Bewick Hill Camp

Lying to the E of Hanging Crag on the highest part of Bewick Hill are two adjacent semi-circular multivallate enclosures. They are each bivallate with further rampart encompassing both forts enclosing an area of 0.8ha. This is probably a single site with twin enclosures. It lies on level ground at 220m OD with the S sides open to the precipitous cliff edge. Elsewhere the ground slopes away gently in all directions. The western enclosure has two banks and ditches encompassing 0.39ha. The inner rampart is an earthen bank with a revetment of rough stones. It descends steeply to the rock-cut ditch and continues along the cliff edge. The middle rampart comprises a core of small boulders with soil upcast from ditch. Entrances lie in the NW and NE corners. Two hut circles with a diameter of between 7-17m have been identified within the interior. The enclosure in the E is of a similar size at 0.40ha and also comprises two banks and ditches but is of different construction with the banks formed from large upright stones 3.8m apart with a rubble infill. It has survived less well in the NW corner. It continues as traces of rough walling in the S. An original entrance lies the SE. Three walls lie within the interior and a hut circle lies close to the entrance with a further five lying close to the rampart. A circular rock-cut basin of uncertain purpose has also been recorded. The two inner enclosures are further enclosed by the outer bank which survives between 0.3-1.2m high beyond which is an outer ditch with a maximum depth of 0.6m. In the W there is a 37m wide berm between the outer rampart and that of the the western enclosure. An entrance lies in the SW with a holloway 6m wide and 0.7m deep which is a medieval or post-medieval feature. The site is recorded as 'Camp' on 1856-65 OS mapping. An excavation carried out in 1934 (Charlton 1935) was insufficient to provide any dating. Cup and ring marked stones lie to the E. Scheduled.

Source: Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk (CC BY-SA 4.0)