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Alfred's Castle

Oxfordshire, England · Atlas EN0137

Alfred's Castle is a level-terrain fort in Ashbury, Oxfordshire, England.

It is recorded as extant, with a univallate rampart form, surface evidence of earthen bank and stone wall, and an enclosed area of 1.2 hectares.

Banks or ramparts are the remains most likely to be visible.

The topographic record places it in a lowland setting and at 190 m.

The aspect is recorded as level.

Recorded land use includes pasture and arable.

Dating evidence is recorded for 400 BC–AD 50 (Artefactual and C14). Reliability is recorded as A - High.

A scheduled monument number is recorded (1015551).

Location

Atlas number: EN0137 (137)
Country: England
Current county or unitary authority: Oxfordshire
Historic county: Berkshire
Parish, community, or townland: Ashbury
National Grid reference: SU 2773 8223
Latitude: 51.53829
Longitude: -1.60151
Altitude: 190 m

Form and condition

Type: level-terrain fort
Condition: Extant
Morphology: univallate
Complete rampart circuit: Yes
Number of ramparts: 1
Number of ditches: 1
Possible original entrances: 2
Breaks through the ramparts: 3
Enclosed area: 1.2 ha
Footprint: 5.3 ha
Enclosing works, as visible: earthen bank and stone wall
Enclosing works, excavated: earthen bank and stone wall
Also recorded: annex and ditches
Entrance forms: Simple Gap (North east); Simple Gap (North west)

Landscape

Topographic position: lowland
Aspect: level
Land use: pasture and arable

Dating

Dating: 400 BC–AD 50
Dating evidence: Artefactual and C14
Dating reliability: A - High

Interior and investigation

Interior excavation: pits, postholes, roundhouses, and rectangular structures
Finds: pottery, metal, metalworking, human bones, animal bones, lithics, and environmental material
Investigations: 1st Identified Map Depiction (1762); Other (2003); 1st Identified Written Reference (1665-1693); Geophysical Survey (1996-1999); Excavation (1998-2000)

Identifiers

Scheduled monument number: 1015551
HER: Oxfordshire 7333 (second identifier MOX44)
National record: record SU 28 SE 10; monument 225540
Wikidata: Q4722169

Sources

References

Gosden, C. and Lock, G. 2013. Histories in the making. Excavations at Alfred's Castle 1998-2000. Oxford University, School of Archaeology Monograph 79.
Horn, J. Forthcoming. The dating of hillforts in Britain and Ireland. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh.
Payne, A., Corney, M. and Cunliffe B 2006. The Wessex Hillforts Project. Extensive Survey of Hillforts in Central Southern England. English Heritage, 81-88.