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Summary

Iron Age hillfort, partly re-used as medieval moated site. Scheduled Monument

Full Description

The site consists of the remains of an Iron Age hillfort and a medieval moated enclosure. The hillfort is delineated by an irregular shaped earthwork formed by a single ditch and bank. The ditch survives on the north, north west and south sides but has been largely filled in elsewhere. The internal bank or rampart survives as an earthwork 25m wide and 1m high on all sides except the east. The interior is likely to contain remains of buildings. The earthwork is bisected from east to west by Church Lane, and the medieval moated enclosure lies in the northern part, reusing the Iron Age ditches. The enclosed area measures approx 110m east to west. The western part of the ditch is water filled and measures 5m across, but elsewhere has been levelled. A triangular pond in the northern area is thought to be of medieval or post medieval type, although other earthworks in this area may be of either medieval or Iron Age date. To the north of the main enclosure is a small rectangular moated outwork, thought to form part of the medieval site.

Flints have reportedly been found in the ditch, and Roman pottery was found during fieldwalking in 1982. A Roman silver coin dating to 222-235 AD was found in the garden of an adjacent house.

The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (No. 11529) divided into two areas by Church Lane - 11529/1 is the northern area and 11529/2 is the southern.

Work carried out in 2018 (EBB1343) located a single abraded sherd (15g) of sandtempered pre-‘Belgic’ Iron Age pottery in the topsoil but no further material (1).

A Simco, A Simco, Notes on site visit, 7/10/1988 (Unpublished document). SBD10509.

Bedford Archaeological Society, List of pre-Norman earthworks, Dec 1972 (Unpublished document). SBD10794.

Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: BS905, 1777 (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: WG2326 Sale Catalogue, 1874 (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

Bedfordshire Journal, 1/6/1978 (Newspaper Article). SBD10570.

Bedfordshire Magazine, Vol 8, 1961-1963, pp 237-238 (Bibliographic reference). SBD10543.

Bedfordshire Times, 2/6/1978 (Newspaper Article). SBD10544.

C C Taylor, A E Brown, C C Taylor, A E Brown, Earthwork survey plan (Unpublished document). SBD10871.

HER Slide Archive, 3723-3724 (Slide). SBD10508.

HER Slide Archive, 4953-4954 (Slide). SBD10508.

HER Slide Archive, 5247-5248 (Slide). SBD10508.

OS: TL 05, TL 05 NE 4 (Unpublished document). SBD10965.

1901, 1902, OS 25" 2nd edition, TL 0975 5999 (Cartographic materials). SBD10628.

1908, Victoria County History, Bedfordshire, Vol 1, pp 275-276 (Article in serial). SBD10574.

Wadmore, 1920, Earthworks of Bedfordshire, pp 21-23 (Bibliographic reference). SBD10706.

1937, Bedfordshire Regional Planning Authority Report, p 186 (Unpublished document). SBD10783.

Fowler (ed), 1972, Archaeology and the Landscape, no page ref - Dyer (Bibliographic reference). SBD11030.

1979, OS 1:2500, TL 0856 5975, location of coin find (Cartographic materials). SBD10786.

A Simco, 1984, Survey of Bedfordshire: Roman Period, p 99 (Bibliographic reference). SBD10650.

A Brown, 1987, Fieldwork for Archaeologists and Local Historians, pp 72-73 (Bibliographic reference). SBD10870.

A E Brown, C C Taylor, 1991, Moated Sites in Northern Bedfordshire: some surveys and wider implications, pp 7-9 (Article in serial). SBD11031.

2017, National Mapping Programme (NMP), Monarch No. 360303 (Digital archive). SBB12031.

Albion Archaeology, 2018, HARE HOUSE, SCHOOL LANE, BOLNHURST, BEDFORDSHIRE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL OBSERVATION, INVESTIGATION, RECORDING, ANALYSIS AND PUBLICATION, (1) (Unpublished document). SBB12608.

Protected Status:

• Scheduled Monument 1012066: Manor Farm Iron Age univallate hillfort and medieval moated enclosure
• SHINE: Scheduled Monument; Iron Age hillfort reused as medieval moated site, Manor Farm

Monument Type(s):

• DITCH (Early Iron Age to 1st Century - 650 BC to 43 AD)
• HILLFORT (Early Iron Age to 1st Century - 650 BC to 43 AD)
• MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

• FBD5478 - LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Prehistoric - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• FBD5479 - POT (Roman/Romano-British - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FBD5480 - COIN (3rd Century - 222 AD to 235 AD)

Associated Events

• EBB1343 - HARE HOUSE, SCHOOL LANE, BOLNHURST, BEDFORDSHIRE; Watching Brief (Ref: 2018/155)
• EBB1427 - MANOR FARM, BOLNHURST, BEDFORDSHIRE: HISTORIC BUILDING RECORDING (Ref: 2020/31)
• EBB1468 - THE WORKSHOP, MANOR FARM, BOLNHURST, BEDFORDSHIRE; Watching Brief (Ref: 2022/17)
• EBB1485 - MANOR FARM, BOLNHURST; Geophysical Survey (Ref: 07396)

Sources and Further Reading

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.