Fin Cop

The Iron Age hillfort of Fin Cop dominates the landscape of Monsal Dale in the heart of the Peak District National Park. Dating to the late prehistoric period, hillforts can take many forms, and there has been considerable debate over how we should interpret such monuments: were they a defensive response to a warlike society? Were they conspicuous displays of wealth and power? As with all such questions, the answers are likely to be much more nuanced and complex.From 2010 to 2012, a Heritage Lottery-funded community project set out to explore the scheduled monument at Fin Cop. The results were as detailed and fascinating as they were unexpected. Preserved by the limestone geology of the local bedrock, human remains, seemingly comprising mainly women and children, were recovered from the ditch around the hillfort. Who were they? When did they live? And how did they come to lie undiscovered for nearly 2500 years?
Thornton-le-Street History Group - RTTP is delighted to welcome James Brightman for an hour long webinar to recount his experiences of working on this mystery of mass burial in Iron Age Britain.