Whitsbury Castle
| Whitsbury Castle | |
|
Wiltshire | |
|---|---|
 The outermost ditch of Whitsbury Castle | |
| Type: | hillfort |
| Location | |
| Location: | 50°58’34"N, 1°49’9"W |
| History | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | private |
Whitsbury Castle, or Whitsbury Castle Ditches, is the site of an Iron Age univallate hillfort located near the village of Whitsbury in Wiltshire. The fort is roughly pear-shaped, located on a chalk outcrop, and covering approximately sixteen acres. The defences comprise two large ramparts with outer ditches and an additional counter scarp bank on the northern half.[1]
The original entrance was at the south-western corner but has been destroyed by the construction of a post-mediæval manor house. The site has been in use throughout the ages, with excavation revealing Mesolithic activity, an association with a Bronze Age ranch boundary, an Iron Age hillfort settlement, followed much later by Anglo-Saxon renovation and reuse of the defences.[2] The site is privately owned but is flanked externally on all sides but east by public bridleways.
The site is listed as a scheduled ancient monument.[3]
References
- ↑ http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/vol05/page317.html Hampshire Treasures website
- ↑ Megalithic Portal: Whitsbury Castle
- ↑ National Heritage List 1020316: Whitsbury hillfort (Scheduled ancient monument entry)