LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Oxfordshire 5133 (MOX2543)
NMR: SP 31 SE 9 (334760)
SM: None
NGR: SP 3935 1148
X: 439350 Y: 211550 (OSGB36)
Within Eynsham Hall Park, North Leigh, on a low spur with good views except to the N. On 1st Ed. OS map (1885-1900). A roughly circular univallate enclosure of 1.4ha with a sub-rectangular annex of 4.0h attached to the S. The earthworks are in good condition for both elements, c2m high with a c.2m deep outer ditch for the main enclosure and a lesser bank of c.1m around the annex. The enclosure has modern gaps and a single original entrance to the SE which leads into the annex, this has breaks to the E, S and W although it isn't clear which are original. The enclosure and N part of the annex are in woodland, the majority of the annex in open parkland. Sutton (1966) mentions a small-scale excavation across the bank of the main enclosure in 1955 but no records can be traced. No dating evidence but probably Iron Age based on its earthwork morphology.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -159271 Y: 6764254 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -1.4307531346489422 Latitude: 51.801171617128716 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Oxfordshire
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: North Leigh
None
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
The earthworks of the enclosure and annex are upstanding and in good condition, the enclosure is wooded, the annex is also at the N where it joins the enclosure, the central and S sections are in open parkland.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✓ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Located on a flat spur with good views except to the N, a partial contour fort
| 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: On slightly raised spur, good views in all directions except to the N
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 91.0m
N/A
Assumed Iron Age based on morphology of earthworks
Reliability: C - Low
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✓ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
| Morphology/Earthwork/Typology: | Assumed Iron Age |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1885-1900). Two trenches across rampart of small enclosure in 1955, at NE and SW, mentioned in Sutton (1966) but no records identified.
| Excavation (1955): | No records identified |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | 1st Ed. OS |
No evidence for interior features.
A pond at the E side of the annex fed by a stream.
| 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 | ✗ |
A single entrance to the SE, a simple gap, leads into the annex.
| 4: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South east): | Entrance into the annex |
Univallate for the entire circuit, bank stands to c.2m high with an outer ditch c.2m deep.
| Area 1: | 1.4ha. |
| Total: | 1.4ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 5.4ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| 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 | ✗ |
Eathern bank for entire circuit
| 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 |
| ✓ | Single outer ditch for entire circuit, survives to c.2m deep in places |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✓ | An annex of c.4.0ha adjoins the southern side of the main enclosure, univallate with the bank reaching c.1m high on the E with traces of a ditch outside it (possibly identified in the SW excavation trench as a 'square cut ditch'). A gap, probably not original where it joins the W side of the main enclosure and a larger break at the S, gap (now a pond) where it joins at the E. The earthwork is much smaller than the main enclosure, indicating a possible stock enclosure. |
Manning, P. and Leeds, E.T. 1921. An archaeological survey of Oxfordshire. London: Society of Antiquaries.
Page, W. (ed) 1907. The Victoria History of the County of Oxford, Vol II. London, 314.
Sutton, J.E.G. 1966. Iron-Age hill-forts and some other earthworks in Oxfordshire, Oxoniensia, 31, 28-42.
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