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OLDBERRY CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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An Iron Age univallate hillfort, badly damaged by ploughing, but a small portion of which survives well under cover of trees.

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[SS 90932820] Oldbury Castle (NAT)
Camp (NR) (1)

Oldberry Castle, about 1.5 miles NW of Dulverton, on a high
promontory, was originally an irregular oval about 240 yds long and
100 yds at its broadest part. At the NE and over the river there
remains a bank of stones 7-8 ft. above the present level of the outer
ditch which has been filled up with forest debris. Both bank and
ditch continue for 52 yds round the NW side and the bank in the same
direction for about 130 yds, all trace of the ditch having disappeared under agricultural operations.

Round the SE face the bank continues for about 40 yds the ditch having been filled up.

All along this face the ground falls very steeply and seems to have
been artificially scarped. Round the SW all traces of bank and ditch
have disappeared (2) univallate hillfort (under 3 acres)(3).
(2 & 3)

This is a univallate hillfort. The majority of the earthwork is now
utilised as a field, the remainder being in a wood, where both the
rampart and ditch survive.
Elsewhere the only remains are a discontinous scarp along the outside
of the modern field wall that follows the line of the rampart.
Published 1:2500 survey revised. (4)

SS 909282. Oldberry Castle. Scheduled, Somerset 331.
(Scheduled under 'Camps and Settlements) (5)

Oldberry Castle has been badly damaged by ploughing. Defences only
survive on the NE in woodland immediately above precipitous drops to
the river. Here there is a single bank rising about 2m from the
exterior ditch with a possible simple entrance giving access to the
spine of a ridge running down to the NE. The remainder of the circuit is incorporated in massive hedge banks, though the ditch can just be seen at the W corner. The interior is under continuous cultivation. Visited 1 4 73. (6)

(SS 90932820) Oldbury Castle (NR) (7)

Oldberry Castle was surveyed at 1:1000 scale in April 1997. A full report, plan and land use/management overlay have been deposited in the NMR. (8)

Oldberry castle has also been mapped at 1:10,000 scale, based on the
1:1000 plan, and is visible on aerial photographs. (9-10)

Oldberry Castle. (11)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1962

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

The Victoria history of the counties of England (CH Bottamley) Page(s)493-4

( 3) Externally held archive reference

OS Map Southern Britain in the Iron Age 1962 45

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 GHP 19-AUG-65

( 5) General reference

DOE (IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 Page(s)120

( 6) General reference

BAR 91 1981 'Hillfort & Hilltop Sett in Somer 1st - 8th c AD 241' (I Burrow)

( 7) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 1:10000 1976

(8) Field Investigators Comments

R Wilson-North and H Riley/22-04-1997/RCHME Field Investigation

(9) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

RAF 543/2821 (F64) 269-270 27-APR-1964

(10) Oblique aerial photograph reference number

NMR SS9028/1 (DAP 6688/37) 10-JAN-1989

(11) Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Object Name Book reference

Rev ONB Somerset 67NE 1902, 12

(11A) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

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