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MAESBURY CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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A small multivallate Iron Age hillfort with defences enclosing the summit of a round hilltop, on the southern side of the Mendip Hills. The earthworks are oval in plan, with two lines of ramparts enclosing an inner area of 2.8ha. The two ramparts are nor always concentric, and there is a gap between them, particularly at the western entrance.

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MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES

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[ST 610471] Maesbury Castle [T.I.] Hill Fort [G.T.] (1)

This is an Iron Age, bivallate, contour hill fort enclosing
about seven acres. The inner bank is mostly 5ft. high but
increases to 10ft. at the east end of the camp. There are
entrances on the S.E. and N.W. and the latter appears to be
original. It formerly had an outturned bank on its S. side.
Gray (3) believes the S.E. gap to be original, and here the bank
shows traces of a stone core. Also on the S.E. is a much ploughed
down bank, (H-I), [See Illustrations Card] about 1ft. high by
10ft. wide, with a shallow outer ditch; it appears to be an
outwork. (2-4)

Maesbury, a bi-vallate hillfort which presents some unusual
features. Both the opposed entrances have been damaged: that to
the N.W. has ramparts abutting at right-angles and a slight
ditch, extending N.W. fom the S. side of the entrance, suggests
an embryonic out-turning. The "outwork" at the S.E. could
possibly have been intended for another out-turned or covered
entrance.
On the W. side scarping of the main rampart has not been completed,
thus leaving a berm at the original ground level between
rampart and ditch. The outer rampart is also incomplete. It is
simply an interspace on the S.W. side, a weak single bank on the
S. & E. sides and a double bank on the N.
Throughout, the impression gained is that Maesbury is an
unfinished hillfort. Re-surveyed at 1/2500. (5)

Additional reference. (6)

ST 611472: Maesbury Castle, scheduled. (7)

Maesbury, originally called "Marksbury", mentioned in boundary charterof 702. (8)

Double-edged tanged knife from Maesbury - detailed account. (9)

ST 610 471. Maesbury. Listed in gazetteer as a multivallate hillfort covering 2.4ha. (10)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) General reference

Ordnance Survey 6" (Provisional) 1960

( 2) University of Bristol Spelaeological Society proceedings

8 Page(s)172-8

( 3) Somerset archaeology and natural history : the proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society

53 Page(s)73-81

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

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)491-2

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

First OS Archaeology Field Investigator 27/09/1966

( 6) General reference

Burrow E 1924 Ancient Earthworks and Camps of Somerset pp 80-1

( 7) General reference

English Heritage SAM List Somerset 1987 p 4

( 8) Council of the Ancient Monuments Society Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society

27 Page(s)84-5

( 9) Historical metallurgy : the journal of the Historical Metallurgy Society

16 Page(s)46-7

(10) by A H A Hogg 1979 British hillforts : an index

BAR British series1 (1974) - 62 Page(s)203

(11) General reference

English Heritage Schedule Entry 31/01/1997

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