Historic England research records

Historic England Research Records

Codford Circle
Hob Uid: 211362
Location : Wiltshire Codford
Grid Ref : ST9825040560
Summary : An earthwork hilltop enclosure situated on the crest of Codford Hill, a chalk promontory of Salisbury Plain. An elevated oval area of 3.6 hectares is surrounded by a bank 6.5 metres wide and up to 1.6 metres high from the outside. This is surrounded by a ditch 5 metres wide and up to 0.5 metres deep except for a section around the south eastern edge where it has been reduced by ploughing. Air photographs taken in 2001 revealed an inner ditch, probably a palisade, running concentric to the earthwork and with clear opposing entrances to the east and west. Entrances on the south east and north west through the earthworks are modern.
More information : (Centred ST 9825 4056) Codford Circle or Wilsbury Ring (GT). (1) Oldbury Camp(2)(3), Wilsbury Ring(3) Woldsbury(4) and Codford Circle (3) are all names recorded for the earthwork on Oldbury or Codford Hill. (None of the names is listed in the E.P.N.S. volume for Wilts and it is debatable whether the 'Oldbury' element does not refer to Oldbury Castle - SU o6 NW 27). It is a circular earthwork formed by a light bank and outer ditch. (2-5) Codford Circle is a single bank in the form of a regular oval (200 x 240m) on the top of Codford Hill. The bank is slight and varies between 0.3m. to a scarp of 1.5m. An outer ditch is traceable. There is no obvious entrance nor sign of occupation; defensively the feature is weak and cannot be more than an enclosure of indeterminate date. Published survey (1/2500) revised. (6) No change; report of 3.1.69 correct. (7) Aerial photographs taken July 25th 2001 showed an inner ditch circuit visible as a cropmark. It runs more or less concentric to the earthworks, and around 25 metres inside them. It features clear entrances on the east and west sides, and is circa 190 metres northeast-southwest and 150 metres wide, its axis the same as Codford Circle itself. A number of pit-like features are also visible in the interior of the hillfort and the probable palisade, but none need be of archaeological origin. (8)

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Source details : OS 6" 1961.
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Source Number : 4
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Source details : Rec. 6" (OGS Crawford, udated)
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Source Number : 5
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Source details : APs. 540/854/3381; St. Joseph AT 25; Crawford F7, M110.
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Source Number : 6
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Source details : F1 JP 03-JAN-69
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Source Number : 7
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Source details : F2 MJF 23-JUN-75
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Source Number : 8
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Source details : 16-Jul-99
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Source Number : 9
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Source details : NMR 21348/01 ST 9840/24 25-JUL-2001
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Monument Types:

Monument Period Name : Iron Age
Display Date : Bronze Age to Early Iron Age
Monument End Date :
Monument Start Date :
Monument Type : Hilltop Enclosure, Palisaded Enclosure
Evidence : Earthwork, Cropmark

Monument Period Name : Later Prehistoric
Display Date : Later Prehistoric
Monument End Date : 43
Monument Start Date : -4000
Monument Type : Hilltop Enclosure, Palisaded Enclosure
Evidence : Earthwork, Cropmark

Components and Objects:

Related Records from other datasets:

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (National No.)
External Cross Reference Number : 31667
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : WI 115
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : ST 94 SE 17
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :

Related Activities :

Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1969-01-03
End Date : 1969-01-03

Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1975-06-23
End Date : 1975-06-23

Associated Activities :
Activity type : EXCAVATION
Start Date : 2001-01-01
End Date : 2001-12-31

Associated Activities :
Activity type : AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
Start Date : 2001-04-01
End Date : 2002-03-31

Historic England Research Records

Codford Circle