Bury Ditches

Also known as:
Tongley Hill
Nearest town:
Bishop's Castle (4km NNW)
OS reference:
SO327837
OS sheet:
137
Latitude:
52° 26' 48.01 N
Longitude:
2° 59' 25.16 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Bury Ditches (Hillfort) by morfe

The Green Man makes his ceremonial procession from the bridge across Clun Castle mound, down into the fayre. May 5th 2003.

Image credit: Morfe
morfe
morfe May 10, 2003
Image of Bury Ditches (Hillfort) by morfe

Looking out from near the centre of the hillfort over the Shropshire Hills.

Image credit: Morfe
morfe
morfe May 10, 2003

Articles

Folklore

Bury Ditches
Hillfort
Rhiannon
Rhiannon May 16, 2011

I learnt (12th Sept., 1884) another tradition of hidden treasures. At the Bury Ditches, a very large entrenched camp some five miles from Clun, there is buried a ‘stean’ (an earthen pan, see Word-Book) of gold belonging to the fairies. A clue of golden wire is attached to it, which will lead the seeker to the spot. My informant remembered hearing the story as a child, 1839-1845, and wanting to search for the end of the clue when gathering wimberries there.

From volume 3 of Charlotte Burne’s ‘Shropshire Folk-lore’ (1886).

Folklore

Bury Ditches
Hillfort
morfe
morfe May 10, 2003

The Green Man Festival. A couple of miles from Bury Ditches lies the village of Clun. It’s a wonder to behold the dual-imaged Horned God and the Green Man challenging Winter on the old bridge, to make way for the May Queen. It is hard to put into words quite WHAT it is that strikes one so deeply about the Green Man, yet this man is so grateful to the people of Clun for keeping him alive. Russell Hoban in his novel ‘Riddley Walker’ captures the essence: “The look o’ that face saying so many different things only no words to say ‘em with. Never seen that face befor yet it wer a face I knowit....“.

U-Knowit!

clun.org.uk/greenman/

Miscellaneous

Bury Ditches
Hillfort
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Apr 25, 2002

This hill fort has amazing views of all the Shropshire favourites – the Stiperstones, the Long Mynd, Wenlock Edge, the Clee Hills – plus the mountains of the Welsh borderland.
The two entrances are cunningly designed in a wiggly fashion for maximum defence.

Topics

Green Man 10
Kammer
Kammer
May 2003

Sites within 20km of Bury Ditches

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