Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN4164 Soudley Camp, Gloucestershire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Gloucestershire 444 (None)

NMR:  SO 61 SE 4 (111775)

SM:  1005564

NGR:  SO66161058

X:  366160  Y:  210580  (OSGB36)

Summary

Possible inland promontory fort located on end of steeply sloping ENE-facing spur overlooking junction of three valleys and forming the valley side of meander in Soudley Brook and also overlooking confluence of major tributary. Very steep to precipitous slopes, moderate along spur to WSW. Roughly triangular enclosure of 0.36ha total. Defined on WSW by single rampart to 2m high with 9.1m wide and 1m deep outer ditch cutting across spur. NE and SE sides are formed by the precipitous natural scarp slopes. Single, damaged, central entrance in rampart probably original. Chance finds on molehills of five Romano-British Severn Valley Ware pottery, several pieces of haematite and bloomery slag, charcoal and flint flake. Hillfort site unproven but likely, although catalogued by King (1983) as medieval castle site. On 1st Ed. OS map (1878-81).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -277418  Y:  6762747  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.492084417769921  Latitude:  51.79279829927264  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England; None

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Gloucestershire

Historic County:  Gloucestershire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Ruspidge; Newnham

Monument Condition

Visitor pressure and erosion. On Heritage at Risk Register (2015).

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Bracken growth.

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 inland promontory fort located on end of steeply sloping E-facing spur overlooking junction of three valleys and forming the valley side of meander in Soudley Brook and also overlooking confluence of major tributary. Very steep to precipitous slopes, moderate along spur to W.

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:  80.0m

Boundary

Boundary Type:  Parish/Townland


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

On 1st Ed. OS map (1878-81). Field investigation 1970 - no details. Measured survey Forest of Dean Gloucestershire CC 1999. Management survey Gloucestershire CC 2000. Aerial photograph interpretation Englsih Heritage/Gloucestershire CC (North Cotswolds Forest of Dean) NMP 2002-06.

Investigations:
Other (1970):   Field investigation - no details.
Other (1999):   Measured survey Forest of Dean Gloucestershire CC.
Other (2000):   Management survey Gloucestershire CC.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   OS map.
Other (None):   Aerial photograph interpretation Englsih Heritage/Gloucestershire CC (North Cotswolds Forest of Dean) NMP.

Interior Features

Chance finds on molehills of five of Romano-British Severn Valley Ware pottery, several pieces of haematite and bloomery slag, charcoal and flint flake.

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

Chance finds on molehills of five of Romano-British Severn Valley Ware pottery, several pieces of haematite and bloomery slag, charcoal and flint flake.

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

Single, damaged, central entrance in rampart on WSW probably original.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (West):   Damaged.

Enclosing Works

Defined on WSW by single rampart to 2m high with 9.1m wide and 1m deep outer ditch cutting across spur. NE and SE sides are formed by the precipitous natural scarp slopes. Single

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

Total Footprint Area:  3.6ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   0
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

King, D.J.C. 1983. Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands.

Playne, G.F. 1877. On the ancient camps of Gloucestershire, Cotteswold Field Club, 6. 235.

Witts, G.B. 1883. Archaeological handbook of the County of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham: Norman Brothers, 46-7.



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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