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CADBURY HILL CAMP

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An Iron Age univallate hillfort and Early Medieval defensive enclosure with a Roman settlement and possible shrine. Alcock suggested that this was also an early monastic site and settlement of the 5th-6th centuries. It was refortified between 430 and 480, with turf and timber ramparts and a bastion. Other Early Medieval features included a longhouse and finds of pottery imported from the Mediterranean. The Early medieval use is thought to be "British" rather than Saxon.

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ST 44156493 Cadbury Hill (NAT) Fort (NR). (1)

Cadbury Camp, a probable Iron Age hill-top defensive earthwork
enclosing about 3.5 hectares (8 1/2 acres). Excavations between
1959 and 1970 by Fowler and others revealed hut circles and a
"long house" (see plan). Evidence of five phases of occupation
were found.

1. Neolithic flints and a barbed and tanged arrowhead.

2. A univallate Iron Age earthwork with steep natural slopes on
all sides except the east. An entrance, with probable guard-chambers,
on the south-east. The ramparts, mostly tumbled down the steep
slopes, had been timber-framed. A quarry pit, abundant pottery,
post holes and about 830 slingstones were found.

3. Two hearths and an associated rectangular building dated
between about 430 AD and 450 AD were uncovered under the ramparts
of the fourth phase.

4. Between about 450 AD and 480 AD stone-based defences faced
with turf and timber were erected within the perimeter of the
Iron Age ramparts and, probably later, a bastion added.

5. The final phase, between about 480 AD and the early 6th century,
overlay the collapsed defences of the previous phase. The remains
of eight huts, two circular, 15m in diameter, and a "longhouse"
8m by 3m were found. Finds included imported Mediterranean ware,
local and Gaulish pottery, Roman and later beads, glass, bricks, bronze and iron objects, and 3, possibly 4, type G penannular
brooches. (2-7)

Cadbury-Congresbury (Cadcong) a largely univallate Iron Age
hill-fort occupying a naturally strong defensive position on a
NW/SE ridge-end at about 200ft OD.

Steep wooded slopes drop on all sides except the tactically weak
NE sector where strong multivallate ramparts of now tumbled stone
construction extend in an arc of some 170.0m. Portions of the
northern inner ditch are apparently rock-cut.

The main SE entrance flanked by 'guard chambers' is slightly
inturned. A possible original postern gate occurs at the extreme W
end of the defences.

The irregular shaped interior of the hillfort, now under rough
pasture, is about 330.0m NE-SW and up to 130.0m N-S, thinning to a
central waist of about 70.0m. It is of domed appearance rising
from all sides toward the centre where there are the 50.0m long
remains of a strong curving rampart (now abutted by a modern
tree-ring). Whether this feature originally extended right across
the ridge and to which phase of construction it belonged, original
or later, cannot be determined by ground inspection. To the west
are now slight depressions of hut sites.

All previous excavation areas have been back-filled. A considerable
portion of the SW interior has been extensively disturbed by
possible Medieval and later surface quarrying, likewise the
eastern half and at present unexcavated area of the hill-fort.

ST 44256497. Three stony mounds, 4.0m in diameter and 0.3m high,
and two surface depressions, 5.0m in diameter and 0.4m deep,
which, by comparison with similar excavated features in the W sector,
may represent hut sites.

Surveyed at 1:2500 on PFD ST 4465 only. (8)

See Archives Folder P/F 38, number 2306. (9)

The excavations of 1968 and 1970-3 examined a continuous area
representing 15% of the hillfort interior.

The evidence points to occupation centred on the 5th to 6th
centuries AD, to which all the excavated structures belong. The
pottery assemblage overwhelmingly comprises 3rd and 4th century
coarse wares with a small quantity of samian and colour-coated
fabrics. The latest sherd found was one of North African Slipware
dated to c.525; this date has been challenged by Hayes (13) who suggest that this material was in production as early as the 4th
century.

Some of the pottery has Christian symbols and Alcock (14) suggest
that it is an early monastic site because of the association with
St Congar, but the archaeological evidence is not yet conclusive.

A second opinion being examined is of it being a pagan religious
site, the penannular rock-cut trench, see plan (10), is interpreted
as a round wooden building with an elaborate porch as entrance of
a similar design to Roman and post-Roman shrines at other sites.
This structure is dated to the late-Roman period and was in use
during the 6th century. Indicative finds came from two of the
entrance post holes; in one were two post-Roman Mediterranean
amphora handles and in the other two bone pendants or plaques
comparable with similar metal objects from some pagan shrines.

A second possible shrine is a pit, or rock setting around a hole,
on the edge of the hill looking across to Henley Wood. This may
have held a large post, or wooden cross. The very dark fill
contained items of almost all the artefact classes present on the
site, including prehistoric flint, and the deposit had the
appearance of a deliberate placing of the items for a ritual
purpose.

It is intended to continue the excavations in 1976. (10-14)

Additional references (15-16)

Cadbury Hill Camp. Description with plan. (17)

Additional reference (not consulted). (18)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 25" 1974

( 2) Current archaeology

11, 1968 Page(s)291-5

( 3) Council for British Archaeology : Group 12 (Wessex) & Group 13 (South West) : Archaeological review

5, 1970 Page(s)31

( 4) Council for British Archaeology : Group 12 (Wessex) & Group 13 (South West) : Archaeological review

6, 1971 Page(s)37

( 5) Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society, Bath

P Fowler P Rahtz & K Gardner 115, 1971 Page(s)51-2

( 6) edited by P J Fowler 1972 Archaeology and the landscape : essays for L V Grinsell

Page(s)194-197

( 7) Aerial photograph

RAF/106G/UK/1661/3420-1 12.7.46

( 8) Field Investigators Comments

F1 JWS 14-SEP-76

( 9) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

(10) BAR British series

71, 1979 Page(s)196-9

(11) Bristol Archaeological Research Group (B.A.R.G.) bulletin

Fowler Gardner & Rahtz 4 (9), 1973 Page(s)244-9

(12) Current archaeology

Fowler & Rahtz 23, 1970 Page(s)337-42

(13) edited by John Dore and Kevin Greene 1977 Roman pottery studies in Britain and beyond. Papers presented to John Gillam, July 1977

BAR supplementary series 30 Page(s)279-287

(14) Leslie Alcock 1971 Arthur's Britain : history and archaeology, AD 367-634

Page(s)219

(15) by Edward J Burrow 1924 Ancient earthworks and camps of Somerset

Page(s)56-57

(16) BAR British series

Hillfort Settlement in Somerset, (I Burrow) 91, 1981 Page(s)217-8

(17) edited by William Page 1911 The Victoria history Somerset, volume two

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)475-6

(18) by P J Fowler, K S Gardiner, P A Rahtz 1970 Cadbury Congresbury, Somerset, 1968: an introductory report

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