Burroway enclosure
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1013417
- Date first listed:
- 05-Jan-1990
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1013417
- Date first listed:
- 05-Jan-1990
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Oxfordshire
- District:
- West Oxfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Clanfield
- County:
- Oxfordshire
- District:
- West Oxfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Bampton
- County:
- Oxfordshire
- District:
- Vale of White Horse (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Buckland
- National Grid Reference:
- SP 30893 00367
Reasons for Designation
Prehistoric enclosures on the floodplain of major rivers rarely survive in such a complete state. The Burroway enclosure is considered to be of considerable value, both for the well-preserved timber structures surviving in the bank, and for the exceptional preservation of archaeological deposits on the interior. Furthermore, from its position by the river and by comparison with other sites, waterlogged deposits may be expected to survive in the ditches. This being the case, the survival of environmental evidence would provide a context within which the enclosure may be better understood.
Details
The site comprises an oval defensive enclosure dating to the Iron Age (100- 50BC) situated on the floodplain of the river Thames and on an island between the main river and the Burroway Brook. The enclosing earthwork is broad with the bank rising to about 1m above the surrounding area. Outside the bank is a ditch c.5m wide and c.2m deep which has produced Iron Age pottery. Evidence for burning exists in the form of burnt clay fragments on the surface of the bank and charred wood within it. Three possible entrances have been identified, on the east, north and west sides, the former containing evidence for a "hornwork". Air photography suggests the presence of houses, pits and ditches on the interior.
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:
- 12006
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Sutton, J E G, IA Hilforts And Some Other Earthworks In Oxfordshire, (1966)
Benson, D, Mile, D, The Upper Thames Valley: An Archaeological Survey, (1974)
Harding, D W, The Iron Age in the upper Thames Basin, (1972)
Other
Lambrick, G., Unpublished report and excavation archive,
SP 3000-1,
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.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 09-Jul-2026 at 12:15:31.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.