Lambert's Castle

Lambert's Castle
	Lambert's Castle, seen from the east
	Location of the site in Dorset
Location	Dorset, England
Coordinates	50°47′14″N 2°53′42″W / 50.78713°N 2.89509°W
History
Periods	Iron Age
Site notes
Ownership	National Trust
Public access	Yes, Open Access Land
Scheduled monument
Official name	Lambert's Castle: an Iron Age hillfort 425m west of Nash Farm, with a bowl barrow, and the sites of a post-medieval fair and a telegraph station
Designated	26 August 1924
Reference no.	1017035

Lambert's Castle is an

hillfort in the county of Dorset in southwest England.^[1] Since 1981 it has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on account of its geology, archaeology and ecology.^[2] The hillfort is designated a scheduled monument together with a bowl barrow, the sites of a post-medieval fair and a telegraph station.^[3] The site was on the Heritage at Risk Register but was removed in 2022 as a result of the Hillforts and Habitats Project.^[4]

The hillfort is situated on a broad northerly spur at the summit of

B3165 road. There are two other hill-forts near Lambert's Castle: Coney's Castle is about 1.5 kilometres (0.9 mi) to its south, and Pilsdon Pen

is about 5 km (3.1 mi) to its north-east.

History

Lamberts Castle was built around 2,500 years ago; a prominent ditch and bank still survive near the western entrance. A fair was held here from 1709 to 1947, during which the hilltop was used as a racecourse.[1]

Geology

The site consists of sands and marls of the middle

Upper Greensand

capping. There are strong outflows of springs at various junctions of the upper greensand and gault.

Ecology

Plateau surface of Upper Greensand

This is a mosaic of acidic grassland, open heath,

Betula spp.), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur

).

Upper Greensand / Gault junction

This is a zone of acidic bog vegetation consisting of: purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea), common cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium), sedges (Carex spp.) including star sedge (Carex echinata), green-ribbed sedge (Carex binervis) and flea sedge (Carex pulicaris); bog moss (Sphagnum spp.), heath spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata), devils-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), marsh violet (Viola palustris), meadow thistle (Cirsium dissectum), wood horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum), lesser butterfly-orchid (Platanthera bifolia) and pale butterwort (Pinguicula lusitanica).

Lower slopes

Unimproved, herb-dominated neutral grassland consisting of: crested dogstail (Cynosurus cristatus), common knapweed (Centaurea nigra), red fescue (Festuca rubra), yellow oat-grass (Trisetum flavescens), quaking grass (Briza media), spring-sedge (Carex caryophyllea), glaucous sedge (Carex flacca), red clover (Trifolium pratense), ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), common bird-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). Less frequent species are lady's-mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris), dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria), corky-fruited water-dropwort (Oenanthe pimpinelloides) and adders-tongue (Ophioglossum vulgatum).

Wet areas in grassland

Soft rush (

Lotus uliginosus), bog pimpernel (Anagallis tenella) and bristle clubrush (Isolepis setacea

).

Notable invertebrates

Glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca)
Pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria selene)
Small pearl-bordered fritillary (Bolaria euphrosyne)

References

^ ^a ^b Lamberts Castle, Dorset: Walk of the week at www.telegraph.co.uk. Accessed on 22 Mar 2013.
^ "SSSI detail". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
^ Historic England. "Lambert's Castle: an Iron Age hillfort 425m west of Nash Farm, with a bowl barrow, and the sites of a post-medieval fair and a telegraph station, Marshwood (1017035)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
^ "'Fine condition': Hillforts no longer 'at risk' after protection work". Bridport and Lyme Regis News. Retrieved 4 April 2022.

External links

National Trust website
Media related to Lambert's Castle at Wikimedia Commons
SSSI Citation etc from Natural England website

[Tel-1] Lamberts Castle, Dorset: Walk of the week at www.telegraph.co.uk. Accessed on 22 Mar 2013.

[2] "SSSI detail". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2021.

[3] Historic England. "Lambert's Castle: an Iron Age hillfort 425m west of Nash Farm, with a bowl barrow, and the sites of a post-medieval fair and a telegraph station, Marshwood (1017035)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 December 2021.

[4] "'Fine condition': Hillforts no longer 'at risk' after protection work". Bridport and Lyme Regis News. Retrieved 4 April 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Iron Age hillforts in England
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Berkshire	Bussock Camp Caesar's Camp Grimsbury Castle Membury Camp Perborough Castle Walbury Camp
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Cumbria	Carrock Fell Castle Crag
Derbyshire	Fin Cop Mam Tor
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