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BANWELL CAMP

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DESCRIPTION

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A univallate hillfort, within the interior two enclosures. Finds recovered from interior include Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age flint implements

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[Centred ST 409 590] BANWELL CAMP [G.T.]. (1)

Multivallate, and of more than one period of construction. An inner
earthwork can be traced from the pond to the N. side.

Scheduled.

A collection of Ne/BA flints, including leaf shaped arrowheads, found
within the camp, was made by J.E. Pritchard, and presented to the
Museum of the Somerset Arch. Soc., Taunton. (2-5)

This is a univallate hillfort. It occupies the summit of a hill
situated at the east end of a narrow ridge. Its defenses consist of
a strong scarp with a weak inner bank and quarry ditch, and a
shallow, intermittant, outer ditch, all following the contours.
The "inner earthwork" noted by Hunt is a slight, lynchet-like,
scarp which although probably artificial appears unlikely to
have been anything more than a field boundary.

Re-surveyed at 1:2500.

Iron Age pottery found c.1900-2 by Pritchard, and in recent years
by Hunt, is in Taunton Museum. Flint flakes and scrapers can be
picked up from mole hills within the southern side of the camp. (6)

Earthworks forming two enclosures within Banwell Camp were noted on
APs (a) and subsequently surveyed, see (7). They are interpreted as
belonging to a developing hillfort, the innermost being sectioned
in 1959 (b) when probable Early Iron Age pottery was found (8).

The innermost enclosure is marked by a slight scarp, generally no
more than 0.5m. high, with an inturned entrance on the west side
which is probably not contemporary. The south side of the enclosure
is scarcely visible on the ground but can be seen in part on the APs.

The second enclosure, occupying an area of 15 acres, was only partly
surveyed as it includes most of the main ramparts of the final fort,
the NW corner of which is cut off by a bank up to 1m high. There are
traces of an external ditch, but the central section has been
destroyed by mining or other activity. Beyond the ditch of the main
rampart are sections of a counterscarp on all but the west side.
Three entrances, at the SE and SW corners and on the north side, are
probably modern; there appears to be an original entrance passage,
formed by an out-turned rampart, on the NE side.

Upper Palaeolithic flints are record being found at Banwell Camp (9).

Additional reference (10)

Banwell Camp - excavations 1958-9, Iron Age hillfort. Full report (11)
Possible Iron Age hut excavated 1960 at Banwell camp (12)

Additional references (13-14)

The hillfort referred to by the authorities has been mapped by the Mendip Hills AONB NMP project and is as described by (9). The inner earthworks of the hillfort are visible on aerial photographs but the outer rampart is obscured by dense vegetation and woodland which surrounds the hillfort.

The inner most enclosure is visible as a slight curving bank which follows the natural contours extending from ST 4085 5902 to ST 4105 5906 where the bank then disappears and becomes a series of scarps (ST 4108 5903) which are possibly natural or the result of later quarrying/mining. The bank also seems to be disturbed by possible quarrying centred at ST 4098 5909, where there is north facing scarp slope. The bank may also extend further south from ST 4085 5902 in the west and ST 4108 5901 in the east, as possible slight height differences are visible on lidar imagery.

The second enclosure is visible as two banks, which measure between 4-7m in width, on the west side of the hillfort. These extend northwards from ST 4081 5895 to ST 4081 5900 and ST 4082 5905 to ST 4086 5912. The southernmost bank is accompanied by an external ditch on the west side which measures about 1.5m in width. The central section between ST 4081 5901 and ST 4082 5905 appears to have been levelled by mining or other agricultural activity. The enclosure banks remain as earthworks on recent lidar imagery taken in 2006. (15-16)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1961.

( 2) General reference

Journ. Axbridge Caving Group and Arch. Soc. 2, No. 3, 1955, 28-34 sketch plan & Sections. (J. Hunt.)

( 3) General reference

V.C.H. Somer, 2, 1911, p. 471.

( 4) General reference

Proc. Somer. A. & N.H.S., 77.1930, p.ci.

( 5) General reference

A.M. Eng. & Wales, 1961, p. 82.

( 6a) General reference

APs. (RAF C.P.E./U.K./1869, 4.12.46, 3286).

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F1 GHP 27-APR-66

( 7b) General reference

APs (Avon Co Council 1975 9029-30)

( 7c) General reference

Search 1 1959 17-72 (J Hunt)

( 7) General reference

Proc Somer Arch & NHS 124 1980 113-4 plans (R Iles)

( 8) General reference

Mendip Hills in Prehist & Ro Times 1970 (Bristol ARG) 19 (P J Fowler)

( 9) General reference

BAR 76 1980 Culture & Env in Prehist Wales (ed J A Taylor) 43 (R M Jacobs)

(10) General reference

Ancient Ewks & Camps of Somers 1924 48-9 illus plan (E Burrow)

(11) General reference

'Search' J Banwell Soc 1 1961 9-23 fig (J Hunt)

(12) General reference

'Search' J Banwell Soc 2 1962 11-19 31 plans

(13) General reference

'Search' J Banwell Soc 8 1968 vii

(14) General reference

BAR 91 1981 Hillfort Settlement in Somerset 211 (I Burrow)

(15) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR RAF/3G/TUD/UK15/21 (PART III) 5274-5275 13-JAN-1946

(16) Light detection and ranging (lidar) airborne survey

LIDAR ST4058 Cambridge ULM LAST RETURN APR-2006

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