Cow Castle: An Iron Age Hillfort in Somerset
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Primary era
- Iron Age
- Eras represented
- Iron Age
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
History
Cow Castle is an Iron Age hillfort in Somerset, United Kingdom. A hillfort is a defended enclosure, usually built on elevated ground and protected by banks and ditches. The Iron Age followed the Bronze Age, a prehistoric period when bronze was widely used for tools and weapons. A legend says fairies built Cow Castle to protect themselves against the earth. The site became a Scheduled Monument in 1963, a designation that protects archaeological sites and historic monuments under UK law. It was also added to the Heritage at Risk register because bracken threatens it.
Remains
The enclosure occupies an isolated hilltop within Exmoor National Park, about 5.75 kilometres west-southwest of Exford, above the valley of the River Barle. A single earth bank and ditch, adapted to the shape of the hilltop, enclose 0.9 hectares. The site is listed as covering 1.2 hectares, and the bank rises to as much as 2 metres. The hillfort is in good condition and is expected to contain substantial archaeological and environmental evidence.
