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HER:  Worcestershire MWR1280 (WSM02979)
NMR:  SO 95 NW 9 (118280)
SM:  1005354
NGR:  SO938554
X:  393885  Y:  255348  (OSGB36)
Univallate contour hillfort located on the high plateau of Castle Hill, with views over the Vale of Evesham and the Malverns. Entrance on W with possible annexe on NE. Long, wide E to W ditch through site suggests two phased construction. Ditched almost filled in for entire circuit. Old hedgeline, with post and wire fence partially follows the infilled ditch. Ploughed and ramparts very eroded, but still recognisable as earthwork.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -232758  Y:  6835697  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -2.0908963366733784  Latitude:  52.196297000265034  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  England
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Worcestershire
Historic County:  Worcestershire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Upton Snodsbury
Ploughed, but still recognisable as an earthwork. Old hedgeline with post and wire fence partially follows the infilled ditch - possibly some removal.
Extant   | ✓ |
Cropmark   | ✗ |
Likely Destroyed   | ✗ |
Improved grassland and few oaks.
Woodland   | ✗ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
Parkland   | ✓ |
Pasture (Grazing)   | ✗ |
Arable   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
Heath   | ✗ |
Built-up   | ✗ |
Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Contour hillfort located on the prominent Castle Hill, with views over the Vale of Evesham and the Malverns.
Contour Fort   | ✓ |
Partial Contour Fort   | ✗ |
Promontory Fort   | ✗ |
Hillslope Fort   | ✗ |
Level Terrain Fort   | ✗ |
Marsh Fort   | ✗ |
Multiple Enclosure Fort   | ✗ |
Hilltop   | ✓ |
Coastal Promontory   | ✗ |
Inland Promontory   | ✗ |
Valley Bottom   | ✗ |
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   | ✗ |
Ridge   | ✗ |
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   | ✗ |
Hillslope   | ✗ |
Lowland   | ✗ |
Spur   | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  Prominent hill top of Castle Hill.
North   | ✗ |
Northeast   | ✗ |
East   | ✗ |
Southeast   | ✗ |
South   | ✗ |
Southwest   | ✗ |
West   | ✗ |
Northwest   | ✗ |
Level   | ✓ |
Altitude:  75.0m
N/A
None
Reliability:  D - None
Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
400BC - AD50   | ✗ |
AD50 - AD400   | ✗ |
AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
Post AD800   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✓ |
Pre Hillfort:   | None |
Post Hillfort:   | None |
Investigations by Worcestershire Historic Environment and Archaeology Service c. 2009.
Other (2009):   | Investigations by Worcestershire Historic Environment and Archaeology Service. |
None
None
None   | ✓ |
Spring   | ✗ |
Stream   | ✗ |
Pool   | ✗ |
Flush   | ✗ |
Well   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
No Known Features   | ✓ |
Round Stone Structures   | ✗ |
Rectangular Stone Structures   | ✗ |
Curvilinear Platforms   | ✗ |
Other Roundhouse Evidence   | ✗ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Postholes   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
No Known Geophysics   | ✓ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
No Known Finds   | ✓ |
Pottery   | ✗ |
Metal   | ✗ |
Metalworking   | ✗ |
Human Bones   | ✗ |
Animal Bones   | ✗ |
Lithics   | ✗ |
Environmental   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
APs Not Checked   | ✓ |
None   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Postholes   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
W entrance, form undefined.
1:   | None |
2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
1. Simple Gap (West):   | Form not defined. Simple gap default. |
Banks very eroded, but recognisable.
Area 1:   | 3.6ha. |
Total:   | 3.6ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
✓   | Area defined from satellite image . Long, wide E to W ditch through site suggests two phased construction, but no direct evidence for this. |
✓   | Quadrants estimated, banks very eroded. |
NE Quadrant:   | 1 |
SE Quadrant:   | 1 |
SW Quadrant:   | 1 |
NW Quadrant:   | 1 |
Total:   | 1 |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✓ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✗ |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
None
None   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank   | ✓ |
Stone Wall   | ✗ |
Rubble   | ✗ |
Wall-walk   | ✗ |
Evidence of Timber   | ✗ |
Vitrification   | ✗ |
Other Burning   | ✗ |
Palisade   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank   | ✗ |
Berm   | ✗ |
Unfinished   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
None   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank   | ✗ |
Stone Wall   | ✗ |
Murus Duplex   | ✗ |
Timber-framed   | ✗ |
Timber-laced   | ✗ |
Vitrification   | ✗ |
Other Burning   | ✗ |
Palisade   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank   | ✗ |
Berm   | ✗ |
Unfinished   | ✗ |
No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
Other   | ✗ |
✗   | None |
✓   | Surrounding outer ditch almost filled in for entire circuit. Long wide E-W ditch crosses enclosure. |
Number of Ditches:  2
✓   | Possible annexe on the NE. |
Bond, J. c. 1973. Worcestershire in prehistoric and Roman times, Worcestershire County Museum Publication No 6.
Hancox, E. and Russell, O. 2009: Recent changes to scheduled monuments in Worcestershire, Worcester: Worcestershire Historic Environment and Archaeology Service.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
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