Corley camp univallate hillfort

Reasons for Designation

Slight univallate hillforts are defined as enclosures of various shapes, generally between 1ha and 10ha in size, situated on or close to hilltops and defined by a single line of earthworks, the scale of which is relatively small. They date to between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (eighth - fifth centuries BC), the majority being used for 150 to 200 years prior to their abandonment or reconstruction. Slight univallate hillforts have generally been interpreted as stock enclosures, redistribution centres, places of refuge and permanent settlements. The earthworks generally include a rampart, narrow level berm, external ditch and counterscarp bank, while access to the interior is usually provided by two entrances comprising either simple gaps in the earthwork or an inturned rampart. Postholes revealed by excavation indicate the occasional presence of portal gateways while more elaborate features like overlapping ramparts and outworks are limited to only a few examples. Internal features included timber or stone round houses; large storage pits and hearths; scattered postholes, stakeholes and gullies; and square or rectangular buildings supported by four to six posts, often represented by postholes, and interpreted as raised granaries. Slight univallate hillforts are rare with around 150 examples recorded nationally. Although on a national scale the number is low, in Devon they comprise one of the major classes of hillfort. In other areas where the distribution is relatively dense, for example, Wessex, Sussex, the Cotswolds and the Chilterns, hillforts belonging to a number of different classes occur within the same region. Examples are also recorded in eastern England, the Welsh Marches, central and southern England. In view of the rarity of slight univallate hillforts and their importance in understanding the transition between Bronze Age and Iron Age communities, all examples which survive comparatively well and have potential for the recovery of further archaeological remains are believed to be of national importance.



Corley camp survives well and is a good example of a slight univallate hillfort. Partial excavation at the site has indicated that, despite regular ploughing, the interior retains structural and artefactual evidence for the occupation of the hillfort and for the economy of its inhabitants. The rampart and ditch will retain archaeological information relating to the hillfort's construction.

Details

The monument is situated on Burrow Hill, to the east of the village of Corley and includes a univallate hillfort. Corley camp is rectangular in plan with external dimensions of approximately 210m north west-south east and 190m north east-south west. The defensive earthworks of the site include intermittent traces of a rampart and ditch and, along the northern edge of the site, traces of a counterscarp bank. At the north east edge of the hillfort the rampart and ditch are visible as earthworks, measuring 10m wide and 6m wide respectively. Quarrying has destroyed the defences at the northern corner of the site and sections of the north east counterscarp bank. There is little surface evidence for defences along the north west edge of the hillfort and the ground surface falls away steeply beyond the edge of the site. The south west rampart is visible as a slight break in slope and is thought to have been been levelled and spread by ploughing. The ditch in the south west part of the site has been infilled but will survive as a buried feature. The best preserved sections of the site's defences are situated along the south east edge of the site, where the rampart measures up to 1.8m high. An excavation at the site has indicated that the rampart was constructed of earth and rubble and revetted with a well-built dry stone wall and wooden tie-beams. The outer edge of the rampart was further strengthened with timbers set at right angles to the face of the wall. An excavation at the north west edge of the hillfort located a possible original causeway entrance into the site's interior. The hillfort earthworks enclose an area of approximately 3ha. The ground surface falls considerably towards the south west and gradually becomes more level. An excavation within the northern part of the interior in 1923 recovered traces of possible hut circles defined by collapsed stone walls. Finds recovered from the site during excavation include large quantities of flint flakes and fragments of pottery dated to the Iron Age and Romano-British period.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

21552

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Chatwin, P B, Transactions of the Birmingham Archaeological Society in Excavations On Corley Camp, Near Coventry, (1927), 283-4
Chatwin, P B, Transactions of the Birmingham Archaeological Society in Excavations On Corley Camp, Near Coventry, (1927), 285

Other
Corley Camp, SMR 369, (1981)

End of official list entry

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