Monument record MDO7793 - Bulbury Camp, Lytchett Minster

An Iron Age hillfort is located on a slight rise between two gullies in fields to the west of Higher Bulbury Farm. It comprises of a single bank and ditch enclosure, encompassing an area of around 8½ acres. In 1884 Edward Cunnington published plans which showed the hillfort with two opposed entrances at east and west and two opposed plain gaps at north and south. This site is visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs.

Bulbury Camp is roughly circular with a south aspect, formed by a single rampart with inturned entrances on the east and west and gaps in the rampart at the north and south. There is a ditch on the outer side of tha bank. In 1881 a hoard of Iron Age bronze and iron objects were found on the west side of the camp and included a fragment of bronze mirror, a pair of iron rings, part of a bronze chape, two iron sledge hammers and two bronze bull figurines. Finds are now in Dorset County Museum. <1-2>

Bulbury Camp is a univallate hillfort situated upon a plateau-like hill overlooking marshy ground which drains into Poole Harbour. The area is generally arable and ploughing has destroyed most of the site. Apart from minor traces, the hillfort is now represented by a bank and section of an outer ditch on the south west side. Much of the interior was under plough when investigated but no surface finds were made. 1:2500 Survey. <4>

Bulbury (SY 929942), a very disturbed, single-banked enclosure of 8 1/2 acres interior area, lies in an unusual situation between the 100 ft and 200 ft contours on a local rise on ground which generally falls SE towards Lytchett Bay in Poole Harbour, 2 miles distant. The subsoil is London Clay. A notable chance find from the interior, made in the late 19th century, included objects which are unlikely to be much earlier than the date of the Roman conquest.

The earthwork spans a falling tongue of land flanked on the W by a sharp drop into a shallow gully with a stream, and by another, less marked, gully on the E. Higher Bulbury Farm impinges on the NE. To the S, a narrow gully runs some distance into the earthwork; there is now water in this gully 50 yds outside the enclosure. On the N side the ground rises gently at first, then more steeply, to a ridge about half a mile distant. There is a clear view to N and S, but the site itself - although wetter conditions may have increased its defensive potential - is much less commanding than that of any other hill-fort in SE Dorset.

On the N the defences are much defaced with a scarp falling 4 1/2ft to the N. The external ditch has been largely filled. The parish boundary with Morden follows this side. On E and W the bank is in places about 6 ft high, above the ditch bottom with a fall of, at most, 1 1/2 ft to the interior. On the SE where early OS large-scale maps seem to mark the rampart well inside the true line, it has now been almost entirely flattened by the ploughing which has long continued over all except the N bank. According to E Cunnington, whose indicated measurements agree with those shown on the plan, the bank at the N was 10 ft above the ditch and the breadth of the vallum was 41 ft … '(Archaeologia XLVIII (1884), 115-20). He drew opposed entrances with unusually long inturns (80 ft) at E and W and plain gaps, also opposed exactly, at N and S. It is now impossible to say which of these was original. The scarp, 4 ft high, curling W from the inside of the E side, is approximately where Cunnington envisaged an entrance.

In 1958 a few worn sherds were found in the ploughed interior of Bulbury; a fragment of a cooking pot rim however, appeared to be Roman-British rather than Iron Age 'C'. <5>

The finds recorded by Cunnington suggest that the hill-fort was used in the 1st century AD. They were 'all found together … from 2 ft to 3 ft underground while draining the camp', about 120 ft WNW of centre (C on plan). The following survive in DMC: part of a collared mirror handle and a fragment of decorated mirror plate 'characteristic of very late British mirror art', two bronze rings from a snaffle bit, a fragment of an iron sword hilt of Piggott's Group IV A, a piece of unclassified bronze chape, a unique tankard handle like Fox's Type III B mirror handles, eight glass annular beads, four bronze mounts for a chariot yoke, two iron sledge-hammers (one unfinished or a 'waster'), a long narrow iron axe, and iron fragments and an iron anchor 4 1/2 ft long together with an iron chain [Arch Camb C (1948), 40; PPS XVI (1950), 27; XVIII (1952), 94; C Fox, Pattern and Purpose (1958), 73]. Also recorded by Cunnington but not preserved were iron nails 6ins to 7 ins long, 'thick as a thumb', 2 or 3 'rounded flat pieces of iron, which may be timber clamps', 'half a good quern of very hard sandstone', 'a piece of fine bronze chain', 'a piece of bronze with iron ribs for strengthening it' '3 small bronze rings', and 'fragments of black wellburnt pottery'. <6>

