Alternative name | Bury Wood Camp, or North Wood |
---|---|
Location | Wiltshire, England |
Coordinates | 51°27′53″N2°15′48″W / 51.4647°N 2.2634°W |
History | |
Periods | Iron Age |
Site notes | |
Excavation dates | yes |
Archaeologists | Denis Grant-King |
Condition | good |
Public access | yes |
Identifiers | |
NHLE | 1018385 |
Atlas of Hillforts | 0425 |
Bury Camp is the site of an Iron Age multivallate hillfort in north-west Wiltshire, England. It occupies a triangular promontory of Colerne Down, in the north of Colerne parish, at the southern edge of the Cotswold Hills between two spurs of a river valley. The enclosed area of approximately 9.2ha is surrounded by a ditch 4m wide and up to 1m deep, and an outer rampart up to 1.5m high on the east and northwestern sides and up to 2m high on the southwestern side, across the neck of the promontory. [1]
The contours of the land provide excellent natural defences to the north and east sides. On the southwestern side, where there are no natural defences, there is a further ditch 4m wide and 1m deep and an outer rampart up to 2m high and 3m wide. These are crossed by many causeways, which could be interpreted as an indication that the construction of the monument was never fully completed. The entrance in the middle of the southwestern side is thought to be of modern origin. At the northeastern corner, the inner bank turns inwards to form a funnel-shaped entrance leading to a hollow way running down the steep scarp into the valley below. Another entrance about a quarter of the way along the northwestern side also consists of inward-turning ramparts forming a funnel-shaped entrance. [1]
A small enclosure within the camp is visible on aerial photographs. It is circular, 72m in diameter, with a bank and an outer ditch. The site has been a scheduled monument since 1925. [1]
Excavations carried out under Denis Grant King, from 1959 onwards, turned over some good examples of Iron Age drystone walling, and found remains of a much earlier structure that existed at the northeast entrance, indicated by drystone revetments within the northern rampart. In the second stage, the entrance was remodelled and widened. At the northwest entrance, four staggered post holes were uncovered as well as a cylindrical cavity 0.66m deep, interpreted as a gate post hole. [2]
The building of the hillfort can be dated to about 350 BC, but various Neolithic and Mesolithic flint tools were found, indicating a much earlier use. Flint artifacts including scrapers, cores, and flakes were found within the camp. Rotary and saddle querns were also found, along with a possible axe polishing stone. In 1960, 175 shards of pottery were recovered; all except one were plain coarse ware without a trace of decoration. [2]
Among organic remains, only two fragments of human bones were found, whereas between 400 and 500 animal bone fragments were found. This included typical domestic animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, horses, and dogs. Six specimens were of large birds, probably swans or geese. Deer, fox, rabbit, and vole bones were also found. The relative rarity of anything but domestic animals may suggest that the camp was used for stock-keeping and that it was unlikely that hunting played a large part in the food economy of the camp. [2]
The site is at grid reference ST818740 , to the south of the village of North Wraxall, in the county of Wiltshire. The site has a height of 145m AOD. The Fosse Way Roman road passes close by to the west.
Yarnbury Castle is the site of a multiphase, multivallate Iron Age hillfort near the village of Steeple Langford, Wiltshire, England. The site covers an area of 28.5 acres (11.5 ha), and was extensively surveyed and investigated by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England in 1991, with finds of Iron Age and Romano-British pottery, Iron Age and Roman coins, and burials of human remains. There is much evidence of prolonged and extensive settlement of the site, including evidence of around 130 structures of various sizes, most probably representing a mix of round houses, pits, and other features. It was designated as a scheduled monument in 1925.
Roundway Down and Covert is an area of sloping chalk grassland close to the hamlet of Roundway, near Devizes in Wiltshire, England. It is part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At the summit of the slope are ancient earthworks, evidence of a Bronze Age human settlement and Iron Age hillfort.
Huntsham Castle, Devon, England is an Iron Age Hill fort enclosure near the village of Huntsham, it is located 260 m (850 ft) above sea level on the edge of the former Parish of Tiverton. The monument includes a slight univallate hillfort situated on a prominent hill overlooking the valleys of two separate tributaries to the River Lowman. The monument survives as a sub-circular enclosure, defining an area which slopes gently down to the south and measures approximately 150m in diameter. It is clearly demarcated on all sides by a rampart which varies in height from 1m up to 2.4m internally, being generally of greater height on the northern side of the enclosure. Externally this rampart is up to 2.9m high. Surrounding the rampart is an outer ditch which measures up to 5.4m wide and 0.4m deep and this is visible on all sides of the monument, although it is predominantly preserved as a buried feature. On the north eastern side, the outer edge of this ditch is defined by a field boundary bank and the infilled ditch has been used in the past as a track. There is an inturned entrance on the north eastern side which measures 7m wide, and the inturned banks are up to 2.2m wide and 0.4m high. The enclosure is crossed by a parish boundary bank which measures up to 2m wide and 1.5m high, and has been partially cut at the north eastern corner by a quarry, approximately 20m long, 15m wide and up to 2.8m deep, which lies to the north of the entrance. A further quarry lies to the south of the parish boundary bank, on the western side of the enclosure and measures 8.7 metres (29 ft) long, 5.3 metres (17 ft) wide and up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep. A third quarry lies to the north west and has partially cut into the ditch and rampart on this side; however much of this quarry lies just beyond the monument itself. A further entrance to the enclosure may lie on the western side, where the rampart is seen to kink slightly inwards. The stock proof fences around the rampart and ditch, the gates and gateposts which facilitate access, the Ordnance Survey triangulation point which is situated on the north eastern side of the enclosure just above the quarry, and the field boundary bank which defines the outer edge of the ditch in the north eastern corner are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath all these features is included.
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Battlesbury Camp is the site of an Iron Age bivallate hill fort on Battlesbury Hill near the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, South West England. Excavations and surveys at the site have uncovered various finds and archaeological evidence.
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