Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0153 Knollbury Camp, Oxfordshire (Knoll Bury Roman Camp; Knollberry, Banks)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Oxfordshire 1548 (334982)

NMR:  SP 32 SW 2 (None)

SM:  1015322

NGR:  SP 3164 2301

X:  431635  Y:  223005  (OSGB36)

Summary

NE of Chadlington, situated on a slope a roughly rectangular enclosure with N side curved outwards. Enclosed area is 180m NW to SE and 100m SW to NE, enclosing 1.4ha. Mentioned in Stukeley's Itinerarium Curiosum Vol. 1, on 1st Ed. OS map. Univallate with a single ditch for it's entire circuit, rampart with steep faces standing to c.10m wide and between 1.4m and 4m high with rubble and dry-stone revetting facing of limestone slabs on the outer face showing at the NE. Ditch infilled but c.10m wide. Several modern gaps through the rampart, much of the SE rampart is missing and it is assumed the original entrance was here. Now arable but the interior has been ploughed in the past. No excavation, a geophysical survey shows internal features including one possible roundhouse.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -171609  Y:  6782903  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.541588767403618  Latitude:  51.90464981192267  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Oxfordshire

Historic County:  Oxfordshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Chadlington

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Upstanding earthwork for the entire circuit, now pasture but has been ploughed in the interior and around.

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

On a gentle slope, long axis downslope, no relationship with contours

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:  No

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  167.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

No evidence but probably Iron Age

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

Mentioned in Stukeley's Itinerarium Curiosum Vol. 1, on 1st Ed. OS map. No excavation, no surface finds. Geophysical survey (Bournemouth University).

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1776):   Stukeley's Itinerarium Curiosum Vol. 1.
Geophysical Survey (2000):   Sherwood.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   1st Ed. OS

Interior Features

No excavation, possible pits, four-poster and one roundhouse shown by geophysics (mentioned in HER)

Water Source

None inside but three springs within 300m.

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

Possible pits, four-poster and one roundhouse (mentioned in HER)

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

Several modern gaps, entrance probably on the SE side although now destroyed

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
4:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South east):   Entrance probably on the SE side although now destroyed

Enclosing Works

A single rampart around the entire circuit, steep faces, c10m wide and standing to 1.4m to 4m high, built of piled earth and oolite stone rubble behind a dry stone revetment of larger limestone slabs visible on the outer face at the NE. Single ditch, infilled but c10m wide.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.4ha.
Total:   1.4ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

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

Rubble and dry-stone walling eroding from bank, especially to NE

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:
✓   Single ditch around entire circuit, c10m wide

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Manning, P. and Leeds, E.T. 1921. An archaeological survey of Oxfordshire. London: Society of Antiquaries.

Page, W. (ed) 1907. The Victoria History of the County of Oxford, Vol II. London, 317.

Sherwood G. 2001 REPORT ON THE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY OF KNOLLBURY CAMP HILLFORT. Unpublished.

Sutton, J.E.G. 1966. Iron-Age hill-forts and some other earthworks in Oxfordshire, Oxoniensia, 31, 28-42.



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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