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NOTTINGHAM HILL

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A multiphase site at Nottingham Hill comprising a Bronze Age barrow cemetery and the site of a Bronze Age hoard, plus an Iron Age promontory hillfort with coin evidence for Roman occupation and documentary evidence of Early Medieval occupation (see SO 92 NE 7). The ramparts of the Iron Age promontory hillfort are partially visible as earthworks on aerial photographs, comprising a linear ditch that extends for 485m roughly south-west / north-east across the promontory spur and is flanked to either side by a linear bank, with a break where the lane to Cockbury Farm passes through them. The south-western end of these features may have been damaged by quarrying and the north-eastern end is obsured by tree cover. The rest of the perimeter is defined by natural scarps. Circular enclosures sited within the hillfort and noted as cropmarks on aerial photographs appear to be agricultural tractor markings.

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(SO 983284) Hill Fort (AT) (1)

Promontory fort, Notingham Hill. Two banks and two ditches running across the ridge cut off an area of 120 acres. During excavations in 1863 "the original mound of the Britons and the
superstructure of the Romans were laid bare to view". Bones, lance heads and British and Roman coins have been found at various times. Rudder mentions several round barrows both inside and outside the camp, but they have all disappeared. (2-3)

The eastern side of the camp area appears to be artificially scarped. (4)

Saxon charters dated between 769 and 785 AD, show that the old name of Nottingham Hill fort was almost certainly "Coccan Burh" ie "Cock's Camp" [see SO 92 NE 7 / UID: 117618]. (5)

The "camp" on Nottingham Hill appears, from ground inspection, to be a promontory fort now comprising a double bank with medial ditch and vestiges of an outer one from SO 98532804 to SO 98782839, cutting off a spur about 2/3 of a km in area. The perimeter of the hill is defended by steep natural slopes though extensive artificial defensive scarp. The gap in the cross ridge dyke at SO 98592809 may be original. It is possible that entrances existed at SO 97912876 and SO 98062894, though the quarrying precludes positive identification. Published 1:2500 survey revised.

Two close-set banks each with an outer ditch cross the spur in the SE. The inner bank is placed on rising ground and stands 5ft above the interior and 10ft above the inner ditch. The less massive outer bank, springing from the edge of the inner ditch, reaches a height of 7ft above the outer ditch. The entrance from the plateau was on the south, following the scarp edge, but at this point the ends of the banks have been destroyed by quarrying.
A hollow-way leads from lower ground into the north end of the outer ditch. A Dobunnic coin, a lancehead and part of a human skeleton were found in 1844 while quarrying was taking place in the lower mound of the hill; and British coffins and coins and also Roman coins are reported from the encampment, but all finds have been lost. (Visited 5.7.67). (7)

Two circular enclosures are visible as cropmarks at SO 98382836 and 98412831. There are two larger semi-circular cropmarks at SO 98422823 and 98402821 (7). A Bronze Age hoard was discovered in 1973 at about SO 98452817.(d) (8)

Two Ewart-Park type Bronze Age swords were ploughed up in 1972 in the Nottingham Hill Fort Area at SO 98452817. Subsequent excavation, following a proton magnetometer and metal detection survey, revealed an undisturbed Late Bronze Age hoard contained possibly in a box structure. It consisted of three leaf shaped swords, a looped palstave, socketed knife, bronze cylinder, cast conical headed rivets, cast bronze rings with bronze strap work, a tanged chisel, tanged 'awl', a whetstone and a casting jet. Other features recorded were, a markedly worn 'track' running NW to SE, hearth remains in the middle of the track alignment, five subcircular soil filled features on either side of the track and circa 150 pottery sherds. The sherds were of dark brown and paste tempered with limestone grits. A discoidal flint scraper was found in proximity to the hearth. (9)

The deposition of the hoard within the hillfort could be entirely fortuitous and the detailed publication of the settlement and ceramic evidence from the 1972 excavation is awaited (10)

The Cotswold Archaeological Research Group found a Cup and ring marked stone during surface collection of occupation debris in October 1981. The stone was made of Oolitic limestone and had 2 cup marks and 3 channels two of which are rings (11)

SO9828 Surface collections have been made over the entire internal area of Nottingham Hill Fort, but no significant levels of occupational debris were detected. Finds consisted of occasional flint-working debris, gritstone fragments and pebble fragments with heat cracking and abrasion marks. Immediately to the rear of the the inner rampart on the level ground at the base of the rampart slope, at SO98752825, a flat slab of Oolitic limestone, approximately 30cms by 35cms by 12cms was found. The object is of uncertain function (12)

SO 987 282. Nottingham Hill. Listed in gazetteer as a multivallate hillfort covering 4.8ha. (13)

Nottingham Hill Camp (SO 987282),promontary fort, bivallate...cuts off some 120acres on a spur of the main escarpment. [Further details and plan included]. (14)

The Iron Age promontory hillfort at Nottingham Hill, referred to above (1-14), is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs. The ramparts comprise a linear ditch that extends for 485m roughly south-west / north-east across the promontory spur, between SO 9852 2801 and SO 9879 2832, and is flanked to either side by a linear bank, with a break at SO 9859 2809 where the lane to Cockbury Farm passes through them. The south-western end of these features may have been damaged by quarrying (see SO 92 NE 82 / UID: 1410665) and the north-eastern end is obsured by tree cover. The rest of the perimeter is defined by natural scarps.

The cropmarks of circular enclosures sited within the hillfort and noted on the aerial photographs quoted as sources 7 and 8 appear to be agricultural tractor markings. No other internal features such as hut circles or ring ditches were visible on the available aerial photographs. (15-16)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1954

( 2a) General reference

S Rudder (?date) History of Gloucestershire p369

( 2) General reference

GB Witts (1883) Archaeological Handbook of Gloucestershire p38

( 3) General reference

APs AIK 21 (JK St Joseph)

( 4) General reference

EJ Burrow (1919) Ancient Entrenchments and Camps of Gloucestershire p116

( 5) General reference

GB Grundy (1935) Saxon Charters p78

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F1 ANK 29-MAY-70

( 7b) General reference

Norman's History of Cheltenham 1863 12

( 7c) General reference

DF Allen (1961) The Origins of Coinage in Britain: a re-appraisal; in SS Frere (ed) Problems of the Iron Age in Southern Britain, p97-308 (esp. p283)

( 7) General reference

RCHM MS Notes & Plan 24.6.71

( 8d) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 8) General reference

APs (OS 70/268 Nos 148-9 13.7.70)

( 9) Antiquity Publications Limited Antiquity

M Hall & C Gingell: Nottingham Hill Excavations 1972 48, 1974 Page(s)306-9

(10) General reference

A Saville (1984) Archaeology in Gloucestershire; Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum p146

(11) Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society

RWB Morris & A Marshall: A Cup-and-ring Marked Stone from Nottingham Hill, Gotherington 101, 1983 Page(s)171-4

(12) Cotswold Archaeological Research Group research report

1, 1982 Page(s)7-9

(13) General reference

AHA Hogg (1979) British Hill-Forts: An Index; British Archaeol Rep 62, p187

(14) General reference

RCHME Gloucestershire 1 1976 59

(15) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

RAF 541/17 3026-7 14-MAY-1948

(16) Oblique aerial photograph reference number

NMR SO 9828/1 (HAW 9436/42) 14-JUN-1958

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MONUMENT NO. 117618
SOUTHAM

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The suggested site of Tocca's Camp, recorded in Saxon Charters dated to AD 769-85 (possible remains). The site is more probably situated at Nottingha...

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