Monument record MDR3477 - Ball Cross Iron Age Promontory Fort, Bakewell and Edensor
Type and Period (2)
- HILLFORT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- PROMONTORY FORT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
[SK] 228 691. The Iron Age Fort at Ball Cross Farm, on a spur of Calton Hill, covers 1¾ acres [see plan AOIP/63/41] and was excavated between 1952 and 1955. Iron Age pottery and quern stones were found. Three cup-and-ring marked rocks were found within the revetment wall (see SMR 5142). (1).
Scheduled. (2).
The earthwork is naturally defended on the north-west by a steep slope, and to the south-west by a steep slope topped by a precipice. Surveyed at 1/2,500. (3). Listed by Challis and Harding as an Iron Age hillfort, of 1.75 acres, with stone revetted box rampart, ditch and counterscarp. (4).
Revised scheduling. The monument is a small promontory fort located on a spur of Calton Hill. It includes a sub-rectangular enclosure with an internal area of 0.8ha, bounded on the west side by a steep slope and precipice which has been partially scarped. On the east side the fort is enclosed by a 2m high bank which was found, during partial excavations of the site carried out in 1952 to 1955, to be a stone-revetted box rampart. Three decorated stones, known as cup-and-ring marked rocks, were found within the structure of the revetment wall. The northernmost 20m of the rampart is flanked by an outer ditch which measures c. 0.7m wide by 1.5m deep and has a slight counterscarp bank on the outer edge. Pottery and quern stones found during excavation date the promontory fort to the Iron Age while the cup-and-ring marked rocks indicate earlier occupation of the area in the Bronze Age. (7).
Photographic record. (8).
A roughly horseshoe-shaped scarp edge enclosure, with no obvious sign of an entrance ... A steep scar slope forms the south and west defences. In 2011 the monument was under pasture with erosion evident and a serverely denuded eastern rampart. <9>
Sources/Archives (8)
- <1> SDR4444 Article in serial: Stanley, J. 1954. 'An Iron Age Fort at Ball Cross Farm, Bakewell', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Vol. 74. pp 85-99.
- <2> SDR726 Scheduling record: Ministry of Works. 1961. Ancient Monuments of England and Wales. 31.
- <3> SDR6126 Bibliographic reference: F1 BHS 24-FEB-66.
- <4> SDR2441 Monograph: Challis, A & Harding, W. 1975. 'Later Prehistory from the Trent to the Tyne', British Archaeological Report 20. Part 2. p37, 45.
- <6> SDR9451 Index: NDAT. 0129.
- <7> SDR19338 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1994. Scheduling Notification: Promontory fort south of Ballcross Farm. 23310.
- <8> SDR18971 Photograph: Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA). Slide Collection. 5141.1-5.
- <9> SDR24169 Unpublished document: Waddington, C and J Brightman (ARS Ltd). 2012. Peak District Hillforts: Conservation and Management Audit.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 228 691 (100m by 100m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | EDENSOR, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | BAKEWELL, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (5)
- EDR374
- EDR420
- EDR54
- EDR4691
- EDR1353
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Feb 28 2020 1:19PM