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HER:  Shropshire 150 (None)
NMR:  SO 38 SW 13 (107315)
SM:  1004786
NGR:  SO 320817
X:  332029  Y:  281757  (OSGB36)
Small, steep and wooded, contour hillfort located above the River Clun opposite to Bury Ditches (Atlas No 0047) in an area of prominent hillforts. Slopes are steep on the N and S, gradual on the E and W. Internal area 0.25ha. The site is thought to have been probably unfinished because of the lack of ramparts visible on the E side. Elsewhere on the other three sides of the triangular shaped site, is a bank and ditch with intermittent counterscarp bank to 1.5m external height. The main bank is c. 12m wide and 3.1m to the base of an outer ditch, 6m wide. The E termination of both N and S banks is ragged and the ditches become progressively shallower. No entrance is visible, but the banks are in general good condition, although a 5m gap has been cut through the W rampart since 1908 and a track passes E to W across the site. Now part clear, the fort was formerly afforested. Undated. On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900).
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -334085  Y:  6878164  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -3.0011402326697203  Latitude:  52.42952165219125  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  England
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Shropshire
Historic County:  Shropshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Clunbury
Formerly an ancient woodland site, planted with conifers in 20th century, but vegetation clearance in 2010 as part of a butterfly conservation project has now exposed the hillfort. Some saplings and mature conifers remain.
Extant   | ✓ |
Cropmark   | ✗ |
Likely Destroyed   | ✗ |
Upland pasture with some saplings and mature conifers.
Woodland   | ✓ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
Parkland   | ✗ |
Pasture (Grazing)   | ✓ |
Arable   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
Heath   | ✗ |
Built-up   | ✗ |
Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Site appears to follow the contours. Small steep wooded site above the River Clun.
Contour Fort   | ✓ |
Partial Contour Fort   | ✗ |
Promontory Fort   | ✗ |
Hillslope Fort   | ✗ |
Level Terrain Fort   | ✗ |
Marsh Fort   | ✗ |
Multiple Enclosure Fort   | ✗ |
Hilltop   | ✓ |
Coastal Promontory   | ✗ |
Inland Promontory   | ✗ |
Valley Bottom   | ✗ |
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   | ✗ |
Ridge   | ✗ |
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   | ✗ |
Hillslope   | ✗ |
Lowland   | ✗ |
Spur   | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  E to W ridge.
North   | ✗ |
Northeast   | ✗ |
East   | ✗ |
Southeast   | ✗ |
South   | ✗ |
Southwest   | ✗ |
West   | ✗ |
Northwest   | ✗ |
Level   | ✓ |
Altitude:  320.0m
N/A
None
Reliability:  D - None
Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
400BC - AD50   | ✗ |
AD50 - AD400   | ✗ |
AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
Post AD800   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✓ |
Pre Hillfort:   | None |
Post Hillfort:   | None |
On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900). Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP 1993-2000. Shropshire Council survey 2012.
Other (2012):   | Shropshire Council survey. |
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   | 1st Ed OS |
Other (None):   | Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP. |
None
Stream located 0.4km outside the fort.
None   | ✓ |
Spring   | ✗ |
Stream   | ✗ |
Pool   | ✗ |
Flush   | ✗ |
Well   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
No Known Features   | ✓ |
Round Stone Structures   | ✗ |
Rectangular Stone Structures   | ✗ |
Curvilinear Platforms   | ✗ |
Other Roundhouse Evidence   | ✗ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Postholes   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
No Known Geophysics   | ✓ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
No Known Finds   | ✓ |
Pottery   | ✗ |
Metal   | ✗ |
Metalworking   | ✗ |
Human Bones   | ✗ |
Animal Bones   | ✗ |
Lithics   | ✗ |
Environmental   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
APs Not Checked   | ✓ |
None   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Postholes   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
A 5m gap has been cut through the W rampart since 1908 and a track passes E to W across the site. No original entrance is visible.
1:   | A 5m gap has been cut through the W rampart since 1908 and a track passes E to W across the site. |
2:   | No original entrance is visible. |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
The site is thought to have been probably unfinished because of the lack of ramparts visible on the E side. Elsewhere on the other three sides of the triangular shaped site, is a bank with stone, and ditch with intermittent counterscarp bank to 1.5m external height. The main bank is c. 12m wide and 3.1m to the base of an outer ditch, 6m wide. The E termination of both N and S banks is ragged and the ditches become progressively shallower.
Area 1:   | 0.25ha. |
Total:   | 0.25ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
No E rampart is visible.
✗   | None |
✗   | No E rampart visible. |
NE Quadrant:   | 0 |
SE Quadrant:   | 1 |
SW Quadrant:   | 1 |
NW Quadrant:   | 1 |
Total:   | 1 |
Partial Univallate   | ✓ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✗ |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
A possible stone rampart is unconfirmed. Intermittent counterscarp bank to 1.5m external height. The site is thought to have been probably unfinished because of the lack of ramparts visible on the E side.
None   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank   | ✗ |
Stone Wall   | ✓ |
Rubble   | ✓ |
Wall-walk   | ✗ |
Evidence of Timber   | ✗ |
Vitrification   | ✗ |
Other Burning   | ✗ |
Palisade   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank   | ✓ |
Berm   | ✗ |
Unfinished   | ✓ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
None   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank   | ✗ |
Stone Wall   | ✗ |
Murus Duplex   | ✗ |
Timber-framed   | ✗ |
Timber-laced   | ✗ |
Vitrification   | ✗ |
Other Burning   | ✗ |
Palisade   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank   | ✗ |
Berm   | ✗ |
Unfinished   | ✗ |
No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
Other   | ✗ |
✗   | None |
✓   | Outer ditch to bank is c. 6m wide. |
Number of Ditches:  1
✗   | None |
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, 372-73, Institute of Historical Research.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
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
Document Version 1.1