CROFT AMBREY, AYMESTREY ... - English Heritage

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SUMMARY Analytical survey and investigation of the earthworks at the well-known 'hillfort' of Croft Ambrey has introduced fresh interpretations of site and landscape development. There are just the slightest hints of an earlier genesis for human activity on the hill and while the great boundary constructions excavated in the 1960s by Stan Stanford remain the focus of interest, there is a considerable amount of formerly unreported activity relating to the historic period. The site is seen to be important for its geology, not least as the limestone, its outcrops and the shape of its weathered topography have influenced the form of the earthworks and, no doubt, prehistoric perception of the place. The visible surface engraving can be seen as representing a palimpsest of these activities with the latest invariably both masking and sometimes being influenced by earlier features. There is some evidence that the site served as a deer park, a rabbit warren and also suffered agricultural episodes before being incorporated into a landscape park. CONTRIBUTORS David Field and Nicky Smith ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to Jeremy Milne and Ian Grafton of the National Trust for providing access and for their interest in the survey; to Keith Ray and Neil Rimmington of Herefordshire County Council for discussion regarding interpretation; to Howard Cheese from the Ludlow Museum for checking for chance finds from the vicinity and to the Cliffe Hotel, Ludlow for a pleasant stay. ARCHIVE LOCATION National Monuments Record DATE OF SURVEY 2007 CONTACT DETAILS David Field, English Heritage, Kemble Drive, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 2GZ. email:david.field@english-heritage.org.uk © ENGLISH HERITAGE 36-2008
SILURIA: AN INVESTIGATION AND ANALYTICAL SURVEY OF THE EARTHWORKS OF THE AMBREY, CROFT, HEREFORDSHIRE In memory of Stan C Stanford (1928--2007) whose extensive labours, comprehensive analysis and interpretation is responsible for bringing the site of Croft Ambrey into mainstream archaeological literature and who, sadly, died while this report was in preparation. ©ENGLISH HERITAGE i 36-2008
Page 1 and 2: RESEARCH DEPARTMENT REPORT SERIES n
Page 6 and 7: CONTENTS 1. Introduction 1 2. Topog
Page 8 and 9: 25. Photograph of earthwork feature
Page 10 and 11: INTRODUCTION Having visited Herefor
Page 12 and 13: Figure 1 Anthills in the interior o
Page 14 and 15: Figure 2 Location map. Croft Ambrey
Page 16 and 17: TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY AND DRAINAGE Th
Page 18 and 19: engraved hollow way leading to it f
Page 20 and 21: avine……the Aymestrey rock….di
Page 22 and 23: LANDSCAPE HISTORY Early description
Page 24 and 25: Despite its distance from the major
Page 26 and 27: obtained a lease of the lands from
Page 28 and 29: Figure 4 New map of Herefordshire b
Page 30 and 31: park' (Anon 1960), while other aven
Page 32 and 33: shows a footpath leading to a break
Page 34 and 35: quarry ditch as 'canal-like'. The R
Page 36 and 37: Excavations at the south-west entra
Page 38 and 39: Stanford observed that there was mo
Page 40 and 41: contrast, having targeted the mound
Page 42 and 43: sweep of a bivallate bank and ditch
Page 44 and 45: way situated opposite a group of bu
Page 46 and 47: This latter is the central of three
Page 48 and 49: the circuit. The enclosed area is l
Page 50 and 51: 'extension' they cut the corner tak
Page 52 and 53: way leading to this and into the in
Page 54 and 55:
A fourth, upper terrace can also be
Page 56 and 57:
Westwards, several substantial cres
Page 58 and 59:
DISCUSSION Stanford (1974, 17-25) p
Page 60 and 61:
also for example, a feature of caus
Page 62 and 63:
along its length. It is worth consi
Page 64 and 65:
a clean, level floor of limestone b
Page 66 and 67:
of the boundary earthwork was expla
Page 68 and 69:
for wheeled vehicles to negotiate.
Page 70 and 71:
site from elsewhere. This also occu
Page 72 and 73:
The earthwork survey reveals that f
Page 74 and 75:
Some of the smaller discontinuous p
Page 76 and 77:
case of Danebury, where a large num
Page 78 and 79:
While acknowledgement of the presen
Page 80 and 81:
vertical escarpment. Nevertheless a
Page 82 and 83:
The symbolic importance of such nat
Page 84 and 85:
* * * The sharp profile, form and r
Page 86 and 87:
that the 'cross-banks' (Fig 13 d) o
Page 88 and 89:
Figure 26 Interpretation plot showi
Page 90 and 91:
primarily for deer management purpo
Page 92 and 93:
CONCLUSIONS As one of the few exten
Page 94 and 95:
REFERENCES Anon 1852 'Aymestrey' Tr
Page 96 and 97:
London: F Cass Ellison, A and Drewe
Page 98 and 99:
Naturalists Field Club 39, 31-39 Ta
Page 100 and 101:
Figure 29 Numbered parkland trees.
Page 102 and 103:
Unnumbered 2.3m NW fence line Unnum
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CROFT AMBREY, AYMESTREY ... - English Heritage

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