Lydford Town Defences

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Hlidan

In the civil parish of Lydford.
In the historic county of Devon (Modern Authority of Devon, 1974 county of Devon).

Saxon borough stone revetted bank on weak NE side of town and more rudimentary defences on naturally stronger sides. Earthworks survive. Bond writes this was not used post conquest. A large scale survey of one part of the interior was undertaken as part of an archaeological assessment by the RCHME in 1997.

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX510848

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 440671

• Web site links
  • http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.278
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p24, 28, 57, 60, 64, 234, 256
    Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p136-43
    Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p70-2
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p59-60
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p122
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p197
    Wall, C., 1906, in Page, Wm (ed), 'Ancient Earthworks' VCH Devon Vol1 p619
• Journal Articles
  • Saunders, A.D., 1980, Medieval Archaeology Vol24 p123-64
    Radford, C.A.R., 1970, 'The later pre-Conquest boroughs and their defences' Medieval Archaeology Vol14 p94-6
    Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, D. Gillian, 1967, Medieval Archaeology Vol11 p263
    Addyman, P., 1966, Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p196-7
    Wilson, David M., 1965, 'Medieval Britain in 1964. 1, Pre-conquest' Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p170-8
    Wilson, David M., 1964, 'Medieval Britain in 1962 and 1963. 1, Pre-conquest' Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p232
    Finberg, H.P.R., 1947-9, Devon and Cornwall notes and queries Vol23 p386-7
• Guidebooks
  • Saunders, A.D., 1982 (2edn), Lydford: Saxon Town and Castle (HMSO)
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Newman, P., 2000, The Town and Castles Earthworks at Lydford, Devon (English Heritage Survey Report)