The Roundabout hillfort, 460m west of Barter's Hill Farm

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.

Despite the southern rampart and ditch line having been partly removed by quarrying, part excavation has shown that the Roundabout hillfort will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction and the landscape in which it was built.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a roughly circular slight univallate hillfort known as The Roundabout 460m west of Barter's Hill Farm. It is also located c.300m north east of a Neolithic long barrow known as Lyneham Barrow, the subject of a separate scheduling, (SM 21844), and c.650m south west of a large round barrow known as Barter's Hill barrow, also the subject of a separate scheduling, (28118). The hillfort has a single rampart which has a drystone core with a turf cover. This measures c.10m across and stands up to 2.5m above the surrounding ground level to the north and north east and 1.75m above the interior. There is a single original entrance on the northern side of the circuit. This measures roughly 16m across and is used for a modern farm track. The southern rampart line has been lost as a result of past quarrying which has removed the remains of about a tenth of the monument. The rampart was originally surrounded by a substantial ditch c.12m wide and, where excavated, up to 2m deep. This has now been largely infilled to the north east by cultivation and is overlain to the east by the edge of the road. To the south it has been lost as a result of quarrying, but to the west it survives as a visible feature in open woodland. Part excavation in 1956 provided evidence of the construction of the rampart and ditch, suggesting that they were built in a single phase as a drystone revetted rampart and outer U-shaped ditch. It was also observed that the ditch had been re-cut once it had partly silted and a dumped rubble repair was made to the rampart. The date of this repair is unknown, but many Iron Age hillforts were reused in the period after Roman rule began to collapse. Excluded from the scheduling are all fences and the surface of the road running along the eastern side, although land beneath all of these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

28143

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
PRN 2302, C.A.O., Lyneham Roundabout, (1980)

End of official list entry

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