HER 109 DESCRIPTION:- Scheduled Monument Description:- Not Available This area is thought to have been the site of an iron age hillfort which was later overlain by a Norman castle. The castle, built by Robert of Gloucester and taken by Stephen in 1144 was thought to have used existing ramparts of a possible hillfort. i.e the ramparts that provided the "bury" element in the name Tetbury. If ramparts had originally encircled the hill, then they have been effectively erased as no trace of them can be recognized Evidence of the hillfort and surviving remains of the castle were destroyed when the area was leveled in 1779 to make way for a pleasure ground. Hewn stones, arrow and javelin heads, horseshoes, Norman spurs and English coins, including those of Edward the Confessor, Stephen and Henry III were recovered. Surviving evidence would appear to be at ST 89179287 - comprising a ring ditch laid against the scarp slopes enclosing a roughly circular area 40m in diameter. The ditch is 10m and 0.4m deep and has the appearance of being much leveled On level ground to the east, an annexe with ditch of similar proportions can be recognized enclosing an area of just under one acre. The evidence provided by finds etc certainly suggests a castle here and ground evidence indicates a ring and bailey. There has also been some recent dumping of soil, including much modern rubbish, on top of the hill, perhaps to level off the ground. The site of an Iron Age Hill fort thought to have been latter occupied by a castle, built by Robert of Gloucester & taken by Stephen in 1144. Hewn stones, arrow & javelin heads, horseshoes, Norman spurs & ancient English coins, including those of Edward the Confessor, Stephen & Henry III, were found a few years prior to 1779 when the remains were leveled...{Source Work 862.}.. (see HER 111)...Nevertheless (its) appearance is such that one can imagine it to have been constructed from ramparts prev existing on the hillside e.g. the work that provided the 'bury ' element in Tetbury?....(see HER 109).. The second work is situated on top of the hill in the angle formed by the terraceway at ST89179287. It comprises a ring ditch land against the scarp slopes, enclosing a roughly circular area 40m diameter The ditch is 10m wide and 0.4m deep and has the appearance of being much leveled On level ground E, an annexe with ditch of similar proportions can be recognized enclosing an area of just under one acre. The evidence provided by finds etc certainly suggests a castle here and ground evidence indicates a ring & bailey. {Source Work 862.} There is extremely little physical evidence on the surface of the suggested earthwork only very slight traces of ditches. It seems likely that this site is a "castle" from the historical evidence and the 18th century finds, but the 18th century leveling must have removed the surface features. Similarly there is no surface indication of a hillfort. There has been some recent dumping of soil, including much modern rubbish, on the top of the hill perhaps to level off inequalities. {Source Work 523.} Probably early Manor house. Within earthwork. {Source Work 1174.} Playne states: "No 39 - In several historical notices of Tetbury, allusion is made to its "Castle," but no trustworthy record of a stone-built castle exists, not have any remains of such been found. The "Castle" here was no doubt the ancient intrenchment on the south-east side of the town, the earthworks of which, Rudder states, were levelled about one hundred years ago, and the site "improved into a kind of pleasure-ground, with plantations and agreeable slopes and walks on the side next the rivulet." The site of this Camp is now a grass field, the form of the terraced walks and slopes remain, but none of the original earthworks can be traced." {Quoted from Source Work 2490.} AREA ASSESSMENT :- No plough damage. {Source Work 523} "(Centred ST 891 929) Camp (NR) (Site of). (1) The site of an Iron Age hillfort 'on the SE side of Tetbury' is thought to have been later occupied by a castle built by Robert of Gloucester and taken by Stephen in 1144. Hewn stones, arrow and javelin heads, horse shoes, Norman spurs and ancient English coins, including those of Edward the Confessor, Stephen and Henry III, were found a few years prior to 1779, when the remains were levelled and transformed into a 'pleasure ground'. (2-4) Surveyed at 1:2500. (5) This site occupies a prominent knoll on the south side of Tetbury adjacent to the church. It is under pasture with some trees on the slopes. Two separate features can be recognised on the hill. The first is a terraceway following the contour of the south and east slopes with ramps leading above and below, from one level to another, as in an ornamental walk. This is, undoubtedly, the work of 1779 and the construction of the pleasure-ground. Nevertheless, its appearance is such that one can imagine it to have been constructed from ramparts previously existing on the hillside, eg. the work that provided the 'bury' element in Tetbury? But if these ramparts had originally encircled the hill then they have been effectively erased as no trace of them can be recognised elsewhere. The second work is situated on the top of the hill in the angle formed by the terraceway at ST 8917 9287. It comprises a ring ditch laid against the scarp slopes, enclosing a roughly circular area 40.0m in diameter. (6) The ditch is 10.0m in width and 0.4m in depth and has the appearance of being much levelled. On the level ground to the east an annexe with ditch of similar proportions can be recognised enclosing an area of just under one acre. The evidence provided by finds etc certainly suggests a castle here and the ground evidence indicates a ring and bailey. Tetbury town occupies a low but clearly defined hill, the south-east of which is emphasized by man-made ramparts and much of the rest has a sharp though apparently naturally formed ridge. The origin of the south-east ramparts is obscure but a tradition of a British fortification is recorded by Camden (b) and the ramparts presumably existed by the 8th century when the name Tetbury is first recorded. (c) Some kind of inner earthwork stood in the field above the ramparts until the mid 18th century when it was levelled to make pleasure grounds. The work revealed masonry and some late Saxon and early medieval coins, giving rise to the belief that a castle stood there (d). The absence of documentary references to a castle (e) makes the supposition unlikely but the site may have been part of an early manor-house. (7) ST 891 929: Tetbury Camp, scheduled. (8) ST 890 929: Tetbury Castle mentioned in 1144 (f) in a context which strongly suggests it was Stephanic, has now vanished but a bank near the church is said to be a possible trace of it. (9) "An inner earthwork or enclosure stood in the fields between the (hillfort's) ramparts and the church [ST 89 SE 34] until the 18th century, when the site was levelled and traces of earlier buildings together with late Saxon and early Medieval coins were discovered. Since then the site, which was known as Barton in 1574, has been referred to as that of a castle though this is now known to have been based on a misunderstanding of the Medieval documents. It is more probable that the site was either that of an early manor house or was associated with the Pre-Conquest monasterium. [see ST 89 SE 10]. (10) The possible Iron Age hillfort or medieval manor house referred to above (1-10) has been viewed on available aerial photographs as part of The Cotswold Hills NMP survey, but no earthworks or cropmarks were clearly visible in the areas known as The Pleasure Grounds. (11)" {Source Work 4249.} |