The four criteria for assessing class importance apply to multiple enclosure forts as follows:
- Period (currency): Extended. The tradition of building multiple enclosure forts appears to span the period between the mid-4th century BC and the mid 1st century AD, a maximum duration of 400 years. It is unusual for the occupation of a single site to continue for this length of time. Recorded activitity generally lasts for up to 250 years. Dates for the duration of individual sites rely on very limited evidence so that a degree of caution is necessary in using the information to construct general rules.
- Rarity: Rare. Around 75 multiple enclosure forts have been recorded in England, mostly in Devon and Cornwall. Outside these counties their distribution becomes increasingly scattered, while the form and construction methods used become more varied.
- Diversity (types): Medium. Although only four distinct types have been defined on the basis of ground plan, this number is increased by examples where two or more of the types are combined. In addition to these factors multiple enclosure forts are found in four distinct locations. The relationship between the topographical position of sites and their surface morphology has not been explored, although ramparts with greater defensive possibilities are usually located in positions 3 and 4.
- Period (representativity): High. Multiple enclosure forts, grouped under the broad category heading "Hillfort", are one of a fairly wide range of Iron Age monuments. Their distribution, however, is restricted mainly to south-west England where the range of contemporary monuments is narrower.
Assigning scores to these criteria following the system set out in the Monument Evaluation Manual, multiple enclosure forts yield a Class Importance Value of 31. This lies about mid-way up the range of possible values (max. = 64). In selecting examples which are of national importance the recommendation is to include sites which represent each of the basic types in as wide a variety of topographical positions as possible. Other important considerations include geographical location; examples with ramparts of different structure and strength; a sample of various entrance forms; and sites outside the south-west.