Summary of Archaeological History - Wolstonbury

One of the earliest references to the site was by Stephen Vine who notes that in 1765, during the course of flint digging at Wolstonbury Hill, a number of human skeletons were unearthed. His later description may indicate that the burials in question were of Saxon origin.
 

Flint digging at the summit of Wolstonbury Hill, appears to have been conducted in the late 18th and early 19th century by inmates from Hurstpierpoint Workhouse. Flint was extracted by the cutting of open pits and much of the interior of the main enclosure has been obliterated in the course of the quarrying. It is probable that archaeological artifacts recovered during the course of such work contributed, at least in part, to a number of large local antiquarian collections. Digging activity appears to have ceased by 1862.

 

A rough plan of the earthworks was published in 1806 and, though sketchy, appears to show an original entrance at the south. This area has now been obliterated by quarry pits. A possible "tumulus", no longer visible, is also marked on this survey within the north west quadrant. Colonel Augustus Lane Fox (later to become General Pitt-Rivers) briefly surveyed Wolstonbury C in 1867 and noted the density of worked flints from the western slopes and interior of the main enclosure.

An aerial photograph taken in 1928 revealed the existence of a faint oval earthwork (Wolstonbury A) within the area enclosed by the main rampart circuit (Wolstonbury C). The southern edge of the enclosure appeared to be overlain by, making it stratigraphically earlier than, enclosure C.

Limited excavation work was conducted by Elliot Cecil Curwen in October 1929 upon the main and inner enclosure (C and A). 'Romano-British' pottery, animal bone and a single hammerstone were recovered from the areas of 'shallow scoop' exposed within enclosure A, while a single sherd of Early Bronze Age pottery and "quantities" of flint flakes (number not specified) were retrieved from the primary silting of the internal ditch of enclosure C. Curwen concluded that the Early Bronze Age pottery and struck flints were residual.
 

  In 1994 the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) undertook a full earthwork survey of the surviving Wolstonbury enclosures. The results of the survey suggest the presence of a third enclosure (B) sandwiched between A and C. The full extent, shape and nature of this third earthwork remains unknown. Small quantities of Neolithic/Early Bronze Age flintwork have been retrieved from within the area enclosed by Wolstonbury C during scrub clearance. Large amounts of similar flintwork have also been noted in the fields immediately adjacent to the enclosure.

A "cross-ridge dyke" or linear ditch system lies to the immediate south of Wolstonbury C. The north west - south east aligned, linear feature can be traced on the ground for a distance of some 220m, bisecting the gentle southerly approach to Wolstonbury C. The remains of at least two further round mounds, presumably representing barrow structures, lie to the immediate south and south west of Wolstonbury C and to the north of the cross-ridge dyke. Both have been badly truncated through ploughing.
 

Table of Contents

Main Wolstonbury page
Introduction to Wolstonbury
Interpretational Problems
Research by Bournemouth University
Acknowledgements
Bibliography

Comments and enquires should be addressed to:
Miles Russell (email:mrussell@bmth.ac.uk)