LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Wiltshire and Swindon MWI59 (None)
NMR: ST 73 SE 16 (202597)
SM: 1005643
NGR: ST76363471
X: 376366 Y: 134719 (OSGB36)
Multiple enclosure hillfort located on NW-SE Greensand ridge high above Stourhead House. Probably of two period construction. Phase I has the outer work comprising large rampart with outer ditch and counterscarp bank enclosing 2.3ha. There are two entrances, E and W, both damaged. Phase II has inner work, D-shaped in plan, with sharp angles to NW and SW, measuring 130m by 98m, with rampart of 8m wide to 1m max high and external rather flat-bottomed ditch 6m wide and 0.3m-1.2m deep. This encloses c. 1.2ha. Uneven bank and ditch suggests this phase either not completed or damaged. Off-set entrance to SE. Wide areas between inner and outer enclosures to W (especially) and SE near entrance. Nothing visible in interior, but no excavation. Site tree covered but in good condition. On Ist Ed. OS map (1887-9).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -260378 Y: 6640990 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -2.3390149949889407 Latitude: 51.11121544799152 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Wiltshire
Historic County: Wiltshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Stourton with Gasper
Although wooded, site in good condition. Uneven bank and ditch suggests Phase II inner enclosure either not completed or damaged.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Wooded site.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Multiple enclosure hillfort, of two period construction, located on NW-SE Greensand ridge high above Stourhead House.
| 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: NW-SE Greensand ridge.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 213.0m
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 (1887-9). RCHME measured survey South Wiltshire Project, ref. no. 831573.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | OS map. |
| Earthwork Survey (None): | RCHME measured survey South Wiltshire. |
None.
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 | ✗ |
Two original entrances to outer enclosure, NW and SE corner. Former damaged by track passing through site NW-SE, which also passes through modern gap on S. SE corner entrance bisected by old boundary bank possibly of medieval origin. Inner enclosure has three modern gaps - to the W, N and SE (through track passes through), with offset original entrance, also on SE.
| 7: | One modern gap to outer enclosure; three modern gaps to inner enclosure. |
| 2: | Two original entrances to outer enclosure, NW and SE corner. One to inner enclosure on SE. |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North west): | Outer enclosure. |
| 2. Simple Gap (South east): | Outer enclosure. |
| 3. Oblique (South east): | Offset entrance to inner enclosure. |
Phase I has the outer work comprising large rampart with outer ditch and counterscarp bank enclosing 2.3ha. Phase II has inner work, D-shaped in plan, with sharp angles to NW and SW, measuring 130m by 98m, with rampart of 8m wide to 1m max high and external rather flat-bottomed ditch 6m wide and 0.3m-1.2m deep. This encloses c. 1.2ha. Uneven bank and ditch suggests this phase either not completed or damaged. Wide areas between inner and outer enclosures to W (especially) and SE near entrance.
| Area 1: | 2.3ha. |
| Area 2: | 1.0ha. |
| Total: | 2.3ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✓ | Two phases; latter has Inner enclosure of c. 1ha. |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 2 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✓ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Wide areas between inner and outer enclosures to W (especially) and SE near entrance. Uneven bank and ditch suggests Phase II inner enclosure either not completed or damaged.
| 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 |
| ✓ | None |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Colt Hoare, R.C. 1812. The ancient history of Wiltshire, 1, London: Miller, 38-9.
Pugh, R.B. and Crittall, E. eds 1957. A history of Wiltshire, 1.1, The Victoria history of the counties of England, Oxford: OUP, 269.
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