Barbury Castle
Barbury Castle
Barbary Castle is an ancient hillfort together with an adjacent bowl barrow.
Hillforts like Barbury Castle are known to have been in use between 600 BC to the middle of the first century CE. Bowl barrows are usually dated between 2400 and 1500 BC, however the barrow here appears to cut into the south escarpment of the hillfort.
The hillfort includes two rings of banks and ditches enclosing an oval area of around 4.5 hectares.
To the north, there is a slight counter-scarp bank which has been much disturbed by quarrying in the past.
There are two original entrances at Barbury Castle, situated to the east and west of the enclosure. A former track running between these follows the parish boundary between Wroughton and Ogbourne St Andrew.
A number of archaeological finds have been made in and around the hillfort over the years and a small scale excavation was carried out in 1875. The finds included an Iron Age blacksmith’s hoard which contained parts of chariot harness furniture, a chariot wheel nave-hoop, sickles, spear heads and other metal work.
Pottery found at Barbury Castle hillfort has been mainly Iron Age and Romano-British.
Barbury Castle was occupied by the United States Army during World War II and has an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar on the inner rampart, just north of the eastern entrance.
Barbury Castle is in North Wessex Downs AONB, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Created: 6 August 2022 Edited: 29 November 2023
Barbury Castle
Barbury Castle LiDAR Map
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Local History around Barbury Castle
There are some historic monuments around including:
Three bowl barrows: part of a barrow cemetery west of Barbury CastleSaucer barrow 620m north of New Barn: Part of a barrow cemetery on Monkton DownBarrow 350yds (320m) E of Smeathe's Plantation, Ogbourne DownBowl barrow 500m west of The RowIron Age enclosure on Overton Hill, 600m north west of North FarmThree confluent round barrows 580m west of the Ridgeway, forming part of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownBowl barrow 85m north east of Day House CottagesBowl barrow 800m north-east of Hackpen BarnBowl barrow 630m north east of Wick Bottom BarnBell barrow 300m south-east of Avebury Down Barn forming part of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownBowl barrow 750m east of New BarnBowl barrow 500m north-west of Berwick Bassett ClumpBowl barrow 800m south-east of Barbury BarnTwo enclosures on Winterbourne DownBowl barrow 1450m south of Barbury Castle FarmBarrow on Avebury Down, S of track from AveburyBowl barrow 620m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryBell barrow 200m north of Rockley PlantationThree sections of a linear earthwork south west of New BarnDisc barrow on Burderop Down, 1km north-east of Upper Herdswick FarmStone circle immediately north east of Day House, CoateRound barrow 750yds (690m) SE of Smeathe's PlantationSix bowl barrows 560m north of New Barn: part of a barrow cemetery on Monkton DownWick Down Farm earthworkGroup of four round barrows 500m south-east of Avebury Down Barn, forming part of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownLinear barrow cemetery on Hackpen HillRemains of Holy Rood Church, The Lawn, Old TownEnclosure on Ogbourne DownField system and earthwork enclosure on Burderop DownBell barrow and adjacent bowl barrow on Marlborough Common, 120m east of Wootton Bassett RoadBowl barrow 880m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryBell barrow 350m south-west of Barbury BarnBowl barrow immediately west of the Ridgeway, 400m north east of its junction with Green StreetBowl barrow 1km north-east of Avebury and 70m north of Green StreetSharpridge earthworksEarthwork enclosure 950m SSE of Manor FarmPenning bell barrow 600m east of Avebury Down BarnBowl barrow 1km west of Sheppard's Farm DairyBowl barrow 750m south-east of Barbury Castle FarmBowl barrow 690m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryBowl barrow 900m south west of the junction of the Ridgeway and Green Street, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownBowl barrow 650m ESE of New Barn, between Avebury Down and Monkton DownGroup of six round barrows forming part of a Bronze Age cemetery 400m north-east of West Kennett FarmBowl barrow 300m east of Ivy House FarmDevil's Den long barrow, 600m east of White AcreBowl barrow 300m south-east of Walker's PlantationBarbury Castle Farm deserted Medieval villagePair of round barrows forming part of the Bronze Age round barrow cemetery 400m north-east of West Kennett FarmBowl barrow forming part of a Bronze Age cemetery 400m north-east of West Kennett Farm on Overton HillGreen Bank bowl barrow, 230m east of the Avebury henge monumentBarbury Castle: a hillfort and bowl barrowCastle moundBowl barrow 870m ESE of New Barn on Monkton DownBowl barrow 750m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryTwo bowl barrows 680m north of Upper Herdswick Farm, Barbury DownBowl barrow 50m north of Barrow FarmAvebury henge and stone circlesBarrow on Smeathe's RidgeBowl barrow and a saucer barrow 200m north of Rockley PlantationGroup of four round barrows 300m north west of the junction between the Ridgeway and Green Street on Avebury DownBarrow on Coombe Down, 1070yds (980m) NE of Upper PoughcombeBarrow on Coombe Down, 930yds (830m) WSW of St George's ChurchTwo bowl barrows 820m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryMound in churchyardOgbourne Maizey Down round barrowBell barrow forming part of a round barrow cemetery 400m north-east of West Kennett Farm on Overton HillBincknoll CampMedieval settlement and associated ridge and furrow, West LeazeBowl barrow 70m north of Rockley PlantationBowl barrow 900m SSE of Green BankBowl barrow 70m north of Green Street and east of the Avebury henge monumentRound barrow cemetery 400m south of Avebury henge monument on Waden HillBowl barrow 800m south-east of Ogbourne St Andrew FarmSaucer barrow: part of a barrow cemetery west of Barbury CastlePreshute Down field systemTwo earthwork enclosures and a linear earthwork 625m north of Barbury CastlePair of round barrows 400m west of the Ridgeway, forming part of a round barrow cemetery situated on Avebury DownEarthwork enclosure and dewpond 490m north of Barbury CastleEarthworks on Marlborough CommonBowl barrow 200m south of Green Street and 1100m east of the Avebury henge monument, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownPrehistoric to post-medieval settlement, cultivation, industrial and funerary remains on Fyfield, Overton and Manton DownsRemains of `Falkner's Circle', a Neolithic stone circle 180m east of the West Kennet AvenueSite of watermill 290m south east of West LeazeDam of King's fishpondBowl barrow 375m east of Wick Bottom BarnSharpridge field systemGroup of round barrows on Rough HillMedieval settlement remains at OvertownBowl barrow 210m north east of Rushy Platt FarmCross in the churchyard of St John the Baptist and St HelenBowl barrow 770m south west of the junction of the Ridgeway and Green Street, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownVillage settlement on Barton Down.
