LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Northamptonshire 1124 (MNN3919)
NMR: SP 6 7 SE 3 (341910)
SM: None
NGR: SP 6746 7290
X: 467460 Y: 272900 (OSGB36)
Situated within the former Guilsborough Park on the S edge of Guilsborough, a sub-rectangular enclosure aligned along a ridge top with extensive views to the N and S. Univallate with a ditch but no evidence for an entrance, partially within private gardens. First described by Camden in the early 17th century. The rampart is much denuded and destroyed in places, 1m high in places as spread rampart material as confirmed by an RCHME survey (Pattison and Oswald 1993-4; RCHME 1993). The ditch is confirmed by excavation (Cadman 1989), this also produced pottery of the 5th-2nd centuries BC within a buried soil beneath the rampart. Roman pottery from surface finds, Guilsborough is regarded as an Anglo-Saxon 'burgh' name.
Citizen Science: ✓
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -112548 Y: 6863658 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -1.011031862416673 Latitude: 52.34999413625735 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Northamptonshire
Historic County: Northamptonshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Guilsborough
None
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
None
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
A partial contour fort on an isolated ridge top with good views to N and S
| 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 a ridge top with good views to N and S
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 170.0m
N/A
Pottery from excavation, 5th-2nd centuries BC (Cadman 1989), buried soil beneath the rampart. Roman pottery from surface finds, Guilsborough is regarded as an Anglo-Saxon 'burgh' name.
Reliability: B - Medium
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✓ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
| Artefactual: | None |
First noted by Camden in the early 17th century. Excavation by Northamptonshire Archaeological Unit, two trenches in the interior, one across the rampart and ditch (Cadman 1989, earthwork survey by RCHME in 1993 (Pattison and Oswald 1993-4; RCHME 1993). EH geophysics 1992.
| Excavation (1989): | None |
| Geophysical Survey (1992): | None |
| Earthwork Survey (1993): | None |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (None): | Camden's Britannia |
Limited excavation in the interior revealed pottery and a pit.
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 | ✗ |
NO APPARENT FEATURES
| APs Not Checked | ✓ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
No evidence of an entrance.
| None: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
The rampart is much denuded and destroyed in places, 1m high in places as spread rampart material. Ditch confirmed by excavation.
| Area 1: | 2.5ha. |
| Total: | 2.5ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | None |
| 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 | ✗ |
None
| 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: 1
| ✗ | None |
Cadman, G. 1989. Guilsborough enclosure archaeological evaluation, July 1989. Northamptonshire Archaeological Unit, unpublished report.
Pattison, P. and Oswald, A. 1993-4. An Iron Age hillfort at Guilsborough (SP 673728). Northamptonshire Archaeol. 25, 179.
Payne, A. W. 1993 GUILSBOROUGH ENCLOSURE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE REPORT ON GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY, DECEMBER 1992, AM LAB REPORT 22/93.
RCHME 1993. Guilsborough, Northamptonshire. An archaeological survey by the RCHME. Unpublished report.
Atlas of Hillforts:
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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