Monument record MDO6069 - Hillfort in Mistleberry Wood, Sixpenny Handley

A hillfort on the south slope of a spur, unfinished on the south-western side. The enclosure consists of a bank with an external ditch which might, if complete, have enclosed an area of around 2 acres. In 1975 the most complete parts of the bank were described as around 24 feet across and 4 feet high, with the ditch of similar dimensions. There is an entrance on the south east side. It is thought that this monument is Mealeburg, named in a charter of AD 956.

ST 996 195. Mistleberry. Listed in gazetteer as a univallate hillfort covering 0.8ha. <4> An earthwork enclosure in Mistleberry Wood, immediately adjacent to the Wiltshire border. Described by RCHME as an unfinished hillfort, it occupies a less than ideal defensive location on the southern slope of a spur, overlooked by higher ground to the northeast. The enclosing earthworks consist of a bank with external ditch. Assuming that a complete enclosure was the intention, the eastern half is more or less complete, with a southeast facing entrance gap. On the northwest, the bank gradually reduces in height, while the ditch becomes a series of shallow pits. No earthworks are evident in the southwest quadrant (this area may, of course, have been enclosed by some other, non-earthwork, means). At its maximum extent, the bank is 24 feet wide and 4 feet high. The ditch is also a maximum of circa 24 feet wide. If complete, the earthworks would enclose an area of circa 2 acres. The site is probably to be identified with Mealeburg, which is mentioned in a charter of 956 AD. Otherwise there is no dating evidence, although an Iron Age date is commonly assumed. <9>

Record last edited

Aug 30 2022 9:58AM