Woolbury

Woolbury

Woolbury Ring
Shown within Hampshire
Location Hampshire
Coordinates 51°06′57″N 1°27′26″W / 51.1157°N 1.4571°W / 51.1157; -1.4571
Area 16 acres
History
Periods Iron Age
Site notes
Public access part National Trust, part private land

Woolbury, or Woolbury Ring, is the site of an Iron Age univallate hill fort located in Hampshire. The site is described as a strong hilltop camp covering 20 acres, with a single bank and ditch, and has commanding views over the surrounding area. The bank and ditch are well preserved to the west, the bank being 9 ft. high and 16 ft. above the bottom of the ditch. The eastern side has been ploughed out, and the ditch only remains to the north and south. The entrance is on the west side, the interior is down to permanent pasture.[1] Only the southwest rampart (which includes the original entrance) is in National Trust ownership; the rest is private land.[2]

The site is listed as a scheduled ancient monument no.52.

There are a number of other archaeological sites in the area, including for a Bronze Age Bowl Barrow mound of approximately 40.0m in diameter and 1.5m in height. Located at grid reference SU395363 and recorded in an Anglo-Saxon charter as Heardulfe's Hlaewe or Heardulfe's Barrow.[1][3][4] The area is now subject to ploughing. In addition, several other tumuli are to be found to the south of the hill fort.

Location

The site is located at grid reference SU381353, and to the east of the village of Stockbridge, in the county of Hampshire. Danebury hill fort lies close by to the West, over the River Test. The hill has a summit of 158m AOD.

White horse and cross

On the southern ramparts of Woolbury Ring is a hill figure of a horse. Whilst there are 17 white horse hill figures in England, with nine being over the Wiltshire border, this is the only example in Hampshire. The horse was constructed crudely of rough flints painted white. The rocks were pushed into the ground to form the shape of the horse. The earliest documentation of the horse was in 1846, so the horse was made either then or before then. The horse for many years was covered by surrounding bushes. In 1999, the site was cleared so the horse become visible again.[5]

There was also a hill figure of a cross nearby only a few yards from Winchester Road, constructed using the same method.[6] This was lost in 1944.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 https://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/vol09/page075.html Hampshire Treasures website
  2. ↑ http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?x=438100&y=135300 The Megalithic Portal
  3. ↑ Arch. J. Vol. 83, 1926, (Grundy), p.173.
  4. ↑ P.H.F.C., Vol. 14, 1938-40, (Grinsell), pp.31, 351
  5. ↑ Woolbury Horse
  6. ↑ Wiltshire White Horses: Other non-Wiltshire white horses
  7. ↑ Woolbury Cross

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.