Tony Garofalo
Castercliff Iron Age hill fort
The Iron Age hill fort at Castercliff is one of only three such fortifications in the English county of Lancashire; the other two being Portfield and Warton. It is situated close to the modern-day towns of Nelson and Colne and occupies a commanding position on a ridge of high ground, from which it is possible to survey much of the surrounding countryside.
Castercliff hill fort was most probably constructed during the 6th century BC and the defences enlarged and elaborated at a later date. Lithic tools recovered from the site, however, imply there was once a much older encampment here, possibly dating back as early as 3,000 BC. The fort we see today consists of three defensive ramparts that contour around the sides of the hill and enclose an oval-shaped occupation area on the extensive summit plateau. This enclosure is thought to have contained a number of round houses and a building that was raised above the ground on timber posts; possibly a grain store. The inner rampart of the fort is the oldest of the three. It lacks a defensive ditch and most probably took the form of a stone and timber revetment. An outer rampart, together with a defensive ditch and a counterscarp embankment are thought to have been added at a later date. The outer defences are incomplete on the north side of the fort, however, and this has led some to speculate that it may have been abandoned before the additional building work was completed.
A highly unusual feature of Castercliff hill fort is that the inner rampart has been vitrified i.e. it has been heated to such an extent that the stones have fused together. Vitrified hill forts are common in Scotland but are very rare in England. The vitrification process requires a much higher temperature than is likely to have been achieved if the ramparts had been set on fire during an attack upon the fort. In modern experiments seeking to reproduce the effect it was necessary to pile up large amounts of timber around the rampart, cover it with turf to form a furnace and then add large amounts of sea salt to act as a catalyst. It should be stressed of course that the actual methods used are unknown, as are the reasons why it was done, although they probably involved some religious ritual that is no longer known to us. Perhaps one of the frequent Scottish raiding parties that so beleaguered this area in the twilight years of the Roman occupation took possession of the fort and applied their own cultural methods to it. It cannot be discounted though that the process was entirely peaceful and that settlers or traders from Scotland passed on their ideas to the local inhabitants.
The picture was taken looking north-westwards towards Castercliff hill fort from the ancient track known as Back Lane. The hill that can be seen in the distance to the left of the fort is Pendle Hill (www.flickr.com/photos/67668518@N08/8256684491/) and that to the right is Weets Hill, near Barnoldswick.
Castercliff Iron Age hill fort
The Iron Age hill fort at Castercliff is one of only three such fortifications in the English county of Lancashire; the other two being Portfield and Warton. It is situated close to the modern-day towns of Nelson and Colne and occupies a commanding position on a ridge of high ground, from which it is possible to survey much of the surrounding countryside.
Castercliff hill fort was most probably constructed during the 6th century BC and the defences enlarged and elaborated at a later date. Lithic tools recovered from the site, however, imply there was once a much older encampment here, possibly dating back as early as 3,000 BC. The fort we see today consists of three defensive ramparts that contour around the sides of the hill and enclose an oval-shaped occupation area on the extensive summit plateau. This enclosure is thought to have contained a number of round houses and a building that was raised above the ground on timber posts; possibly a grain store. The inner rampart of the fort is the oldest of the three. It lacks a defensive ditch and most probably took the form of a stone and timber revetment. An outer rampart, together with a defensive ditch and a counterscarp embankment are thought to have been added at a later date. The outer defences are incomplete on the north side of the fort, however, and this has led some to speculate that it may have been abandoned before the additional building work was completed.
A highly unusual feature of Castercliff hill fort is that the inner rampart has been vitrified i.e. it has been heated to such an extent that the stones have fused together. Vitrified hill forts are common in Scotland but are very rare in England. The vitrification process requires a much higher temperature than is likely to have been achieved if the ramparts had been set on fire during an attack upon the fort. In modern experiments seeking to reproduce the effect it was necessary to pile up large amounts of timber around the rampart, cover it with turf to form a furnace and then add large amounts of sea salt to act as a catalyst. It should be stressed of course that the actual methods used are unknown, as are the reasons why it was done, although they probably involved some religious ritual that is no longer known to us. Perhaps one of the frequent Scottish raiding parties that so beleaguered this area in the twilight years of the Roman occupation took possession of the fort and applied their own cultural methods to it. It cannot be discounted though that the process was entirely peaceful and that settlers or traders from Scotland passed on their ideas to the local inhabitants.
The picture was taken looking north-westwards towards Castercliff hill fort from the ancient track known as Back Lane. The hill that can be seen in the distance to the left of the fort is Pendle Hill (www.flickr.com/photos/67668518@N08/8256684491/) and that to the right is Weets Hill, near Barnoldswick.