Hembury

Hembury Fort
Ramparts inside Hembury hillfort
Ramparts inside Hembury hillfort
Hembury is located in Devon
Hembury
Shown within Devon
LocationHembury, Devon
Coordinates50°49′14″N 03°15′41″W / 50.82056°N 3.26139°W / 50.82056; -3.26139
TypeHillfort
History
PeriodsNeolithic, Iron Age, Roman
Site notes
OwnershipDevon Archaeological Society
Public accessYes
Websitehttp://www.hemburyfort.co.uk
Official nameHembury Fort
Designated9 October 1981
Reference no.1018850
The development of Hembury from late Bronze Age/early Iron Age to the late Iron Age[1]
3D view of the digital terrain model

Hembury is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure and Iron Age hillfort near Honiton in Devon. Its history stretches from the late fifth and early fourth millennia BC to the Roman invasion. The fort is situated on a south facing promontory at the end of a 240m high ridge in the Blackdown Hills. It lies to the north of and overlooking the River Otter valley and this location was probably chosen to give good views of the surrounding countryside as well as for defensive reasons.[2] The Devon Archaeological Society bought the hillfort in 2022.[3]

  1. ^ Pope, Rachel; Mason, Richard; Hamilton, Derek; Rule, Eddie; Swogger, John (2 July 2020). "Hillfort gate-mechanisms: a contextual, architectural reassessment of Eddisbury, Hembury, and Cadbury hillforts". Archaeological Journal. 177 (2): 371. doi:10.1080/00665983.2019.1711301.
  2. ^ Historic England. "Hembury Fort (1018850)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Hembury Hillfort: Historic Devon site bought by conservationists". BBC News. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.