Old Oswestry, Selattyn and Gobowen, Shropshire: Analysis of Earthwork Report
Author(s): Nicky Smith
Analytical survey of the earthworks at Old Oswestry indicates that the hillfort began as a univallate enclosure crowning the summit of the hill, to which a second rampart was added following an unknown interval. An annexe or hornwork complex was appended to the western entrance of this bivallate enclosure. Finally an outer rampart was added following the lower contour of the hill and substantially increasing the size of the hillfort. Irregular earthwork configurations and extensive re-working of the ramparts has added to the complexity of the remains which are visible today. Stances found between the ramparts may be evidence for later use of the site, perhaps during the Roman or sub-Roman periods. The importance of later activity at Old Oswestry is being recognised increasingly and the survey recorded features of relatively recent date, including a rare World War I military trench system in the hillfort’s centre.
- Report Number:
- 82/2010
- Series:
- Research Department Reports
- Pages:
- 72
- Keywords:
- Iron Age Analytical Landscape Survey
