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View from the North showing two of the perimeter boundaries highlighted by the direction of the sun. No enhancement of the original photo.
Site in County Durham England
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| Posted Comments: colint
(2011-07-01) | A possible third boundary including some 3-5m cliff faces runs along top edge of the valley tree line. A main road ran across this area before the turnpike act (1748ish) a section of this was shown on later maps totally disconnected from the road system. I have walked the three perimeters shown on this picture. I have yet to try to find the Eastern and Southern boundaries. The east side was recorded as Carr on early maps. The south may go beyond Old Eldon where the land again has steep slopes to a beck. | Andy B
(2011-07-01) | Hello, I can't find any record of this hillfort. What's your reference for it please? Only a Medieval/post medieval rectangular enclosure and field boundaries visible as cropmarks on air photographs at NZ 230 284 | 4clydesdale7
(2011-07-01) | It certainly does not seem to be recognised in any old Gazetteer or more appropriately on the outstandingly accurate 'Gatehouse' website - but there is an Eldon Castle in Co Kildare I believe - did not the 1st Earl of Eldon (family name Scott) only gain his Earldom at the turn of the 18th century? The site seems so close to Auckland Castle which was built on an earlier existing site. This puts the notion of a second site in the immediate vicinity in some doubt | colint
(2011-07-02) | I cannot find any records for this site. Eldon estate was given to the church by king Canute in 1013. John Scott bought the estate in 1794 and when he was made an Earl he used the name Eldon. He planned to build a Mansion on the Estate, but never did as his land was found to be rich in coal. Some of his wealth came from the mines in the Eldon valley. He probably did not want to live in the area.
Auckland Castle site is quite small. Binchester nearby is probably bigger - but they may be linked.
The Shackleton hill fort is also quite small.
I have copies of Eldon Estate maps from before Lord Eldon's time. The Fields close to Blue House farm (the probable centre of the fort) have names Including 'Great Hall Field' 'South Hall Field' etc. Their are no records of a Hall ever being on the Eldon Estate. Blue House is pencilled in on an early estate map - as are some railway lines that were never constructed. Eldon Blue appears for the first time on an 1822 map. | colint
(2011-07-02) | The village of Eldon (now called Old Eldon) has a ruined Medieval village marked on the OS map of it. I'm sure it was medieval, but my maps show buildings on this location in the 1700s.
The Domesday book did not venture in to the badlands of Durham and Northumberland so no records their. The Boldon Book - church records of land it owned in about 1100 does not include Eldon although adjacent areas bounding the Eldon Estate are described. | colint
(2011-07-02) | I am trying to construct a map of the site based on defendable boundaries. Any input would be appreciated.
The Duke of Nothumberland's map 1851 of Watling Street (now called Dere St) shows Roman and Ancient sites in Northumberland, Durham and as far as Catterick in N.Yorks. He only details Binchester and Shackerton Hillfort in the Bishop Auckland area. (This is his name not Shackleton as it is now called - Shackerton was a couple of houses nearby). | colint
(2011-07-02) | I have about 400 photos of the site.
The top perimeter still has a dip on the inside. The regular ploughing of the fields on a slope generally migrates the soil to the bottom boundary and although this can be reduced by ploughing method I suspect the farmer would not want a ditch on his bottom boundary. The field to lower boundary (3) has a very steep slope (although still poughable along the contours) this almost certainly would have soil migration with any form of cultivation. When the crops are harvested I will try to get photographs that show the soil contours better.
Part of the site has already been quarried for brick shale and coal for the brickorks. This would give some nice cross- sections looking North, but the method used to quarry probably destroys the detail of the defences although I am trying to photograph the faces regularly.
The quarry fence has been moved in the last couple of weeks and my photos were prior to that thankfully. I have spent about 8 hours walking the probable defence boundaries in 2 sessions. And that was only one quadrant of the area. | Andy B
(2011-07-02) | Hill forts have at least one bank built up on two sides and a ditch. I can only see one half of a slope on your photos. I'm not at all convinced about this hill fort going by what you have sent |
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