Monument record MDO12 - Abbotsbury Castle on Wears Hill, Abbotsbury

A hillfort consisting of a roughly triangular enclosure on top of a ridge, enclosing around four and a half acres. There are two ramparts with a ditch between them on three sides of the hillfort, where the natural slope of the hill is steeper, and four ramparts at the south-eastern end, where there appears to have been some reconstruction. There appears to have been one original entrance, also at the south-eastern end of the fort. Slight earthworks of hut circles are visible in the interior.

Abbotsbury Castle on Wears Hill, 700' above OD. Internal area 4.5 acres, total area covered about 10 acres. The enclosure occupies partof the top of a ridge and is of roughly triangular form. The N, S and E sides are defended by two ramparts with a medieval ditch following the natural contours. At the SE end the defences consist of four ramparts of which the innermost, now of slight elevation appears to mark the original end of a single-ditched camp of the type associated with Iron Age 'A'. This early rampart was superceded by a new bank, raised outside and largely obliterating the early ditch, and supplemented by two new ditches, forming a complex characteristic of the Iron Age 'B'. At the W end there appears to have been an enlargement of the defences, but here the most notable addition is a small enclosure of squarish plan, with a ditch cutting through the main ramparts of the camp. It has been conjectured to be a Roman signal post, but there is no evidence [RCHM survey plan and sections]. <1>

SY544866 Excavations at the south west corner of Abbotsbury Castle Hill-fort proved that a Roman Signal Station was not present. <2-4>

The hillfort is clearly visible on aerial photographs and was digitally plotted during the the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project. <7-8>

Fair, John and Moxom, Don, 1993, Abbotsbury and the Swannery (Monograph). SDO21281.

Stewart, D, 2013, Abbotsbury Castle, Dorset. A Geophysical Survey (Unpublished document). SDO21388.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 9-11 (Monograph). SDO97.

'(31) ABBOTSBURY CASTLE, hill-fort on Wears Hill (700 ft. above O.D.) 1½ m. N.W. of the church and partly in Puncknowle parish, has an internal area of 4½ acres and a total area of about 10 acres. The work occupies part of the top of a ridge, the enclosure being roughly triangular. The N., S. and E. sides, on which there is a steep scarp to the hill-side, are defended by two ramparts with a medial ditch following the natural contours. A certain amount of the inner scarp of the outer rampart has disappeared leaving merely a ledge in place of the ditch; this may be due to either a slip or an enlargement of the inner rampart. The inner scarp of the inner rampart is slight for much of its length.

At the S.E. end the defences consist of four ramparts, of which the innermost, now of slight elevation, appears to mark the original end of a single-ditched camp of the type associated especially with Iron Age A. This early rampart was superseded by a new bank, raised outside and largely obliterating the early ditch, and supplemented by two new and formidable ditches with outer marginal mounds. The addition forms a complex characteristic of Iron Age B, although whether these added features are themselves all of the same date can only be proved by excavation. They are associated apparently with a recutting of the main ditch of the camp, the addition or emphasis of its outer bank, and its extension into the new works at the S.E. end.

At the W. end there also appears to have been an enlargement of the defences, but here the most notable addition is that of a small internal squarish enclosure of slight elevation, with a ditch cutting through the main ramparts of the camp. It has been conjectured to represent a Roman signal-post, but there is no evidence. Immediately N. of this point a modern pathway enters the camp, but the opening near the middle of the N.W. rampart may be an original postern. There would appear to have been only one original main entrance, along the N.E. side at the S.E. end, where the (extended) main rampart forms an elbow to flank the approach.

Within the enclosure is a mound of 40 ft. diam. and 5 ft. high, and with traces of a surrounding ditch. There has been some disturbance at the top. To the E. and N.E. of this mound are traces of a number of hut-hollows, which are, with one exception, all about 20 ft. in diam. and surrounded by slight banks. The exception is about 15 ft. in diam. Loose stones on the surface may indicate former walling.' (1)

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1975, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1974, 56 (Serial). SDO74.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1976, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1975, 51 (Serial). SDO75.

‘INTERIM NOTE ON EXCAVATIONS AT ABBOTSBURY CASTLE HILLFORT, DORSET, 1973
The remainder of the entrance to the enclosure was examined and the absence of any substantial gate posts confirmed.
Although a satisfactory conclusion has not been reached, excavations will not continue beyond this stage. The reasons for this are: (a) Features characteristic of a Roman military signal station are not present. This answers the question originally posed [Proc. Dorset N.H. & A.S., Vol. 96 (1974), 56]. (b) An further attempts to understand the history and purpose of the enclosure must involve a consideration of the complex problems of the hillfort itself. An academic case could be made for studying these, but only in terms of large scale excavation, which cannot be justified at present because the hillfort has a superbly preserved interior and there is no known threat to its continued preservation.
A full report is in preparation.’

<4> Goodburn, R (Compiler), 1976, 'Roman Britain in 1976: 1. Sites explored'; Britannia, 360 (Article in serial). SDO16995.

<5> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1982, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1980, 106 (Serial). SDO80.

’17. ABBOTSBURY CASTLE. SY 556866. On greensand ridge at 210 m. Triangular hill-fort, bivallate with added end defences. Total area about 4 ha. Group of hut circles appear as low banks with entrances to north-east. No surface finds recorded but excavation of small square enclosure at west end produced minimal Iron Age material and did not support the suggestion that it was a Roman signal station (J. Beavis, 1974, Proceedings 96, 1974, 56 and 97, 1975, 51).’

<6> Lock, G, and Ralston, I, 2017, Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland [ONLINE], EN3579 (Digital archive). SDO17130.

<7> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 3284-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11620.

<8> 02-FEB-1971, NMR SY 5586/14-22 (178/32-3 & 292-304) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11618.

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 881653 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Abbotsbury Castle, Dorset. Section and plan.

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive, CC71/00230 (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF TRIANGULAR HILLFORT

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450349 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 4 2025 10:50AM