Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN2572 Botany Hill, Surrey

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Surrey 1727 (None)

NMR:  SU 84 NE 17 (247197)

SM:  1013869

NGR:  SU 8766 4636

X:  487660  Y:  146360  (OSGB36)

Summary

Situated to the SW of The Sands, on a steep sided knoll on the SW slope of Botany Hill, 500m W of Soldier's Ring (Atlas number 2573) and similar in size and form. C-shaped in plan, univallate with a bank and outer ditch, open to the E, enclosed area measures approximately 40m N-S, enclosing approximately 0.2ha. On the SW the bank is 6m wide and 0.5m high, the ditch is 6m wide and 1m deep, the ditch shows to the W and N as a 4m wide terrace c. 2m below the level of the hilltop. To the W and N the natural steep slope of the hill has been scarped for additional effect. Beyond the ditch to the SW is a counterscarp bank 5m wide and 1.2m high. A small-scale excavation (Reeves 1993) suggested that the ramparts did not form a continuous circuit and the site was possibly unfinished. No evidence for interior features or an entrance. Surface finds of calcined stone. Shown on OS 6" map (1961). Undated. Originally thought to be a barrow, also perhaps medieval (Hanworth 1976), but scheduled as a slight univallate hillfort.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -83096  Y:  6658466  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -0.7464661939059235  Latitude:  51.20967081600829  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Surrey

Historic County:  Surrey

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Farnham

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 hillslope fort facing west

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:  None

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

Altitude:  120.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

No dating evidence

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

Shown on OS 6" map (1961). Excavation 1993.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1961):   None
Excavation (1993):   None

Interior Features

No evidence for interior. Surface finds of calcined stone.

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

No evidence for entrances

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
None:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

C-shaped in plan, univallate with a bank and outer ditch, open to the E, enclosed area measures c40m N-S, c0.18ha. On the SW the bank is 6m wide and 0.5m high, the ditch is 6m wide and 1m deep, the ditch shows to the W and N as a 4m wide terrace c2m below the level of the hilltop. To the W and N the natural steep slope of the hill has been scarped for additional effect. Beyond the ditch to the SW is a counterscarp bank 5m wide and 1.2m high.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.2ha.
Total:   0.2ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   None
SE Quadrant:   None
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

Grinsell, L.V. 1934. An analysis and list of Surrey barrows.Surrey Archaeol Collect, 42, 54.

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.

Hanworth, R. 1976. Seale, Crooksbury: Two dubious hillforts. Surrey Archael Bulletin, 123, January 1976.

Lowther, A. 1939. Survey of the prehistory of the Farnham district, Surrey, Surrey Archaeological Society, 204.

Reeves, P. 1993. Report on the evaluation excavation of earthworks on Botany Hill. CAS Code 491, in HER, Unpublished.



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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