Monument record MDO4766 - Rawlsbury Camp, Stoke Wake

The earthwork remains of an Iron Age hillfort also called Rawlesbury Rings or Rawles-Bury Rings. The camp is situated on the western end of a ridge with precipitous slopes to its south and an out-turned entrance to the east. Its defences comprise two banks, each with a ditch but separated by a berm. The ramparts appear to represent two constructional phases, the inner one probably being an addition to an original univallate fort. The camp has been much disturbed by trackways. Finds from the site have included Iron Age pottery, Roman coins and pottery.

Rawles-Bury or Rawlsbury Rings is an Iron Age 'Durotrigian' camp situated on the south west extremity of Bulbarrow. The earthwork covering about 7-8 acres is oviform and is partially protected by double ramparts. There is an entrance on the east side. Roman coins and pottery have been found there and in the arable fields nearby. <2-3>

A very strong hillfort, surmounting the western end of a ridge with precipitous slopes to its south and with an out-turned entrance to the east. North of the parish boundary the earthwork has been mutilated, mainly by trackways. From its strength and complicated entrance the hillfort seems likely to be later rather than earlier Iron Age. See 1:2500 Re-survey. <4>

ST 768058. Rawlsbury Camp, an Iron Age bivallate hillfort, is prominently sited at 780ft. Above Ordnance datum, on a spur extending W. from the S.W-N.E. alignment of the Chalk escarpment. The S. half of the camp lies in Hilton parish.

The ground falls steeply away on the N. and S.E. and less steeply on the W., to the E, it rises along a narrow neck towards the summit of Bulbarrow Hill. The defences enclose a pear-shaped area of 4 acres with an entrance at the narrow E. end.

The defences comprise two banks, each with a ditch, adjoining on the W. and S.E. but separated by a berm 40ft to 70ft across on the N. and S. The inner rampart stands up to 5ft. Above the interior and up to 19 ft. above the ditch bottom. The ditch varies in depth from a mere shelf on the S.E. to 8 ft. on the N., and in width from 15ft to 30ft. Traces of a counterscarp bank are visible on the S. and on either side of the entrance. The outer rampart is more variable and along the N. side it has been damaged by tracks and by the present road; on the inside it rises up to 4ft. Above the berm and on the outside its height varies between 14ft. On the N.W. and 22ft. On the S.E. The outer ditch has been partly destroyed on the N., and on the S.E. it is no more than a narrow sloping shelf, but where best preserved it is 25ft. Across and 4ft. Deep.

The ramparts appear to represent two constructional phases, the inner rampart probably being an addition to an original univallate fort. The elaborate entrance, consists of a gap through the inner rampart, flanked by the out-turned ends of the bank which, on the S, turns and crosses the line of the outer bank. The entrance is protected by a barbican or outwork formed by the outer rampart, but the precise form is difficult to determine because of disturbance.

Within the camp, the S. half contains slight depressions, probably the remains of occupation. Sherds found in trenches dug during army manoeuvres in 1951, in the rearward slope of the inner rampart, include wares that are possibly Iron Age or later <5.1>.

Cross-dykes E. of the fort may well be related to it (ST 70 NE 21, 24, 25, 26) See plan. <5>

ST 767 058. Rawlsbury. Listed in gazetteer as a multivallate hillfort covering 1.6 hectares. <7>

Stewart, D, 2013, Rawlsbury Camp. A Geophysical Survey (Unpublished document). SDO21399.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1902 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred ST 767057) Rawlsbury Camp

<2> Hutchins, J, 1873, The history and antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 4. 3rd edition, 356-7 (Monograph). SDO10245.

<3> Warne, C, 1872, Ancient Dorset (2nd Edition), 94-5 (Monograph). SWX1971.

