Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0155 Segsbury Camp, Berkshire (Letcombe Castle)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Oxfordshire 7200 (MOX321)

NMR:  SU 38 SE 3 (229295)

SM:  1017717

NGR:  SU 3850 8448

X:  438500  Y:  184479  (OSGB36)

Summary

Overlooking the village of Letcombe Regis on the chalk escarpment with the Ridgeway nearby to the S, a roughly circular contour fort of c.10.7ha. Mentioned in Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica (1665-1693), on Roque's map of 1762. Univallate with ditch for the entire circuit, cut by road creating breaks through the rampart to N and S. Out-turned entrance to the E with hornwork, possible blocked entrance to the SW. Has been deeply ploughed in the interior, ramparts in good condition. Geophysics by English Heritage (Payne et. al. 2006), excavation in the interior, rampart and E entrance in 1996 and 1997 (Lock et. al. 2005). Evidence for pits, roundhouses, environmental, artefacts, dated to c.600 - 200 BC from stratified pottery. A study of the wider area suggests considerable pre- and post-hillfort activity (Levick 2015).

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -160974  Y:  6720568  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.4460572524441297  Latitude:  51.55783663126939  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Oxfordshire

Historic County:  Berkshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Letcombe Regis

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Single rampart and outer ditch survive for complete circuit, ditch filled in but still 5m to rampart top in places, counterscarp bank survives in places, best to NW. Interior has been ploughed. Some tree and scrub cover on ramparts and badger damage. 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

Fairly flat position on chalk downs, scarp to the N, the Ridgeway c.20m to the S.

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:  On chalk scarp overlooking the Vale of the White Horse

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  212.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Excavation suggests 600BC - 200BC.

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:   Pottery typology, good excavated stratigraphical contexts

Investigation History

Mentioned in Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica (1665-1693), on Roque's map of 1762. Geophysical survey by English Heritage of whole interior, excavation by Oxford University of interior, E entrance and rampart.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1762):   Roque
Other (2003):   Visited by Hillfort Study Group
Geophysical Survey (None):   see Payne et. al. 2006.
1st Identified Written Reference (None):   Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica
Excavation (None):   see Lock et. al. 2005.

Interior Features

No surface evidence, geophysics shows pits and roundhouses confirmed by excavation.

Water Source

None but springs at the foot of the chalk scarp to the N.

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

Heavily ploughed.

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

Excavation

Good range of structural and artefactual evidence.

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

Geophysics

Pits and roundhouses

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

Finds

Good range of finds and environmental from excavation.

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 E, out-turned with hornwork. Modern breaks for N-S road and to NW. Rampart configuration to SW may suggest a blocked entrance.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
4:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Out-turned (East):   None
1. Hornwork (East):   None
2. Blocked (South west):   None

Enclosing Works

Single bank and ditch, counterscarp bank visible to S and NW.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   10.7ha.
Total:   10.7ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

Counterscarp bank visible

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

Some stone visible where damaged

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

Excavation has shown complex phasing, from palisade through several forms of box rampart to dump rampart, berm and counterscarp bank visible to S.

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, flat bottomed, c.5m deep.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Levick, P. 2015. Later prehistoric and Roman landscapes on the Berkshire Downs. Oxford: BAR British Series 612.

Lock, G., Gosden, C. and Daly, P. 2005. Segsbury Camp. Excavations in 1996 and 1997 at an Iron Age hillfort on the Oxfordshire Ridgeway. Oxford: Oxford University School of Archaeology Monograph 61.

Payne A. W., 1994 LETCOMBE CASTLE OR SEGSBURY CAMP LETCOMBE REGIS, OXFORDSHIRE: INTERIM REPORT ON GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY, AM LAB REPORT 119/93

Payne, A., Corney, M. and Cunliffe, B. 2006. The Wessex Hillforts Project. Extensive Survey of Hillforts in Central Southern England. London: English Heritage, 89-96.



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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