Scheduled MonumentsEnglandSegsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort

Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort

England
List entry 1017717
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1017717
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
16.92 hectares
Grid reference
SU 38497 84478
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Segsbury Camp is a univallate hillfort situated near Wantage in Oxfordshire, positioned on the chalk downland of the Berkshire Downs. The site is defended by a single rampart and ditch enclosing an area of approximately 12 acres, characteristic of Iron Age fortifications of southern Britain. Archaeological and surface examination suggests occupation during the Late Iron Age, likely within the final centuries before the Roman conquest of Britain. The hillfort commands significant views across the surrounding landscape and represents a defensive settlement typical of the pre-Roman Iron Age period in this region.

Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1017717. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort?

Segsbury Camp is a univallate hillfort situated near Wantage in Oxfordshire, positioned on the chalk downland of the Berkshire Downs. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1017717.

Who is responsible for protecting Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort?

Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort 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 1017717.

What other scheduled monuments are near Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mere End Down disc barrow (3 km), Mere End Down Romano-British field system (3.3 km), Two bowl barrows 500m north-east of Stancombe Farm (3.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort

Segsbury Camp or Letcombe Castle hillfort stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.