More information : [Centred at TQ 60754390] Castle Hill (NAT) Camp (NAT) (1)
Castle Hill Camp, a multivallate hillfort, with an area of circa 17 acres, inside the outer bank. It was excavated by S.E. Winbolt, in 1929, when flint artifacts and iron slag were found. An entrance on the east was paved and had stone-revetted sides. No evidence of permanent occupation was found; the finds are in Tonbridge Public Library. (See illus 1) (2-3)
The Castle Hill earthworks are situated on a spur of high ground, running from NE to SW, circa 400 feet above sea-level. The natural slopes are nowhere very steep. On the SW of the spur is a kidney shaped enclosure, with the characteristics of an Iron Age contour fort, formed by a rampart and outer ditch. The NE side is under plough but has slight indications of a causewayed entrance. To the NE, the promontory has been cut off by a deep ditch with an outer bank and traces of an inner bank, obscured in places by a modern hedge-bank. The southern part of this earthwork has been badly mutilated and its original form is difficult to determine.
An additional outer bank here may be merely part of an old approach road. The northern end of the earthwork ends abruptly for no obvious reason. A centrally placed entrance is represented by a gap in the outer bank and a probable causeway across the ditch.
The true nature of this earthwork is uncertain;it does cut off the promontory but its defensive value is negated by the weak flanking slopes. There is no evidence that it was ever directly connected to the contour fort - the linking bank to the NW, identified by Winbolt, is a field boundary of no great age. It may be an unfinished work, possibly a later strengthening of the contour fort. At Tunbridge Wells Museum are flint artifacts from Castle Hill, identified as Mesolithic and Bronze Age; some are exhibited. A 1:2500 survey has been made. (see illus 2) (4)
No change; the 1:2500 survey by Authy. 4 is correct. (5)
[See Archives folder PF/37, No. 2300. (Copy of this plan appears in Arch Cant 91 1975, see illus 3)] (6)
TQ 608439, Castle Hill, a full excavation report of work carried out into the two separate forts on Castle Hill. Excavations were carried out in 1969, 1970 and 1971 and a watching brief in May-June 1965 during pylon construction (7). An interim report appeared in 1971 (10).
That there were two Hill Forts was first recorded by E. Geary (4), Wimbolt (2) being misled into believing it was a single fort by the destruction of the defences in the arable field. Apart from recognizing an ironstone roadway in the east entrance of Fort I the Wimbolt report is of little or no value and the finds from his excavaton are now lost.
Worked flints and waste material, mainly Mesolithic, and three Neolithic sherds were found but there were no concentrations to suggest occupation in these periods.
Fort I, Radiocarbon dated to circa 315 BC, enclosed an area of 2-9 acres. The north-eastern defences are intact and the entrance was positioned centrally on the east side. South of the entrance the earthwork has been badly mutilated. The OS map (see Illus 2) includes some features which look modern and they have been omitted from the Field Survey (Illus 3). The south-eastern defences have been demolished but there are definite signs on air photographs (a and b). Two trenches have been dug: site K - through to northern defences and site L - at the east entrance. What was left of the inner rampart was 12 ft wide and had a maximum height of 33 ins. Originally it was 15 ft or perhaps 18ft wide. Between the inner and outer ramparts was a steep-sided V-shaped ditch, 27 ft wide and 12 ft deep.
Fort II, carbon dated to circa 228BC, enclosed an area of 2.5 acres.Two-thirds of the earthwork still survives, consisting of a single bank and a ditch except in the north-west corner where there is a counter-scarp bank. The north-east defences have been demolished but it is still visible as a slight ground swelling.
Excavations have taken place, sites D and F, into the north-west defences. The inner rampart ws 19 ft wide at the base and had survived to a maxuium height of 4ft. Site E, an excavation into the entrace suggested by Geary but work proved conculsively that no entrance existed here. It is suggested that an entrance may exist to the south-east, marked entrance on illus, as there are slight indications on the round. Site J was an attempt to find evidence of a causeway under the modern track, none was found. Pottery from the site ranged from tentatively dated sixth-fifth century BC to Late pre-Roman Iron Age wares.
The conclusion drawn is that both forts had a brief occupation and that Fort II replaced Fort I after the latters destruction. During the interval between the destruction of one fort and the building of the other farming may have taken place on the hill-top. (7-10)
TQ 608439 Castle Hill earthworks, scheduled. (11)
TQ 608439 Castle Hill [NAT] Settlement [NR] (12)
Additional bibliography. (13-17)
|