Hillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe

Record ID:  121330 / MNA127297
Record type:  Monument
Protected Status: Scheduled Monument
NT Property:  Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe; London and South East
Civil Parish:  Poynings; Mid Sussex; West Sussex
Grid Reference:  TQ 2603 1109
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Summary

Hillfort, presumably Iron Age.

Identification Images (4)

Hillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe © National TrustHillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe © National TrustHillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe © National TrustHillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe © National Trust
Hillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe © National TrustHillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe © National TrustHillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe © National TrustHillfort, Devil's Dyke and Saddlescombe © National Trust

Most Recent Monitoring

None Recorded

Monument Types

  • UNIVALLATE HILLFORT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)

Description

Top of hill defended by the use of a single ditch and rampart (described as double ramparts with a medial ditch reduced to a long lynchet-like scarp with terrace at its foot on OS card of 1972). This is pronounced at the SW and less so around the rest of the perimeter which runs along the top of very steep slopes. At the SW end the inner rampart stands 6m above the base of the outer ditch which itself is up to 2m in depth. There are now no traces of an outer rampart if one ever existed. There appears to have been one original entrance, which is where the modern road runs, in the south eastern corner. The fort encloses 15 ha. And is 800m SW-NE and 330m transversely. The fort is a promontory fort, the NE end being the termination of the chalk ridge. Across part of the inner area to the east of the hotel are traces of a ditch visible as a greener strip of grass. It appears to be approx 8m wide and 0.1m deep. There is an account of 'unsurveyable traces of a ploughed down bank on the W lip of the ditch'. This feature could mark the line of an earlier enclosure which was later enlarged to its present size. The earlier enclosure surrounds the very top of the hill whereas the possibly later defences enclose an area lying downslope.

A large area of the hillofrt interior was ploughed in the 19th and 20th centuries and a large plough step is easily visible as an earthwork within the enclosed area running east -west from near the hotel. The rampart on the northern side of the hillfort is very narrow and low with a steep internal edge suggesting the limit of ploughing. This ploughing clearly cut into the bank and severely degraded it. Rabbits and people erosion are gradually wearing away these oversteepened edges.

Inside the hillfort there are various features relating to the Victorian amusement park and later wartime activity within the hillfort. These will be described under further SMR numbers as will individual finds etc found within the hillfort.
Archaeological Comments - Site:121330*0 This hillfort has not had any systemmatic excavation therefore the details as to its function and even dating are not known. A well thought out research excavation could address these points as well as others such as environmental evidence, particularly pre-monument, activity before the Iron Age etc.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken at Devil’s Dyke Hillfort, Poynings,
West Sussex during intrusive groundworks associated with proposed car park alterations.
Archaeological monitoring of groundworks did not definitively identify any archaeological deposits on the site, though this is considered to reflect both truncation associated with the construction of the existing road and car parks and the limited size of many of the excavations monitored. Monitoring of excavations to the south of the present hotel, however, did identify an area of artificially raised ground that appears to preserve the pre-existing ground surface. Here is it considered that any archaeological features present are likely to survive, but this area was not further investigated in order to preserve any such features in situ. [SNA64421]

References

  • --- SNA64421 - Unpublished document: Archaeology South-East. 2009. An Archaeological Watching Brief at Devi'ls Dyke Hillfort, Poynings, West Sussex.

  • --- SNA67805 - Report: Archaeology South-East. 2018. Devil's Dyke, Poynings, West Sussex: Archaeological Impact Assessment.

  • --- SNA67975 - Report: Richard James. 2019. Monument Condition Assessment: Devil's Dyke Hillfort (List Entry Number: 1014953; NTHBSMR MNA Number: MNA127297/187453/187454/187455/187456).

  • --- SNA69181 - Report: Gary Webster. 2022. Play Trail Watching Brief, Devil's Dyke.

  • --- SZL2067 - Monograph: T W Horsfield. 1835. The History, Antiquities, and Topography of the County of Sussex. 1.

  • --- SZL22820 - Photograph - colour: Joy Ede. 01/02/1996. Devil's Dyke ramparts showing Newtimber Hill in background 1/2. 24.

  • --- SZL25032 - Photograph - black and white: Joy Ede. 01/01/1996. Devil's Dyke hillfort showing lower ramparts/bostal route on the south side. Hotel on skyline.. 31.

  • --- SZL27709 - Photograph - colour: Joy Ede. 01/02/1996. Devil's Dyke ramparts showing platform dug near entrance area. 2M. 22.

  • --- SZL28525 - Photograph - black and white: Joy Ede. 01/02/1996. Devil's Dyke - old postcard showing hotel. 3.

  • --- SZL33425 - Photograph - black and white: Joy Ede. 01/01/1996. Devil's Dyke hillfort view from across the valley. 24.

  • --- SZL34207 - Photograph - colour: Joy Ede. 01/02/1996. Devil's Dyke hillfort from other side of valley. 16.

  • --- SZL3501 - Monograph: E Cecil Curwen. 1954. The Archaeology of Sussex.

  • --- SZL36412 - Photograph - colour: Joy Ede. 01/02/1996. Devil's Dyke hillfort from other side of valley. 17.

  • --- SZL37551 - Photograph - black and white: Joy Ede. 01/01/1996. Devil's Dyke hillfort view from across the valley. 25.

  • --- SZL37605 - Photograph - colour: Joy Ede. 01/02/1996. Devil's Dyke ramparts showing slight damage by scrub cutting and access. 2M. 21.

  • --- SZL41165 - Photograph - colour: Joy Ede. 01/02/1996. Devil's Dyke ramparts showing Newtimber Hill in background 2/2. 25.

  • --- SZL6272 - Article in serial: D P S Peacock. 1987. Iron Age and Roman quern production at Lodsworth, West Sussex. 67.

  • --- SZL8089 - Monograph: E Cecil Curwen. 1929. Prehistoric Sussex.

Designations

Other Statuses and References

  • Environmentally Sensitive Area
  • HER/SMR Reference (External): 4380
  • National Monuments Record Reference: TQ21SE3/399072
  • National Park (South Downs)
  • Site of Special Scientific Interest (Biological)

Associated Events

  • ENA5999 - Archaeological Intervention, Watching brief at Devil's Dyke Hillfort, Devil's Dyke
  • ENA9207 - Heritage Assessment, Devil's Dyke, Poynings, West Sussex: Archaeological Impact Assessment
  • ENA9350 - Heritage Assessment, Monument Condition Assessment at Devil's Dyke Hillfort
  • ENA10243 - Non Archaeological Intervention, Play Trail Watching Brief, Devil's Dyke

Associated Finds

None Recorded

Related Records

None Recorded