<4> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 15-AUG-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<5> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 258-9 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(6) RAWLESBURY CAMP (768058), an Iron Age bivallate hill-fort (Plate 199), is prominently sited at 780 ft. above O.D., on a spur extending W. from the S.W.-N.E. alignment of the Chalk escarpment. The S. half of the camp lies in Hilton parish. The ground falls steeply away on the N. and S.E. and less steeply on the W.; to the E. it rises along a narrow neck towards the summit of Bulbarrow Hill. The defences enclose a pear-shaped area of 4 acres with an entrance at the narrow E. end.
The defences comprise two banks, each with a ditch, adjoining on the W. and S.E. but separated by a berm of 40 ft. to 70 ft. across on the N. and S. The inner rampart stands up to 5 ft. above the interior and up to 19 ft. above the ditch bottom. The ditch varies in depth from a mere shelf on the S.E. to 8 ft. on the N., and in width from 15 ft. to 30 ft. Traces of a counterscarp bank are visible on the S., and on either side of the entrance. The outer rampart is more visible and along the N. side it has been damaged by tracks and by the present road; on the inside it rises up to 4 ft. above the berm and on the outside its height varies between 14 ft. on the N.W. and 22 ft. on the S.E. The outer ditch has been partly destroyed on the N., and on the S.E. it is no more than a narrow sloping shelf, but where best preserved it is 25 ft. across and 4 ft. deep. The ramparts appear to represent two constructional phases, the inner rampart probably being an addition to an original univallate fort. The elaborate entrance, much disturbed by tracks and by digging, consists of a gap through the inner rampart, flanked by out-turned ends of the bank, which, on the S., turns and crosses the line of the outer bank. The entrance is protected by a barbican or outwork formed by the outer rampart, but the precise form is difficult to determine because of disturbance. Within the camp, the S. half contains slight depressions, probably the remains of occupation. Sherds found in trenches dug during army manoeuvres in 1951, in the rearward slope of the inner rampart, including wares that are possibly Iron Age ‘A’ and ‘C’, or later (Dorset Procs., LXXVI (1954), 94). Cross-dykes E. of the fort may well be related to it (see below, and WOOLLAND (7)-(9)).’

<5.1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1956, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1954, 94 (Serial). SDO54.

<6> DOE, 1977, Scheduled Monument Notification DOE (IAM) AMs Eng 1977, 77 (Scheduling record). SDO17495.

<7> Hogg, A H A, 1979, British hillforts: an index, 204 (Monograph). SDO17414.

Volume 62

<8> Lock, G, and Ralston, I, 2017, Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland [ONLINE], EN3605 (Digital archive). SDO17130.

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AO55/195/7 (Index). SDO14738.

OUT-TURNED ENTRANCE FROM NORTH-EAST.

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AO55/195/8 (Index). SDO14738.

NORTH RAMPART AND DITCH FROM EAST

<11> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB76/07711 (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF DUROTRIGIAN HILLFORT WITH A SINGLE EASTERN ENTRANCE ROMAN COINS AND POTTERY HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE INTERIOR

<12> Historic England, Historic England Archive, NMR06 (Index). SDO14738.

NMR Measured Drawings: This material has not yet been fully catalogued. As a result copyright and date information may be incomplete or inaccurate.

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F195/7 (Index). SDO14738.

RAWLSBURY CAMP HILLFORT AT STOKE WAKE/HILTON. OUT-TURNED ENTRANCE FROM NORTH EAS

<14> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F195/8 (Index). SDO14738.

RAWLSBURY CAMP HILLFORT AT STOKE WAKE/HILTON. OUT-TURNED ENTRANCE FROM NORTH EAST.

<15> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/096 RCHME Inventory: Dorset III (Central), RCH01/096 (Unpublished document). SDO17384.

A large collection of archive relating to the RCHME Dorset Inventory Volume III, published in 1970. It contains field surveys and excavation archive. Parish files containing original surveys have been given child collection status.

<16> National Record of the Historic Environment, 201750 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 7 2025 1:31PM