Berry Castle is an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
Hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
in the civil parish of
Huntshaw
Huntshaw is a village and civil parish located 2.5 north north east of Great Torrington, in the Torridge district, in the county of Devon, England.
In 2011 the population of the civil parish of Huntshaw was 134, although it was 143 in 1901 and 2 ...
, close to
Weare Giffard in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, England, to the north of
Great Torrington. The fort takes the form of an oval enclosure situated on a promontory in Huntshaw Wood some 95 Metres above Sea Level.
[R.R.Sellman; Aspects of Devon History, Devon Books 1985 - - Chapter 2; The Iron Age in Devon. Map Page 11 of Iron Age hill forts in Devon includes Berry Castle.] Recent tree clearance (2015) has revealed that the 'fort' is rectangular in shape with entrances at either end, and may be a Roman camp or a local example of a neolithic sky burial enclosure.
References
Hill forts in Devon
Torridge District
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