Reasons for Designation
Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late
Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended
area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a
substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a
stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the
bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military
operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements.
They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60
with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted
range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular
significance to our understanding of the period.
Details
The earthwork east of Clay Hill is a ringwork dating to the late Anglo-
Saxon/early Norman period. The monument includes a ditch of varying depth and
up to 7m across, the earth from which was used to create a mound some 2.5m
high and 40m in diameter. The top of the mound was strengthened further by a
1.5m high bank around its edge, and in all likelihood by a wooden palisade.
The small area within the bank provided the site for buildings and perhaps a
watchtower. Access was gained through an entrance on the eastern side,
represented by a 7m gap in the bank, beyond which the remains of a wooden
bridge can be expected to survive.
Small-scale excavations at the site in 1922 recovered Norman or early medieval
pottery. A plan completed at the same time shows that the bank on the top of
the mound was formerly continuous apart from at the entrance. It also
demonstrates the existence of the ditch around the northern side of the mound.
Wartime emplacements and more recent ploughing have partially obscured these
features.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12777
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