An Iron Age hillfort on a slight rise between two gullies, in a much less prominent location than most other hillforts in Dorset. Earthworks in the form of a single bank and ditch enclose an area of around 8½ acres. In 1970 the best preserved parts of the bank were described as rising in places to around 6 feet above the bottom of the ditch and up to one and a half feet above the interior, and other sections were much reduced by ploughing and the modification of some sections of bank to serve as the parish boundary. In 1884 Edward Cunnington published plans which showed the hillfort with two opposed entrances at east and west and two opposed plain gaps at north and south. Cunnington also recorded a chance find made during the laying of drains – a collection of objects which included a late Iron Age mirror, part of a sword hilt, iron tools and an iron anchor with chain. <5-7>

The individual finds from the 1881 hoard found at Bulbury Camp are discussed in detail by Cunliffe and are considered to date to the early 1st century AD. Cunliffe also noted that the nature of the deposit is uncertain, but there is a possibility that the finds divide into three categories, (a) fittings of a male burial, (b) fittings of a female burial and (c)an ironsmith's stock in trade. <8>

Bulbury Camp (name confirmed) has been further reduced by ploughing (see annotated plan for details). Re-surveyed from RCHM plan and air photograph at 1:2500 on MSD. <9>

An Iron Age hillfort is located on a slight rise between two gullies in fields to the west of Higher Bulbury Farm. Earthwork and cropmark remains form of a single bank and ditch enclosure, encompassing an area of around 8½ acres. In 1884 Edward Cunnington published plans which showed the hillfort with two opposed entrances at east and west and two opposed plain gaps at north and south. This site is visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs <12-14>. It was digitally plotted during Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

1979, 080/022/292 1979 (Aerial Photograph). SDO20194.

<1> Cunnington, E, 1884, III.—On a Hoard of Bronze, Iron, and other Objects found in Belbury Camp, Dorset,” Archaeologia. Cambridge University Press, 48(1), pp 115–120 (Article in serial). SDO20193.

<2> Drew, C D, Colonel Drew's Index, Dorset County Museum (Index). SDO18316.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1925 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 929941) Bulbury Camp (NR)

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 26-NOV-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1965, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1964, 115 (Serial). SDO64.

'Surface finds at Bulbury camp, Lytchett Minster. A few sherds of pottery picked up in 1958 in ploughsoil in the interior of the Iron Age hill-fort (SY 929942) were much worn. One of them, however, a fragment of cooking pot rim, appeared to be Romano-British rather than Iron Age C.'

<6> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 492-493 (Monograph). SDO150.

'(30) BULBURY (SY 99 SW; 929942), a very disturbed, single-banked enclosure of 8½ acres interior area, lies in an unusual situation between the 100 ft. and 200 ft. contours on a local rise on ground which generally falls S.E. towards Lytchett Bay in Poole Harbour, 2 miles distant. The subsoil is London Clay. A notable chance find from the interior, made in the late 19th century, included objects which are unlikely to be much earlier than the date of the Roman conquest.

The earthwork spans a falling tongue of land flanked on the W. by a sharp drop into a shallow gully with a stream, and by another, less marked, gully on the E. Higher Bulbury Farm impinges on the N.E. To the S. a narrow gully runs some distance into the earthwork; there is now water in this gully 50 yds. outside the enclosure. On the N. side the ground rises gently at first, then more steeply, to a ridge about ½m. distant. There is a clear view to N. and S., but the site itself - although wetter conditions may have increased its defensive potential - is much less commanding than that of any other hill-fort in S.E. Dorset.

