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HER:  Wiltshire and Swindon MWI9893 (None)
NMR:  SU 12 NW 3 (217694)
SM:  1004775
NGR:  SU14462517
X:  414463  Y:  125173  (OSGB36)
Wooded, polygonal-shaped, hillfort sited on N-facing downland spur edge at 110m O.D. overlooking the Ebble Valley to N and confluence of River Ebble with River Avon, just S of Salisbury. Bank stands c. 0.9m high internally and to 2.3m above external ditch. Polygonal shaped with sides c. 70m in length, enclosing 4ha. Two additional banks with ditches to E - relationship to other banks and function unknown. They could be hollow ways, remnants of a multivallation attempt or a more lightly defended late Iron Age settlement. Immediately to E broad level area or berm associated with bank and external ditch. This second ditch curves to meet that associated with the polygon and appears to cut through course of latter; however both constructions appear parts of same system. N part ploughed away before 1894. Earthworks now lie in plantations and coppiced woodlands and light coppice bank extends across site. Possible annexe to SE and ditches E of annexe fade on flat ground. The single gap towards the W end may not be original. Few investigations, no dating evidence. On Ist Ed. OS map (1871-81).
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -199837  Y:  6625839  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -1.7951675001020966  Latitude:  51.02568670095302  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  England
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Wiltshire
Historic County:  Wiltshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Odstock
N part ploughed away before 1894.
Extant   | ✓ |
Cropmark   | ✗ |
Likely Destroyed   | ✗ |
Earthworks now lie in plantations and coppiced woodlands and light coppice bank extends across site.
Woodland   | ✓ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✓ |
Parkland   | ✗ |
Pasture (Grazing)   | ✗ |
Arable   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
Heath   | ✗ |
Built-up   | ✗ |
Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Wooded, polygonal-shaped, univallate hillfort sited on N-facing downland spur edge at 110m O.D. overlooking the Ebble Valley to N and confluence of River Ebble with River Avon, just S of Salisbury.
Contour Fort   | ✗ |
Partial Contour Fort   | ✗ |
Promontory Fort   | ✗ |
Hillslope Fort   | ✗ |
Level Terrain Fort   | ✓ |
Marsh Fort   | ✗ |
Multiple Enclosure Fort   | ✗ |
Located above the River Ebble to the north and the River Avon to the east at their confluence, on the escarpment of a downland spur. Formerly part-lying downslope to the north from the crest, now ploughed away.
Hilltop   | ✗ |
Coastal Promontory   | ✗ |
Inland Promontory   | ✗ |
Valley Bottom   | ✗ |
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   | ✗ |
Ridge   | ✗ |
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   | ✓ |
Hillslope   | ✗ |
Lowland   | ✗ |
Spur   | ✓ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  Downland spur edge
North   | ✗ |
Northeast   | ✗ |
East   | ✗ |
Southeast   | ✗ |
South   | ✗ |
Southwest   | ✗ |
West   | ✗ |
Northwest   | ✗ |
Level   | ✓ |
Altitude:  110.0m
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 |
On Ist Ed. OS map (1871-81). RCHME measured survey South Wiltshire Project, ref. no. 831573.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   | OS map |
Earthwork Survey (None):   | RCHME measured survey South Wiltshire Project. |
No evidence for internal features.
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   | ✗ |
The single gap towards the W end may not be original.
1:   | None |
2:   | The single gap towards the W end may not be original. |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
1. Simple Gap (West):   | Possibly not original. |
Bank stands c. 0.9m high internally and to 2.3m above external ditch. Polygonal shaped with sides c. 70m in length. Two additional banks with ditches to E - relationship to other banks and function unknown. They could be hollow ways, remnants of a multivallation attempt or a more lightly defended late Iron Age settlement. Immediately to E broad level area or berm associated with bank and external ditch. This second ditch curves to meet that associated with the polygon and appears to cut through course of latter; however both constructions appear parts of same system.
Area 1:   | 4.0ha. |
Total:   | 4.0ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
✗   | None |
✗   | N rampart destroyed before 1894. |
NE Quadrant:   | 0 |
SE Quadrant:   | 3 |
SW Quadrant:   | 1 |
NW Quadrant:   | 0 |
Total:   | 3 |
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 |
✓   | Two additional banks with ditches to E - relationship to other banks and function unknown. |
Number of Ditches:  3
✓   | Possible annexe to SE and ditches E of annexe fade on flat ground. |
Pugh, R.B. and Crittall, E. eds 1957. A history of Wiltshire, 1.1, The Victoria history of the counties of England, Oxford: OUP 268.
Sumner H. 1913. Ancient Earthworks of Cranborne Chase, 33.
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