Slight Univallate Hillfort 600m N Of Roveries House
- HER Number (PRN): 01222
- Site Name : Slight Univallate Hillfort 600m N Of Roveries House
- Protected Status:
Grade: Ref No.: 1011024 Title: Slight univallate hillfort 600m north of Roveries House Type: Scheduled Monument - Civil Parish:
- Grid Reference: SO 3228 9271
- Related Monuments:
- Brief Description: Scheduled Monument: A good example of a nationally rare type of Iron Age hillfort, with a single relatively slight rampart, of particular interest because of its proximity to the larger hillfort 350m to its south east.
- Description: The ditch, 1m deep, is NW of the bank which rises 2m from it and is 0.8m high. The ditch lies in a saddle with gently rising ground beyond it.. OS FI 1973 <1>
A small oval enclosure formed by a double ditch and bank on the west and rock face on the east, with a southern entrance <2a>
Probably an annexe to The Roveries [PRN 01221] <3>
Length of bank and ditch approx 120m long on NW side of summit of hill. On the SW it ends at a small rock outcrop. To the NE the ditch runs into a gully on NE facing slope. At SO3224 9275, approx 30m north of a prominent oak tree, is an old cutting, about 1m wide, across bank and ditch possibly associated with the excavations carried out at SA 1221.... A Tyler FI 1981 <5>
Scheduling revised in 1995. Scheduling description: ->
-> The monument includes a slight univallate hillfort situated on the northern summit of Roveries Hill, a prominent hill commanding the Camlad-Onny valley and the Lydham pass to the south west of the Long Mynd. The enclosure is roughly oval in plan with maximum dimensions of 200m north to south by 110m east to west, giving an internal area of approximately 1.8ha. The site is positioned to make maximum use of the topography creating a defended site using the minimum of artificial defensive works. Around the south, east and north east the natural hill falls as a series of steep slopes and rock cliffs; these form a formidable barrier to any approach from this direction. Around the west and north west sides, where the summit is open to the hill to the west, a substantial linear rampart up to 10m wide and averaging 2.5m high on its west face and lm high on its east face has been constructed. A ditch 6m wide and 1.3m deep runs along the base of the rampart on its west side. At the southern end this rampart links with the cliff face of a natural rock outcrop. In the north it curves around to the east to fade out on the steepening north east slope of the hill. There is no constructed entrance into the interior of the enclosure and access would most likely have been along a simple pathway climbing the hill from the east. Such a path exists today in the south east quarter of the hill. The interior of the site is uneven and it would most likely have functioned as a temporary defensive work perhaps in some way associated with the larger and more permanent hillfort which lies 350m to the south west, the subject of a separate scheduling <8>
Burrow remarks on the SMR card [<0>] that the suggestion in [<3>] is extremely dubious. <9>
This site was visited during a survey of major later prehistoric enclosures in the region, in 2011-2012. Site planted with commercial conifer woodland in the 20th century. Felling works undertaken in 2007-8 on slopes to the east to open up views towards Roveries Hill Camp. <10>
Visited during a condition survey by the English Heritage Field Monument Warden, in 2000. Condition recorded as poor, with extremely dense woodland. <11>
The Roveries hillforts, Lower and Upper, belonged in the 1930s to Major H. R. Sykes (1870 –1952) of Roveries Hall which lay at the southern edge of the hill they occupy. Acting with the constant encouragement and advice of Brian H. St J. O’Neil, then at the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings, H.M. Office of Works, he carried out a series of excavations and surveys principally at the Lower hillfort (PRN 01221), between 1935 and 1939...In his final year of activity, presumably brought to a close by the outbreak of war, Sykes also directed his attention to the earthworks located on the separate piece of high ground to the north-west known to him as Roveries Northern Camp, or Roveries Upper (PRN 01222). O’Neil had been active in the area throughout that period, excavating at Titterstone Clee Camp (1932), Breiddin Hill Camp (1933–5) and Ffridd Faldwyn Camp (1937–9) and it appears that Major Sykes sought his guidance when planning to investigate the two prominent hill-top encampments on his property. These excavations were never published but Sykes accumulated extensive notes and survey drawings (hereafter called the Archive), many of them annotated or commented upon by Brian O’Neil. The latter also made his own sketch plan of the Northern Camp, called by him Roveries Upper Camp. A considerable collection of informative, high quality photographs accompanies the Sykes archive. ->
-> Report contains discussion of the Syke's excavations in the context of the 1960s excavations at both sites (ESA1735). <12>
Selected photographs from Sykes excavations (including finds photographs, before returned to landowner) have been digitsed and are held in the HER on ESA CD. <13>
Photographed during aerial survey in 2018 (general view). <14> - Record Type: Monument
- Sources:
(00) Card index: Shropshire County Council SMR. Site and Monuments Record (SMR) cards. SMR record cards. SMR Card for PRN SA 01222. (01) Card index: Ordnance Survey. 1973. Ordnance Survey Record Card SO39SW3. Ordnance Survey record cards. SO39SW3. (02) Field Monument Warden Report: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission (HBMC). 1986. Scheduled Monument Report on SAM 26558. (02a) Volume: Victoria County History. 1908. Victoria County History 1. Victoria County History of Shropshire. Vol 1. p365-366 with plan. (03) Article in serial: Forde-Johnson J. 1962. Article in the Archaeological Journal. Archaeol J. Vol 119. p66-91. p87-89. (04) Monograph: Hogg A H A. 1975. Hillforts of Britain. p183. (05) Field recording form: Tyler Alan W. 1981-Feb-06. Site Visit Form, 06/02/1981. SMR site visit form. (06) Manuscript: Chitty Lily F. MS notes. L F Chitty Collection. (07) Correspondence: Forestry Commission. 1990. Correspondence, 1990. (08) Scheduled Monument notification: English Heritage. 1995. Scheduling Papers (Revised Scheduling, 20/06/1995). 19182. (09) SMR comment: Burrow Ian. 1977/ 1978. Comments by SMR compiler in SMR database. (10) Archaeological fieldwork report: Dorling P & Wigley A. 2012. Assessment of the archaeological and conservation status of major later prehistoric enclosures in Herefordshire and Shropshire. p.221. (11) Field survey report: Leigh Judith. 2001. Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the Shropshire Hills ESA: Brief Condition Survey. (12) Article in serial: Thomas N. 2017. The Roveries Lower and Upper Hillforts, Lydham, South Shropshire: excavations 1960-1963. Trans Shropshire Archaeol Hist Soc. 92. pp.91-135. (13) Project archive: Thomas N and Britnell J. 2017. Archive photographs, find photographs and report images: The Roveries Excavations 1930s and 1960-1963. The Roveries. (14) Oblique aerial photograph: Shropshire Council. 2018-Jul-17. SA1805_068 (1 photo) Flight: 18_SA_05. Colour. Digital. - Tags:
- Related Places:
- For more information contact: Shropshire Council HER
- Date Created: 28/09/1995
- Date Last Edited: 24/07/2018 13:49:09
