Monument record 0001801000 - DESBOROUGH CASTLE

Summary

Possible late prehistoric hillfort pre-dating Desborough Castle

Protected Status/Designation

  • Ancient Monument 1020863: DESBOROUGH CASTLE
  • Ancient Monument 1020863: DESBOROUGH CASTLE
  • Planning Notification Area: Remains of Iron Age hillfort and Medieval ringwork castle at Desborough Castle

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Type and Period (1)

  • HILLFORT? (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)

Description

Dimensions - Length 260m.
Plan Form - CURVILINEAR
HILLTOP APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED BY PREHISTORIC CAMP (B4,B26).
REMAINS OF OUTER WORK PROBABLY CONTOUR FORT. N & W FAINT TRACES OF OUTER WORK, ALMOST CONCENTRIC. SEEMS EARLIER THAN RINGWORK (B5).
BANK & DITCH PROB IRON AGE (B8).
DATING INCONCLUSIVE (B11). SEE ALSO CASS 0018:01:001; 04:001-2.
Discussion of two 18th century maps with evidence reinforcing interpretation of a hillfort pre-dating the medieval castle earthworks (B23).

Sources (7)

  • <4>SBC20461 Bibliographic reference: William Page (ed). 1908. A History of Buckinghamshire (Victoria County History) Volume II. Volume 2. p24.
  • <5>SBC20466 Bibliographic reference: Royal Commision on Historical Monuments. 1912. Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire. Volume 1. p318.
  • <8>SBC13890 Article in serial: C Saunders. 1971. 'THE PRE BELGIC IRON AGE IN THE CENTRAL & WESTERN CHILTERNS', IN ARCH J 128. Vol 128.
  • <11>SBC5110 Verbal communication: Mike Farley (BCM). 1973. PERS COMM, JAN 1973, FOLLOWING FIELD VISIT.
  • <21>SBC23407 Article in serial: Michael Farley. 2009. 'How large was the Iron Age 'hillfort' at Desborough Castle, West Wycombe?', in Recs of Bucks 49 pp235-238. Vol 49.
  • <23>SBC25142 Article in serial: Michael Farley. 2016. 'The Probable Hillfort at Desborough, and a Hundredal Meeting Place Revisited', in Recs of Bucks 56 pp143-144. Vol 56.
  • <26>SBC20462 Bibliographic reference: William Page (ed). 1925. A History of Buckinghamshire (Victoria County History) Volume III. Volume 3. pp33, 135.

Location

Grid reference Centred SU 8469 9330 (269m by 212m)
Civil Parish HIGH WYCOMBE, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

Related Events/Activities (1)

  • Event - Intervention: Trial trenching (EBC1113)

Record last edited

Oct 13 2024 4:49PM

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