Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0999 Bury Camp, Leicestershire (Ratby Camp; Ratby Burrow)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Leicestershire and Rutland MLE3100 (None)

NMR:  SK 4 0 NE 4 (921291)

SM:  1005079

NGR:  SK 4981 0577

X:  449820  Y:  305780  (OSGB36)

Summary

To the E of Ratby, on the slopes of a commanding hill. A well preserved rectangular enclosure of c.4ha, 230m by 130m. On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900). A single bank and external ditch, the bank is massive in places nearly 5m high. Originally thought to have had four entrances, one in the middle of each side, but now shown that only the W one is original (Ball 1981-2). Surface finds of late Bronze Age and Iron Age pottery have been found associated with the bank. A mortarium sherd also found. The original interpretation as a Roman camp is unlikely. Minimal investigations. Incorporated into a medieval deer park.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -140827  Y:  6918050  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.2650717829955072  Latitude:  52.64744844407528  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Leicestershire

Historic County:  Leicestershire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Ratby

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

None

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

On the slope of a commanding hill, overlooking a small valley.

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:  Overlooking a small valley

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

Altitude:  107.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Surface finds of late Bronze Age and Iron Age pottery have been found associated with the bank. A mortarium sherd also found. Incorporated into a medieval deer park.

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

On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900). Field description by Ball (1981-2).

Investigations:
Other (1981):   None
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   None

Interior Features

Surface finds of late Bronze Age and Iron Age pottery have been found associated with the bank. A mortarium sherd also found.

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

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

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✓
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

A total of 8 breaks through the rampart, shown that only the W one is original.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
8:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (West):   None

Enclosing Works

A single bank and external ditch, the bank is massive in places nearly 5m high.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   4.0ha.
Total:   4.0ha.

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:   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:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Ball, M. 1981-2. Bury Camp, Ratby- a new look at the earthworks, Leicestershire Archaeol Hist Soc Trans, 57, 84.

Page, W. (ed) 1907. The Victoria history of the county of Leicester, Volume 1, 215, 253.



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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