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MONUMENT NO. 200574

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DESCRIPTION

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Earthwork remains of an Iron Age univallate hillfort. It was re-discovered by Fowler after reference to Skinner. It occupies an area of woodland about 3ha at the SE end of a narrow ridge with precipitous slopes to SW and SE, and a steep slope on the NE, being univallate except on the NW. Here a continuous outer bank, 8m by 0.5m high and a ditch 10m by 0.2m deep, crosses the ridge. The main `rampart', superficially a stone bank, is about 5m wide by 0.5m high, though larger by the only apparent original entrance, now damaged, at the SE corner. An accompanying ditch exists only on the NE side of the hill, lying about 10m below the rampart, with an outer bank. It is about 8m wide and becomes a terraced track at the north but is clearly defined at the south where it stops just short of the entrance. No revelant archaeological features were noted internally. A number of Roman silver coins found during hedge repairing on Highbury Hill in the late 18th century and were subsequently sold in Bristol; possibly a hoard.

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A number of Roman silver coins found during hedge repairing on Highbury Hill, [Name ST 634 579,] were subsequently sold in Bristol. A strong post on this hill is defended by a double ditch on the north-east, and natural slopes on the other sides. Near this double ditch Skinner examined the foundations of a small building, but did not believe them to be of any great age. (1)

Although Highbury Hill (ST 634579) is an area of woodland, in which any earthwork is unlikely to have been destroyed, the `strong post' described by Skinner cannot be located. There seems to be no other, independent, reference to either the `post' or the Roman coins. (2)

ST 635580. Highbury Hill, Clutton. `A most impressive hill-fort hidden under thick wood with, on the E., a vertical height ditch bottom - stone rampart top of c. 10m. (3)

ST 635580. A hillfort on Highbury Hill was re-discovered by Fowler (4) after reference to Skinner (1). It occupies an area of woodland about 3ha at the SE end of a narrow ridge with precipitous slopes to SW and SE, and a steep slope on the NE, being univallate except on the NW. Here a continuous outer bank, 8m by 0.5m high and a ditch 10m by 0.2m deep, crosses the ridge. The main `rampart', superficially a stone bank, is about 5m wide by 0.5m high, though larger by the only apparent original entrance, now damaged, at the SE corner. An accompanying ditch exists only on the NE side of the hill, lying about 10m below the rampart, with an outer bank. It is about 8m wide and becomes a terraced track at the north but is clearly defined at the south where it stops just short of the entrance. No revelant archaeological features were noted internally. (4-5)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Externally held archive reference

Skinner MSS 26 (1799-1826) Page(s)26B-29

( 2) Field Investigators Comments

F1 GHP 16-DEC-65

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

( 3a) General reference

Journal of a Somerset Rector 1803-1834, 1971 (Edit. H and P Coombs) Page(s)108

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

(P J and R L Fowler) 7, 1972 Page(s)24

( 5) by Ian Burrow 1981 Hillfort and hill-top settlement in Somerset in the first to eighth centuries A.D.

BAR British series1 (1974) - 91 Page(s)220-1

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