Yeavering Bell Iron Age Hillfort (Copyright © Don Brownlow)


Yeavering Bell. Photo by Harry Rowland.

These are the remains of the important hillfort on top of Yeavering Bell. It is surrounded by a large oval enclosure of huge rough stones formed into a rampart. Near the east end is an inner enclosure surrounded by a ditch cut into the solid rock. At the highest point is an oval mound of stones, possibly a burial mound of Bronze Age date. Over 100 hut circles have been found in the outer enclosure. In places the gullies in which the hut walls were built can be seen. Although the site was mainly used during the Iron Age, the discovery of Roman pottery and late Roman coins show that it continued to be occupied for a long period. The site is a Scheduled Monument protected by law.