Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN3830 The Walls, Nursling Rownhams, Hampshire and Isle of Wight (The Wall)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Hampshire 25274 (None)

NMR:  SU 31 NE 16 (226686)

SM:  None

NGR:  SU35931577

X:  435930  Y:  115770  (OSGB36)

Summary

Low-lying possible site of inland promontory fort, now destroyed, if ever existed, by gravel extraction. SW-facing promontory bounded on three sides by River Test and streams. Traces of site formerly located in field adjoining Nursling Farm, on N of road to a mill, now gone. Modern construction mask a possible site, but present day 'water-ditch', consisting of bank thrown up between two ditches along which, in flood time, water flows, so cutting off the promontory to W, and bounded on three sides by River Test, may be site of the fort. Not on 1st Ed. OS map (1889), but as location of a monastery site is. Listed within the 1280 AD perambulations of the New Forest as a bound-marker. Would have been marshy area in prehistory. Rough grass and scrub/gravel pit. Few investigations. Undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Irreconciled issues

Location

X:  -165867  Y:  6610722  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -1.4900070654115916  Latitude:  50.94019668779678  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Hampshire

Historic County:  Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Nursling and Rownhams

Monument Condition

Destroyed by gravel extraction if ever existed.

Condition:
Extant   ✗
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Rough grass/scrub/gravel pit.

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

Possible site of inland promontory fort now destroyed, if ever existed, by gravel extraction. Promontory bounded on three sides by River Test and streams.

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:  Promontory.

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

Altitude:  7.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None.

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:   Listed within the 1280 AD perambulations of the New Forest as a bound-marker. Not on 1st Ed. OS map (1889), but as a monastery site is.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Not on 1st Ed. OS map (1889), but as location of monastery. The Walls was used as bound-marker within the 1280 perambulation of the New Forest. The boundary continued from `la Wade' (NAR SU 31 NW 21) down River Blackwater, then followed pre-conquest estate boundary as far as River Test to The Walls.

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1280):   Listed within the 1280 AD perambulations of the New Forest as a bound-marker.

Interior Features

Destroyed.

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

Site destroyed.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Site destroyed.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   Noneha.
Total:   Noneha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area not defined.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Site destroyed.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   None
SE Quadrant:   None
SW Quadrant:   None
NW Quadrant:   None
Total:   None

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

Site destroyed.

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:  0

Annex:
✗   None

References

Clarke, A. 1993. Note, Proc Hampshire Fld Club Archaeol Soc, Sec News, 19, 4-5.

Crawford, O.G.S. 1913. Note, Proc Hampshire Fld Club Archaeol Soc, 6, Supplement, 36-7.



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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