Woodbury Hill is a hill near
Bere Regis in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
, England. It is the site of an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
hillfort (a
scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
[), and the location of an annual fair from medieval times until the mid 20th century.
]
The hillfort
The hill overlooks the Winterbourne Valley to the north and the Piddle Valley to the south; immediately to the west is Bere Stream. The irregularly-shaped hillfort has an area of about . It is about west to east and north to south, and is enclosed by a single rampart of width ; outside this is a ditch of width and a counterscarp. The ground outside the defences falls steeply to the east, south and south-west. To the north, where there is a gently sloping strip of land leading to a northern ridge, a second rampart about north of the main rampart provides additional defence.['Hill-Forts', i]
''An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 2, South east'' (London, 1970) pp483-501
British History Online. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
There is an original entrance on the south-west, through which a track leads into the fort, and an original entrance on the north-east; other breaks in the defences are more recent. There is a farmhouse within the fort. Many other structures, shown on the tithe map The term tithe map is usually applied to a map of an English or Welsh parish or township, prepared following the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods. The map and its accompanying schedule gave the ...
of 1844, were demolished in the 19th century.[
]
The medieval chapel and Woodbury Hill Fair
On the south-west side within the fort there is the site of a medieval chapel, still standing in the 15th century, but demolished by the 18th century. It was known as the Anchoret's Chapel. A holy well, the Anchoret's Well, is situated south-east of the chapel.["The History of Woodbury Hill Fair"]
Bere Regis Village Website. Retrieved 2 May 2021. During the medieval period, the well was thought to have healing properties; there were pilgrimages to drink the water on 21 September, the day of its dedication.[
Woodbury Hill Fair, held from 18 to 22 September, probably originated from these annual gatherings. It was already taking place before 1200; charters for the ]fair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.
Types
Variations of fairs incl ...
were granted by Henry III in 1231, 1235 and 1266, and confirmed in 1325 by Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
. Merchandise traded included cheese, cloth, cattle, sheep and horses; people came from great distances.[
The fair began to decline in the 18th century. In the 1930s it became a fair of entertainment, lasting two days. After suspension during the war it was revived, but the last fair took place in 1951.][
]
See also
* Hillforts in Britain
References
{{Iron Age hillforts in England
Hill forts in Dorset
Scheduled monuments in Dorset
Fairs in England