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
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0
Local History around Barbury Castle
There are some historic monuments around including:
Bowl barrow 690m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryThree bowl barrows: part of a barrow cemetery west of Barbury CastleTwo bowl barrows 820m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryBowl barrow 300m south-east of Walker's PlantationBowl barrow 500m west of The RowBowl barrow 900m south west of the junction of the Ridgeway and Green Street, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownBowl barrow 800m north-east of Hackpen BarnBell barrow 300m south-east of Avebury Down Barn forming part of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownBowl barrow 750m south-east of Barbury Castle FarmMound in churchyardBowl barrow 375m east of Wick Bottom BarnEarthwork enclosure and dewpond 490m north of Barbury CastleBowl barrow 210m north east of Rushy Platt FarmIron Age enclosure on Overton Hill, 600m north west of North FarmBowl barrow 85m north east of Day House CottagesCross in the churchyard of St John the Baptist and St HelenBowl barrow 70m north of Rockley PlantationPair of round barrows 400m west of the Ridgeway, forming part of a round barrow cemetery situated on Avebury DownBell barrow 200m north of Rockley PlantationStone circle immediately north east of Day House, CoateGroup of round barrows on Rough HillBowl barrow 1km west of Sheppard's Farm DairyAvebury henge and stone circlesTwo enclosures on Winterbourne DownBowl barrow 200m south of Green Street and 1100m east of the Avebury henge monument, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownThree sections of a linear earthwork south west of New BarnBowl barrow 620m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryBincknoll CampBarrow on Coombe Down, 1070yds (980m) NE of Upper PoughcombeBowl barrow 630m north east of Wick Bottom BarnBarrow 350yds (320m) E of Smeathe's Plantation, Ogbourne DownLinear barrow cemetery on Hackpen HillOgbourne Maizey Down round barrowDevil's Den long barrow, 600m east of White AcreSaucer barrow: part of a barrow cemetery west of Barbury CastleSharpridge field systemBowl barrow and a saucer barrow 200m north of Rockley PlantationGroup of four round barrows 500m south-east of Avebury Down Barn, forming part of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownTwo earthwork enclosures and a linear earthwork 625m north of Barbury CastleRemains of `Falkner's Circle', a Neolithic stone circle 180m east of the West Kennet AvenueBell barrow forming part of a round barrow cemetery 400m north-east of West Kennett Farm on Overton HillRemains of Holy Rood Church, The Lawn, Old TownEarthwork enclosure 950m SSE of Manor FarmBowl barrow 900m SSE of Green BankEarthworks on Marlborough CommonSharpridge earthworksDam of King's fishpondPreshute Down field systemBowl barrow 750m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryPenning bell barrow 600m east of Avebury Down BarnBarrow on Avebury Down, S of track from AveburyBowl barrow 800m south-east of Ogbourne St Andrew FarmBowl barrow forming part of a Bronze Age cemetery 400m north-east of West Kennett Farm on Overton HillBowl barrow 70m north of Green Street and east of the Avebury henge monumentBowl barrow 50m north of Barrow FarmCastle moundField system and earthwork enclosure on Burderop DownPrehistoric to post-medieval settlement, cultivation, industrial and funerary remains on Fyfield, Overton and Manton DownsSix bowl barrows 560m north of New Barn: part of a barrow cemetery on Monkton DownMedieval settlement remains at OvertownMedieval settlement and associated ridge and furrow, West LeazeEnclosure on Ogbourne DownWick Down Farm earthworkBowl barrow 1450m south of Barbury Castle FarmVillage settlement on Barton DownBowl barrow 800m south-east of Barbury BarnBarrow on Coombe Down, 930yds (830m) WSW of St George's ChurchBowl barrow 750m east of New BarnBowl barrow 770m south west of the junction of the Ridgeway and Green Street, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownTwo bowl barrows 680m north of Upper Herdswick Farm, Barbury DownBell barrow and adjacent bowl barrow on Marlborough Common, 120m east of Wootton Bassett RoadBarbury Castle Farm deserted Medieval villageBowl barrow 500m north-west of Berwick Bassett ClumpBarrow on Smeathe's RidgeBowl barrow immediately west of the Ridgeway, 400m north east of its junction with Green StreetGreen Bank bowl barrow, 230m east of the Avebury henge monumentSaucer barrow 620m north of New Barn: Part of a barrow cemetery on Monkton DownRound barrow 750yds (690m) SE of Smeathe's PlantationRound barrow cemetery 400m south of Avebury henge monument on Waden HillGroup of six round barrows forming part of a Bronze Age cemetery 400m north-east of West Kennett FarmBowl barrow 880m north of Rockley Manor: part of the Rockley Plantation barrow cemeteryBell barrow 350m south-west of Barbury BarnBowl barrow 870m ESE of New Barn on Monkton DownPair of round barrows forming part of the Bronze Age round barrow cemetery 400m north-east of West Kennett FarmBowl barrow 650m ESE of New Barn, between Avebury Down and Monkton DownBowl barrow 300m east of Ivy House FarmDisc barrow on Burderop Down, 1km north-east of Upper Herdswick FarmBowl barrow 1km north-east of Avebury and 70m north of Green StreetGroup of four round barrows 300m north west of the junction between the Ridgeway and Green Street on Avebury DownBarbury Castle: a hillfort and bowl barrowThree confluent round barrows 580m west of the Ridgeway, forming part of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery on Avebury DownSite of watermill 290m south east of West Leaze.
