Yarnbury Castle on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Yarnbury Castle is the site of a multiphase, multivallate
The earthworks at Yarnbury consist of three ramparts with outer ditches. The outer ramparts measure up to high, and the ditches a further deep, and are encroached upon by the centre rampart in places, suggesting that the inner and centre rampart are a later feature. The overall width of the earthworks is generally uniform at around . The earthworks are generally well preserved, except in the northeastern side where the outermost ditch has been lost due to the encroachment of a downland driveway. In the centre of the hillfort lies an earlier and smaller single banked enclosure of in area, and with an entrance in the western side of the earthwork.
The main earthworks are thought to date from around 100 BC, with the earlier inner circuit being from about 300 BC, according to pottery finds from early Iron Age through to Romano-British, including Samian of around 160 AD.
The main entrance to the hillfort lies on the eastern side of the site, with a complex of earthwork fortifications. There is a further entrance at the northern end, possibly a later addition, with the entrance to the western side thought to be non-original or later so serve a smaller sub-rectangular Romano-British enclosure on that side of the fort.
Within the fort there is much evidence for many structures, mainly circular in plan, and within compounds with low earth banks. The structures vary between and in diameter, and up to deep. In particular, in the north and east of the site, and between the earlier enclosure and the inner rampart, there are a number of large compounds containing structures clearly visible, many with evidence for possible stone footings. It is also evident that a number of them overlap and indicate a prolonged and varied occupation of the site.
There have been numerous inhumations found at the site including two within pits, and isolated human bones found in other pits. Nine complete or partial remains of newly born and young infants have been found in the bottom of the earthwork ditches. Archaeological finds include pottery sherds, flint flakes, iron slag, Celtic coins, and bronze brooches. From later periods finds also include much Roman items, such as pottery, tiles, coins and three burials in graves.
Yarnbury Castle is located in an area of unimproved grassland on the upper chalk north of the Wylye Valley, and on the edge of Salisbury Plain, which is the largest remaining area of
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 mostl ...
hillfort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
near the village of Steeple Langford, Wiltshire, England. The site covers an area of , and was extensively surveyed and investigated by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England
The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) was a government advisory body responsible for documenting buildings and monuments of archaeological, architectural and historical importance in England. It was established in 19 ...
in 1991, with finds of Iron Age and Romano-British
The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, ...
pottery, Iron Age and Roman coins, and burials of human remains. There is much evidence of prolonged and extensive settlement of the site, including evidence of around 130 structures of various sizes, most probably representing a mix of round houses, pits, and other features. It was designated as 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 ...
in 1925.
The earthworks of Yarnbury Castle are also a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(SSSI) first notified in 1951.
The site is on private land and has no public access.
Location
Yarnbury Castle is about north of Steeple Langford village, and straddles the boundary between Steeple Langford and Berwick St James civil parishes. TheA303
The A303 is a trunk road in southern England, running between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon via Stonehenge. Connecting the M3 and the A30, it is part of one of the main routes from London to Devon and Cornwall. It is a pri ...
primary route runs close to the southern edge of the site, which by this road is about west of Winterbourne Stoke
Winterbourne Stoke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about west of Amesbury and west of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge.
The village is on the River Till at the southern edge of Salisbury Plain, on both sides of a s ...
village.
Archaeology
The earthworks at Yarnbury consist of three ramparts with outer ditches. The outer ramparts measure up to high, and the ditches a further deep, and are encroached upon by the centre rampart in places, suggesting that the inner and centre rampart are a later feature. The overall width of the earthworks is generally uniform at around . The earthworks are generally well preserved, except in the northeastern side where the outermost ditch has been lost due to the encroachment of a downland driveway. In the centre of the hillfort lies an earlier and smaller single banked enclosure of in area, and with an entrance in the western side of the earthwork.
The main earthworks are thought to date from around 100 BC, with the earlier inner circuit being from about 300 BC, according to pottery finds from early Iron Age through to Romano-British, including Samian of around 160 AD.
The main entrance to the hillfort lies on the eastern side of the site, with a complex of earthwork fortifications. There is a further entrance at the northern end, possibly a later addition, with the entrance to the western side thought to be non-original or later so serve a smaller sub-rectangular Romano-British enclosure on that side of the fort.
Within the fort there is much evidence for many structures, mainly circular in plan, and within compounds with low earth banks. The structures vary between and in diameter, and up to deep. In particular, in the north and east of the site, and between the earlier enclosure and the inner rampart, there are a number of large compounds containing structures clearly visible, many with evidence for possible stone footings. It is also evident that a number of them overlap and indicate a prolonged and varied occupation of the site.
There have been numerous inhumations found at the site including two within pits, and isolated human bones found in other pits. Nine complete or partial remains of newly born and young infants have been found in the bottom of the earthwork ditches. Archaeological finds include pottery sherds, flint flakes, iron slag, Celtic coins, and bronze brooches. From later periods finds also include much Roman items, such as pottery, tiles, coins and three burials in graves.
Sheep fairs
The ''Winterbourne Stoke sheep fair'' was held on the site from the 18th century until 1916, when the area was commandeered by the British Army. There are several prominent features associated with this former use, including several sheep folds to the south eastern corner of the hillfort. These are grouped in two blocks of 8, with low mounded earthworks clearly visible and covering an area of by . They do not however appear inSir Richard Colt Hoare
Sir Richard Colt Hoare, 2nd Baronet FRS (9 December 1758 – 19 May 1838) was an English antiquarian, archaeologist, artist, and traveller of the 18th and 19th centuries, the first major figure in the detailed study of the history of his home ...
s pencil sketch of the site from 1810, indicating that these date from later in the 19th century.
