Badbury Rings is an Iron Age hill fort and Scheduled Monument in east Dorset, England. It was in the territory of the Durotriges. In the Roman era a temple was located immediately west of the fort, and there was a Romano-British town known as Vindocladia a short distance to the south-west.
Iron Age
Badbury Rings sits above sea level. There are two main phases of construction; the first covered and was defended by multiple ditches, while the second was more than twice the size, covering and defended by a single ditch and rampart. The site now belongs to the National Trust. The summit area was cleared of undergrowth by the National Trust in 1997 and the conifer plantation was thinned out. although some depressions are probably caused by uprooted trees. The current evidence does not suggest that the hillfort was a principal settlement in the Early Iron Age.
thumb|3D view of the digital terrain model
Badbury Rings is the fifth in a series of Iron Age earthworks, starting from Hambledon Hill, and also including Hod Hill, Spetisbury Rings, Buzbury Rings, Badbury Rings and Dudsbury Camp. The Iron Age port at Hengistbury Head forms a final Iron Age monument in this small chain of sites.
Roman roads
thumb|right|Roman road, now a [[bridle path. Badbury Rings is on the right.]]
During the Roman era, five Roman roads formed a complex junction on the north side of Badbury Rings.
The Roman Conquest of Britain began in AD 43. It is likely that the Legio II Augusta campaigned in Dorset under the command of the future emperor Vespasian. About southeast of Badbury Rings, at Lake Farm, Ashington, near Wimborne, a fort was established. A military road from the Lake Farm fort was created which passed by the northeast side of Badbury Rings. Beyond Badbury Rings the road headed in a northwest direction (visible today as a thin strip of woodland) heading for the Roman fort at Hod Hill. Another road ran across country in a north by northwest direction towards Bath (Aquae Sulis), and another ran south to a small port in Poole Harbour (Moriconium, modern Hamworthy). The final road (still used as a modern trackway on the west side of Badbury Rings) ran in a southwest direction through the settlement of Vindocladia heading towards Dorchester (Durnovaria). This final road was not built until the later Roman period. These excavations revealed stone roofing slabs, painted wall-plaster, and over 185 Roman coins, as well as 21 Durotrigian silver and bronze coins.
Vindocladia
thumb|right|Approximate site of Vindocladia, looking northeast towards Badbury Rings
A short distance () to the southwest of Badbury Rings, between the hillfort and the modern village of Shapwick, lay a small Romano-British town (), believed to be that listed in the Antonine Itinerary as Vindocladia (from Brittonic *windos "white" + *klādiyos "ditch, earthwork"). In the later Roman period, a small fort was also established on the east side of the town. The fort was only discovered in 1975, and the existence of the town only came to light in the 1990s.
It has long been known that there was Roman activity in the area. A Roman pit and occupation debris were discovered in 1954 in the village of Shapwick, which included Samian ware pottery, a bronze coin of Claudius, and a rim fragment of a mortarium. In 1990 an archaeological field survey revealed three areas of building debris including roof and flue tiles, tesserae, and 2nd–4th century pottery. Excavations, led by Martin Papworth, took place in 1991, 1995, and 2004. The 1991 excavations uncovered robber trenches, tesserae, pottery, painted wall plaster and evidence for ironworking. and uncovered smithing hearths dating from the second century. They further demonstrated that the Roman road through the settlement and the associated fort were not built until the later Roman period. Excavation of the settlement's boundary ditch in 2004 uncovered early first-century pottery, including a Samian-ware platter, as well as a first-century brooch.
The evidence suggests that the settlement began as a pre-Roman village or town of the late Iron-Age which continued in use in the Roman period.
The ancient frontier of Bokerley Dyke to the northeast was revived and may have played a role in keeping the invading Saxons out of Dorset during the 5th and 6th centuries. as originating with a supposition by the 'eminent Dr Edwin Guest' in the Salisbury Volume of the Archaeological Institute. Local historian Roy Carr has suggested that the Saxons were held off from crossing Bokerley Dyke, by the threat of an army in the west, perhaps stationed at Badbury Rings. Badbury Rings is one of three sites regularly advanced as the location of this battle. The surroundings of the city of Bath is a contender only based on the legendary text of Geoffrey of Mountmouth, who identifies it as the site of the battle, though the historical evidences suggest otherwise .
Saxon era
According to the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, Edward the Elder brought an army to Badbury Rings, soon after his succession to the throne in 899, to face down a challenge to his claim for the crown by his cousin Æthelwold, based at nearby Wimborne Minster.
Antiquarian accounts
The Tudor antiquarian John Leland visited Badbury Rings during his Itinerary of England conducted between 1538 and 1543. After speaking about the nearby town of Wimborne Minster he wrote:
The site today
The site, on the dip slope of Cranborne Chase, is now part of the Kingston Lacy estate owned by the National Trust since 1982, with free access. The hillfort has been a scheduled ancient monument since 1924. On a clear day, the Isle of Wight is visible from the top.
Citations
References
Further reading
- Martin Papworth, (2011), The Search for the Durotriges: Dorset and the West Country in the Late Iron Age. The History Press.