Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0146: Uffington Castle  

(Woolstone Castle)

Sources: Esri, DigitalGlobe, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, GeoEye, USDA FSA, USGS, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, and the GIS User Community

HER:  Oxfordshire 7304 (MOX227)

NMR:  SU 28 NE 6 (225401)

SM:  1008412

NGR:  SU 2995 8633

X:  429945  Y:  186325  (EPSG:27700)

Boundary:  

Summary

Near the village of Uffington, on White Horse Hill, a dominant position overlooking the Vale of the White Horse to the N and the Berkshire Downs to the S. In Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica (1665-93). Associated with the complex of monuments on the hill, especially the Uffington White Horse and Dragon Hill. A well preserved (National Trust) D-shaped enclosure of 3.2ha, univallate with ditch and counterscarp bank for entire circuit, Blocked entrance to the E which was originally a passageway with guard chambers, original entrance to W which is out-turned and links with enlarged counterscarp bank, two breaks through the rampart at NE and SE which are probably Romano-British. Geophysics and excavation (Miles et al 2003) have revealed internal features and dated the ramparts to two phases: box rampart c.8th/7th century BC, dump rampart c.4th century BC. Romano-British re-use of the enclosure, 2nd-4th centuries AD.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✓  Helen Wendholt

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed:  Modern excavation

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -174694  Y:  6723633  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.5693  Latitude:  51.574952  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Oxfordshire

Historic County:   Berkshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Uffington

Condition

Extant:  
Cropmark:  
Likely Destroyed:  

Land Use

Preservation is good for rampart, ditch, counterscarp and western entrance. Interior has been ploughed in the past, now National Trust, sheep grazing. SSSI.

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

Landscape

Hillfort Type

A contour fort on a prominent hill on the chalk escarpment overlooking the Vale of the White Horse

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

Topographic Position

A contour fort on a prominent hill on the chalk escarpment overlooking the Vale of the White Horse

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

Dominant Topographic Feature:  On the chalk escarpment, good views in all directions.

Aspect

North:  
Northeast:  
East:  
Southeast:  
South:  
Southwest:  
West:  
Northwest:  
Level:  

Elevation

Altitude:  260.0m

Boundary

Boundary Type:  

Second HER:  

Second Current County or Unitary Authority:  

Second Historic County:  

Second Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  

Dating Evidence

1st phase c. 8th/7th century BC (box rampart), 2nd phase c. 4th century BC (dump rampart). Romano-British re-use and modification

Reliability:  A - High

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

Pre Hillfort Activity:  ✓  Nearby Neolithic long barrow, early Bronze Age round barrows. Hillfort constructed at the end of a late Bronze Age linear ditch

Post Hillfort Activity:  ✓  Romano-British re-use of the enclosure plus burials nearby, Saxon burials nearby

Artefactual:  Iron Age and Romano-British pottery typology

Investigations

In Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica (1665-93). Excavations and geophysics 1989-1995, interior, ramparts and surrounding monuments including a RB enclosure, the White Horse, the long barrow and nearby Tower Hill LBA settlement (Miles et. al. 2003).

1st Identified Written Reference (1665-93):  Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica
Geophysical Survey (1989):  
Excavation (1989-1995):  Miles et al 2003
Geophysical Survey (1990):  
Other (2003):  Visited by Hillfort Study Group

Interior Features

No internal features from surface evidence, pits, postholes, rectangular structures fro geophysics and excavations. A good range of material culture and environmental evidence from excavations.

Water Source

No water inside, springs at the foot of the escarpment within 1km

None:  
Spring:  
Stream:  
Pool:  
Flush:  
Well:  
Other:  

Surface

None

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

Excavation

Pits and possible 4-poster

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

Geophysics

Magnetometry shows pits and other possible features

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

Finds

A good range of material culture and environmental evidence from modern excavations

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

Aerial

None

APs Not Checked:  
None:  
Roundhouses:  
Rectangular Structures:  
Pits:  
Postholes:  
Roads/Tracks:  
Other:  

Entrances

Original entrance to the W, out-turned corridor linking to counterscarp bank. Blocked entrance to E shown by change in the line of the rampart and by excavation, originally a passageway with guard chambers. Two breaks through the rampart (NE and SE) not original, may be Roman.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  

Number of Possible Original Entrances:   

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗  

Entrance 1 (West):  Passage-way/Corridor:  Original entrance to the W, out-turned corridor linking to counterscarp bank
Entrance 2 (East):  Blocked:  Blocked entrance to E shown by change in the line of the rampart and by excavation.
Entrance 2 (East):  Passage-way/Corridor

Enclosing Works

Univallate with ditch and counterscarp bank for whole circuit. First phase - box rampart, small outer ditch. Second phase - dump rampart, inner low revetting wall of chalk blocks, large V-shaped ditch

Enclosed Area 1:  3.2ha.
Enclosed Area 2:  
Enclosed Area 3:  
Enclosed Area 4:  
Total Enclosed Area:  3.2ha.

Total Footprint Area:  

Multi-period Enclosure System:  ✗  

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:  ✓  

Number of Ramparts:  1:  Univallate with ditch and counterscarp bank for whole circuit.

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

Current Morphology

Partial Univallate:  
Univallate:  
Partial Bivallate:  
Bivallate:
Partial Multivallate:  
Multivallate:  
Unknown:  

Multi-period Morphology

Partial Univallate:  
Univallate:  
Partial Bivallate:  
Bivallate:  
Partial Multivallate:  
Multivallate:  

Surface Evidence

Earthen bank with counterscarp

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

Excavated Evidence

First phase - box rampart, small outer ditch. Second phase - dump rampart, inner low revetting wall of chalk blocks, large V-shaped ditch

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

Gang Working

Gang Working:  ✗ 

Ditches

Ditches:  

Number of Ditches:  1:  One ditch for each of the two phases of rampart

Annex

Annex:  ✗  

References

Miles, D., Palmer, S., Lock, G., Gosden, C. and Cromarty, A-M. 2003. Uffington White Horse and its landscape. Investigations at White Horse Hill Uffington, 1989-95 and Tower Hill Ashbury, 1993-4. Oxford: Oxford Archaeology. Thames Valley Landscapes Monograph 18.

Noon, S. 1990. UFFINGTON CASTLE, OXFORDSHIRE: REPORT ON GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY, 1989. AM LAB REPORT 94/90

Terms of Use

The online version of the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland should be cited as:

Lock, G. and Ralston, I. 2017.  Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. [ONLINE] Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk.

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