Monument record 970/1 - Woodhouse Hillfort 500m W of Mickledale

<1> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 25694 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

Woodhouse Hillfort is situated at the north end of the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge to the east of Helsby village. It is a univallate hillfort comprising a single rampart encompassing an interior space some 1.52ha in extent. Like many of the hillforts along the Ridge, it was constructed to make best use of the steep cliffs of the Ridge to the south and west although there are traces of a bank to reinforce its defensive position that is slightly set back from the cliff edge to the west. The rampart on the north and east is well preserved and stands to a height of 0.5m – 2m but appears to be frequently cut by gaps. There is no visible trace of an external ditch.

Woodhouse hillfort was added as a Scheduled Monument in 1929. It is one of a group of small hillforts along the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge and is relatively well preserved despite extensive woodland and bracken coverage and numerous footpaths. There is a strong potential for the interior to contain well preserved evidence of prehistoric settlement.

<2> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, p.106, 114 (Book). SCH3556.

Finds from the area have been limited with the discovery of a small collection of rounded red sandstone pebbles interpreted as slingstones and a single flint arrowhead from a footpath.

<3> English Heritage, 2006, A rapid survey and archaeological assessment of the Hillfort on Woodhouse Hill, Frodsham., R2668 (Client Report). SCH4778.

Recorded on Ordnance Survey maps since at least the late 19th century, the first recorded excavation of the hillfort was carried out in June 1949 by T.G.E. Powell and G. Webster. Although the results do not appear to have been published, the excavation archive is held at the NMR. The archive records places the excavation over part of the eastern section of the enclosure bank, uncovering evidence of a rubble core to the bank with drystone revetments to the front and back but no evidence of timber lacing within the structure. The bank appears to have been 2.4m-3m high and up to 3.66m wide. The archive also notes a possible ‘hut’ structure in this area but no further information was available.

A 2006 archaeological assessment suggested that the location of the hillfort occupied a dip slope and would not have been a favourable location for a defensive site. It was the conclusion of the report that Woodhouse may have been for display rather than defensive purposes. The survey also noted a slight terraced area outside the eastern rampart tentatively interpreted as a shallow quarry ditch. A small area identified as a charcoal burning platform was thought to be of a medieval or post medieval date.

<4> Forde-Johnston J, 1962, The Iron Age Hillforts of Lancashire and Cheshire, p.17-19 (Article in Journal). SCH6913.

The site has been surveyed on a number of occasions since its inclusion in the Schedule; first by Forde-Johnston in the early 1960s who provided the first detailed plan of the hillfort since the Ordnance Survey. He notes that the eastern rampart is the least well defined, existing as a series of short sections of differing heights and widths. Although this may be a result of stone robbing and erosion, it is also suggested that the hillfort may never have been completed. There is no clear evidence of the original entrance to the hillfort although it is possible it was at the north-east end.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ57NW5 1979 (Index). SCH2487.

Ordnance Survey survey in 1964.

<6> Ferguson, A; Drinkwater D, 1977, Notes on field visit to Woodhouse Hill in 1977 (Unpublished Report). SCH7308.

<7> West Yorkshire Archaeological Services, 2009, Woodhouse Hill, Frodsham, Cheshire. Archaeological Topographic Survey, R3173 (Client Report). SCH6399.

The 2009 topographic survey outlined in detail the surviving remains of the hillfort along the eastern and northern ramparts along with other identifiable features within and around the hillfort. This included a possible rectangular building platform close enough to the 1949 excavations to suggest that it may have been the ‘hut’ structure previously referred to as well as more recent stone field boundaries and a possible 18th century folly.

<8> Cheshire West and Chester Historic Environment Service, 2011, Report on an archaeological evaluation at Woodhouse Hill, R3558 (Unpublished Report). SCH7287.

In 2009 a new project to study the hillforts of Cheshire included a new excavation of Woodhouse Hill. Seven trenches were excavated that included a re-investigation of the trench opened in 1949. The other trenches were located to investigate the possible ditch and the eastern rampart, a possible man-made mound inside the hillfort and a former boundary to the north. The re-investigation of the 1949 trench confirmed that the rampart was of box-type construction with an outer stone face and a rubble core and with two phases of construction.

The excavations also provided the first dating evidence for the hillfort with samples taken from two phases of rampart construction. Using OSL dating, the samples suggest the earthworks at Woodhouse belong to the early half of the first millennium BC and is perhaps Bronze Age. The later phase of construction belongs to the latter half of the first millennium BC and is Iron Age. The excavations also revealed that the fragmented nature of the eastern rampart is a modern alteration with the discovery of 19th and 20th century finds from the openings suggesting that some are modern field boundaries while some relate to a period of use as a military training site.

<9> Garner, Dan and others, 2016, Hillforts of the Cheshire Ridge, p.93-112 (Book). SCH8403.

Archaeological excavations in 2009 comprised seven excavation trenches, defined by scheduled monument consent, located to cause minimal disturbance to the surviving archaeological deposits by either targeting previous excavation trenches or by only removing recent surface litter and topsoil.

The trail excavation has served to provide a greater level of knowledge regarding the form, character and level of archaeological preservation at Woodhouse hillfort. This has identified the monument as a rare early type of hilltop enclosure, which possibly owes its origins to the end of the Bronze Age rather than previously suspected Iron Age. The hillfort interior has no above ground features to consider and whilst below ground archaeology is present, it can be classed as shallow, ephemeral and poorly preserved. Sampling has demonstrated that within the confines of the evaluation, artefact and ecofact recovery has ben very low with only hardy materials such as stone tools being identified from the prehistoric period. The visible remains (primarily the earth and stone ramparts) have clearly suffered from several earlier phases of detrimental use, including probably early post-medieval flattening of a section of the eastern rampart for the creation of a house platform, 19th century stone robbing and 20th century military bombardment

<10> Oxford Archaeology North, 2008, Habitats and Hillforts of the Cheshire sandstone Ridge: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment, R2893 (Client Report). SCH5259.

<11> Oxford Archaeology North, 2007, Habitats and Hillforts of the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge, Cheshire: Archaeological Condition Survey, R2894 (Client Report). SCH5260.

<12> English Heritage, 2006, A Rapid Survey and Archaeological Assessment of the Hillfort on Woodhouse Hill, Frodsham, Cheshire (Unpublished Report). SCH4891.

<13> Longley D, 1977-1978, Longley Archive, /no.482 (Paper Archive). SCH2005.

<14> Longley D, 1979, Prehistoric Sites in Cheshire, /50 (Report). SCH2719.

<15> Capstick B, 1981-1987, Field Monument Warden Report, Capstick B 1986 Ches 12 (Unpublished Report). SCH1222.

<16> Challis A.J. & Harding D.W., 1975, Later Prehistory from the Trent to the Tyne: Catalogue and illustrations., 20/pt 2/45 Challis & Harding 1979 (Monograph). SCH7282.

<17> Higham N J, 1984-9, Professor Nick Higham's Aerial Photographs, 1986/5/18 (Aerial Photograph). SCH7659.