More information : (Centred ST 911442) Scratchbury Camp (TI) Hill Fort (GT). (1)
Scratchbury Camp is a univallate hillfort c 40 acres in area, having a Neolithic causewayed camp within it which was first described by Colt Hoare (4) and subsequently identified by Crawford.(5)
There are other banks in the hillfort and a ditch parallel with the south side is of recent date. These features are all clearly visible on air photographs (7).
Hoare records the discoveries of a jade axe and a ground flint axe with 'British and Roman' pottery inside the camp and a Roman bronze spoon was found in 1804. The axes are in Devizes Museum.
Dr K P Oakley notes that the jade axe resembles some Australian aboriginal implements in form(6). (2-7)
A trial cutting across the innermost ditch in 1957 produced IA pottery in the primary filling. (Thereby refuting Crawford's Ne classification). (8)
Scratchbury Camp is a univallate IA contour hillfort built in either two or three phases.
The extant part of the 1st phase is the curvilinear portion of the present 'D'-shaped enclosure. A crop-mark visible on APs seemingly indicates a continuation to the SE of the straight side, thus roughly completing a circle. This earthwork may have been no more than a well defended enclosure.
The existing section of the (?) 2nd phase, the scarp subdividing the fort, may in fact have been merely a setting out bank that was never utilised. It seems possible that the fort, laid out to include the large barrow, was extended to encompass the whole of the top of the hill, thus making full use of the natural defences and resulting in the present configuration. (? Ph 3).
Whether there were separate 2nd and 3rd phases, or merely a re-alignment in the 2nd phase can only be decided by excavation.
There are three entrances in the east, southeast and northwest, and several small depressions by the latter may be hut sites. (9)
RCHM 1:2500 Survey of 1963 - revised.
No change; report of 20.3.69. correct. (10)
See Archives Folder P/F 38, number 2284. (11)
Finds from W. Grimes 1957 excavations have been transferred to Devizes Museum 1977.63. (12)
Plan and internal structures described and compared with other hillforts. (13)
ST 913 443. Scratchbury. Listed in gazetteer as a univallate hillfort covering 15.0ha. (14)
Scratchbury has been surveyed by staff of the RCHME Salisbury office as part of a project focussing on the earthworks of South Wiltshire. The following is a summary of the detailed archive report:
The 17 ha univallate hillfort of Scratchbury is situated on the Upper Chalk at 196m OD. The enclosure is positioned at the S edge of the Salisbury Plain Chalk Massif and has extensive views overlooking the lower Wylye Valley to the S. It is approached by more level ground from the W.
The enclosure is defined by a single bank with external ditch. Where best preserved, along the W side, the rampart stands to a height of c6m above the ditch bottom and is c15m wide at its base. The ditch is c5m-8m wide and up to 1m deep. Elsewhere, the enclosure is defined by a bank 3-6m in height above the ditch bottom, the ditch being c4-6m wide and up to 0.5m deep. On the E side of the hillfort, the ditch is absent and is replaced by a ledge c3-8m wide. The crest of the rampart is very undulous and numerous peaks and troughs along its course are mirrored in the ditch. This is commonly noted on other hillforts and perhaps hints at the 'gang dug' nature of rampart construction.
A quarry scoop is located immediately within the rampart. Within this, numerous circular and curvilinear depressions are likely to be the remains of structures. There are three main breaches in the enclosure circuit and all appear to be original. The simplest consists of a single gap of c20m between the rampart and ditch terminals. The other two are off-set, respectively 15m and 7m wide.
Post Medieval ploughing within the interior has reduced much of the surviving detail. However, a small D-shaped enclosure c3.5ha in area occupies the centre. It is now defined mainly by a lynchet standing to a height of c0.5m. Traces of a remnant bank survive internally along the N and W sectors. The accompanying ditch has a remarkably causewayed nature and survives in segments 30-50m in length. There is one W-facing entrance consisting of a simple gap of c15m in the enclosure circuit. The interrupted nature of the enclosure ditch, which may be the result of recent overploughing, led Curwen to suggest that this enclosure was Neolithic in date. However, excavation by WF Grimes showed that the enclosure is Iron Age in date. Its straight SE side is formed by a linear ditch which is clearly truncated by the main hillfort boundary, thus implying that the linear ditch and contiguous enclosure pre-date the hillfort. The linear ditch now survives as a S facing lynchet with only a short stretch of ditch surviving along its S section.
Much of the N and W area of the interior appears to have been densely settled, as demonstrated by the presence of c100 probable structures. These survive mainly as circular hollows c5-10m in diameter and up to 0.6m deep. The best preserved is a rectangular platform immediately within the S terminal of the W entrance. The location and unusual morphology suggests a special function for this structure. It is plausible that a 'guard chamber' was positioned here.
At least six round barrows are contained within the hillfort. All were opened by William Cunnington and Colt Hoare. (15)
Scratchbury Hillfort was investigated by RCHME field staff as part of the SPTA project. No change. Further details can be found within the project archive. (16) |