Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0756 Willersey Camp, Gloucestershire (Willersey Hill Camp)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Gloucestershire 333 (None)

NMR:  SP 13 NW 9 (330616)

SM:  1003815; 1003327

NGR:  SP117383

X:  411700  Y:  238300  (OSGB36)

Summary

Large, partial contour, part bivallate, hillfort located on N-facing Cotswold spur of Willersey Hill. Encloses 28ha. Steep surrounding slopes to N and W, moderate to E and S along spur ridge. Two banks and ditch to W and single bank and ditch to S and E, strong in places. Seemingly, natural defence on N, but here traces of bank suggested, but much disturbed by quarrying and slumping makes interpretation difficult. Two close-set banks with ditch between Inner bank, set along highest part of summit of hill to SW, rises to nearly 1m above interior and just over 2m above present surface at bottom of ditch. Outer bank stands c. 1m above exterior with outer ditch not visible. S defined only by inner bank, to nearly 2m high and skirting head of narrow combe. Bivallate E side drops N from summit down a slope. Possible ditch inside rampart on SE. Original entrances cannot be identified. Iron Age pottery found in 1987 with human bone and flints. Geophysical survey and small-scale excavation (no details). Undated inhumations and other features located outside enclosed area. Neolitihc long barrow in interior. Much reduced by cultivation and construction of golf course (Broadway Golf Club). On 1st Ed. OS map (1885).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -203808  Y:  6807893  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.8308358540597531  Latitude:  52.04293720274214  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England; None

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Gloucestershire; Worcestershire

Historic County:  Gloucestershire; Worcestershire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Willersey; Broadway

Monument Condition

By 1875 much reduced by cultivation. Damaged by golf course construction in 1970's, especially to outer E bank and SW corner, and quarrying.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Golf course (Broadway Golf Club) and quarrying.

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

Large partial contour , part bivallate, hillfort located on N-facing Cotswold spur of Willersey Hill

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

Topographic Position

Escarpment of hill gives steep natural defence to the north

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

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Spur

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

Altitude:  260.0m

Boundary

Located within Gloucestershire (Cotswold District and Willersey Parish) and Worcestershire (Wychavon District and Broadway Parish.)

Boundary Type:  County


Dating Evidence

Surface finds of middle Iron Age pottery in Cheltenham Museum.

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:   None

Investigation History

In Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica (1665-1693). Reference by S. Rudder 1779. On 1st Ed. OS map (1885). Watching Brief 1978. Excavation J. Wills, 1987, Watching Brief, G. Walker 1990 (no details). Geophysical survey Stratascan 1997. Air Photograph Interpretation English Heritage: Gloucestershire NMP (North Cotswolds and Forest of Dean) 2002-2006.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1885):   OS map.
Other (1978):   Watching Brief.
Excavation (1987):   J.Wills.
Other (1990):   G. Walker.
Geophysical Survey (1997):   Stratascan.
1st Identified Written Reference (None):   None
Other (None):   English Heritage.

Interior Features

Survey of five areas of proposed woodland planting within hillfort showed evidence for continuation of ramparts to N of hotel and possible settlement site in NW corner. Middle Iron Age pottery found with human bone and flints.

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

Survey of five areas of proposed woodland planting within hillfort showed evidence for continuation of ramparts to N of hotel and possible settlement site in NW corner.

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

Finds

Middle Iron Age pottery found with human bone and flints.

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

Original entrances cannot be identified.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Two banks and ditch to W and single bank and ditch to S and E, strong in places. Seemingly, natural defence on N, but here traces of bank have been suggested, but much disturbed by quarrying and slumping makes interpretation difficult. Two close-set banks with ditch between Inner bank, set along highest part of summit of hill to SW, rises to nearly 1m above interior and just over 2m above present surface at bottom of ditch. Outer bank stands c. 1m above exterior with outer ditch not visible. S defined only by inner bank, to nearly 2m high and skirting head of a narrow combe. Bivallate E side drops N from summit down a slope. Possible ditch inside rampart on SE.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   28.0ha.
Total:   28.0ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   2
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

Excavation in advance of construction of golf clubhouse 1987 revealed substantial boundary ditch 3.3m wide and 1.3m deep. This was of two phases, thought to represent N side of an inner enclosure visible on aerial photographs. Finds from ditch few, but included fragments of shell-tempered pottery.

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:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

Barker P.P. 1997. GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY AT BROADWAY GOLF CLUB, BROADWAY, WORCESTERSHIRE, STRATASCAN 1210.

RCHME 1976. Ancient and historical monuments in the County of Gloucestershire, Vol. I: Iron Age and Romano- British monuments in Gloucestershire Cotswolds, London: HMSO, 107.

Rudder, S. 1779. A new history of Gloucestershire, Cirencester: Author, 823.

Stoertz, C. 2012. The North Cotswolds: a highlight report for the National Mapping Programme, Report No 17-2012, Centre for Archaeology.



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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