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Wychbury Hill

RE: Wychbury

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morfe M
morfe Apr 15, 2005 14:02:49
Replying to Forrester

"how old do you reckon Wychbury is??"

Good question. Well, obviously the hil itself is as old as, well, the hills (boom-cha!), but human occupation changed the way it looked during the Iron Age. here is a wealth of hillforts around these parts, and they all look so similar to me: Woodbury, British Camp, Burf Castle, Meon Hill, Wychbury etc etc.

What interests me about Wychbury are the tumuli, which could be bronze age? Check out the ones at Harborough Hill nearby. What does that tell us? Did the Hwicce build burial mounds?

F Forrester
Forrester Apr 15, 2005 14:20:03
Replying to morfe

I've been interested in these mounds at Harborough hill, but need someone to show me where they are. There are some intersting looking mounds on the border of Churchill and Iverley too, but they may be natural? Also, somewhere around there, is a Mercian Royal Hall. There are records showing it to be in this vicinity, which i think was once known as "Usmere" (Stourbridge was known as Sturbrigge in usmere). Stakenbridge lane is a dead give away too, and sounds nicely Anglo Saxon !

F Forrester
Forrester Apr 15, 2005 15:41:21
Replying to morfe

Funny thing is, I think the earliest Anglo Saxon Jutish people did have burial mounds (Ship burils included) --- but I don't reckon the ones around Blakedown are of that provenance. Maybe, Harborough hill was the original, small defended place of some local Lordling, but this was outgrown when serious raiding (from the west) took place, and Wychbury fortified at a later date??? Then re fortified again much later? I postulate that they wanted to defend the saltways from droitwich too, and possibly Wychbury was a centre from which they could escort this valuable commodity (and Iron goods too, from Vertis/Worcester) along the routes to the North, and West to the river. JRR Tolkein, eat your heart out...