On the N. the defences are much defaced with a scarp falling 4½ ft. to the N. The external ditch has been largely filled. The parish boundary with Morden follows this side. On E. and W. the bank is in places about 6 ft. high above the ditch bottom with a fall of, at most, 1 ½ ft. to the interior. On the S.E., where early O.S. large-scale maps seem to mark the rampart well inside the true line, it has now been almost entirely flattened by the ploughing which has long continued over all except the N. bank. According to E. Cunnington, whose indicated measurements agree with those shown on the plan, the bank a the N. was 10 ft. above the ditch and 'the breadth of the vallum was 41 ft. …' (Archaeologia XLVIII (1884), 115-20). He drew opposed entrances with unusually long inturns (80 ft.) at E. and W. and plain gaps, also opposed exactly,a at N. and S. It is now impossible to say which of these was original. The scarp, 4 ft. high, curling W. from the inside of the E. side, is approximately where Cunninton envisaged an entrance.

The finds recorded by Cunnington suggest that the hill-fort was used in the 1st century A.D. They were 'all found together … from 2 ft. to 3 ft. underground while draining the camp', about 120 ft. W.N.W. of centre (C on plan). The following fragment of decorated mirror plate 'characteristic of very late British mirror art', two bronze rings from a snaffle bit, a fragment of an iron sword hilt of Piggott's Group IV A, a piece of unclassified bronze chape, a unique tankard handle like Fox's Type III B mirror handles, eight glass annular beads, four bronze mounts for a chariot yoke, two iron sledge-hammers (one unfinished or a 'waster'), a long narrow iron axe, and iron fragments and an iron anchor 4½ ft. long together with an iron chain (Arch. Camb. C (1948), 40; P.P.S. XVI (1950), 27; XVIII (1952), 94; C. Fox, Pattern and Purpose (1958), 73). Also recorded by Cunnington but not preserved were iron nails 6 ins. to 7 ins. Long, 'thick as a thumb', 2 or 3 'rounded flat pieces of iron, which may be timber clamps', 'half of a good quern of very hard sandstone', ' a piece of fine bronze chain', 'a piece of bronze with iron ribs for strengthening it', '3 small bronze rings', and 'fragments of black well-burnt pottery'. '

<7> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 602 (Monograph). SDO150.

'A few scraps of coarse ware, apparently Romano-British, occur in plough-soil within Bulbury Camp, where a hoard of Celtic metalwork probably dates from about the time of the Roman conquest (see Hill-forts, Lytchett Minster (30).'

<8> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1972, The Antiquaries Journal 52, 293-308 (Serial). SDO20192.

<9> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 29-JAN-81 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<10> Cox, P, and Chandler, J, 1996, The Proposed Development of New Parking Facilities, New Reception Area and Extension to Bulbury Woods Golf Course, Lytchett Minster, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO12544.

'8.2 A site inspection was carried out in July 1996. All areas affected by the present proposals were under ley pasture. No soil exposures could be examined for the presence of artefacts. The banks of Bulbury Camp are very smoothed and eroded by ploughing on all sides. The line of the enclosure ditch is visible on the southern side as a slight depression with differential vegetation showing in the dry weather.'

<11> Cox, P W, 1997, Archaeological Observations Made During the Construction of New Golf Course Facilities at Bulbury Woods Golf Course, Lytchett Minster, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO14032.

<12> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 4050-51 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13311.

<13> National Monuments Record, xx-xxx-xxxx, NMR SY 9294/1 (CCC 11752/284) (Aerial Photograph). SDO13319.

<14> National Monuments Record, 06-MAR, NMR SY 9294/4 (23002/10) (Aerial Photograph). SDO13318.

<15> Stewart, D, 2013, Bulbury Camp. A Geophysical Survey (Unpublished document). SDO16764.

<16> Lock, G, and Ralston, I, 2017, Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland [ONLINE], EN3583 (Digital archive). SDO17130.

<17> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<18> National Record of the Historic Environment, 457414 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 20 2025 10:34AM