Scheduled Monuments›England›Badbury Rings

Badbury Rings

England
List entry 1002679
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002679
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
20.37 hectares
Grid reference
ST 96419 02982
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Badbury Rings is a hillfort of Iron Age date located near Wimborne in Dorset. The monument comprises three concentric ramparts with external ditches, enclosing an approximately circular interior space of some three hectares, and represents a substantial defensive work typical of later prehistoric fortified settlements in southern Britain. Archaeological investigation and surface survey have identified evidence of occupation and activity spanning the Iron Age period, though the precise chronology of construction and use remains subject to ongoing study. The site occupies a commanding hilltop position and has remained a prominent landscape feature throughout subsequent centuries, with later Roman and medieval activity also documented in the vicinity.

Badbury Rings is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002679. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Badbury Rings?

Badbury Rings is a hillfort of Iron Age date located near Wimborne in Dorset. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002679.

Who is responsible for protecting Badbury Rings?

Badbury Rings is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002679.

What other scheduled monuments are near Badbury Rings?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round barrow cemetery on Barrow Hill 150m south west of Brookvale Farm (6.3 km), Round barrow cemetery south and west of Rose Lawn Coppice, 600m south west of Higher Merley Farm (7.2 km), Bowl barrow 350m north of Naked Cross (7.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Badbury Rings

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Badbury Rings's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Round barrow cemetery on Barrow Hill 150m south west of Brookvale Farm
6.3 km
Round barrow cemetery south and west of Rose Lawn Coppice, 600m south west of Higher Merley Farm
7.2 km
Bowl barrow 350m north of Naked Cross
7.3 km
Bowl barrow in Gravel Hill Plantation, 340m north of Arrowsmith House
7.9 km
Bowl barrow on Dunyeat's Hill 650m south west of Arrowsmith House
8.2 km
Two bowl barrows in Arrowsmith Coppice 200m south of Arrowsmith House
8.3 km
The White Barrow, a bowl barrow 660m south west of the Round House
8.3 km
Bowl barrow on Canford Heath 300m east of Alhambra
8.7 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Badbury Rings

Badbury Rings stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Badbury Rings

DorchesterRoman town · ~18.5 milesMaiden CastleArchaeological site · ~20.4 milesOld SarumArchaeological site · ~21.4 milesCadbury CastleArchaeological site · ~24.9 miles
Domesday entry for Hemsworth, Dorset →
All Scheduled Monuments