Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN2857 Burgh Banks, Lincolnshire (Borough Banks)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Lincolnshire 34015 (None)

NMR:  SK 93 SE 42 (1042648)

SM:  None

NGR:  SK 9559 3305

X:  495590  Y:  333050  (OSGB36)

Summary

Lying 500m to the SW of Old Somerby, an enclosure of 3.3ha, possibly a univallate hillfort surviving as cropmarks and earthworks. Oval in form measuring 220m by 190m formed from an earthen bank and external ditch. It is considered to be a hillfort based on comparisons to Tattershall Thorpe (Atlas no. 2851). When first examined in 1980 most of the bank survived. A field inspection in 1992 showed that the E and part of the S side was still visible as a slight earthworks at that time. A possible terminal for an entrance lies in the E, an adjoining bank runs southwards from the SW. A dry valley runs E-W through the northern quadrant of the enclosure and traces of subdivisions recorded within the enclosure are probably modern field boundaries. No internal features are recorded. Ridge and furrow seen on aerial photographs within and outside the enclosure appears to respect the enclosing banks. It was only discovered in the 1980s and is not recorded on OS mapping. Minimal investigations, not dated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -64652  Y:  6962012  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -0.5807828120599482  Latitude:  52.88639758503778  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Lincolnshire

Historic County:  Lincolnshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Old Somerby

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 level terrain fort lying at 114m OD. A dry valley runs E-W through the northern quadrant of the enclosure

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:  114.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Undated

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:   Ridge and furrow ploughing contained within the enclosure

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

General reference in Chowne et al. (1986). Mapped as part of the Lincolnshire NMP in 1996.

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1986):   None
Other (1996):   Lincolnshire NMP

Interior Features

No internal features are known

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

None

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

Entrances

A possible terminal for an entrance lies in the E

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   None

Enclosing Works

Oval enclosure of 3.3ha surviving as a cropmarked external ditch and slight earthworks. It measures 220m by 190m

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   3.3ha.
Total:   3.3ha.

Total Footprint Area:  3.3ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area calculated from dimensions

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Now mostly destroyed

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

Chowne, P, Girling, M, Greig, J. 1986. Excavations At An Iron Age Defended Enclosure At Tattershall Thorpe, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, Vol. 52. 184 and Figure 11.

May, J. 1993. The later Iron Age, in An Historical Atlas of Lincolnshire. Bennett, S. & Bennett, N (eds), 13.



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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