The local author Ella Noyes (1863–1949) from Sutton Veny wrote in her book ''Salisbury Plain'' (1913), the following about the event:From Ella Noyes's ''Salisbury Plain'' (1913); taken from a quote in ''Haunted Landscape: Folklore, Ghosts and Legends of Wiltshire'', Katy Jordan (2000), , Ex Libris Books
Once a year Yarnbury becomes re-animate, on the day of the Horse and Sheep Fair, on the 4 October held in this lonely trysting place by immemorial tradition. Here.. the flocks..stand close packed in pens; bunches of young ponies are tied up in one corner.. and near by are the sober cart-horses, their plaited manes and tails aprick with ornaments of straw. The vendor of sheep bells spreads his metal wares upon the ground.. the purchase of sheep bells is a serious matter, good ones costing as much as five shillings..In the good old days, up to within the memory of people still living, the fair was followed by horse races next day, and sports of all kinds. But now the pleasure part of the meeting has been abandoned; the folk disperse quietly soon after noon, when business is done, leaving Yarnbury to the silent occupation of its prehistoric ghosts for another year.
Ecology
Yarnbury Castle is located in an area of unimproved grassland on the upper chalk north of the Wylye Valley, and on the edge of Salisbury Plain, which is the largest remaining area of calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland (or alkaline grassland) is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. Plants on calcareous grassland are typically short and hardy, and include grasses and herbs such as clover. ...
in north-west Europe. The local area supports a rich and diverse grassland flora, which led to it being declared a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1951. Designated as ''Yarnbury Castle SSSI'', the site encompasses a total of .
The SSSI designation for the site arises due to interest in the biodiversity and species present upon the earthworks of the fort themselves, with the inner and surrounding parts of the site being of improved agricultural grassland of little interest. The earthworks support a rich chalk grassland flora, including several rare species. There are 16 species of grass and sedge recorded, among them upright brome ('' Bromus erectus''), sheep's fescue (''Festuca ovina
''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla'').
General description
It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...
''), quaking grass (''Briza media
''Briza media'' is a perennial grass in the family Poaceae and is a species of the genus '' Briza''.
Common name includes quaking-grass, common quaking grass, cow-quake, didder, dithering-grass, dodder-grass, doddering dillies, doddle-grass, ear ...
''), crested hair-grass ('' Koeleria cristata''), and dwarf sedge ('' Carex humilis''). Various herb species include dwarf thistle (''Cirsium acaule
''Cirsium acaule'' or ''acaulon'' has the English name dwarf thistle or stemless thistle. It is widespread across much of Europe.
''), chalk milkwort (''Polygala calcarea
''Polygala calcarea'', the chalk milkwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygalaceae, native to western Europe. It is a delicate mat-forming evergreen perennial growing to tall by broad, with spikes of small, vivid deep blue fl ...
''), horseshoe vetch ('' Hippocrepis comosa''), common thyme (''Thymus praecox
''Thymus praecox'' is a species of thyme. A common name is mother of thyme, but "creeping thyme" and "wild thyme" may be used where ''Thymus serpyllum'', which also shares these names, is not found. It is native to central, southern, and western ...
''), squinancywort ('' Asperula cynanchica'') and common rock-rose (''Helianthemum nummularium
''Helianthemum nummularium'' (known as common rock-rose) is a species of rock-rose (Cistaceae), native to most of Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical si ...
'').
Rarer national species include field fleawort ('' Senecio integrifolius''), bastard toadflax (''Thesium
''Thesium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Santalaceae. It is particularly well represented in South Africa.
The following species are recognised by ''The Plant List'':
*'' Thesium acuminatum'' A.W. Hill
*'' Thesium acutissimum'' ...
humifusum''), and burnt orchid ('' Orchis ustulata''), fragrant orchid (''Gymnadenia conopsea
''Gymnadenia conopsea'', commonly known as the fragrant orchid or chalk fragrant orchid, is a herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae native to northern Europe.
Etymology
The name of the genus ''Gymnadenia'' is formed from Greek words (', ...
''), and other orchids.
The site was previously populated with scattered juniper (''Juniperus communis
''Juniperus communis'', the common juniper, is a species of small tree or shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae. An evergreen conifer, it has the largest geographical range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the coo ...
'') bushes, but these were removed and the current grazing regime ensures that they do not return. There are some invertebrates recorded, including marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia
The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval s ...
'') and small heath (''Coenonympha pamphilus
The small heath (''Coenonympha pamphilus'') is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae, classified within the subfamily Satyrinae (commonly known as "the browns"). It is the smallest butterfly in this subfamily. The small heath ...
'') butterflies, and a number of downland birds are present including the skylark
''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
, corn bunting
The corn bunting (''Emberiza calandra'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. This is a large bunting with heavily streaked buff-brown plumage. The se ...
and grey partridge
The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix''), also known as the gray-legged partridge, English partridge, Hungarian partridge, or hun, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name ...
.
See also
*List of hillforts in England
See also
* List of hill forts in Scotland
* List of hill forts in Wales
*Iron Age, British Iron Age, prehistory
References
;Bibliography
*
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
* A crowd-sourced project to map the hillforts of Britain and ...
References
{{Iron Age hillforts in England Iron Age sites in England Hill forts in Wiltshire Archaeological sites in Wiltshire Scheduled monuments in Wiltshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1951 Hills of Wiltshire