HER 44 DESCRIPTION:-

Scheduled Monument Description - formerly referred to as SAM346

The monument includes a tower keep castle situated on a hilltop above the floodplain of the River Severn. Natural steep slopes 15m to 20m high have been utilised as defensive barriers on the north, south and west sides. On the east side the ground slopes more gently, and fortifications are at their strongest here. The castle has a keep and inner bailey with an outer bailey to its east. The keep is now a raised area in the north east quadrant of the inner bailey and stands up to 1.5m high. The stones of the keep protrude from the area which is now covered with soil. Just to the south of the keep is a gap in the defences about 2m wide which marks the entrance to the inner bailey. The level ground of the inner bailey forms an irregular 30m square with turf banks 2m high surrounding it. On its east side, separating it from the outer bailey is a ditch 2m wide and 0.5m deep. The outer bailey forms a rough triangle. With its base to the north and apex to the south, measuring 30m east-west and 40m north-south. The outer bailey is protected by a bank and ditch on its north side where the bank is about 1m high and the ditch 2m wide and 0.5m deep. Elsewhere the outer bailey is protected by the natural slope of the hill.

Excavation by DA Casey in 1929 showed that the earth bank around the inner bailey consists of fallen rubble which covers the remains of walls and towers. Despite some stone robbing the castle was found to be complete in plan including the rectangular keep which measured 30ft by 23ft 6in (9.2m by 7.2m) inside, and 57ft by 50ft (17.4m by 15.3m) at the base outside. A gate tower was found at the entrance and another tower at the south west angle of the castle walls. In the inner bailey, where the curtain wall joins the keep, a small annex had been added later, and an oven alongside the annex. To the south of the oven a circular depression was found which proved to be an iron extraction pit contemporary with the castle, or possibly earlier. The pit was not completely excavated by Casey, but excavation was stopped at 7ft (2.2m) where pottery of the same type as other pottery from the site was found. There is no documentary evidence for the date of the castle's construction, but Casey, considering the type and construction, dated it to between 1100 and 1189AD. Although there is no direct record of the ownership of the castle, in the Domesday Survey it is recorded that William Fitz Osbern, Earl of Hereford, made a manor at Lydney. Casey considers that this manor almost certainly included Little Camp Hill. After 1075 Lydney reverted to the Crown. In 1201 there was a dispute between the bishop of Winchester and Walern of Newburgh, Earl of Warwick, over land held by the Earl at Lydney. Casey interprets this to have been Lydney manor including the site of the castle. The Romano-British temple complex 250m to the north west is the subject of a separate scheduling. The feeder troughs in the inner bailey are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included. {Source Work 2873.}

Other Information:

Marked as "Little Camp Hill" "OUTPOST" on 1st series OS 25" map {Source Work 5134}, and marked as "Little Camp Hill", "ROMAN OUTPOST" on 2nd and 3rd series OS 25" maps. {Source Works 5136 and 5138.}

Marked as plantation on 1839 tithe map. {Source Work 6634.}

Little Camp Hill - Motte and Bailey. Small C12 stone built Castle - excavated by D A Casey 1930. {Source Work 902.}

Charles Bathurst, writing in around 1825, believed to be a Roman "...'Camp of Observation from the larger Station... ...the remains of a tessellated pavement were once exposed to view... ...but no excavations have lately been made on this hill.'..." The capital of a pillar was also reported to have been found there. {Source Work 17387.} However, subsequent excavations by DA Casey indicate that this is not the case and that any Roman meterial identified there is likely to have been brought there from the known Roman site at Camp Hill to the northwest. {{Source Work 4001.}

1929 - Excavations at Little Camp Hill in 1930 showed it to have been the site of a Norman Castle, consisting of an inner and an outer court with a small rectangular keep. The inner court is surrounded by a wall; while the outer court has a rock cut ditch and bank on one side and the natural slope of the hill on the other. No documentary evidence as to the date of the castle has yet been found. {Source Work 862.}

For fuller details, see source {Source Work 4001.}

1946 - Traces of motte can be seen on 1946 AP. Area is otherwise masked by trees. {Source Work 863.}

1960 - Little Camp Hill viewed from the south. {Source Work 3246.}

1963 - Resurveyed, plan annotated following visit. {Source Work 862.}

1975 - Visible on (Clyde) Fairey AP. {Source Work 615.}

1982 - Field Monument Warden Report:- A small roughly rectangular camp. The defences consist of a simple bank except on the east side where the hill slopes gradually and there are additional earthworks (30/06/1982).

This is probably the site of the Norman castle. It consists of a rampart of about 1m above the interior cut by two entrances one on the west being a deep tractor track but by the inturned and extended banks possibly the original, while the one on the east is slight possibly showing where a tractor has crossed the bank. Two further banks lie on the east with a possible outer ditch. Stones can be seen in the banks. Two fir trees stand in the interior and five mature trees, oak on the banks with stumps. Flattened mole hills in the centre. Area is covered with grass and nettles and thistles on the banks. In summer the grass on earthworks is as tall as to obscure part of outer earthworks but the interior remains covered by short grass and a number of fairly large stones can be seen lying on the ground, but in no obvious order. A path runs over the banks on the east entering the camp by the slight tractor track. It is in fairly good condition, and is an unusual structure.

Well defined north scarp is visible and well defined light line corresponding to position of wall (marked on OS survey).

What appears to be a 3 sided square feature (walled) with west side missing at SO61750249 may coincide with the return of the north inner bank. Remainder of monument is masked by sparse tree cover. {Source Work 514.}

1983 - The northern area of the earthwork is visible under grass and sparse tree cover. (Pers. comm. S. Brown.)

1987 - Field Monument Warden Report:-

No change. Site has a slightly neglected look about it. One or two trees been cut down recently and the branches strewed around in the interior of the monument. On the whole the condition of the site is not deteriorating. {Source Work 2914.}

2003 - This area was mapped at 1:10,000 scale as part of the English Heritage: Gloucestershire NMP project.

Scarps around the edge of the hill are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs but it is unclear if they relate to the Medieval castle. It is marked as a motte on the current OS 1:10,000 map. A bank, 30m long extends along the northern eastern part of the hill, and is centered at SO 6176 0250. Two scarps, measuring 35m and 30m, extend around the western and northern edge of the hill, and are centered on SO 6171 0248. {Source Works 4249, 7549 and 6880.}