More information : [SU 47625693] At the foot of Ladle Hill, on the west,
is an earthwork which is clearly an ancient catchment pond; it
resembles that at Park Brow, Cissbury which was constructed at
the side of a track to collect surface water from it.
The pond has features which strongly suggest an Iron Age date.
In its present condition it consists of a semi circular
embanked area, c.40 by 15 yards, which rises some 13 feet above
the steep natural slope outside, but which has been silted up
to about 3 feet from the top inside. It is situated against the
edge of a trackway (probably originally contemporary, but worn
by subsequent traffic to below the level of silting in the
pond) which runs diagonally up the hill southwards. This may be
the pond mentioned in the Saxon name of the Ladle Hill Fort
"Meres Byrig" (Camp of the Pond) though Crawford, (Andover
District 1922, 77) thinks it is the dewpond to the SE of the fort.(1)
The earthwork is placed on the steep, west slope of Ladle Hill,
at a height of 600 feet OD. It has been formed by the erection
of a substantial bank on the downhill side of the slope, the
material probably having been dug from the upper slope.
A sunken terrace-way, in modern use, forms the east side of the
earthwork. In this respect, it is distinct from two earthworks
nearby which it otherwise resembles closely in plan and
profile. There are - Chapman's Dell' - 1 1/2 miles to the
south-west [SU 45 NE 38] and another, the same distance to the
south [SU 45 SE 1]. These earthworks are so significantly
placed and constructed that they are equally likely to be
Romano-British 'circuses' or ponds. The comparison of this
earthwork with that at Park Brow, Cissbury, is of particular
significance as the latter was at first thought to be a
'circus' but was identified as a catchment-pond after
exacavation. Prof.S.Piggott, in response to a letter making the
suggestion that the Ladle Hill example was a 'circus' replied
that it was "more likely to be a circus". However, opposed to
the analogy of Park Brow, and possibly, the very suggestive
Saxon name for the nearby IA hill-fort, is the close
similarity of the earthwork to known examples of RB 'circus'.
No more definite opinion can be offered by this investigator
other than the alternatives - 'circus' or pond. See
Illustrations Card. (2)
Description of 27.2.57 still correct. Surveyed at 1/2500. (3)
|