Low Coppice Fort

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Tilberthwaite; Tillesbure

In the civil parish of Coniston. In the historic county of Lancashire North of the Sands (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Natural fort or refuge of possible C12 date. The feature is a natural stronghold and was probably used as a place of refuge and could conceivably be of any date. Excavations here in 1922 revealed dwelling sites at Low Coppice, Tilberthwaite, suggestive of a temporary occupation site. (PastScape)
Occupation floors recorded at Tilberthwaite on a site which is inferred to have been a hillfort, possibly of C12 origin-the name "Tillesburc" occurs in a document of 1157-63. The site is naturally defensible and needs no ramparts to make it a stronghold. Several of the rock hollows were excavated and found to contain a 2 in thick stratum of disturbed whitish grey sandy clay in which there are small flakes of stone and fragments of charcoal. This level underlies 8 in of black vegetable soil and overlies 4 in of dark grey sandy clay. No pottery or relics were found. According to OS the remains resemble earlier hut floors of the Mardale Castle Crag and possibly the Cater rock-huts of Peel Island. (Lake District HER)
This seems an odd record from the PastScape (presumably based on Collingwood) and no other authority has mentioned such a site. This is not an area much affected by Scottish raids. I very much doubt a medieval date for this site, although a raid of any date may have resulted in the local population taking to the hills in general and this site in particular.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY30810105

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 10287
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 1871 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Journal Articles
  • Collingwood, W.G., 1923, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol23 p138-41
    1923, Report of Congress of Archaeological Societies p38
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Farrer, W., Lancashire Chartulary p311 [I can not trace this reference given in the PastScape record]