Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0146 Uffington Castle, Berkshire (Woolstone Castle)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

Scroll left/right to view further images.

HER:  Oxfordshire 7304 (MOX227)

NMR:  SU 28 NE 6 (225401)

SM:  1008412

NGR:  SU 2995 8633

X:  429945  Y:  186325  (OSGB36)

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:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

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

Longitude:  -1.5693000610685042  Latitude:  51.574952162945884  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Oxfordshire

Historic County:  Berkshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Uffington

Monument Condition

None

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.

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

Type:
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

Position:
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  

Altitude:  260.0m

Boundary

N/A


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

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:   Iron Age and Romano-British pottery typology

Investigation History

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).

Investigations:
Geophysical Survey (1989):   None
Geophysical Survey (1990):   None
Other (2003):   Visited by Hillfort Study Group
1st Identified Written Reference (None):   Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica
Excavation (None):   Miles et al 2003

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

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

Pits and possible 4-poster

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

Geophysics

Magnetometry shows pits and other possible features

Interior Features (Geophysics):
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

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 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:  
4:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Passage-way/Corridor (West):   Original entrance to the W, out-turned corridor linking to counterscarp bank
2. Blocked (East):   Blocked entrance to E shown by change in the line of the rampart and by excavation.
2. Passage-way/Corridor (East):   None

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:
Area 1:   3.2ha.
Total:   3.2ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

Univallate with ditch and counterscarp bank for whole circuit.

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

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

Earthen bank with counterscarp

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

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

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:
✓   One ditch for each of the two phases of rampart

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

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

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