other scheduled monuments are near William's Hill?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Middleham Castle: twelfth century tower, keep, castle and fourteenth century concentric castle. (0.4 km), The Swine Cross (0.4 km), Middleham market cross (0.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about William's Hill

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of William's 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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under William's Hill

William's Hill stands on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.