(Centred NU 0243 1353) Camp. (1)

The form is nearly circular, approaching the shape of a horseshoe, with diameters of 80 to 90 yards. The principal entrance has been on the south-west obliquely, the inner rampart forming a traverse to the outer. It has had three ramparts, but the outer is traced with difficulty, particularly on the east side, where are openings similar to gateways but supposed to have been made since the formation of the camp. The interior has been occupied but no more than two foundations could be traced.
The ground falls gently on each side, except on the west, where it is joined to more hilly ground. (2)

Chubden Camp, Great Ryle. No 192. Scheduled as an Ancient Monument (Map ref 024 135 in M o W's mastercopy). (3)

Low Chubden (Great Ryle). Circular earthwork with multiple ramparts enclosing approximately 1-1/2 acres. (4)

Type B3 (Forts on flat, low lying or naturally unprotected ground). (5)

The earthwork occupies the summit of a rise in pastureland, just above the 700ft contour; the slopes of the rise are gentle.
Roughly oval in shape with a flattened east end, the site is bounded by three concentric ramparts of earth and stone, except to the east where the outer rampart is not apparent. The distance between the inner and middle ramparts varies slightly, being widest towards the west. The ramparts appear to have been formed by scarping natural slopes into 'steps', the spoil being used to form a slight bank on top of the scarp. The original entrance appears to be in the south-west, but either, or both of the gaps to the east may be original.
The interior has been divided into compartments and traces of the dividing banks appear as stones protruding through the turf. At least one hut circle can be identified to the south-west, and there are traces of what may have been a very large hut near the centre of the enclosed area. The siting of the hut to the south-west, on the line of the destroyed inner rampart may indicate that this and possibly other internal features are part of a secondary occupation. (6)

Listed as pre-Roman Iron Age multivallate (forts, settlements and enclosures). (7)

The site has no great natural strength, and the work does not reach fort proportions. Vestiges of internal walls and stone-founded hut circles indicate that, in common with other Iron Age works in the area, it underwent some secondary occupation. Resurveyed at 1:2500. (8)

No change from reports of 4.4.57 and 19.3.70. Surveyed at 1:10,000. (9)

NU 024135. The hillfort at Low Chubden was recorded by aerial photography in 1978, but no traces of contemporary field systems were revealed. (10)

NU 024 135 Low Chubden. Listed in gazetteer as a multivallate
hillfort covering 0.40ha. (11a)

The enclosed settlement or fort at Low Chubden is in a relatively low-lying position at 225m OD and is overlooked by Old Fawdon Hill and Gibbs Hill to the N and Chubden Pike to the S. The ground in the immediate vicinity rises gently to the W and drops gently to the E.
The settlement has three lines of defence, of which the outer is slight and fragmentary, having been extensively damaged by encroaching broad ridge-and-furrow cultivation. To the N it is 0.5m high but on the W only 0.2m. To the S it is 1.2m high externally but has no backscarp. The middle rampart is larger, being 1.0-2.0m high externally and 0.2-0.5m high internally. The inner rampart varies from 0.6m to 1.8m high externally and is up to 0.4m high internally.
There are twin entrances to the E through the middle and inner ramparts (the outer rampart being entirely absent on this side apart from one fragment preserved in a gore), both of which appear to be original (pace Authority 2). A similar double E-facing gateway is seen at Castle Hill, Alnham (NT 91 SE 9). The passageways are 2.6-8.0m wide. other entrances in the SW, said by Authorities 2 and 6 to be original, appear to be the result of later disturbance. There are a number of internal features including four possible house sites. In the SW [A] is a ring-bank with an internal diameter of 6m. The bank is stony, 2m thick and 0.2m high. This house appears to overlie the inner rampart and may therefore represent a late phase of occupation, but as the rampart has been recently disturbed at this point the relationship is not certain. [B] is an irregular depression about 8m in diameter, possibly a house site. At [C] there is an L-shaped bank 0.2m high and spread to 2.5m thick, possibly part of a rectangular building. A small circular depression at [D] has a diameter of 4.5m and is 0.3m deep; this is probably a hut site. A larger depression at [E] is up to 0.4m deep with a diameter of 8.5m; there is a slight backscarp to the lip of the depression so it could be classed as a ring-bank house. A low bank [F] runs from the back of [E] towards the inner rampart forming an internal sub-division; this bank is up to 0.4m high and 3.0m thick. [G] is an irregular enclosure surrounded by a low bank up to 0.4m high and 2.5m thick; there is no sign of an entrance or of any internal features. (11b)