Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0766 Towbury Hill Camp, Gloucestershire (Towbury Hill)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Gloucestershire 446 (None)

NMR:  SO 83 NE 1 (115727)

SM:  1005565

NGR:  SO880370

X:  388000  Y:  237000  (OSGB36)

Summary

Univallate contour hillfort located on a low NW-facing spur, at 50m O.D. just above the River Severn floodplain to W. Much affected by quarrying and setting badly affected by M50 immediately to N. Gentle surrounding slopes, slightly steeper on S. NW bank greatly reduced and c. 50m of SW gone. Outer ditch visible on SE c. 1m deep, elsewhere infilled and probably buried feature. Encloses 4.2ha. NE entrance possibly original. Ramparts and entrance tree lined. Possible medieval disturbance. Interior contains ridge and furrow. Post-medieval sandstone quarry on SW corner and medieval disturbance. No dating. On 1st Ed. OS map (1885).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✓

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -242270  Y:  6805776  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.176344319162476  Latitude:  52.031238593074704  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Gloucestershire

Historic County:  Gloucestershire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Twyning

Monument Condition

Post-medieval sandstone quarry on SW corner and possibly medieval disturbance. M50 immediately to N affects siting badly.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Trees to N, S, W. Quarry.

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

Univallate contour hillfort located on a low NW-facing spur, at 50m O.D. just above the River Severn floodplain to W.

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:  Low spur

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

Altitude:  50.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Chance finds of possibly 1st century AD pottery.

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:
Artefactual:   Not reliable dating evidence.

Investigation History

On 1st Ed. OS map (1885). Watching Brief Worcestershire County Council, 1999. Aerial Photograph interpretation English Heritage: The Carrant Valley Landscape NMP, 2006-2009.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1885):   OS map.
Other (None):   Aerial Photograph interpretation English Heritage.

Interior Features

Extant ridge and furrow in interior. Some pottery, possibly 1st century AD.

Water Source

None recorded. Pond modern

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

Extant ridge and furrow.

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

Some pottery, possibly 1st century AD.

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

NE entrance possibly original, simple gap.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   None

Enclosing Works

NW bank greatly reduced and c. 50m of SW destroyed. Outer ditch visible on SE c. 1m deep, elsewhere infilled and probably buried feature.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   4.2ha.
Total:   4.2ha.

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:   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

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:
✓   Outer ditch visible on SE c. 1m deep, elsewhere infilled and probably buried feature.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Bishop S. 2009. The Carrant Valley Landscape NMP: National Mapping Programme Report, Report No: 30-2009, English Heritage.



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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