Castle Ditches

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Castle Ditches
Castle ditches geograph-390993-by-Toby.jpg
Woods around Castle Ditches
Castle Ditches is located in Wiltshire
Castle Ditches
Shown within Wiltshire
Alternative nameSpelsbury
LocationWiltshire
Coordinates51°03′14″N 2°03′15″W / 51.0540°N 2.0542°W / 51.0540; -2.0542Coordinates: 51°03′14″N 2°03′15″W / 51.0540°N 2.0542°W / 51.0540; -2.0542
Area24 acres
History
PeriodsIron Age
Site notes
Public accessno
Identifiers
NHLE1005701

Castle Ditches is the site of an Iron Age trivallate hillfort in the southeast of Tisbury parish in Wiltshire, England.

It is probable that its ancient name was Spelsbury; it was referred to as Willburge in Tisbury's charter of 984 A.D.[1] Its shape is roughly triangular, and follows the contours of the small hill upon which it sits. The earthworks comprise a triple row of ramparts and ditches, now covered on three sides by woodland. There is a large entrance towards the southeast, where there is the shallowest incline of the hill; but there is also a narrow slit on the opposite side. The area within the site encompasses nearly 24 acres (9.7 ha), and the greatest height of the ramparts is about 40 feet (12 m).[2][3]

3D view of the digital terrain model

Castle Ditches was recorded as a Scheduled Monument in 1932.[4]

Location[]

The site is at grid reference

 WikiMiniAtlas
ST964282, about 1+12 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Tisbury village. The hill has a summit of 193m AOD and overlooks the valley of the River Nadder to the north. Public footpaths surround the site, but the land is privately owned.

See also[]

  • List of hill forts in England

References[]

  1. ^ Tisbury Local History Society (1984). Looking Around Tisbury. Castle Cary, Somerset: Inkwell Design & Print.
  2. ^ The Ancient History of Wiltshire, by Sir Richard Colt Hoare, published 1812, Chapter No. 11 - Station 8: Fovant
  3. ^ "Castle Ditches (Wiltshire)". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  4. ^ Historic England. "Castle Ditches camp (1005701)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 April 2020.



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