Bats Castle; Batt’s Castle; Bat’s Camp; Bat’s Fort; Caesar’s Camp; Roman Camp

• Dunster Park, Dunster, Somerset
• Scheduled Monument

Iron Age univallate hill fort enclosing approximately 1.2 ha, with the ramparts measuring 5.4 ft high internally and the ditch measuring approximately 5.9 ft deep, with a linear feature at the front zigzag in appearance and measuring 600 ft long and standing between 15-18 ft high. This is believed to have been a later addition

Sub-rectangular in form, and covering 1.4 ha internally, there are entrances to the east and the west. The east entrance has flanking ditches and banks. Piers were added at the entrance, but these were a later addition as they were secured with mortar.

Has been regarded as being the ancient hill fort Dun Draithou, belonging to the Irish King Crimthann mac Fidaig  (King of Munster and High King of Ireland).

102 BC – 350 AD       Dating from: Coin hoard found.

19^th C                          Ploughed.

1939-1945                   World War II: Interior used to grow potatoes.

1947                             Aerial photograph.

1965                            Field Investigation.

1978                            Scheduled.

1983                            Coin hoard found in ramparts dating from 102 BC – 305 AD.

1994                            Rescheduled and given new number.

1998                            Field Investigation.

1999                            Surveyed.

2000                            Aerial photograph.

2009.                            Vegetation cleared from site.  Assessed.

2015                             Surveyed.

References& Bibliography

Adkins. L., & Adkins. R. 1992. A Field Guide to Somerset Archaeology. The Dovecote Press.

Allcroft. A. H. 1908. Earthwork of England: Prehistoric, Roman, Saxon, Danish, Norman, and Mediaeval. Macmillan.

Burrow. E. J. 1924. Ancient Earthworks and Camps in Somerset. E.J. Burrow & Company Limited.

Costen. M. D. 1992. The Origins of Somerset. Manchester University Press.

Page, W. (editor). 1911. The Victoria History of the County of Somerset. Archibald Constable and Company, Limited (London). 2. P.484-486.

Powell-Thomas. A. 2018. Somerset’s Military Heritage. Amberley Publishing Limited.

Wilkinson. J. G. 1860. Carb Brea: Near Redruth, Cornwall. Heard.

Wilkinson. J. G. 1861. On Ancient British Walls. Journal of the British Archaeological Association.