Monument record 0173400000 - DANESFIELD CAMP

Summary

Iron Age hillfort known as Danesfield Camp or Danes Ditches, surviving as earthworks and with traces of settlement found during evaluation trial trenching and excavations.

Protected Status/Designation

Archaeological Notification Area: Iron Age hillfort and associated settlement at Danesfield Camp, partly excavated in 1990, 1998-9 (DBC9307)
Scheduled Monument 1014604: LARGE MULTIVALLATE HILLFORT KNOWN AS DANESFIELD CAMP (DBC7185)

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Type and Period (1)

HILLFORT (Early Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 700 BC to 42 AD)

Description

Dimensions - Width 260m, Length 310m.
Plan Form - Subrectangular.
EARTHWORK ORIGINALLY ENCLOSED ROUGHLY RECTANGULAR AREA, BUT ONLY SURVIVES ON N & E. S SIDE NEEDED NO EXTRA DEFENCE, AS STEEP SCARP DOWN TO THAMES. W SIDE DESTROYED DURING BUILDING OF DANESFIELD, EARLY C20. ON N & E ARE DITCH, INNER RAMPART & OUTER BANK. RAMPART: HEIGHT 5M; WIDTH 19M. DITCH DEPTH 4M; WIDTH 21M (B1-9).
Scheduled Monument (B1).
Evaluation trial trenching and subsequent excavation and watching brief carried out by OAU in August, October and December 1990 during creation of a new car park to the north of Danesfield House identified well-preserved remains of Middle Iron Age date, suggesting domestic occupation within the hillfort. [See CAS 1734:02](B16).
Archaeological evaluation and excavation in interior of camp failed to find any archaeological features or finds. Suggested that original topsoil and any archaeological features and deposits cleared away during garden construction (B18-21).
Monitoring of ten machine-excavated test-pits in the hillfort in 2007 found buried modern dumped deposits and modern topsoil from farming activities in the 19th and 20th centuries. No archaeological features or artefacts before the modern period were exposed (B22).
Topographic survey (3 sections across hillfort ramparts and a small area of contour survey) carried out by Archaeology in Marlow between October 2007 and April 2008. See report for detail (B23-24).

Sources (27)

<1>SBC14010 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1996. SCHEDULING LISTS OF INSPECTORATE OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS.
<2>SBC7333 Bibliographic reference: T Langley. 1797. HISTORY & ANTIQUITIES OF THE HUNDRED OF DESBOROUGH P335.
<3>SBC20350 Bibliographic reference: A Hadrian Allcroft. 1908. Earthwork of England. p388.
<4>SBC3069 Article in serial: Alfred Heneage Cocks. 1911. 'THE DANES DITCHES AT DANESFIELD (MEDMENHAM)', IN RECS OF BUCKS 10 PP19-26 & PLAN & ILLUS. Vol 10.
<5>SBC20466 Bibliographic reference: Royal Commision on Historical Monuments. 1912. Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire. Volume 1. p256.
<6>SBC12291 Bibliographic reference: A H Plaisted. 1925. MANOR & PARISH RECORDS OF MEDMENHAM PP4-5 & ILLUS OPP. P8.
<7>SBC9374 Unpublished document: MR TALBOT K GREEN 1976 (SURVEY & NOTES FILED).
<8>SBC11130 Unpublished document: Ordnance Survey Field Investigator. OS RECORD CARD SU 88 SW 15 (FILED).
<9>SBC8064 Bibliographic reference: M E FARLEY DEC 1976 FIELD VISIT /CAS 1734.
<10>SBC6046 Unpublished document: HAMBLEDEN MUSEUM LOAN COLLECTION.
<11>SBC3068 Article in serial: Alfred Heneage Cocks. 1909. 'ON A HOARD OF BRONZE IMPLEMENTS FROM NEW BRADWELL', IN RECS OF BUCKS 9 PP437-438 & ILLUS. Vol 9.
<12>SBC11129 Bibliographic reference: OS RECORD CARD SU 88 SW 14 (FILED).
<13>SBC903 Unpublished document: BCM ACCESSIONS REGISTER.
<14>SBC5500 Verbal communication: G E SCRIMGEOUR FROM OS 1961 6 INCH MAP.
<15>SBC8076 Unpublished document: M E FARLEY, SEPT 1983 (SEE NOTES, PLANS & CORRESPONDENCE, FILED).
<16>SBC6891 Article in serial: KEEVIL G D & CAMPBELL G E. 1991. 'INVESTIGATIONS AT DANESFIELD CAMP, MEDMENHAM, BUCKS', IN RECS OF BUCKS 33 pp87-99. Vol 33.
<17>SBC5555 Bibliographic reference: GADSDEN & TREHERNE, OSBORN & MERCER. 1895. THE DANESFIELD ESTATE ON THE BANKS OF THE THAMES NEAR HENLEY (AUCTION CATALOGUE).
<18>SBC19168 Unpublished document: Oxford Archaeological Unit. 1998. Danesfield House Hotel, Medmenham, Bucks. Evaluation.
<19>SBC19165 Unpublished document: Oxford Archaeological Unit. 1999. Danesfield House Hotel, Medmenham: Archaeological Excavation Interim Report.
<20>SBC19424 Article in serial: Stuart Foreman (OAU). 1998. South Midlands Archaeology 28. p25.
<21>SBC19429 Unpublished document: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 1999. Danesfield Camp, Medmenham, Bucks.
<22>SBC22926 Unpublished document: Albion Archaeology. 2007. Danesfield Camp, Medmenham: Archaeological monitoring, investigating and recording during contamination test pitting. p 7.
<23>SBC23163 Bibliographic reference: Archaeology in Marlow. 2008. Archaeology in Marlow's ROMADAM Project (Recording of Marlow and District's Ancient Monuments).
<24>SBC23167 Unpublished document: Archaeology in Marlow. 2008. The ROMADAM Project: Danesfield Iron Age Hill Fort.
<25>SBC24732 Unpublished document: Oxford Archaeology. 2016. Danesfield House Hotel, Medmenham, Archaeological Evaluation Report.
<26>SBC27595 Verbal communication: N K Blood. 1974. Field Investigators Comments - F1 NKB 24-JUL-74.
<27>SBC27441 Digital archive: Historic England. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE).

Location

Grid reference	Centred SU 8178 8441 (260m by 290m)
Civil Parish	MEDMENHAM, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (6)

Related Events/Activities (7)

Event - Intervention: Archaeological monitoring of contamination test-pitting at Danesfield Camp (Ref: DAN974) (EBC16850)
Event - Intervention: Evaluation 1998 (EBC15925)
Event - Intervention: Evaluation trial trenching (EBC11220)
Event - Intervention: Excavation 1999 (EBC15926)
Event - Intervention: Excavation and watching brief (EBC17118)
Event - Intervention: Test pitting & borehole 1998 (EBC15929)
Event - Survey: Topographic earthwork survey (Ref: ROMADAM) (EBC17119)

Record last edited

Jul 14 2025 3:17PM