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MONUMENT NO. 206804

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An oval enclosure located circa 300 metres northeast of the causewayed enclosure on Whitesheet Hill. The earthworks were surveyed by RCHME during the South Wiltshire Project. The enclosure is currently defined by an external facing scarp up to 1 metre high, with an external ditch up to 0.5 metres wide and 2 metres deep. There are three causeways visible in the southeast part of the enclosure circuit. There is also one possible east-facing entrance. Several circular and sub-circular features in the interior may be either remnants of structures or of more recent quarrying. Linear scarps both within the enclosure and outside to the north may be the remains of "celtic" fields. Later agricultural activity is represented by ridge and furrow and a dewpond outside the enclosure. Proximity to the causewayed enclosure and the presence of several causeways in its own circuit raise the possibility that the enclosure may also be Neolithic. However, in the absence of any excavation, its date is effectively unknown.

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(Centred at ST 8052 3557) A roughly circular earthwork with an abraded bank and outer ditch, listed (but not classified) by L V Grinsell (1) as located from air-photographs, was similarly identified and investigated by Archaeology Division staff in 1953 (2). There is a possible causeway on the east and others on the south-west. An inner enclosure, visible on the air-photographs (3), was not seen on the ground. The earthwork resembles the adjacent Ne causewayed camp (ST 83 NW 6) but cannot, as yet, be classified. (1-3)

The earthwork, 200.0m in diameter, is situated on the broad flattish spur of White Sheet Down. It is formed by what is now a scarp 0.1m to 0.3m high with a narrow outer ditch represented by a crop mark, and while some similarity with the Whitesheet Hill causewayed camp can be recognised the work is so denuded as to be virtually unclassifiable without excavation.

The gaps or causeways seen in 1953 could not be determined in 1970 when the circle appeared to be complete. As an embryonic fort the enclosure is commendable apart from its situation whereby the naturally defensive positions which are available locally are totally ignored. No trace of the inner enclosure could be found.

Surveyed at 1:2500. (4)

A roughly circular earthwork with an entrance in the north east lies to the north east of the causewayed camp, and is of similar size. It has not been excavated but it is plausibly Iron Age. (5)

No change, no further information. Survey of 24.6.70 still correct.
(6)

This enclosure was surveyed by staff of the RCHME Salisbury office as part of a project focusing on the earthworks of South Wiltshire. The following is abstracted from the archive report:

An oval enclosure c3ha in area lies 300m NE of the causewayed enclosure on Whitesheet Hill. The enclosure is now defined by an external facing scarp up to 1m in height, with an external ditch up to 0.5m wide and 2m deep. There are three causeways 2.0-5.0m wide in the SE section of the circuit. There is one possible E facing entrance, consisting of a gap c14m wide between ditch terminals. Within the enclosure are several circular and sub-circular hollows up to 8m in diameter and 0.5m deep. They may either be the remains of former structures or later quarrying. Linear scarps within the enclosure and c60m to the N may be the remains of a 'Celtic' field system. A further 130m N of the enclosure is a cross-ridge dyke on an E-W alignment running for c100m across a narrow neck of land. It consists of a ditch up to 3m wide and 1m deep with a bank max 3m wide and 1.5m deep to the N.

A scarp c 2m high runs around the edge of the hill top. This is extended to form a series of terraces c10m-12m in height on the SE side. There are traces of ridge and furrow to the E and SW of the enclosure, and a dewpond c25sq m in area, surrounded on 3 sides by a bank, lies c45m to the SW of the enclosure. (7)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) edited by R B Pugh and Elizabeth Crittall 1957 A history of Wiltshire: volume 1, part 1

The Victoria history of the counties of England Grinsell, LV. Archaeological Gazetteer Page(s)266

( 2) Field Investigators Comments

F1 JN 26-AUG-53

( 3) Aerial photograph

APs: CPE/UK/1924/4248-9 dated 16.1.47

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 NVQ 24-JUN-70

( 5) General reference

Whitesheet Hill (National Trust pamphlet)

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F2 CC 20-APR-78

(7) General reference

RCHME Field Investigation 12-DEC-1991 (DS McOmish)

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Monument Name/No

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Description

WHITESHEET HILL CAUSEWAYED ENCLOSURE
KILMINGTON

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An Early Neolithic causewayed enclosure on Whitesheet Hill. It lies on the western edge of the Wessex downland overlooking the Vale of Wardour. The Ne...

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