Stonea Camp

3D view of the digital terrain model

Stonea Camp is an Iron Age multivallate hill fort located at Stonea near March in the Cambridgeshire Fens. Situated on a gravel bank just 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) above sea-level, it is the lowest hill fort in Britain. Around 500 BC, when fortification is thought to have begun at this site, this "hill" would have provided a significant area of habitable land amidst the flooded marshes of the fens. The site exhibits at least two phases of development over several hundred years of settlement, with a D-shaped set of earth banks surrounded by a larger, more formal set of banks and ditches.^[1]

Roman control[]

The fort is a possible site of the battle of 47 AD mentioned by Tacitus, between the Iceni tribe and a Roman auxiliary force under governor Ostorius Scapula. Human remains have been found around the site including sword-marked adult bones and the cleaved skull of a child, indicating that the inhabitants were trapped and attacked within the settlement.

The remains of a multi-storey Roman tower have also been excavated within sight to the north of the Stonea Camp fortifications.^[2] The building was possibly constructed to suppress further tribal rebellion or settlement at this site.

Excavation and restoration[]

Excavation work was carried out in 1980 by the British Museum, and restoration work followed in 1991 to recover the outer bank system and ditches which have been worn away by agriculture. The Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeology department has continued to carry out restoration work at the site. To prevent further damage by agriculture, the area is now designated as a pocket park^[2] and scheduled ancient monument.^[1]

Stonea Camp panorama

References[]

^ ^a ^b Historic England. "Stonea Camp: a multivallate hillfort at Latches Fen (1012439)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
^ ^a ^b Stonea Camp Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Cambridgeshire County Council, accessed 20 September 2013

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stonea Camp.

21 images of the site

Coordinates: 52°31′00″N 0°07′57″E / 52.516536°N 0.132376°E / 52.516536; 0.132376

v t Iron Age hillforts in England
Bedfordshire	Mowsbury Hill Maiden Bower
Berkshire	Bussock Camp Caesar's Camp Grimsbury Castle Membury Camp Perborough Castle Walbury Camp
Bristol	Clifton Camp Kings Weston Hill
Buckinghamshire	Cholesbury Camp Desborough Castle
Cambridgeshire	Stonea Camp Wandlebury Ring
Cheshire	Bradley Eddisbury Helsby Hill Kelsborrow Castle Maiden Castle Oakmere Woodhouse Hill
Cornwall	Black Head Cadson Bury Caer Bran Castallack Round Castle an Dinas Castle Dore Castle Goff Chûn Castle Dodman Point Giant's Castle Kelly Rounds Kelsey Head Lescudjack Lesingey Round Maen Castle Padderbury Top Prideaux Castle Rame Head The Rumps Trencrom Hill Trereen Dinas Treryn Dinas Trevelgue Head Warbstow Bury
Cumbria	Carrock Fell Castle Crag
Derbyshire	Fin Cop Mam Tor
Dorset	Abbotsbury Castle Badbury Rings Banbury Hill Buzbury Rings Chalbury Hillfort Coney's Castle Dudsbury Camp Dungeon Hill Eggardon Hill Flower's Barrow Hambledon Hill Hod Hill Lambert's Castle Lewesdon Hill Maiden Castle Pilsdon Pen Poundbury Hill Woodbury Hill Woolsbarrow
East Sussex	Hollingbury Castle Mount Caburn
Essex	Ambresbury Banks Danish Camp Loughton Camp
Gloucestershire	Cleeve Hill Kimsbury Camp Uley Bury
Greater Manchester	Mellor hill fort
Hampshire	Ashleys Copse Buckland Rings Bury Hill Caesar's Camp Castle Hill Chilworth Ring Danebury Dunwood Camp Frankenbury Camp The Frith Gorley Hill Hamble Common Camp King John's Hill Knoll Camp Ladle Hill Lockerley Camp Norsebury Ring Old Winchester Hill Oram's Arbour Quarley Hill St. Catherine's Hill Tidbury Ring Toothill Fort Whitsbury Castle Woolbury
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Hertfordshire	Arbury Banks Wilbury Hill Camp
Kent	Bigbury Camp Oldbury Camp
Lancashire	Castercliff Portfield Warton Crag
Leicestershire	Burrough Hill
Norfolk	Bloodgate Hill Holkham Camp Warham Camp
North Yorkshire	Eston Nab Maiden Castle Stanwick Camp
Northamptonshire	Borough Hill Hunsbury Hill Rainsborough Camp
Northumberland	Castle Knowe Humbleton Hill Yeavering Bell
Oxfordshire	Blewburton Hill Cherbury Camp Hardwell Castle Uffington Castle
Shropshire	Bayston Hill Bury Ditches Bury Walls Caer Caradoc, Church Stretton Caer Caradog, Chapel Lawn Caus Castle Coxall Knoll Nordy Bank Old Oswestry The Wrekin
South Yorkshire	Carl Wark Wincobank
Staffordshire	Berry Ring Berth Hill Bury Bank Castle Ring Kinver Edge Hillfort
Surrey	Caesar's Camp Hascombe Hill Holmbury Hill
West Sussex	Chanctonbury Ring Cissbury Ring Goosehill Camp Harting Beacon Highdown Hill Thundersbarrow Hill The Trundle Torberry Hill
West Yorkshire	Castle Hill
Wiltshire	Ashleys Copse Barbury Castle Battlesbury Camp Bratton Castle Bury Camp Castle Ditches Casterley Camp Castle Rings Chisbury Chiselbury Chisenbury Camp Clearbury Ring Cley Hill Fosbury Camp Grovely Castle Knook Castle Liddington Castle Membury Camp Old Sarum Ringsbury Camp Scratchbury Camp Sidbury Hill Vespasian's Camp Yarnbury Castle
Worcestershire	Berrow Hill Camp Berry Mound Bredon Hill British Camp Conderton Camp Drakelow Gadbury Bank Hanbury Hill Headless Cross Midsummer Hill Woodbury Hill Wychbury Ring

Stonea Camp

Contents

Roman control[]

Excavation and restoration[]

See also[]

References[]

External links[]