Monument Type(s):

• ENCLOSED SETTLEMENT (Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC? to 410 AD?)
• RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE (Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC? to 410 AD?)

Summary

Scheduled Monument: A good example of a small enclosed settlement of Iron Age or Romano-British origin, of particular interest because of the survival of both the enclosure earthworks and interior building platforms (most sites of this type have been ploughed out).

Related records: None recorded

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA1552 - 1970 field observation by English Heritage
• ESA1553 - 1973 field observation by the Ordnance Survey
• ESA1554 - 1981 field observation by Shropshire County Council
• ESA1555 - 1985 field observation by English Heritage

Description

Quadrangular defensive enclosure 350 feet east to west and 230 feet north to south. The remains of the north side of the earthwork suggest it was bi-vallate. <1a>

Castle Ditches, a probable Iron Age defensive enclosure, situated upon the south side of the top of an east to west ridge. Sub-rectangular in plan, with rounded corners, the enclosure measures 90m east to west by 50m transversely and is bounded on the north, weakest side, by double banks with a medial ditch and on the south where natural slopes fall away steeply, by a ditch with an outer bank. The double banks may have continued all around the enclosure but on the west side, only the inner bank remains and on the east side, only the outer bank. Through this side is the original entrance, causewayed across the ditch. The banks are nowhere more than 0.3m in height externally, nor stand over 1.2m from the foot of the ditch, which averages 0.7m in depth. Both banks and ditch average 7m in width. The site is under pasture at the present time but has been much reduced and spread by ploughing. The interior contains at least six hut platforms which have been ploughed over and are now under turf. They are scooped out from the south-east facing slope and average in size 12m by 8m. <1b>

Evaluated for MPP in 1990-1, Medium score as one of 30 Upland Enclosures <7>

Scheduling revised in 2003. Scheduling description: ->

-> The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a small enclosed settlement, known as Castle Ditches, which is either Iron Age or Romano- British in origin. It is situated on gently sloping ground on top of a ridge which forms part of Bedstone Hill. From this location there are views of the neighbouring hills, and the Clun and Teme river valleys to south east. ->

-> The settlement takes the form of a quadrangular enclosure. Its overall dimensions are approximately 80m north-south by 118m east-west, and its internal area is about 0.4ha. The earthworks which define the interior of the settlement have been partially modified by ploughing in the mid-20th century, and the north eastern corner has been truncated by a road. Along the western, northern and eastern sides there is an inner bank, approximately 7m wide and 0.5m high, bounded by an external ditch also about 7m wide, visible as a shallow depression. On the northern and eastern sides the ditch is defined by an outer bank, about 7m wide and 0.5m in height. Along the southern side of the enclosure there are no visible indications of an inner bank. Here, the ditch has been cut into the slope and its northern face is marked by a pronounced scarp between 1.2m and 1.8m high. Material excavated from the ditch has been used to form an outer (counterscarp) bank, about 7m wide. The eastern half of this bank stands to a height of 0.5m, but to the west it has been partially levelled by ploughing. The entrance to the settlement is on the eastern side. Here, the ends of the inner bank turn inward to form an entrance passage about 5m wide. Within the interior of the enclosure are a number of well-defined platforms cut into the sloping ground, which provided level areas for the construction of buildings. ->

-> The modern road surface is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included. <8>

Record of management issues and reccommendation made in c.1996. <11>

Photographed during aerial photographic survey in 2010. <13>

The ditches and a number of internal features are visible on the LiDAR hillshade. <14>

The earthwork remains of this probable Iron Age sub-rectangular enclosure and associated hollow way were seen as earthworks and mapped from aerial photographs as part of the RCHME: Marches Uplands Mapping Project. The enclosure was centred at SO 3535 7594, was defined by a single ditch and measured circa 60m x 100m. Within the enclosure one sub-circular depression with a diameter of circa 15m was seen in the western end at SO 3533 7594, possibly one of the hut platforms mentioned by the previous authorities. Extending from the north west corner of the enclosure were the earthwork remains of a probable hollow way circa 240m in length. <15><15a>

Sources

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