Abstract
AN INVESTIGATION OF PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN THE
ALMONDBURY DISTRICT OF HUDDERSFIELD.
J. Benjamin Dunn
The abstract of this dissertation, covering the site of Castle Hill, Almondbury and
its neighbouring prehistoric settlements and sites has shown that there were a great many
inter related places within the landscape of Castle Hill and beyond. During the time frame
of the Bronze and Iron Ages, the monuments; be they cairn-fields, barrows, enclosures or
the multivallated hill-fort itself all played a vital role in the day to day life of the people
who inhabited Almondbury in that far distant age.
During the investigation all known sites, monuments and finds relating to the area
and time frame from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age were plotted on a map to show their
correlation and relationship to each other and their surrounding environment.
The need for a number of the sites under discussion to be reappraised by members
of the Sites and Monuments Records Office, with a view to some preliminary excavation
forms a part of the conclusion. It is to be concluded that Almondbury and its hinterland
was a Bronze and Iron age subsistence landscape, within it a small community who were
most likely farmers eking out an existence on the fertile plains between the lifeblood of
the rivers Colne and Holme and their network of tributary brooks, becks, streams and
dykes. Their choice to settle and build monuments was often near water courses, which
would serve as both important boundaries and trade routes with the world beyond this
archaeologically rich yet undervalued lesser known region.
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Table of Contents
Abstract……………………………………………i
List of Contents………………………...…………ii
List of Tables……..…………………………………...…iii
List of Maps…………...…………………….………..….iv
List of Figures…………………………………...………..v
Acknowledgments………………..……………...………vi
Original dissertation guidelines brief………..………..vii
Foreword, Research Aims & Objectives………..……viii
Chapter One Topography and geology & A short chronological introduction
to the Castle Hill site………………………………………….…………………..……...1
Chapter Two Literature Review and Previous Work…………………………8
Chapter Three Sites and Monuments Record……………………………..…22
Chapter Four An examination of Castle Hill…………………………………45
Chapter Five Discussion and conclusion…………………………………...….55
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………..…70
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List of Tables
Tab. 1 Time line summarising the history of Castle Hill, Almondbury
Tab. 2 Table showing S.M.R. data of known Bronze & Iron Age sites within the
District of Huddersfield
Tab. 3 Table showing S.M.R. data of known Bronze & Iron Age finds within the
District of Huddersfield
Tab. 4 Table showing sites relating to the North Eastern quarter of Map SE 11
SE
Tab. 5 Table showing finds relating to the North Eastern quarter of Map SE 11
SE
Tab. 6 Table showing sites relating to the North Western quarter of Map SE 11
SE
Tab. 7 Table showing finds relating to the North Western quarter of Map SE 11
SE
Tab. 8 Table showing sites relating to the South Western quarter of Map SE 11
SE
Tab. 9 Table showing finds relating to the South Western quarter of Map SE 11
SE
Tab. 10 Table showing sites relating to the South Eastern quarter of Map SE 11
SE
Tab. 11 Table showing finds relating to the South Eastern quarter of Map SE 11
SE
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List of Maps
Map 1. The location of Castle Hill, Almondbury (circled) within the West
Yorkshire locale.
Map 2. North Eastern quarter of Map SE 11 SE showing distribution of sites and
finds
Map 3. North Western quarter of Map SE 11 SE showing distribution of sites and
finds
Map 4.
South Western quarter of Map SE 11 SE showing distribution of sites and
finds
Map 5. South Eastern quarter of Map SE 11 SE showing distribution of sites and
finds
iv
List of Figures
Figure 1. An aerial view of Castle Hill, Almondbury taken from the north east.
Figure 2. An artist’s impression of a Hill-fort bank and ditch defence system, with circular
huts.
Figure 3. Plan of Castle Hill showing outer ditches and lines of building phases.
Figure 4. Reconstruction of first rampart.
Figure 5. Reconstruction of the defences of the Univallate Fortlet.
Figure 6. Reconstruction of the north western junction of the Bivallate Extension with its
predecessors.
Figure 7. Reconstruction of the Gateway through the Univallate Fortlet.
Figure 8. South-east looking aerial view of Castle Hill with Newsome and Longley in the
background.
Figure 9. South-western looking aerial view of Castle Hill with Almondbury village in the
background.
Figure 10. View of Castle Hill and its sentinel like tower looking from Farnley
Bank.
Figure 11. Direct aerial view above Castle Hill and immediate surrounding
landscape.
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Acknowledgements
For their help and support in the process of producing this dissertation I would like to
pass on my appreciation and gratitude to the following organisations and people:

Jason Dodds and the staff at the SMR office in Wakefield

Mike McCarthy of the University of Bradford

The staff of the local history section at Huddersfield Central Library

The staff at the University of Bradford J.B. Priestley Library

My partner Amanda and my friends and family for their support, patience and
belief.
.
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Original dissertation guidelines brief
An Investigation of prehistoric settlement patterns in the Almondbury district of
Huddersfield.
MMcC 3 Almondbury hill-fort, Huddersfield, the hinterland
“Huddersfield is dominated by a large hill-fort on Castle Hill, Almondbury. Excavations
at various times by the late W.J. Varley attempted to establish a sequence of activities,
but most of the results have never been published. Although hill-forts vary greatly in size
date and function, none existed in isolation but were tied into the landscape and society.
This dissertation will attempt to locate and identify prehistoric settlement patterns in the
vicinity of Almondbury”
Mike McCarthy, September 2005
vii
Foreword
This dissertation will be investigating prehistoric patterns of settlements within
the modern day parish boundaries of Almondbury, Huddersfield. There are many sites
within this zone, and it shall be the purpose of this dissertation to analyse and interpret
their relationship with the defended hill fort enclosure of Castle Hill.
These prehistoric settlement sites include rectangular enclosures, barrows, a
Bronze Age stone circle, Bronze and Iron Age hut circles, bank earthworks, curvilinear
enclosure’s, Bronze and Iron Age enclosures and Cairnfield Cemetery sites. In short
there is a lot of evidence for habitation of the district in the pre-historic era, not to
mention the abundances of flint micro-liths and other period artefacts. For a sustained
period in our pre-history and right up to and including the present day the vicinity of
Almondbury and Castle hill has been an important site for people to live out their lives,
within the broader context of the region and beyond.
Research Aims
The research aims of this dissertation were to examine prehistoric settlement patterns
in the Almondbury district, Huddersfield. In doing this a desk based study was the main
method used. In addition to this, field trips taken to see the site at first hand, in changing
weather conditions.
Research Objectives
The objectives for the research were visit the SMR office in Wakefield and
Huddersfield library’s local history section. Further to this to visit the site of Castle Hill
and other prehistoric locations in the immediate vicinity, in varying weather conditions to
appreciate the full extent of the earthworks and the surrounding landscape.
viii