Ringsbury Camp
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Alternative name | The Roman Camp |
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Location | Purton, Wiltshire |
Region | South West England |
Coordinates | 51°34′47″N 1°53′36″W / 51.5798°N 1.8932°W |
Area | 8 acres |
History | |
Periods | Iron Age |
Site notes | |
Public access | yes, via rights of way |
Ringsbury Camp is an
.Structure
Ringsbury is a
The fort stands on the brow of an outcrop of
The stones from the banks are very light, and are known as 'blood stones'. A reason for the lightness of the rocks was said to be blood soaking into the stones when they were used as missiles during battles; however, nowadays chemical weathering – carbonation – of the limestone is thought to account for their light mass.
History
Historians have suggested that the fort may not have been used continually, but as an enclosure in times of unrest. Unrest was common in these times: the fort lies on the boundary of two old British kingdoms, and there were two major Celtic invasions in the years around which the fort was constructed. The fort is not part of the larger chain of hill forts along the Ridgeway, such as Barbury Castle, suggesting Ringsbury was an outpost. There are signs of earlier habitation of the site: Neolithic flint tools have been found within the fort.[3]
One Iron Age coin was discovered at the site, and is currently displayed in Purton Museum.
Today
The site was designated as a scheduled monument in 1925.[1]
Several rights of way make the fort accessible. Ringsbury Camp can be reached most easily by walking west through fields from Battlewell and Restrop Road in
Ringsbury Camp is part of Restrop Farm, a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.
See also
- List of hill forts in England
- List of hill forts in Scotland
- List of hill forts in Wales
References
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Ringsbury Camp hillfort (1018124)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ Alec Robbins, Purton's Past (1991: Purton Historical Society)
- ^ Bainbridge, Virginia, ed. (2011). "Historic Parishes – Purton with Braydon". A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 18. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 244–285. Retrieved 19 September 2021 – via British History Online.
- ISBN 9781785272240.