Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0351 Bomere Wood, Shropshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Shropshire 59 (None)

NMR:  SJ 50 NW 1 (70078)

SM:  1006251

NGR:  SJ501080

X:  350104  Y:  308093  (OSGB36)

Summary

Scheduled as an Iron Age settlement, a univallate, possible marsh fort located on a glacial terminal morraine on the NW edge of the present Bomere Pool in Bomere Wood to the NW of Cound Brook, and c. 2km SE of The Burgs hillfort (Atlas No 0085) on Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury. Area not defeined. The morraine forms a high, long and narrow ridge and the site consists of two substantial banks and exterior ditches thrown across the ends of the ridge, from the water's edge of the Bomere Pool to an area of marsh on the other side, thus cutting off the approach from the NW and SE. The ditches average some 20m in width and have a minimum depth of 3m. To the NW the inner bank is c. 1.5m high, but is barely traceable on the SE. Although the banks are relatively slight now, the scale of the ditches and the natural form of the sites, makes the defences formidable. No internal features are visible. It has been suggested that the S ditch was possibly intended to connect the Bomere Pool with a now marshy area on the NE side of the ridge and therefore embellish the site with water defence. Betton and Shomere Pools are located nearby, and it is possible, that, in prehistory, this ridge was surrounded by marsh and fen, as would have been found in large areas of Shropshire at the time, and that the site was, in fact, a marsh fort. Undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -304937  Y:  6921861  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.7392931635510696  Latitude:  52.668215323104974  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Shropshire

Historic County:  Shropshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Bayston Hill

Monument Condition

Bank barely traceable on the SE side.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Wooded site.

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

Possible marsh fort in prehistory, located on a glacial terminal morraine on the NW edge of the present Bomere Pool in Bomere Wood to the NW of Cound Brook, and c. 2km SE of The Burgs hillfort on Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury.

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

Topographic Position

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

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Glacial terminal morraine which forms a high, long and narrow ridge.

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

Altitude:  75.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None

Reliability:  D - None

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:No related records

Investigation History

Field observation Ordnance Survey 1962. Field observations Shropshire CC 1978, 1981. Field observation English Heritage1987.

Investigations:
Other (1962):   Field observation OS.
Other (1987):   Field observation English Heritage.
Other (None):   Field observations Shropshire CC.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

The site would have had adequate surrounding water supplies.

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

None

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

No entrance has been recorded.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   No entrance has been recorded.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

The morraine forms a high, long and narrow ridge and the site consists of two substantial banks and exterior ditches thrown across the ends of the ridge, from the water's edge of the Bomere Pool to an area of marsh on the other side, thus cutting off the approach from the NW and SE. The ditches average some 20m in width and have a minimum depth of 3m. To the NW the inner bank is c. 1.5m high, but is barely traceable on the SE. Although the banks are relatively slight now, the scale of the ditches and the natural form of the sites, makes the defences formidable.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   Noneha.
Total:   Noneha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   The enclosed area is not been determined.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Ramparts cut across the ridge. Number of ramparts not determined exactly in NE and SW quarters..

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   None
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   2

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

None

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:
✓   External ditches substantial features and average some 20m in width and have a minimum depth of 3m. It has been suggested that the S ditch was possibly intended to connect the Bomere Pool with a now marshy area on the NE side.

Number of Ditches:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

Page, W. ed. 1908. Victoria County History of Shropshire, 1, 198, Institute of Historical Research.



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


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