Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0144 Badbury Camp, Berkshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Oxfordshire 7101 (MOX198)

NMR:  SU 29 SE 17 (225965)

SM:  1004857

NGR:  SU 2611 9466

X:  426150  Y:  194650  (OSGB36)

Summary

North of Great Coxwell in Badbury Wood (National Trust), a roughly circular contour fort on a slight hill enclosing 3.6ha. Mentioned by various antiquarians, on 1st Ed. OS map. Univallate for entire circuit with possible counterscarp bank to S, rampart up to 0.5m high in places, ditch only survives on S side, rampart much mutilated to W, no more information from LiDAR survey. Wooded over entire site but with two c. 20m wide pathways running N-S and E-W. Entrance at SE, simple gap and geophysics shows a causeway over ditch. Geophysics along the internal pathways shows roundhouses and pits in the interior. Geophysics shows annex ditch running from NE corner, not fully surveyed. Over 100 sherds of late Bronze Age, early and middle Iron Age pottery found by surface collection. Romano-British pottery suggests possible re-use.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✓

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -180721  Y:  6737085  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.6234423326244727  Latitude:  51.6499927608388  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Oxfordshire

Historic County:  Berkshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Great Coxwell

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Inner rampart is upstanding earthwork for most of the circuit, within National Trust woodland, some damage due to trees and tracks, possible counterscarp bank is much eroded but still visible in places

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

Contour fort on flat-topped hill

Type:
Contour Fort   ✓
Partial Contour Fort   ✗
Promontory Fort   ✗
Hillslope Fort   ✗
Level Terrain Fort   ✗
Marsh Fort   ✗
Multiple Enclosure Fort   ✗

Topographic Position

Contour fort on flat-topped hill

Position:
Hilltop   ✓
Coastal Promontory   ✗
Inland Promontory   ✗
Valley Bottom   ✗
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   ✗
Ridge   ✗
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   ✗
Hillslope   ✗
Lowland   ✗
Spur   ✗

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Hill with good views

Aspect:
North   ✗
Northeast   ✗
East   ✗
Southeast   ✗
South   ✗
Southwest   ✗
West   ✗
Northwest   ✗
Level   ✓

Altitude:  162.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Possible LBA/EIA sherds, EIA sherds, Romano-British sherds, all from surface collection

Reliability:  C - Low

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 from surface collection

Investigation History

In Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica (1665-1693). Mentioned by Gough (1790, Biblio Topo Brit 4), on 1st Ed. OS map. Surface finds only, pottery (Hingley 1983). LiDAR and geophysics, 2016 (National Trust and MOLA).

Investigations:
Other (1983):   Surface survey
Other (2003):   Visited by Hillfort Study Group
Geophysical Survey (2016):   None
LiDAR Survey (2016):   None
1st Identified Written Reference (None):   None
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   1st Ed. OS

Interior Features

No excavation, geophysics shows roundhouses and pits. Surface finds only, pottery (Hingley 1983)

Water Source

None

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

None

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

Finds

Surface finds only, pottery (Hingley 1983)

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

Possible entrance represented by 12m gap in rampart on the E side, supported by geophysics showing causeway.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
None:   Unknown due to woodland cover

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South east):   Possible entrance represented by 12m gap in rampart on the E side.

Enclosing Works

A low bank averages 10.0m wide overall, 0.5m high internally and 1.0m high externally. An outer ditch, 0.7m deep and 10.0m wide, survives only on the S side.On the E side, 20.0m from the rampart and parallel to it, is a faint rise in the pasture field which may represent a counterscarp bank

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   3.6ha.
Total:   3.6ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

Univallate with single ditch for whole circuit, possible second rampart or counterscarp bank to S

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

Earthen bank

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, best on S side, 0.7m deep and 10m wide.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✓   Shown by geophysics, ditch running N form NE corner.

References

Cotton, M. A. 1962. Berkshire Hill Forts. Berkshire Archaeol J, 60: 30-52

Hingley, R. 1983. Great Coxwell: Badbury. S Midlands Archaeol, 13, 128-9

National Trust and MOLA. 2016. LiDAR and geophysical survey, Badbury Camp. Unpublished report.



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


Document Version 1.1