Wolstonbury: henge or hillfort

Wolstonbury 3

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GLADMAN Apr 11, 2011 20:59:12

Nearly six years ago TMA asked 'Wolstonbury: henge or hillfort?'

Following a visit on Saturday... and seeing a quite insubstantial bank and no trace of an outer ditch (that I could see, anyway) I'm inclined to say Wolstonbury appeared to me a non-defensive enclosure - serving some sort of ceremonial function, perhaps? Either that or the builders thought the hill too impregnable to warrant much effort, sticking a cross dyke across the easiest approach perhaps as an afterthought.

Must admit I've been intruigued by the possible dual 'defence/ceremonial' aspect of hillforts in general for several years now. A number I've seen (e.g Cow Castle, Chesters) would appear to have been sited by - shall we say - people not overly endowed with military genuis.

Anyone any thoughts?

danielspaniel Apr 12, 2011 14:59:35

Replying to GLADMAN

Ooh, I'm going to have to 'unlurk' for this one!

Hi Gladman, thanks for bumping my favourite site into the latest posts/ forum!

Was it really 6 years ago?!? Unfortunately I am no closer to an answer, but as you rightly point out there doesn't seem to be much practical defensive use in Wolstonburys ditches (which are internal) and banks (which are fairly low).

A thing which I find striking is the hills domination of the landscape when viewd from the North. It has a real 'sacred hill' type presence from this aspect, which is unusual amongst the more rolling 'whale backed' hills of the South Downs. I can't help thinking this would have given the hill a significance to ancient people which would have gone beyond defense.

Maybe the word hillfort is a bit of a misnomer generally - many of these hilltop monuments would have had multiple uses over time (the confusing, overlaid phases of Wolstonburys earthworks seems to confirm this - see: http://apollo5.bournemouth.ac.uk/wolstonbury/wol_intro.html)

My pragmatic side thinks 'animal enclosure', while the dreamer in me likes to think 'ceremonial enclosure'. Either way, I don't reckon it was a "fort"!

moss Apr 13, 2011 10:02:14

Replying to GLADMAN

GLADMAN wrote:

Anyone any thoughts?

Defence/ceremonial, and also a place for annually gathering livestock maybe. If I was to categorise; large hillforts like Maiden Castle and Danebury are 'proper' hillforts, and there is a lot that falls in between such as smaller defensive settlements.
The coastline of West Wales is littered with promontory forts, but really they are small places of a few huts defended by a ditch/bank and probably there to protect from raids of their neighbours.
Three Cotswold escarpment hillforts, Horton Camp, Sodbury Camp and Solsbury Hill are all slightly different. The first two have substantial banks (Sodbury was later fortified by the romans) and sit on the edge of the escarpment, whilst Solsbury is situated on a hill.
Yet just up the road on the Lansdown you have a 'hillfort' which used to have three barrows inside, so was that an animal enclosure?

edit; few years back someone started a hillfort site which never took off, but they run into hundreds all over the country its almost impossible..