Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN2571 Hillbury, Surrey

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Surrey 1487 (None)

NMR:  SU 94 NW 27 (250505)

SM:  1017797

NGR:  SU 91100 46850

X:  491100  Y:  146850  (OSGB36)

Summary

Located NW of Shackleford on Puttenham Common, a plateau-edge fort with good views over lower ground. Univallate with a ditch enclosing the end of a spur forming a N-S aligned sub-rectangular interior of c.2ha. Most impressive to the E across the level ground which is the neck of the spur, here the bank is 12m wide and 2m high with an outer ditch 8m wide and 0.75m deep. The N and S ramparts are designed to accentuate the naturally sloping spur edges, the steep slope in the W makes any artificial enhancement unnecessary. A single entrance is a 13m wide gap through the rampart to the S with a causeway across the ditch, several other modern breaks caused by paths and tracks. A 7m wide roughly curving bank constructed across the W side of the interior is probably a medieval stock enclosure. WWII trenches and pits have disturbed the W half of the site. On 1:25,000 OS map (1937-61). Small excavation in 1887 (Lasham) produced only a flint scraper, flakes, an animal bone and ashes. Undated but probably Iron Age.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -77602  Y:  6659153  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -0.697108484300487  Latitude:  51.21353800016373  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Surrey

Historic County:  Surrey

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Puttenham

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

a plateau-edge fort with good views over lower ground

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:  a plateau-edge fort with good views over lower ground

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

Altitude:  100.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

No dating evidence. Medieval stock enclosure and WWII trenches.

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:No related records

Investigation History

On 1:25,000 OS map (1937-61). Small excavation in 1887.

Investigations:
Excavation (1887):   None
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   None

Interior Features

No evidence for interior features. Lithics and animal bone from excavation.

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 single entrance is a 13m wide gap through the rampart to the S with a causeway across the ditch, several other modern breaks caused by paths and tracks.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
3:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South):   None

Enclosing Works

Univallate with a single ditch to N, E and S, natural slope to W.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   2.0ha.
Total:   2.0ha.

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:   None
NW Quadrant:   None
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

Clark, A. and Nichols, J. 1960. Hillbury. Surrey Archaeol Collect, 57, 46-7.

Hamilton, S. and Manley, J. 2001. Hillforts, monumentality and place: a chronological and topographical review of First millennium BC hillforts of South-East England. European J Archaeol, 4(1), 7-42.

Lasham, F. 1895. Camps, earthworks, tumuli, etc. in West Surrey. Hillbury Camp, Puttenham. Surrey Archaeol Collect, 12, 148-9.

Malden, H.E. (ed). 1912. The Victoria History of the County of Surrey. Vol 4, 387-8.



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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