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Summary

Higher Bury Camp is a sub-triangular Iron Age defensive enclosure of single rampart and ditch. The circa 6 acres large enclosure is shown on 19th century map in Eastern Castle Wood.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1015143: Higher Bury Camp
• SHINE: Higher Bury Camp. Iron Age ditch and banked enclosure in Eastern Castle Wood

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 445705
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX79NE/2
• Old SAM County Ref: 854
• Old SAM Ref: 28619
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX79NE2

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HILLFORT (Iron Age - 700 BC to 42 AD (Between))

Full description

Woollcombe, H., 1839-1850, Woollcombe Manuscript (Un-published). SDV16214.

Roughly circular enclosure of single rampart and ditch. Circa 6 acres. Planted with trees. Other details: Plan.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Higher Bury Camp' shown on 19th century map in Eastern Castle Wood

Wall, J. C., 1906, Ancient Earthworks, 611 (Article in Monograph). SDV341465.

Higher Bury Camp listed as a simple defensive enclosure, is a square camp with sides 100 yards in length and 3 feet in height still extant on the north and west. An escarpment on the east is lost towards the south. Other details: Plan.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1969 - 1978, SX79NE2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV346643.

Higher Bury Camp is not square but sub-triangular. It occupies a prominent position and is typical of a small Iron Age defensive earthwork. It comprises a single rampart, best preserved on the west side where it is up to 2.0 metres high, with traces of an outer ditch. The northern side is now only a scarp, which continued along the south-east, though here it has been re-cut to form a boundary bank. A gap in the south-west corner appears to represent an original simple entrance. Other details: Plan.

Department of Environment, 1972, Higher Bury Camp (Schedule Document). SDV346645.

Small bank and ditched enclosure within Eastern Castle Wood. The bank is a maximum height of 4 feet. The south-western side of the enclosure has been destroyed by field bank construction. Date uncertain but could be Iron Age. Other details: Monument 854.

Weston, S., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1983 (Un-published). SDV343247.

Gerrard, S., 1995, 139568 (Un-published). SDV346644.

Iron Age univallate hillfort. Interior survives as a sub-triangular enclosure which measures 97 metres south-west to north-east and 80 metres north-west to south-east. The surrounding ramparts vary considerably in size, with the west side measuring up to 9.3 metres wide and 1.6 metres high, whilst on the north circuit it reaches 2.7 metres high and elsewhere it averages 1 metre high. On the western side an outer ditch measuring up to 8.1 metres wide and 0.7 metres deep is visible and on the western edge of this is an outer bank which is partially preserved by a boundary running north-west. On the east side of the hillfort traces of a 9.8 metres wide and 0.3 metres deep ditch survive, where it has been reused as a track. A field boundary lies just to the south of the rampart on the south-east corner but this boundary turns and crosses over the rampart and into the enclosed area itself to the south-west before continuing away from the monument in a west-south-west direction. The south-west corner may reflect the original simple entrance to the enclosure.

Department of National Heritage, 1997, Higher Bury Camp (Schedule Document). SDV346646.

This monument includes an Iron Age slight univallate hillfort situated on a hilltop on the watershed between the Ford Brook to the west and River Culvery to the east. The interior of the hillfort survives as a sub-triangular enclosure which measures 97 metres from south-west to north-east and 80 metres from north-west to south-east. The surrounding ramparts vary considerably in size, with the western side measuring up to 9.3 metres wide and 1.6 metres high, whilst on the northern circuit it reaches 2.7 metres high and elsewhere averages 1 metre high. On the western side an outer ditch measuring up to 8.1 metres wide and 0.7 metres deep is visible and on the western edge of this is an outer bank which is partly preserved by a boundary running in a north-westerly direction. On the eastern side of the hillfort traces of a 9.8 metres wide and 0.3 metres deep ditch survive, where it has been reused as a track. A field boundary lies just to the south of the rampart on the south-eastern corner, but this boundary turns and crosses over the rampart and into the enclosed area itself to the south-west before continuing away from the monument in a west-south-west direction. The south-western corner may reflect the original simple entrance to the enclosure. A field shelter, portable feeding trough and chain link and post fence are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included. A well in the south-eastern corner of the enclosure is totally excluded from the scheduling. Slight univallate hillforts date to between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. Despite later reuse of the area, Higher Bury Camp survives well and contains archaeological and environmental information relating to the settlement and exploitation of this area during the Iron Age. Other details: Monument 28619.

National Monuments Record, 2011, 445705 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV346647.

An Iron Age slight univallate hillfort situated on a hilltop on the watershed between Ford Brook to the west and River Culvery to the east. The interior of the hillfort survives as a sub-triangular enclosure.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

'Higher Bury Camp' shown on modern mapping as an irregular shaped earthwork.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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