Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0086 The Ditches, Mogg Forest, Shropshire (Larden Ditches; Mogg Ditches; The Rings; Wynbury Castle; Larden Castle)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Shropshire 357 (None)

NMR:  SO 59 SE 1 (111407)

SM:  1006284

NGR:  SO 562942

X:  356265  Y:  294244  (OSGB36)

Summary

Formerly a fine, isolated, and almost circular, prominent, partial contour hillfort, now tree covered and part-ploughed, located on an interfluve position between the valley of the River Corve to the SE and various brooks to the NW. The interior is gently domed, falling more steeply on the N side. The three lines of well-preserved and widely-spaced defence are strongest on the weaker NE, E and S sides and here the main rampart is massive, being 15m wide and rising to 5.6m externally. The flat topped middle rampart is 16m wide and rises to 2.2m with a small bank or crest of 0.4m high along its outer edge. The outer bank, of some 12m width, rises to 2.3m in height, with a gradual inner and steep outer slope with a narrow crest. Hillwash has reduced the inner bank to a scarp on the NW and the middle and inner ramparts have been damaged near the SW entrance.There are traces of an outer ditch on the NE and SW sides, showing also now as a berm in places, but generally the three ditches are now buried features. The design of the defences tends to change along the escarpment. An E entrance has an out-turn on the S side, with a simpler, but damaged by forestry operations, entrance to the SW. Undated. On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900)

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -294591  Y:  6899138  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.646357507573166  Latitude:  52.54425467403462  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Shropshire

Historic County:  Shropshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Rushbury

Monument Condition

Hillwash has reduced the inner bank to a scarp on the NW and the middle and inner ramparts have been damaged near the SW entrance, itself damaged by a forestry track, but generally ramparts well-preserved. Some windblow problems.

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Conifers and old coppice; W part in deciduous woodland. Part-ploughed in the interior.

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

Located on an interfluve position between the valley of the River Corve and brooks. Interior gently domed.

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:  Hill top.

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  280.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None

Reliability:  D - None

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:No related records

Investigation History

On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900). Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP 1993-2000. Shropshire Council survey 2012.

Investigations:
Other (2012):   Shropshire Council survey.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   1st Ed OS
Other (None):   Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Springs located 0.3km outside the fort.

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

None

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

None

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

Original entrances on the E and SW sides. Modern forestry gaps on the S and N sides. That on E out-turned on S side. Simple entrance but damaged on the SW.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
4:   Modern forestry gaps on the S and N sides.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Original entrances on the E and SW sides.

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Out-turned (East):   Out-turned on the S side.
2. Simple Gap (South west):   Simple entrance but damaged.

Enclosing Works

The three lines of well-preserved and widely-spaced defence are strongest on the weaker NE, E and S sides and here the main rampart is massive, being 15m wide and rising to 5.6m externally. The flat topped middle rampart is 16m wide and rises to 2.2m with a small bank or creat of 0.4m high along its outer edge. The outer bank, of some 12m width, rises to 2.3m in height, with a gradual inner and steep outer slope with a narrow crest. Hillwash has reduced the inner bank to a scarp on the NW and the middle and inner ramparts have been damaged near the SW entrance. Ditches (3) now mostly as buried features, but traces of outer ditch on the NE and SW sides.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   2.2ha.
Total:   2.2ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Three ramparts complete the circuit.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   3
SE Quadrant:   3
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   3
Total:   3

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

Evidence of a berm in places.

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

None

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:
✓   Ditches now mostly as buried features, but traces of outer ditch on the NE and SW sides.

Number of Ditches:  3

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, 337, Institute of Historical Research.



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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