LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Shropshire 60 (None)
NMR: SJ 40 NE 3 (67626)
SM: 1003016
NGR: SJ 489087
X: 348947 Y: 308755 (OSGB36)
Isolated, multivallate, contour hillfort located at the E end of a low-lying knoll or spur overlooking the Severn plain and the confluence of the Severn and Rea Brook near Shrewsbury. Sub-rectangular, enclosing c. 2.1ha. Much affected by housing development up to the 1970's, when minor trenches dug as result of planning proposals (no report). As a result, the complex banks of the S/SW corner have either been destroyed or are situated within domestic curtilages. Apart from here, the fort is bivallate for most of the circuit, and on most of the N side the ramparts are still in place, though ploughed in part. The absence of a rampart at the N corner is probably due to quarrying, Quarrying has also affected the E side, and the outer bank here may not be entirely original, being a modern field bank following the original line. A series of trenches, as a result of development in the 1970's, showed a red clay subsoil and the rampart to be composed of yellow/grey sandy soil of possibly redeposited Boulder Clay with a concentration of largish stones stacked up almost vertically, but not faced; a possible but unproven revetment. An exposure on the E side was similar. Between these stacks were levels of charred, and possible horizontal, timbers suggesting a form of burnt timber-lacing or timber framing. The main entrance was probably on the W/SW and has been destroyed by development. There is another entrance at the E corner with an inturn on the S side. Although much mutilated, the site does show interesting features and a Section 17 agreement has put in place a scrub clearance programme. Undated. On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -306853 Y: 6922934 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -2.756503696822003 Latitude: 52.67405814091826 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Shropshire
Historic County: Shropshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Bayston Hill
Much affected by housing development up to the 1970' and as a result the complex banks of the S/SW corner have either been destroyed or are situated within domestic curtilages. Section 17 agreement has put in place a scrub clearance programme. On Heritage at Risk Register (2015).
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Pasture, wood and scrub with housing encroachment.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Located on a low-lying knoll overlooking the Severn plain and the confluence of the Severn and Rea Brook.
| 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: Low-lying knoll.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 88.0m
N/A
No dating.
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 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900). Field observation Ordnance Survey 1962. Watching Brief and excavation A. Tyler 1979 (no report). Field observation English Heritage 1980, 1981, 1982. Field observation Shropshire CC 1993. Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP 1993-2000. Shropshire Council survey 2012.
| Other (1962): | Field observation OS. |
| Other (1979): | Watching Brief A. Tyler. |
| Other (1993): | Field observation Shropshire CC. |
| Other (2012): | Shropshire Council survey. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | 1st Ed OS |
| Excavation (None): | Minor trenches only. |
| Other (None): | Field observation EH. |
| Other (None): | Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP. |
Much affected by development and no interior evidence as result.
Stream located 0.1km outside the fort.
| 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 | ✗ |
Interior not excavated, but features can be expected.
| 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 main entrance was probably on the W/SW and has been destroyed by development. There is another entrance at the E corner with an inturn on the S side
| 1: | None |
| 2: | Main W/SW entrance obliterated by development |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (West): | The main entrance was probably on the W/SW and has been destroyed by development. Simple gap default. |
| 2. In-turned (East): | Entrance at the E corner with an inturn on the S side |
Much affected by housing development up to the 1970' and as a result the complex banks of the S/SW corner have either been destroyed or are situated within domestic curtilages. Apart from here the fort is bivallate for most of the circuit and on most of the N side the defences are still in place, though ploughed in part. The absence of a rampart at the N corner is probably due to quarrying, Quarrying has also affected the E side, and the outer bank here may not be entirely original and is a field bank following the original line. A series of trenches as a result of development in the 1970's showed a red clay subsoil and the rampart to be composed of yellow/grey sandy soil of possibly redeposited Boulder Clay with a concentration of largish stones stacked up almost vertically, but not faced; a possible but unproven revetment. An exposure on the E side was similar. Between these stacks were levels of charred and possible horizontal timbers suggesting a form of burnt timber-lacing or timber framing.
| Area 1: | 2.1ha. |
| Total: | 2.1ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
W/SW side part obliterated by development, but elsewher circuit mostly bivallate.
| ✗ | Housing development mitigates against a final area definition. |
| ✗ | W/SW side part obliterated by development. |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Form suggests an earthen bank.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
A series of trenches as a result of development in the 1970's showed a red clay subsoil and the rampart to be composed of yellow/grey sandy soil of possibly redeposited Boulder Clay with a concentration of largish stones stacked up almost vertically, but not faced; a possible but unproven revetment. An exposure on the E side was similar. Between these stacks were levels of charred and possible horizontal timbers suggesting a form of burnt timber-lacing or timber framing.
| 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 |
| ✗ | None visible. |
Number of Ditches: 0
| ✗ | None |
Dorling, P. and Wigley, A. 2012. Assessment of the archaeological and conservation status of major later prehistoric enclosures in Herefordshire and Shropshire, EH PNUM, Version 3.2, Hereford and Shrewsbury: Herefordshire Council/Shropshire Council.
Page, W. ed. 1908. Victoria County History of Shropshire, 1, 375, Institute of Historical Research.
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