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 monument includes a ringwork and bailey set on level ground immediately
north of a tributary of the River Thames. The ringwork comprises a raised
platform 0.5m above ground level and 50m across defined by a low inner bank
and a broad ditch 10m wide and 1m deep. To the west of the ringwork is a
level bailey, again defined by bank and ditch, the bank standing to a maximum
height of c.1m. Remains of an additional outer bank can be traced in fields
immediately south of the southern arm of the ditch. East of the ringwork is a
further extension of the bailey. This appears to have been reduced by
cultivation although the ditch can still be traced as a low earthwork running
NNW-SSE. It survives to a width of c.3m and is 0.2m deep. The moat
surrounding the ringwork was fed by a channel linking the monument with a
tributary of the River Thames. This can be traced in a field south of the
ringwork as a linear feature c.4m wide and 0.3m deep.
The site was partially excavated by a local, Gp Cpt Knocker, in 1959. This
revealed a dry stone wall set in the bank of the ringwork and a clay-lined
ditch. Finds of pottery and metalwork, believed to be contemporary with the
monument, were recovered.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12292
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
