Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0067 Ebury Hill, Shropshire (Ebury)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Shropshire 113 (None)

NMR:  SJ 51 NW 7 (70355)

SM:  1021283

NGR:  SJ 546164

X:  354615  Y:  316446  (OSGB36)

Summary

Low-lying lowland hillfort on a slight knoll with the River Severn to the SW and the River Roden to the NE. Now badly affected by wartime works and now a camping and caravan site. Internal area c. 3.8ha. Excavations by Simms 1943 and Stanford 1977 and watching briefs (Hannaford 1997, 1999, 2000). Simms excavated prior to wartime construction, with a trench in SE corner and found traces of a hearth but no finds. Rescue excavations of four small trenches plus a pipe trench surveyed by Stanford in 1977 prior to caravan site developments found no structures and suggested no Roman occupation. Single bank surrounds the site, on SE and SW sides up to c. 2m with an outer ditch. No ditch can be seen on the other sides, but probably existed in prehistory as there appears to be no quarry ditch. Four gaps in ramparts, two in SW sector definitely the result of wartime road construction. Of the other two, on the NE, one may be original, or an original may have been quarried away without record. The large quarry in the NE, taking c. one third of the site of the interior, was started at least by 1841. No structures were found in the excavations, but the possible hearth and VCP (briquetage) suggests Iron Age occupation and contact to the W. Now on, and badly affected by, caravan and camping site and part wooded. On 1st Ed. OS map (1881).

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -297640  Y:  6935729  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.673746615969832  Latitude:  52.74369920822922  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Shropshire

Historic County:  Shropshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Uffington

Monument Condition

Badly affected by caravan site and part wooded with WWII station. Permissive paths throughout site for campers

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Camping and caravan site and part wooded.

Current Use:
Woodland  
Commercial Forestry Plantation  
Parkland  
Pasture (Grazing)  
Arable  
Scrub/Bracken  
Bare Outcrop  
Heather/Moorland  
Heath  
Built-up  
Coastal Grassland  
Other  

Landscape

Hillfort Type

A lowland hillfort which follows the contours on a small knoll. Low-lying site on a slight knoll with the River Severn to the SW and the River Roden to the NE.

Type:
Contour Fort  
Partial Contour Fort  
Promontory Fort  
Hillslope Fort  
Level Terrain Fort  
Marsh Fort  
Multiple Enclosure Fort  

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop  
Coastal Promontory  
Inland Promontory  
Valley Bottom  
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop  
Ridge  
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp  
Hillslope  
Lowland  
Spur  

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Small lowland knoll.

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  92.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

VCP (briquetage) found in Stanford's excavations suggests date of between the late Bronze Age to the Iron Age for occupation, with no evidence of Roman activity.

Reliability:  C - Low

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC  
1200BC - 800BC  
800BC - 400BC  
400BC - AD50  
AD50 - AD400  
AD400 - AD 800  
Post AD800  
Unknown  

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:
Artefactual:   VCP (briquetage) found in Stanford's excavations.
Morphology/Earthwork/Typology:   Stanford suggested a date of between the late Bronze Age to the Iron Age for occupation, there being no evidence for Roman activity.

Investigation History

On 1st Ed. OS map (1881). Excavations by Simms 1943 and S.C. Stanford 1977 and Watching Briefs Hannaford 1997, 1999, 2000. Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP 1993-2000. Shropshire Council survey 2012.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1881):   OS map.
Excavation (1943):   Excavations by Simms.
Excavation (1977):   Excavations by S. Stanford.
Other (2012):   Shropshire Council survey.
Other (None):   Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP 1993-2000.

Interior Features

Simms found evidence of a hearth in 1943, but Stanford found no structures in 1977. Quarrying in 1934 found levelled areas quarried into the rock paved with sandstone. In 1997, two small pits were found in the interior. VCP (briquetage) sherds found by Stanford (1977) similar to those found at The Berth and the Wrekin inner camp. Also 20 seeds of, probably, corn.

Water Source

Pond on site the result of quarrying.

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

None

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features  
Round Stone Structures  
Rectangular Stone Structures  
Curvilinear Platforms  
Other Roundhouse Evidence  
Pits  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  

Excavation

Hearth found by Simms in 1943 and a possible small pit by Stanford in 1977. Quarrying in 1934 found levelled areas quarried into the rock paved with sandstone.

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics  
Pits  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Finds

VCP (briquetage) sherds found by Stanford (1977) similar to those found at The Berth and the Wrekin inner camp. Also 20 seeds of, probably, corn.

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds  
Pottery  
Metal  
Metalworking  
Human Bones  
Animal Bones  
Lithics  
Environmental  
Other  

Aerial

None

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked  
None  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roads/Tracks  
Other  

Entrances

Entrance possibly original on the NE side side, but may have been destroyed. Two gaps on the SW certainly modern and WWII road construction.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
4:   Two gaps on the SW certainly modern and WWII road construction. One on NE possibly modern also.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Possibly original on NE side, but may have been destroyed.

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   Possibly on NE side, but may have been destroyed.

Enclosing Works

A single bank surrounds the site, on the SE and SW sides up to c. 2m with an outer ditch. No ditch can be seen on the other sides, but probably existed in prehistory as there appears to be no quarry ditch.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   3.8ha.
Total:   3.8ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Damaged circuit.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  
Unknown  

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Rubble  
Wall-walk  
Evidence of Timber  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
Other  

Excavated Evidence

No details.

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Murus Duplex  
Timber-framed  
Timber-laced  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
No Known Excavation  
Other  

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   An outer ditch exists on the SE and SW sides, not visible on the other sides, but probably existed in prehistory.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Dorling, P. and Wigley, A. 2012. Assessment of the archaeological and conservation status of major later prehistoric enclosures in Herefordshire and Shropshire, EH PNUM, Version 3.2, Hereford and Shrewsbury: Herefordshire Council/Shropshire Council.

Page, W. ed. 1908. Victoria County History of Shropshire, 1, 381, Institute of Historical Research.

Stanford, S.C. 1985: Ebury Hill Camp - excavations 1977, Trans Shropshire Archaeol Hist Soc, LXIV, 9-12.



Terms of Use

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:

Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk


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