Bigbury Camp

The northeast slope of Bigbury Camp
Bigbury Camp viewed from within the northern enclosure
3D view of the digital terrain model

Bigbury Camp (formerly Bigberry Camp) is a univallate hill fort in the parish of Harbledown and Rough Common in Kent in England.[1] The fort is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, with a list entry identification number of 1005169.[2] Bigbury Camp is the only confirmed Iron Age hill fort in east Kent.[3] It is managed by Kent Wildlife Trust.[4]

Bigbury Camp was occupied from about 350 BC and may have been stormed by Roman soldiers of the Legio VII Claudia under the command of Julius Caesar.

Location[edit]

Bigbury Camp is located on a hill 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Canterbury and is situated on a minor road between the A2 and A28 roads, southwest of Harbledown. The site is crossed east-west by the North Downs Way long distance footpath and by the Pilgrims' Way, which follow the same course at this point.[5]

Physical characteristics[edit]

The fort covers an area of 10.7 hectares (26 acres),[1] including a northern annex covering 3.2 hectares (7.9 acres) that may have been a cattle enclosure. The fort has a single 4.8-metre (16 ft) wide defensive ditch with a raised bank on the inner side and a lower counterscarp bank. The ramparts form an irregular shape following the contour of the hill at an altitude of 60 metres (200 ft) above mean sea level.[5] Excavations in the early 1960s revealed the presence of large post-holes in the bottom of the defensive ditch, which have been interpreted as evidence of a strong pallisade running along the ditch bottom.[1]

The fort had two entrances, one on the east side and one on the west. The east entrance is now passed by a modern road; it was defended with a staggered fortification consisting of two ditches and a bank.[5]

Finds[edit]

Bigbury Camp has been the focus of a significant amount of archaeological study.[3] Digging at Bigbury has unearthed a number of iron artefacts including agricultural tools and kitchen utensils.[5] In 1861, gravel diggers unearthed a quantity of corroded ironwork consisting of the remains of rods, rings and hooks together with triangular bricks arranged in a circle that displayed evidence of burning.

At the time this was interpreted as a Roman-style hearth that had consisted of three iron legs supporting hooks and rings from which would have been suspended a cauldron. The total height of the apparatus would have been approximately 1.5 metres (5 ft). A flint arrowhead was found nearby. The gravel diggers also found a large iron knife measuring 27 centimetres (10.5 in), including the tang. Parts of a horse's bridle were also recovered, including a snaffle bit with 8.3-centimetre (3.25 in) wide bridle rings.[6]

A notable find at Bigbury was a slave chain with its lock, associated with the pre-Roman slave trade between Britain and Gaul. Parts of an iron wheel rim were found, together with early Iron Age pottery. Taken together, the finds indicate the presence of a prosperous agricultural community at Bigbury during the Iron Age. Late Iron Age finds include good quality wheel-turned Aylesford-Swarling pottery.[5] In spite of extensive investigation, no Iron Age coins have been recovered from Bigbury Camp; this has led investigator W. Rodwell to conclude that it was not significant as a permanent settlement.[3] Artefacts recovered from Bigbury Camp are on display at museums in Canterbury and Maidstone.[5]

History[edit]

The site had experienced a long period of occupation during the Iron Age before the arrival of the Romans.[5] The hill fort appears to have been first occupied around 350 BC, although the ditch-and-rampart defences were not built until the 2nd century BC.[3] It is likely that Bigbury Camp was the British fortress that was attacked by the Roman Seventh Legion in 54 BC.[5]

Julius Caesar described how the entrances to the fort were barricaded with felled trees.[7] The site was abandoned around this time, perhaps as a result of Caesar's attack,[3] and the focus of settlement was transferred eastwards to Canterbury, which appears to have been deliberately founded to replace it.[8]

Modern history[edit]

Preliminary archaeological excavations took place in 1933, during which two large trenches were cut across the north side of the main rampart.[9]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Historic England 2007.
  2. ^ Historic England.
  3. ^ a b c d e Holman 2005, p. 24.
  4. ^ "Bigbury Camp". Kent Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Dyer 2001, p. 117.
  6. ^ Gould 1862, pp. 272–273.
  7. ^ Dyer 1981, 1992, p. 25.
  8. ^ Holman 2005, p. 29.
  9. ^ Jessup 1934, p. 295.

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bigbury Camp.

Further reading[edit]

51°16′40″N 1°01′57″E / 51.27791°N 1.03253°E / 51.27791; 1.03253

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