Eggardon Hill is a prehistoric hillfort on a hill in Dorset, England. It is located on chalk uplands approximately four miles to the east of the town of Bridport.
| Eggardon Hill | |
|---|---|
 Eggardon Hill from the southeast | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 252 m (827 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 115 m (377 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Hardy |
| Coordinates | 50°45′00″N 2°39′02″W / 50.75008°N 2.650572°W |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Dorset, England |
| Parent range | Dorset Downs |
| OS grid | SY541947 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 194 |
The Hill
editEggardon Hill stands 252 metres (827 ft) above sea level and is classified as a Hump (hill of any height with a drop of 100 metres or more on all sides). The highest point is to the east of the hillfort,[1] (some sources give a height of 254m[2][3]). The hill provides extensive views of the surrounding countryside and the English Channel to the south. The southern half of the hill is owned and maintained by The National Trust (which permits free public access throughout the year) with the northern part in private ownership.[4]
Prehistory
editThe earliest archaeological features on the hill are linear earthworks which cross the interior. These were partially excavated during 1963-6 and found to be Bronze Age. There are also two bowl barrows within the area of the hillfort that were dated to the Middle Bronze Age.[5] There are also three further bowl barrows and a disc barrow on the top of the hill outside of the area of the hillfort.[6][7]
The large multivallate hillfort dates from the Iron Age. The surviving earthworks enclose an area of approximately 21ha in total. The defences consist of three ramparts with two medial ditches with additional outer banks to the north-west and east. Ditches and counterscarp banks provide additional protection at the staggered entrances and to the south west where there is an additional outwork.[5]
Later history
editThe Hundred of Eggardon is first documented in the Domesday Book of 1086.[8]
The name Eggardon is derived from an Old English place name, meaning the hill belonging to Eohhere.[9]
The smuggler Isaac Gulliver (1745-1822) (who owned Eggardon Hill Farm) is reputed to have planted a stand of pine trees on Eggardon Hill, to provide an aid to navigation for his ships as they approached the Dorset coast. Although the trees were later felled on government orders, the octagonal earthworks used to protect them from the elements is still visible today and marked on Ordnance Survey maps of the area.[10]
Preservation
edit
The Hillfort and the two bowl barrows within it are a scheduled monument.[5] The group of three bowl barrows and the disc barrow outside of the hillfort are scheduled separately.[6][7]
The southern half of the hill is owned and maintained by The National Trust (which permits free public access throughout the year) with the northern part in private ownership.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c Eggardon Hill at the online Database of British and Irish Hills. Accessed on 22 Mar 2013.
- ^ Jackson, Mark. "More Relative Hills of Britain" (PDF). Relative Hills of Britain. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ Summit Listings by Relative Height by Jonathan de Ferranti. Accessed on 25 Mar 2013.
- ^ a b "Eggardon Hill". National Trust. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Large multivallate hillfort containing two bowl barrows 855m north east of North Eggardon Farm, Askerswell (1002684)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Group of three round barrows on Eggardon Hill, Powerstock (1002822)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Eggardon Hill disc barrow, Powerstock (1003060)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Hundred of Eggardon | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Eggardon Hill, North Eggardon Fm & South Eggardon Fm :: Survey of English Place-Names". epns.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ "MNA137040 | National Trust Heritage Records". heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
External links
edit
Media related to Eggardon Hill at Wikimedia Commons- Eggardon Hill's property page on the National Trust's site
