Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN3950 Horton Camp, Gloucestershire (The Castles)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  South Gloucestershire 2112 (None)

NMR:  ST 78 SE 1 (205114)

SM:  1002485

NGR:  ST76458438

X:  376450  Y:  184380  (OSGB36)

Summary

Univallate inland promontory fort located on small SW-facing spur on Cotswold edge overlooking valley of Little Avon River. Very steep surrounding slopes on S and W, moderate NE-SE. Roughly D-shaped measuring c. 203m long by 158m wide max. with flat interior c. 2.78ha. Good curvilinear rampart cuts off spur NNW-SSE, generally c. 3m high and c. 12.1 wide, with ditch to c. 7.2m wide, just traceable in part as stone-free dark ploughed soil, now buried feature and nearly gone by 1883 (Witts 1883, 27), its line determined by National Trust geophysical survey 1998. Bank fades to S after farm entrance on NE. Slight bank, to 0.6m high, runs for short distance to W from SE gap. Exposed parts of rampart show fire-reddened limestone on the outer face, midway along its length. Three entrance gaps in rampart: on N a 2m gap near W slope, on NE probably levelled for farm access and at SE corner. Original unclear, but that on SE seems favoured. Pasture interior, with trees/scrub on line of bank in SE. Tree line boundary before steep slope on W and scattered trees on S boundary. On 1st Ed. OS map (1882). Undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -260611  Y:  6720554  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.3411127893494563  Latitude:  51.5577580892775  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  South Gloucestershire

Historic County:  Gloucestershire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Horton

Monument Condition

Good bank, fading from entrance S. Tractor damage in part. Ditch probably ploughed-out. Cattle grazed.

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Pasture interior, with trees/scrub on line of bank in SE. Tree line boundary before steep slope on W and scattered trees on S boundary.

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

Univallate inland promontory fort located on small SW-facing spur on Cotswold edge overlooking valley of the Little Avon River. Very steep surrounding slopes on S and W, moderate NE-SE.

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:  Spur promontory.

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  207.0m

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:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

In Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica (1665-1693). Reference by Samuel Rudder 1779. Reference by T. Baker 1821. On 1st Ed. OS map (1882). Field investigations 1962, 1977 - no details. English Heritage field visit 1984. Geophysical survey M. Papworth National Trust 1998. LiDAR survey Citizen Science information 2015.

Investigations:
Other (1821):   Reference by T. Baker.
1st Identified Map Depiction (1882):   OS map.
Other (1984):   English Heritage field visit.
Geophysical Survey (1998):   M. Papworth for National Trust garden investigation.
LiDAR Survey (2015):   Citizen Science information.
1st Identified Written Reference (None):   In Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica.
Other (None):   Field investigations- no details.

Interior Features

None.

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

Three entrance gaps in rampart: on N a 2m gap near W slope, on NE probably levelled for farm access and at SE corner. Original unclear, but that on SE seems favoured.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
3:   Gaps in rampart on N a 2m gap near W slope, on NE probably levelled for farm access and at SE corner

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Possibly at SE corner.

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South east):   Possible.

Enclosing Works

Good curvilinear rampart cuts off spur NNW-SSE, generally c. 3m high and c. 12.1 wide, with ditch to c. 7.2m wide, just traceable in part as stone-free dark ploughed soil, now buried feature and nearly gone by 1883 (Witts 1883, 27), its line determined by National Trust geophysical survey 1998. Bank fades to S after farm entrance on NE. Slight bank, to 0.6m high, runs for short distance to W from SE gap. Exposed parts of rampart show fire-reddened limestone on the outer face, midway along its length.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   2.78ha.
Total:   2.78ha.

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:   0
NW Quadrant:   0
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

Exposed parts of rampart show fire-reddened limestone on the outer face, midway along its length.

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:
✓   Ditch, to c. 7.2m wide, just traceable in part as stone-free dark ploughed soil, now buried feature and nearly gone by 1883 (Witts 1883, 27), its line determined by National Trust geophysical survey 1998.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Anon 1999. Note, The National Trust annual archaeological review, 7/1999.

Lloyd Baker, T.J.1821. An Account of a Chain of Ancient Fortresses, extending through the South Western part of Gloucestershire, Archaeologia, 19, 161-75.

RCHME 1976. Ancient and Historical Monuments in the County of Gloucester Iron Age and Romano-British Monuments in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds, London: HMSO, 65-66.

Rudder, S. 1779. A new history of Gloucestershire, Cirencester: Samuel Rudder, 503.

Witts, G.B. 1883. Archaeological handbook of the County of Gloucester, Cheltenham: G. Norman, 27.



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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